City agency holding Resource Fair for special needs families Wednesday

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 19, 2022 — The West Haven Interagency Network for Children will hold its 2022 Resource Fair from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at the West Haven Community House, 227 Elm St.

The free event will give families of children with special needs an opportunity to learn about new resources and services while meeting other families.

The fair will include representatives from the following agencies and programs: Solstice Behavioral Health and Consulting, FAVOR Inc., Autism Health and Fitness, ArtsWest CT, UConn Kids, Rape Crisis Center, Beacon Health Options, West Haven Community Development Administration, PATH, New Haven Reads, City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown, Tap With Donna, state Department of Developmental Services, Constellation ABA, West Haven Health Department, Bridges Healthcare Inc., Integrated Bilingual Counseling LLC, WHEAT Inc., West Haven Lions Club, West Haven Police Department, West Haven Family Resource Center, West Haven Public Library, Family Centered Services of CT, Shoreline Wellness, West Haven Early Childhood Council, Save the Kids Fund Inc., West Haven Department of Parks and Recreation, Love146, Connecticut Family Support Network and West Haven Mental Health Clinic.

West Haven Fire/Police Service, Public Safety & Health Exposition scheduled for Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 13, 2022 — West Haven’s three fire departments and the city will salute National Fire Prevention Week with an exposition of all things fire, police, public safety and health.

The second annual West Haven Fire/Police Service, Public Safety & Health Expo is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 15 at Old Grove Park and Palace Street. The rain date is Oct. 16. Free parking is available in the lots off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

West Haven’s collective fire services include the independent West Haven Fire Department, which serves the First Fire Taxation, or Center, District, and the independent West Shore Fire Department, which serves the Shore’s 2nd District. It also includes the 3rd District’s formerly independent Allingtown Fire Department, which was taken over by the city in July 2012 and is now known as the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown.

Together, the departments have been in operation for 350 years — West Haven since 1888, Allingtown since 1907 and West Shore since 1918.

West Haven Chief James P. O’Brien, West Shore Chief Stephen Scafariello and Allingtown Chief Michael R. Terenzio are organizing the large public exhibition, which will feature fire engine and firetruck displays, including antique fire apparatus, and a fire service exhibit at Old Grove Park and Palace Street.

The expo will include Mack firetruck rides, a hazmat trailer, food trucks, the departments’ rescue boats and fire merchandise vendors, as well as live music by Tre Paul and an appearance by Sparky the Fire Dog, said organizer Beth A. Sabo, the Expo Committee’s chairwoman.

It will also include educational demonstrations on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, drone technology, home sprinkler systems, first aid, and fire code and investigation.

West Haven firefighters will demonstrate the department’s 35-foot smoke trailer and show children what to do in the event of a fire.

West Haven Professional Firefighters Local 1198 will collect donations for its annual Muscular Dystrophy Association charity event.

Allingtown firefighters will perform a certified inspection or installation of child safety car seats for the public free of charge. They will also show how to ensure that the portable seats have been properly fastened for securing small children.

Fire apparatus dealers and members of the University of New Haven’s Fire Science and EMS/Paramedic clubs will have resource tables with information on products and programs.

Jennifer A. Amendola, the director of West Haven’s 911 Emergency Communications Center, which operates out of police headquarters at 200 Sawmill Road, will educate the public on the structure of the city’s Emergency Reporting System and what the dispatchers do.

Amendola and other ERS dispatchers will demonstrate how to make a “real” phone call to 911 while showing people what the dispatcher on the other end of the call would be doing. For example, dispatchers will show the public the premade, established card sets that consist of a series of questions they must ask when receiving certain types of medical emergencies to give the callers an idea of why the questions need to be asked and why.

Dispatchers will show how to “TEXT 911” if people cannot place a phone call in an emergency. There will also be a display of what the dispatcher workstations look like, along with some of the equipment they use, such as headsets and portables.

“West Haven 911 will be happy to educate the public on any questions they may have about the system, how it works, what to do,” Amendola said. “We want to make sure people know when to call and reassure them that there will always be a voice on the other end to help them.”

ERS dispatchers will also distribute educational materials and pass out goodies to people of all ages to remind them that 911 should be called for any police, fire or medical emergency, Amendola said.

The West Haven Department of Emergency Management will have information on the city’s Community Emergency Response Team, storm preparation, post-storm recovery, and natural and human-made disasters.

Emergency Management Director Joseph Soto said the CERT program, which needs volunteers, educates volunteers on disaster preparedness for hazards that could impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.

Soto will sign up residents for West Haven’s emergency notification system to receive alerts. The Citizen Notification System enables the city to quickly provide residents with critical information in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons, and building or neighborhood evacuations, he said.

The system is operated in partnership with Everbridge Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts, the world’s leader in incident notification systems.

Once registered in Everbridge’s secure database, the site will send subscribers time-sensitive messages via cell, home or business phones or email or text messages. The notifications are broadcast through the city’s Emergency Operations Center.

Members of the West Haven Health Department will give doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to those 18 and older and have information on the coronavirus, food sanitation and the flu.

Local health care agencies, including Bridges, will present their programs.

The West Haven Police Department will hold a K-9 demonstration and have information on public safety, crime prevention and law enforcement programs.

The call to “save the date” for vendors and fire, police, public safety and health organizations to participate is underway.

DeLauro, Rossi herald $105M in funding for I-95 bridges
WEST HAVEN, Sept. 9, 2022 — U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro joined state Transportation Deputy Commissioner Mark Rolfe and Mayor Nancy R. Rossi on Sept. 8 to announce $105 million in federal infrastructure funding for building new Interstate 95 southbound and northbound bridges in West Haven.

