West Haven High School Band director Donata Lupacchino-Nelsen, second from left, and choral director Jason Thomas, fourth from left, receive oversize checks for $4,000 from Mayor Dorinda Borer, center, on Wednesday as school district fine arts coordinator Scott Shand and mayor’s office volunteer Beth A. Sabo look on. The $8,000 donation was made possible by the ticket sale proceeds from the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s “Holiday Extravaganza: Joy to the World!” concert, which was presented by Borer’s arts initiative on Dec. 13 in the school auditorium. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Mayor Dorinda Borer facilitates $8,000 donation for West Haven High School Band, choral department

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 4, 2025 — With a little creativity coupled with a passion for the arts, Mayor Dorinda Borer has facilitated an $8,000 donation to West Haven High School to help fund a St. Patrick’s Day performance in New York City for the choral department and new instruments for the band.

Borer recently presented a pair of $4,000 checks to West Haven High choral director Jason Thomas and band director Donata Lupacchino-Nelsen in the school auditorium, where Scott Shand, the school district’s fine arts coordinator, and retired city Human Resources Commissioner Beth A. Sabo accompanied the group and applauded the mayor’s generous gift.

The $8,000 donation, in the form of ceremonial oversize checks, was made possible by the ticket sale proceeds from the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s “Holiday Extravaganza: Joy to the World!” concert, which was presented by Borer’s arts initiative on Dec. 13 in the auditorium.

The mayor used funding from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act Arts Fund to bring the symphony to the auditorium and in turn charged a modest ticket price with 100% of the proceeds benefiting students.

Thomas thanked Borer and said he plans to use the money to help pay for a March 17 performance at Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall that will also feature other advanced high school choral students from across the country.

Lupacchino-Nelsen, who was equally grateful to Borer, said she plans to use the money to buy a tuba and a baritone saxophone for the band’s repertoire.

As part of their partnership with West Haven High, Borer and Sabo, who volunteers with the mayor’s office, also purchased new instruments for Lupacchino-Nelsen’s Advanced Placement music theory class, including an 88-key Yamaha P-S500 smart digital piano and a 34-inch Zildjian orchestral gong with a heavy-duty stand.

Borer and Sabo also arranged for a symphony member to read a story through music to students of Washington Elementary School on Nov. 25.

The symphony’s Pops Series performance, conducted by Chelsea Tipton II, brought the music and magic of the holiday season to West Haven High for a special concert that benefited the arts and filled the auditorium with more than 450 resident concertgoers.

“Families and friends came together to experience the joy of holiday music from around the world in Connecticut’s favorite festive tradition!” the NHSO said in a statement.

Borer noted that residents can expect to see that tradition continue this December, when the symphony is slated to return to West Haven High for another holiday concert.

“The feedback from this event was tremendous and was one of my personal highlights of the holiday season,” the mayor said. “Working on this project with Beth was a lot of fun and was very rewarding. Being able to be a part of a great concert and have donations be designated for our students was a win-win all around.”

The New Haven Symphony is America’s fourth-oldest orchestra, founded in 1894.

For more than a century, the NHSO has continued the traditions of performance and education by supporting programs in schools and communities and presenting classical repertoire and pops concerts.

The symphony has performed regularly in New Haven and toured throughout Connecticut and beyond, including concerts at New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. It has also given numerous radio broadcasts.

Solar charging stations to keep West Haven ‘powered up’

Solar charging stations to keep city ‘powered up’

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 4, 2025 — (Pictured): Mayor Dorinda Borer and assistant grant writer Vanessa Hruszko show the city’s newly installed solar-powered charging station on the Campbell Avenue steps of City Hall on Thursday.

The downtown charging station joins two others that have been installed near the bathhouse on the shoreline boardwalk and on the Allingtown Green.

The solar devices are another initiative by Borer to bring opportunity for powering up when there are outages or for everyday use when someone needs a boost in order to be connected telephonically or to the internet.

“These first-ever solar charging stations will help keep our community powered up,” Borer said. “We are modernizing our approach to accessibility in an environmentally friendly way.”

The charging stations are manufactured by Alabama-based Sun Charge Systems Inc. and can charge up to 12 cellphones simultaneously.

According to Hruszko, each station has a 30-inch round table, four dual fast-charging USB-A and USB-C ports, and one dual fast-charging USB-A and USB-C port that is handicapped accessible.

The city has also added two wireless charging cradles for cellphones on each station, Hruszko said.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Chris Walsh, the owner of Duffy’s Tavern in West Haven, thanks United Illuminating for supporting his business’s recent energy efficiency upgrades and Mayor Dorinda Borer, left, for supporting local small businesses during UI’s West Haven “Main Street” event at Duffy’s, 241 Campbell Ave., on Thursday. Officials from UI and Southern Connecticut Gas, subsidiaries of Orange-based Avangrid Inc., kicked off the event as part of their three-week campaign to promote West Haven businesses’ participation in the EnergizeCT Small Business Energy Advantage program, which provides incentives for energy efficiency upgrades for small businesses statewide. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

UI and Borer kick off ‘Main Street’ energy efficiency programs for small businesses in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 4, 2025 — United Illuminating and Southern Connecticut Gas, subsidiaries of Orange-based Avangrid Inc., on Thursday kicked off their West Haven “Main Street” event, a three-week campaign to promote city businesses’ participation in the EnergizeCT Small Business Energy Advantage program.

