West Haven’s first Small Business Forum receives overwhelming attendance and feedback

WEST HAVEN, June 12, 2024 — Mayor Dorinda Borer and the city’s Economic Development Commission presented the first forum of its kind for small-business owners at West Haven High School on Tuesday.

With more than 100 business owners in attendance, the forum consisted of speakers from local, state and federal agencies sharing the resources available for businesses to thrive.

As part of the program, Borer launched the city’s new ARPA Small Business Grant program. Small businesses that apply for a grant can receive up to $10,000 for facade improvements or HVAC and outdoor dining upgrades.

The grant program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Eleven speakers, including Borer, gave business owners “high-level information” on available grants, loans and technical support through PowerPoint presentations on a range of topics to support better economic outcomes for small businesses.

John McCarthy, who owns West Haven’s popular Rock House School of Music, said: “My wife, Cathy, and I were very impressed with the Small Business Forum. There are so many resources available that we had no idea about. As small-business owners of the Rock House School of Music and the nonprofit Teach Kids Music, we are going to take advantage of these resources to grow our business and help enrich our community. Thank you for holding this informative event!”

Speakers included West Haven Economic Development Director Stephen Fontana, Community Development Administration Manager Mark J. Bisaccia and grant writer Olivia Bissanti.

“This is an exciting time to be in West Haven, an exciting time to be in business,” Fontana said. “There’s a lot of resources out there to help people. Our goal is to try to help you navigate all that. If you need a place to start first, think of us.”

Also speaking were Moraima Gutierrez, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s deputy district director for Connecticut; Val Gomez, the Connecticut Small Business Development Center’s business adviser; Kenyetta Banks, the Women’s Business Development Council’s program manager; Larry Rush, the conservation and load management manager of residential for United Illuminating’s parent company, Avangrid; Sheila Hummel, the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s director of small business, community development and capital projects; Kobey Smith, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s small business support specialist; and Steve Johnson, Workforce Alliance’s business services coordinator.

The forum concluded with an open discussion.

For information on West Haven’s ARPA Small Business Grant program, visit the city’s website.

Zuppardi’s marking 90 years of making ‘abeetz’ with public celebration Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WEST HAVEN, June 12, 2024 — Zuppardi’s Apizza is turning 90!

The historic pizzeria, nestled in West Haven’s Union Avenue neighborhood, has been serving New Haven-style apizza, pronounced “abeetz,” since 1934.

The fourth-generation business is one of the oldest family-owned pizzerias in the United States and was recently featured on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” according to Cheryl Zuppardi Pearce and Lori Zuppardi, sisters and co-owners of Zuppardi’s.

To mark 90 years in business, West Haven’s first family of apizza is hosting an anniversary party that will feature pizza, of course, along with music, Italian ice and more.

Mayor Dorinda Borer as well as many dignitaries and special guests will be in attendance.

The public event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at Zuppardi’s, 179 Union Ave. Parking is available at St. Lawrence School, 231 Main St.

A speaking program is slated for 11:15 a.m., and Borer will present the Zuppardi family with a proclamation observing the pizzeria’s anniversary.

Food tour aficionado Colin Caplan, the principal of Taste of New Haven, will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event, which the Zuppardis are calling “a celebration of food, family, legacy, and most importantly, the appreciation of the generations of customers who have kept Zuppardi’s relevant for so long.”

“Join us for an afternoon of celebrations highlighting our customers, our staff, our family business, and most importantly, our pizza!” the family said in a statement.

Zuppardi’s and its rich tradition has grown from a small bakery into a cornerstone pizzeria — and beyond.

In addition to its flagship location in West Haven, the Zuppardi family operates a frozen pizza business that distributes to large retailers and ships nationwide. The Zuppardi’s pizza truck and mobile business has been catering Connecticut pizza connoisseurs for nearly 10 years.

The family also operates satellite locations, including a takeout space in Ansonia.

To commemorate its business milestone, Zuppardi’s will sell 90th anniversary T-shirts for $10 at the event. All proceeds will benefit the Closer to Free Fund for Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Make Music Day set for June 21 in Old Grove Park

WEST HAVEN, June 12, 2024 — ArtsWestCT has announced the plans and lineup for West Haven’s third annual Make Music Day on June 21, a family-friendly event.