“The widening of these structures will allow for the full realization of the I-95 improvements and achieve a combined five-minute travel time savings per vehicle over this half-mile project area,” said DeLauro, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

“When you multiply that five minutes by the total vehicle miles traveled, you end up saving 891 hours of vehicle hours traveled in one half-hour period, a significant travel reduction,” said DeLauro, D-3.

DeLauro, Rolfe and Rossi heralded the money, funded by the $1 trillion infrastructure legislation that passed last year, during a late-morning news conference in a commuter parking lot on First Avenue, just off I-95’s Exit 43.

“I’m very excited to announce the I-95 West Haven bridge project, which is an important investment into our infrastructure, our time, our air quality and the safety of our drivers,” said Rossi, who thanked the public safety-minded DeLauro for making the project a reality.

The I-95 West Haven Safety Improvement Project will encompass two bridges: one carrying I-95 southbound on three 12-foot travel lanes over the Metro-North Railroad line, and one carrying I-95 northbound on three 12-foot travel lanes over Route 122, First Avenue.

As part of the project, the acceleration lane along I-95 southbound from Exit 44 in New Haven will be extended as an operational lane and transition to a deceleration lane for Exit 43. A 12-foot acceleration lane on I-95 northbound will also be lengthened, Rolfe said.

“Not only will these structures be replaced, but they will also be widened to create operational lanes and standard shoulders,” Rossi said. “These changes will facilitate congestion relief in our area.”

According to Rolfe, the bridge replacement will allow for safer motor vehicle travel, “meaning fewer dangerous merges and crashes and less time being stuck in traffic due to minor fender benders.”

Rolfe said the project will also yield better traffic flow operations on First Avenue.

The federal government is funding 90% of the $115 million project, which is expected to begin in fall 2023 and end in summer 2027, according to the Department of Transportation.

Constructed in 1956, the bridges over the Metro-North line and First Avenue were last rehabilitated in 1988 and 1990, respectively.

West Haven seniors empowered by National Senior Center Month events
WEST HAVEN, Sept. 1, 2022 — Today’s senior centers deliver vital connections to help older adults age well.

Senior centers offer enriching daily activities, socialization opportunities and resourceful information. Therefore, it is fitting that the National Council on Aging recognizes September as National Senior Center Month.

During the special month, the West Haven Senior Center is celebrating the shared experiences that strengthen community connections for older, independent adults.

From intriguing brain fitness to diverse creative arts and educational seminars to unique fitness programs and classic bingo, the senior center, based in the Johnson Community Center at 201 Noble St., is a community hub where older, independent adults can find friendship, meaning and purpose.

To share the power of those connections, WHSC has planned a variety of special events to celebrate Senior Center Month, including reestablishing the West Haven Public Library’s Bookmobile program, viewing DVDs of past parties the senior center hosted, and reminiscing about Savin Rock with a screening of “See Ya at the Rock!”

Other forthcoming events include cardio drumming and WHSC members stocking the Purple Pantry Box at the First Congregational Church, 464 Campbell Ave.

For the full Senior Center Month itinerary, see the West Haven Senior Highlights Newsletter.

“Betty Friedan said, ‘Aging is not lost youth, but a new stage of opportunity and strength,’” said Alyssa Maddern, the director of the Department of Elderly Services at the West Haven Senior Center.

Maddern continued: “WHSC members are finding opportunity and strength each and every day. They demand the opportunity to continue connecting: We serve them and this community the best we can with fun and engaging programs while also providing practical information and resources to help them stay healthy and independent.”

Senior Center Month emphasizes the tremendous potential senior centers deliver in their communities, including programming that empowers older, independent adults to holistically age well and strengthen mind, body, spirit and community connections.

WHSC provides opportunities for older, independent adults to travel together in various local daytrips and enjoy the daily nutritious lunch program through the LifeBridge Community Services Community Cafe.

It also provides health screenings through the West Haven Health Department and other health centers, transportation to local spots three times a week through the West Haven Senior Shuttle, and tax assistance and driver safety courses through AARP.

To learn more about WHSC, call 203-937-3507 or visit Elderly Services/West Haven Senior Center.

Public invited to take regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Survey from SCRCOG
WEST HAVEN, July 8, 2022 — The South Central Regional Council of Governments and its municipalities are working together to update the Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The plan is aimed at identifying and assessing the region’s natural hazard risks — flooding, hurricanes, winter storms — and determining how to best minimize or manage those risks.

To increase public participation, SCRCOG has launched the South Central Connecticut Hazard Mitigation Plan Survey so those in the planning area can share their opinions and participate in the mitigation planning process.

The information provided by the five-minute survey will help the planning team better understand local concerns and issues as expressed by the region’s residents and can lead to mitigation activities that should reduce the impacts of future disasters.

Read the news release and take the survey at SCRCOG.

See the Flyer.

See the Fact Sheet.

For more information, visit the plan’s webpage, or contact Rebecca Andreucci, SCRCOG’s senior transportation planner, at [email protected] or 203-466-8601.

Public input sought for bike and pedestrian plan in West Haven
WEST HAVEN, Aug. 3, 2022 — The city needs input from residents to help craft the West Haven Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.

Be part of the process and let your voice be heard.

Tour the virtual meeting room and take the survey: http://vmr.betaftp.com/WestHavenBikePedPlan/.