The kickoff was held at Duffy’s Tavern on Campbell Avenue and featured remarks by Mayor Dorinda Borer, who emphasized the benefits of energy efficiency in bringing down costs for small businesses and promoting economic development in Connecticut cities and towns.

“West Haven is proud of its small businesses, and I’m glad that UI is providing them with access to energy efficiency upgrades,” Borer said. “Over the past year, my administration has pursued a number of initiatives to support our entrepreneurs and small businesses, and UI’s Small Business Energy Advantage program is one more resource to help them to start up and expand here.

“I want to ensure that our business community knows this is a proven program that can help them save money. I encourage West Haven businesses to explore the opportunity.”

The event included remarks by UI and SCG officials and Duffy’s owner Chris Walsh, who thanked UI and SCG for supporting the tavern’s recent energy efficiency upgrades and Borer for supporting small-business assistance programs in West Haven.

The Irish pub and restaurant, founded in 1983, received the upgrades through the SBEA program, which provides incentives for energy efficiency upgrades for small businesses statewide.

“Energy efficiency is one of the simplest, most effective ways that each of us can take charge of our energy usage and work to lower costs while mitigating energy waste,” said Frank Reynolds, the president and CEO of UI and SCG. “Spreading the word about energy efficiency to all our communities is an important responsibility we have to extend the benefits of these upgrades to all our customers, from the largest manufacturers to the smallest local businesses.

“I commend our team for their hard work in launching the EnergizeCT Main Street event in West Haven, and I am grateful to the city of West Haven, including Mayor Borer, for their partnership in these important efforts.”

The event also included a walk-through of Duffy’s projected upgrades, including new lighting, commercial kitchen hood controls, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The tour was led by UI contractor Dennis Robb of Phoenix-based Titan LED Lighting Solutions.

As part of the West Haven Main Street event, for the next three weeks, energy efficiency vendors with EnergizeCT, which is administered by Connecticut utilities’ energy efficiency teams, will visit small businesses throughout the city and perform no-cost, no-obligation energy efficiency assessments.

The assessments aim to determine upgrades — transitioning lighting to LED, adding insulation or window sealing, or transitioning to high efficiency appliances — that could be made to manage energy usage and subsequently bring down businesses’ energy costs, according to UI officials.

On-bill financing is also available for qualifying customers.

Additionally, West Haven small businesses that take advantage of the SBEA program during the Main Street event will receive additional incentives, in addition to those normally offered, to reduce up-front costs related to the upgrades, which can be up to 90% of the cost, officials said.

The SBEA program is a commercial energy efficiency program through EnergizeCT, an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, Connecticut Green Bank, state policymakers, and local electric and gas utilities that promotes energy efficiency measures for small businesses in Connecticut.

Through the program, which is funded by a charge on customers’ energy bills, businesses that use less than 1,250,000 kilowatt-hours annually across all their Connecticut properties can receive a no-cost energy assessment, a comprehensive proposal of all eligible energy efficiency measures, incentives to cover a portion of the installed cost, and zero-interest and low-cost financing available for qualifying businesses.

The Main Street event aims to promote the SBEA program in environmental justice and traditionally underserved areas of the state by offering additional incentives beyond what is normally offered through SBEA, which can be up to 90% of the up-front costs for the upgrades, according to UI officials.

West Haven taxpayers can appeal property assessments

Taxpayers can appeal property assessments in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 4, 2025 — The Board of Assessment Appeals will hear appeals of real estate and personal property assessments on the 2024 grand list by appointment during April.

The board will also hear appeals of motor vehicle assessments on the 2023 supplemental motor vehicle grand list that received a tax bill due Jan. 1.

Any property owner who wants to appeal an assessment must submit a written application to the board. The assessor’s office must receive the completed form on or before March 20.

Download an Application.

Applications are also available in the assessor’s office on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St., or by calling the office at 203-937-3515. Staff members will answer questions about the appeal process.

Valentine luncheon feting West Haven Senior Center members, anniversary couples on Feb. 14

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 4, 2025 — Mayor Dorinda Borer is combining two traditional valentine celebrations this year for the city’s senior residents.

Members of the West Haven Senior Center are invited to a special luncheon on Valentine’s Day, where the city will also recognize couples with anniversary longevity.

If you are a WHSC member or a couple celebrating more than 50 years of marriage, this event is for you!

The luncheon is set for noon Feb. 14 in the First Congregational Church’s Fellowship Hall, at 464 Campbell Ave. opposite City Hall on the Green.

The two-hour event is presented by the Department of Elderly Services and will include a catered lunch and the hits of yesterday sung by West Haven’s own Alex Pericas Jr.

Borer will also recognize the longest-married couple with a special citation and gift.