Internationally, Make Music Day celebrations are held in nearly 5,000 places worldwide, including West Haven’s own Old Grove Park.

In West Haven, the focus will be on creating instruments from recycled materials and jamming outdoors with local musicians, according to organizers.

City families and agencies are asked to help collect clean, empty containers with lids to bring to the event.

For complete details on Make Music Day, read the ArtsWest news release.

Borer reopens Beach St. in grand style with ribbon-cutting, community walk; over 100 people turn out

WEST HAVEN, June 3, 2024 — With more than 100 people looking on, Mayor Dorinda Borer cut a “Westie blue” ribbon suspended across Beach Street on May 31 to mark the grand reopening of the shoreline road after a yearlong state-bonded road-raising project.

A half-hour before the ribbon-cutting, a slate of speakers, including Borer, Gov. Ned Lamont’s chief of staff, Jonathan Dach, and members of the Sandy Point Neighborhood Association, commemorated the occasion at the Sandy Point Beach & Bird Sanctuary near Second Avenue with testimonials praising the many people who helped bring the years-in-the-making project to fruition.

In her opening remarks, Borer told those gathered that the road raising spanned three administrations and thanked former Mayors Nancy R. Rossi and Edward M. O’Brien for helping to shepherd the project. Borer also thanked the city’s state and federal delegations for securing the funding.

“In addition to coastal resiliency, building a beautiful corridor, we also took the opportunity with the funding to build a platform that not only provides vehicle safety but pedestrian safety, cycling safety as well,” said Borer, who was joined by West Haven state representatives, City Council members and other city leaders, along with Board of Education, police and fire officials.

Borer continued: “We’ve added speed humps, signs, widened the bike lane, and put in aesthetics to make the project something that those from around the state would want to visit.

“Today we’re standing in a section that we can all be very, very proud of. And in West Haven, we are a very proud community. I want to take the opportunity to thank all the residents for your patience during this project, and I know that all good things come to those who wait.”

Deputy Chief William S. Johnson IV of the West Haven Fire Department followed by speaking about the hazards first responders faced on Beach Street during Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.

Councilwoman Michelle Coletti, D-2, a co-founder of the nonprofit Sandy Point association who served as its inaugural president in 2021-23, talked about her positive working relationship with the city to solve the neighborhood’s coastal challenges and improve its quality of life.

Read the full story and see the photo gallery at Beach Street Reopening.

West Haven rolling out new recycling carts citywide

WEST HAVEN, May 30, 2024 — The city is rolling out new recycling carts for residents.

The free 65-gallon carts will begin arriving at residents’ homes in mid-June. Residents do not have to go to City Hall to pick up their new cart.

Mayor Dorinda Borer said residents should start using their new carts as soon as they receive them. The collection schedule will remain the same, she said.

The carts will replace the smaller bins currently used for residential recycling.

Borer said the new carts have wheels for easy maneuvering and attached lids to keep recyclables dry and secure. They will also keep city streets safer and cleaner as scattered debris will be limited, she said.

According to city officials, residents can keep their old bins for home use but will no longer be able to use them for the recycling program. The smaller bins cannot accommodate a potential new automated process.

Residents who want to discard their old smaller bins can do so by placing the old smaller bins on the curb on their regular trash day starting July 8.

“This is a great opportunity to modernize our waste hauling system,” Borer said. “In addition to increasing our recycling capacity, there are aesthetic and safety benefits. The carts have lids, meaning we will no longer have litter and debris blowing around our streets.”

In combination with American Rescue Plan Act funding, the city has received a grant from The Recycling Partnership, a national nongovernmental organization that advances the circular economy by building a better recycling system in communities nationwide.

Borer said West Haven was selected to receive grant support because of its dedication to advancing recycling in the community.

The mayor asks that residents continue to do their part by placing only recyclable materials in their carts, including glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, food and beverage cartons, paper products, such as newspapers and flattened cardboard, and empty plastic bottles and containers.

To help limit contamination, give food and drink containers a quick rinse and place them directly into the recycling cart. No sorting is needed.

Residents can find their recycling day and answers to other frequently asked questions by visiting Recycling Info & Carts or calling the Department of Public Works at 203-937-3585.

