If you build it, they will come

West Haven partners with The Grind on Morse Park transformation; fields to be new home for baseball tournaments

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 19, 2025 — Mayor Dorinda Borer on Thursday announced an exciting new partnership between the city and The Grind LLC, a premier travel baseball program across Connecticut and the Northeast.

The Grind, which also owns a training facility and is based in Orange, has entered into a long-term mutual licensing agreement with the city where it will make significant investments and maintain the fields at Morse Park on Beach Street and in turn host games and tournaments in West Haven.

The agreement covers batting cages and fields 2, 3, 4 and 6, according to city Human Resources Commissioner John M. Carrano, who helped negotiate the new partnership.

“This is a win-win-win for the city, the Grind, and the young residents who deserve quality fields to play on and be proud of,” Borer said. “The Grind has the professional reputation for delivering the results we are looking for.”

Under the licensing agreement, the Grind will transform the city-owned ballpark into a first-class tournament destination for teams from around the Northeast.

“This partnership is about more than just baseball; it’s about building something lasting for the next generation,” said Michael Moras, who owns the Grind. “We’re excited to help transform Morse Park into a place where young athletes can compete, grow and take pride in their community. If you build it right, they don’t just come — they stay, they thrive and they come back!”

The seasonal tournaments are expected to drive thousands of players, ranging in age from 10 to 18, and their families to the West Haven shoreline during the season, which will boost the local economy, Borer said.

“Having an attraction that brings nonresidents into our city for sports programs will benefit our businesses, which benefits all of us at the end of the day,” the mayor said. “In addition to creating quality fields for our athletes, this area will go from a drain on resources to a revenue driver.”

Under the agreement, Carrano said the Grind will invest in capital improvements to the seaside ballpark, including reconditioning and resurfacing all infields and outfields, updating the sprinkler system, and drill-seeding and fertilizing all fields. The Grind will also install artificial turf pitching mounds, maintain all fields, and renovate and resurface all batting cages, he said.

The city will continue to maintain fields 1 and 7, along with areas adjacent to the fields.

“Our Public Works Department lines, trims and mows the fields; but it’s hard for them to mow dirt, and that’s what these fields have become — dirt and rocks due to lack of investments over the years,” Borer said. “This has not only resulted in poor aesthetics but can cause unsafe playing conditions. That’s all about to change with this partnership.”

Borer said the agreement will not affect the West Haven Little League, whose teams have played on the Morse Park fields for decades. The Grind will work around the Little League’s seasonal schedule, she said.

Games, practices and tournaments will all conform to city ordinances regarding times and lights, Borer said, and additional parking spaces are being created to allow for ample parking.

Founded in 2012, Grind Baseball has grown into Connecticut’s premier travel program. Grind travel teams are coached by a professional staff of former collegiate and pro standouts. Teams begin at age 10 and continue to the age 18 college showcase team.

Latino journalist, Abelardo King, will receive city’s Hispanic American of the Year award at noon today

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 19, 2025 — Latino resident Abelardo King will receive the city’s coveted Hispanic American of the Year award at noon today on the steps of City Hall, 355 Main St.

Borer and the West Haven Hispanic American of the Year Alumni Committee will honor King, a native of Samaná, Dominican Republic, for his community commitment and cultural pride at the city’s seventh annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration.

The committee bestows the award annually on a Hispanic resident who epitomizes service in West Haven’s thriving Hispanic community.

“Being named West Haven’s Hispanic American of the Year has great meaning for me, not only because of this recognition but also because at the same time the contributions of Hispanics to this city are being recognized,” King said.

King has been a leading Latino journalist in Connecticut since moving to New Haven in 1992 and launching La Voz Hispana de Connecticut, a free weekly Spanish newspaper.

He will celebrate his Dominican ancestry with dozens of loved ones, friends and city officials, along with an array of dignitaries and descendants of folks from the Dominican Republic and Latin America.

Committee members and West Haven officials led by Borer will escort King to the steps of City Hall for his special recognition. A Latin-flavored lunch will follow.

West Haven’s diversity is its strength, the mayor said, and King is a testament to the American dream.

“I am pleased to announce Abelardo King as our 2025 Hispanic American of the Year,” Borer said. “As an award-winning journalist and a longtime resident, his inspiring contributions to the fabric and spirit of West Haven are a testament to the diversity and promise of America.”