For reservations, call Elderly Services Director Alyssa Maddern at 203-937-3507 by Feb. 7.

Tax relief programs for elderly, disabled homeowners offered

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 4, 2025 — The assessor’s office is accepting applications by appointment for tax relief programs for elderly and disabled homeowners.

West Haven residents can apply for the programs, based on their 2024 taxable and untaxable incomes, weekdays from Feb. 18-May 15 in the assessor’s office on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St. For an appointment, call 203-937-3515. No walk-ins.

The state offers a tax reduction benefit depending on income and marital status through the circuit breaker program. To qualify, the applicant or spouse must be 65 or older by Dec. 31, 2024, or permanently and totally disabled as defined by Social Security.

Income limits, including Social Security, are $55,100 for married applicants and $45,200 for a single applicant. Those eligible for the program must reapply every two years.

To qualify for the West Haven tax freeze program, the applicant must be age 70 by Dec. 31, 2024, and have lived in the city for at least 20 consecutive years with nobody under age 25 living in the home. The program will freeze the city portion of the resident’s taxes only for the upcoming year.

Income limits, excluding Social Security, are $50,000 for married applicants and $35,000 for a single applicant. Those eligible for the program must reapply annually.

The assessor’s office is also accepting applications until Oct. 1 for additional veterans exemptions. The maximum income is $55,100 for married applicants and $45,200 for a single applicant.

For veterans who are 100% service connected, income limits are $24,000 for married applicants and $21,000 for a single applicant. Social Security and veterans disability payments do not count for 100% disabled veterans only. All other ratings must include veterans disability payments and Social Security.

Taxes due now in West Haven

WEST HAVEN, Feb. 4, 2025 — The second installment of city tax bills — real estate, personal property, motor vehicle, sewer — was due Jan. 1, and payments after Feb. 3 are considered delinquent and subject to interest, per state law.

The 2023 supplemental motor vehicle bills are for vehicles registered after Oct. 1, 2023, and were also due Jan. 1.

After Feb. 3, interest will be charged on the installment due from Jan. 1 at the rate of 1 ½% per month.

Payments — full or partial — can be made by cash, check, credit card, debit card or money order from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays in the tax office on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St. The building has an ATM on the first floor.

Taxpayers can also make payments online at My Tax Bill. Sewer bills are on the same page but under a separate tab. Tax payment history can also be viewed and printed.

The fees for credit cards and electronic checks are available at Payments.

During tax season, taxes can be paid by the drop box outside the interior door of the tax office from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Do not leave cash or credit card information in the drop box.

When paying by drop box, the canceled check is the receipt.

Taxes can also be paid by mail to the Office of the Tax Collector, City of West Haven, P.O. Box 401, West Haven, CT 06516.

Anyone needing a motor vehicle clearance must pay by cash, credit card, debit card or money order.

West Haven property owners should be advised that the January installment of taxes does not reflect any changes in real property assessments that may have been indicated in a revaluation notice they have received. The revaluation adjustments will be applied to the tax billing starting in July. For more information, visit the Assessor’s Office webpage .

As part of the city’s revaluation, property values have increased. However, to ensure that the overall tax burden remains balanced, the mill rate will be adjusted downward. The adjustment will help offset the increase in property values, resulting in a more equitable tax bill.

WH DPW issues reminders for Christmas trees, holiday trash pickup

Reminders issued for Christmas trees and holiday trash pickup

WEST HAVEN, Jan. 10, 2025 — The Department of Public Works reminds residents not to put Christmas trees in plastic bags or stands for curbside pickup.

Lights must also be removed from Christmas trees. Plastic bags and other items can become tangled in the machine that grinds the trees into compost.

Christmas trees will be picked up in January and February only. City residents needing a pickup after Feb. 28 will be charged a $25 fee. Christmas trees can also be brought to the compost site at 1 Kimberly Ave.

Also, residents are reminded that five 2025 holidays will delay curbside pickup one day.

Affordable Waste Systems LLC of East Haven, West Haven’s private contractor for rubbish and recyclables, will not pick up rubbish, recyclables or metals on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If a holiday falls on a weekday, pickup for that week will be delayed one day. But when a holiday like Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, only Thursday and Friday’s collections will be delayed one day.

Thanksgiving is also the only holiday that excludes metal pickup in those affected districts.

Separate metals and recyclables from regular trash.

Detailed information about the city’s trash and recycling guidelines is available at Bulk Trash Pickup & Other Services.

The brick Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park, West Haven. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh, File)

Veterans Council launches 2025 Brick Campaign

WEST HAVEN, Jan. 10, 2025 — The West Haven Veterans Council has launched the 17th phase of its popular Brick Campaign.

In November 2006, the council began the first of 17 campaigns selling bricks to memorialize veterans on the 100-yard Walk of Honor between the William A. Soderman and Vietnam Veterans memorials.

The bricks, which cost $75, have charcoal lettering for personalized messages.

About 3,000 bricks have been installed to date, including 47 for Phase 16, which was dedicated May 25, 2024.

Download a brick application here.

Applications, due March 14, are also available in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St. For details, call 203-937-3510.