Business Alliance donates beach wheelchair to city

WEST HAVEN, May 30, 2024 — (Pictured): West Haven Business Alliance owner Michelle Caprio, left, joined by member David Tammaro, second from left, donates a beach wheelchair on behalf of the alliance to the Department of Parks and Recreation on May 29.

Shown with Caprio and Tammaro are, from left, Park-Rec Director Mark E. Paine Jr. and Pool and Waterfront Coordinator Margaret Ruggiero and West Shore Deputy Fire Chief Raphael Zayas.

Caprio, a lifelong Westie who started the alliance as a way of giving back to the community, said the new wheelchair will support the independent mobility of disabled beachgoers at West Shore’s Dawson Avenue Beach.

The $1,100 wheelchair has four 12-inch wheels that allow it to roll on beach sand and was the idea of Tammaro, a West Haven resident and business owner.

The wheelchair is accessible at the beach’s lifeguard stand from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., said Ruggiero, who supervises Park-Rec’s lifeguards. It is stored after beach hours at West Shore fire headquarters, just across the street on Ocean Avenue.

The mission of the West Haven Business Alliance “is to promote, provide, network, and collaborate West Haven businesses and their owners. This will allow for the betterment and development of business, fostering services for enhancing consumers and the business community.”

(City Photo/James Asmus)

West Haven Library kicks off Capital Campaign

WEST HAVEN, May 30, 2024 — The West Haven Library kicked off its Capital Campaign on May 17 with a $100,000 donation from the Heffernan family for the Allingtown library project.

In attendance were Friends of the Library members, Village Improvement Association board members and West Haven Library staff members.

Pictured, from left, are West Haven Library Director Colleen Bailie, VIA board President Bill Heffernan, and Heffernan family members Katie Farrell, Betsy Davis and Nancy Skerritt.

The West Haven Library hopes to raise $2 million to assist with the building of a new Allingtown library after closing the Piantino Library when the city sold the building in September 2020. Be on the lookout for more programs and fundraisers for the project.

The Friends of the Library were also presented with their proceeds of $2,000 from the Rotary Club of West Haven’s auction event last month by President-elect Alan Olenick to Friends President Michael Invernale. All proceeds from the Rotary’s Paddle Raise will benefit the summer reading programming at the West Haven Library.

The Capital Campaign kickoff also included a viewing event to showcase a documentary featuring the West Haven Library, which will air on PBS during the year. Watch the documentary on PBS or the library’s website.

Kickoff Dinner raises funds, recognizes honorees for Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Fest

WEST HAVEN, May 22, 2024 — (Pictured, from left): Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Committee Treasurer Sal Decola, committee member Mike Luzzi, Mayor Dorinda Borer, and newly sashed honorees Celia Pinzi and Mark Consorte are all smiles at the committee’s Kickoff Dinner at Cielo Banquet Hall on May 15.

The fundraising dinner recognized Consorte, a longtime social studies teacher and department head at West Haven High School, as the grand marshal of the 2024 Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Festival and Pinzi, the owner of West Haven Funeral Home, as the recipient of the committee’s Laura Luzzi Award for outstanding public service.

West Haven is the host community for the festival, which is scheduled from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, on the West Haven Green.

The cultural event will include live music and family-friendly activities to celebrate the region’s deep-rooted Italian heritage.

In addition to West Haven, the host community rotates annually among New Haven, North Haven, Branford, East Haven and Hamden, the host of last year’s festival.

(Contributed Photo)

Craft, farm, food truck vendors sought for Tony Inzero Farmers Market; 2024 season starts July 6

WEST HAVEN, May 17, 2024 — The city is seeking craft, farm and food truck vendors to participate in the Tony Inzero Farmers Market, which will open its 2024 season July 6 next to the Oak Street Beach parking lot off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

The market, nestled on the right side of the beach lot, will include state farmers selling homegrown fruits and vegetables and crafters selling homemade wares from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday through Oct. 12.

It will also include food trucks.

To participate in the semiweekly market, download an Application.

Applications are also available for pickup in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due June 17.

Completed applications must be emailed to Tracie Slater, the market’s manager, at tslater@westhaven-ct.gov or faxed to 203-937-3705.

For more information, call Slater at 203-937-3510.