Committee member Sammy Rivera, the city’s 2021 Hispanic American of the Year, said: “Abelardo is a great journalist whose words transcend the page to uplift and empower the Hispanic community. With every story, he has championed the voices that often go unheard, bringing light to issues that matter most and paving the way for a more inclusive future.”

In observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from through Oct. 15, West Haven recognizes the important legacy of Hispanic Americans and the inspiring contributions they have made to the culture and history of the United States.

Hispanics have had a profound and positive influence on the civic and cultural life of America through their strong commitment to faith and family, hard work and public service. They have enhanced and shaped the national character with centuries-old traditions that reflect the multiethnic and multicultural customs of their community.

Hispanic Heritage Month, which traces its roots to 1968, specifically honors the diverse cultures and histories of people from Spain and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean, which includes the Dominican Republic.

The celebration begins mid-month because it marks the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries, including those in Central America.

Borer said King personifies the noble qualities of serving his vibrant community and carrying on the proud traditions of the Dominican Republic.

The mayor praised the public-spirited journalist for his devotion to “lifting up” the city and its robust Hispanic community.

At the City Hall event, Borer will present King with a Dominican flag and a mayoral citation for his good works.

He will also receive an embroidered “Hispanic American of the Year 2025” jacket from the mayor.

State Rep. Bill Heffernan, D-West Haven, will present King with an official statement from Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and a General Assembly citation from the city’s delegation.

The cultural event will include remarks by Borer and Rivera, the master of ceremonies. It will also include a prayer and the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Dominican national anthem, “Himno Nacional de la República Dominicana.”

King was born and raised in Samaná, a coastal town in northeastern Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola, bordering the Samaná Bay and the Caribbean Sea.

After graduating from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, he pursued a career in journalism, including a stint as a special reporter for the daily newspaper Hoy.

At a time when many print newspapers have failed, King and his business partner, Norma Rodriguez-Reyes, have maintained La Voz as the state’s leading Spanish-language newspaper as well as a source for online news.

La Voz is also a partner in running WNHH-FM, a bilingual community radio station.

King has won numerous awards for his journalistic work and is “proud to be a Westie.”

E-waste drop-off is Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 19, 2025 — For electronic items, including TVs, the final e-waste drop-off day of 2025 is Saturday.

Residents can drop off electronic recyclables — typically anything that contains a circuit board or needs a battery — from 8 a.m.-noon at the city garage, 1 Collis St.

West Haven is partnering with Take 2 Inc. of Waterbury, a state-approved recycler and collector of universal e-waste devices, to collect residential electronic items on a quarterly basis.

The collection is free for residents who have such items as computers, monitors, printers, keyboards, modems, computer mice, tablet computers, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, photocopiers, fax machines, scanners, video game machines, digital media players, personal digital assistants, stereo equipment, telephones, cellphones, cameras, microwaves and other small appliances.

Anything that has refrigerant, including air conditioners and dehumidifiers, is not accepted. Those items are considered hazardous waste and can be brought to HazWaste Central.

Details at E-waste Drop-off.

For the e-waste drop-off, residents are asked to heed the following guidelines:

— Stay in your vehicle.

— Vehicles will be spaced out. Event workers will remove electronics from your vehicle. There should be no interaction between residents and workers.

— No mattresses/box springs will be disposed of at the moment.

— No smoke detectors, ballasts or hazardous waste — lighter fluid, liquids, paint — will be accepted.

— Electronic items left curbside will be tagged with information on the e-waste schedule and must be removed, or face a potential fine.

Tony Inzero Farmers Market open through Oct. 11

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 19, 2025 — The 2025 season of the Tony Inzero Farmers Market is in full swing.

The farmers market is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday on the Green, at Campbell Avenue and Main Street, and every Saturday next to the Oak Street Beach parking lot, off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

The market will feature homegrown fruits and vegetables, baked goods and homemade crafts through Oct. 11.

Parking is available on Campbell Avenue and in the City Hall municipal lot, 355 Main St., as well as in the Oak Street municipal lot and on Palace Street. Oak Street is on the senior shuttle route and the CTtransit route.

The farmers market was dedicated in 2010 in memory of Anthony F. “Tony” Inzero, a leader in the downtown business community who co-owned Flower Affair on Campbell Avenue with Betty DelVecchio for many years. Inzero was a founding member and longtime president of the West Haven Business Association who spearheaded a variety of events and programs to drum up business for fellow merchants, including the first farmers market in 2000.

Inzero, who lived in Hamden, died in 2009 at age 59.