West Haven state Rep. Dorinda Borer, left, and Mayor Nancy R. Rossi present citations to Tom Conroy, a former program coordinator at the city Department of Parks and Recreation, dedicating the Painter Park pavilion as “Conroy Corner” on Monday. The blue-and-white vinyl sign was unveiled in honor of Conroy, who retired from the department in September after 27 years of service. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Painter Park pavilion immortalized as ‘Conroy Corner’

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 15, 2022 — Tom Conroy, a former program coordinator at the Department of Parks and Recreation, received citations from Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and state Rep. Dorinda Borer dedicating the Painter Park pavilion as “Conroy Corner” on Monday.

As two dozen loved ones, friends, co-workers and staff members, and former and current city and state officials looked on, Park-Rec Director Mark E. Paine Jr. removed a black shroud revealing a blue-and-white vinyl sign in honor of Conroy, who retired from the department in September after 27 years of service and “improving the quality of life for countless Westies.”

Conroy, choking back tears in front of his newly unveiled Conroy Corner sign, said overseeing Park-Rec’s camp, recreational and sports programs was “a job of a lifetime.”

He thanked Rossi and his bosses, Paine and former Park-Rec Director Bill Slater, for giving him the freedom to create dynamic and engaging programs for West Haven’s young people.

A lifelong West Havener, Conroy also thanked his bosses’ boss, Human Resources Commissioner Beth A. Sabo, for hiring him in May 1995 for his “dream job,” along with the many colleagues and employees who helped him meet the city’s recreational needs.

At the midafternoon dedication, he was accompanied by wife Barbara Conroy, daughters Kristina Conroy and Colleen Innamorato, and grandchildren Charlie Innamorato, 2, and Grace Innamorato, 3 months.

He was also joined by his sister and brother-in-law, Lynn and Tom Jaqua; his niece and her husband, Stacee and Paul Nixon; and former Rep. Stephen D. Dargan, D-West Haven, a longtime friend of Conroy’s who had secured state funding to build the pavilion in the heart of the Kelsey Avenue park.

Before presenting the mayoral citation, Rossi read it to Conroy, saying: “I proudly dedicate the Painter Park pavilion as Conroy Corner, immortalizing the spot where many of your programs have been enjoyed by thousands of children. I hope you reflect with pride on the memories you have made and the lives you have touched.”

Borer, D-West Haven, followed by reading and presenting the General Assembly citation on behalf of the city’s delegation to Conroy, who has served with his good friend Borer on the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee for years.

Tom Conroy stands behind his “Conroy Corner” sign with, from left, wife Barbara Conroy, sister Lynn Jaqua, and daughters Colleen Innamorato, holding son Charlie Innamorato, 2, and Kristina Conroy, holding niece Grace Innamorato, 3 months. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Amid light rain, veterans, dignitaries and guests bow their heads as West Haven Fire Department paramedic Mike Alfano rings the department’s chrome bell 11 times at 11 a.m. in observance of Veterans Day in West Haven’s Bradley Point Park on Friday. Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is celebrated on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, marking the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Veterans Day marked, 2023 Brick Campaign launched

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 14, 2022 — A legion of veterans and their families from near and afar, together with city and state leaders and members of West Haven’s Veterans Council and Surfside Veterans, descended on the Veterans Walk of Honor to pay tribute to Veterans Day on Friday.

City Council Chairman Peter V. Massaro, standing on the Walk of Honor in the heart of Bradley Point Park, delivered prepared remarks on behalf of Mayor Nancy R. Rossi to the patriotic crowd of mostly veterans, many wearing black baseball caps referencing their military assignments in gold lettering.

Read the full story and see the photo spread at Veterans Day 2022.

Rossi holding Nov. 29 town hall in person, on Facebook Live

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 14, 2022 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi is inviting residents to participate in a town hall meeting in person at City Hall or virtually on Facebook Live at 6 p.m. Nov. 29.

The community event is aimed at fostering communication and transparency between City Hall and West Haven residents.

Residents can attend the town hall in the Harriet C. North Community Room of City Hall, 355 Main St., or they can participate in the meeting on the Facebook Live page called UNH Mayor’s Advisory Commission. Face masks are recommended for City Hall attendees.

The town hall is sponsored by the mayor’s office and the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission, a collaborative, student-driven task force founded in 2015 to strengthen town-gown relations.

The UNH commission is led by Christyllis A. Douglas, a junior studying psychology, and adviser Chris Haynes, an associate professor of political science and national security.

All members of the community are encouraged to participate in the town hall and ask questions. The moderators are Haynes and commission member Brian Cao.

Participants can send questions before the meeting by email to [email protected] or [email protected]. They can also submit questions during the meeting in the “Comment” section on Facebook Live.

Participants are allowed one question with a one-minute time limit. At the beginning of the question, they must state their name and the subject of their question, with all comments related to the city or government of West Haven.

Participants must keep all dialogue courteous and respectful.

For more information, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510, or email [email protected] or [email protected].

West Haven heralds launch of state’s largest food-to-clean-energy program

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 14, 2022 — West Haven is the first city in the state to offer a citywide curbside food scrap diversion option to all single-family residents, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

Rossi said the program allows all single-family homes — one, two and three families — to easily separate food scraps and have them collected at the curb in the same container now used for residents’ trash collection.

The city has received a $1.3 million Sustainable Materials Management grant from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop and launch a food-to-clean-energy program.

Grant Coordinator Doug Colter, who secured the funding for the city, said the state is facing a solid waste disposal crisis, as traditional options for disposing of municipal solid waste are diminishing or becoming more expensive. With fewer and rapidly aging disposal options in Connecticut, residents and municipal leaders can expect disposal costs to increase at the remaining waste incineration facilities “as well as out-of-state landfilling,” Colter said.

On Nov. 7, the West Haven Food to Clean Energy program launched a nine-month pilot project for curbside food scrap diversion. Participation in the program comes at no cost to the 16,000 eligible households.

Colter said the funding covers the purchase of special color-coded bags for trash and for food scrap separation for the nine-month pilot. It also covers the cost of educational materials — mailers, a website and a Connect mobile app — along with personnel to sort the bags and the shipment of food scraps to Quantum Biopower in Southington, where the food will be converted into clean electricity, he said.

More details at Food Scrap Recycling.

Informational Materials

The Downsizing Donation Guide: A Resource for Residents of New Haven County (PDF)

What’s In? What’s Out? A Guide to Recycling (PDF)

Castro Oasis opens high-end car wash on Prindle Road

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 10, 2022 — (Pictured): Mayor Nancy R. Rossi cuts the ribbon with brothers Jonnathan Castro, left, and Luis Castro, the owners of Castro Oasis, to celebrate the high-end car wash’s grand opening at 80 Prindle Road on Oct. 31.

Marking the event are, from left, Councilwoman Colleen O’Connor, R-at large; Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant; and Councilman Gary Donovan, D-at large.

Boasting “an unparalleled full-service auto care experience,” the 12,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art hand car wash offers such services as vehicle customization, film protection, window tinting, interior and exterior auto detailing, and paint correction.

The new West Shore business sits atop Prindle Hill, opposite Latella Farm on the Orange line.

The family-owned car wash and auto salon is open from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 7-11 a.m. Sunday.

(Contributed Photo/Castro Oasis)