News

Become A Sustainable Manufacturing Leader
The Connecticut State Energy Sector Partnership is offering no cost technical services to manufacturing firms that are interested in becoming more sustainable.

Small Business Loan Session scheduled for Thursday, February 3rd, 2011.
The City of West Haven is holding a Small Business Loan Session on Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 from 6:00-8:00pm at the Savin Rock Conference Center.  If you are interested in starting your own business or are in need of additional funding and assistance, this program is for you.  The session is free and open to the public.  Speakers will include the Community Development Agency, Community Economic Development Fund and the Connecticut Small Business Development Center.  To register, email McClellan@westhaven-ct.gov or call 203-937-3580 ext. 3012.

West Haven drug developer draws $2.5M
For more on the story, read the Hartford Business Journal Online article from Wednesday, December 22, 2010.

Small business loans of up to $100,000 available at 4 percent
by Rina Bakalar on December 14, 2010
The money comes from a state loan pool that the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DECD) is making available to CEDF for distribution to small businesses, said Donna Wertenbach, CEDF president and CEO.
Community Economic Development Fund (CEDF) is announcing the immediate availability of new, low-interest loan money for small businesses in need.  Under the terms approved by the state, businesses may borrow up to $100,000 at 4 percent interest for repayment over a 10-year period. These loans can also be used in combination with other CEDF loans up to a maximum of $500,000.

Businesses which borrow the money must be based in Connecticut and have 50 or fewer employees. The loan can either be in the form of a term loan or a line of credit. Loan proceeds can be used for working capital, inventory, purchase or rehab of commercial real estate etc. While there are some restrictions such as it cannot be used to refinance existing debt, CEDF has other funds available to cover these needs.  This is a great opportunity for small businesses in need of new capital,” said Wertenbach. This latest money is in addition to the existing CEDF loan pools available to businesses throughout the state to help meet their needs during this difficult recession.

“It’s important that businesses in Connecticut towns understand that they can get help even during these difficult times,” said Wertenbach. “CEDF specializes in lending money to small businesses with less-than-perfect credit, or those which have had difficulty getting conventional bank loans. We don’t have a cookie-cutter approach; we can lend on flexible terms to fit many different needs,” she said.

CEDF was created in 1994 to revitalize Connecticut’s distressed neighborhoods by providing small businesses greater access to capital and technical assistance. Since then CEDF has provided millions of dollars in small business loans and created or retained thousands of jobs for the state’s residents.  For more information, contact CEDF at 203 235-2333 ext. 2020 and ask for Scott Arnold, CEDF’s director of lending. CEDF staff would be delighted to walk you through all the options available.  www.cedf.com

State grants City with $1 million for bulkhead repair
For more on the story, read the New Haven Register article from Monday, December 6, 2010.

Historic day: West Haven breaks ground on new train station
The wait is over.  After a decade in the making, the West Haven train station has finally become a reality.
With gold-plated shovels in tow, a delegation of local, state and federal leaders joined Gov. M. Jodi Rell for a historic groundbreaking Wednesday at Railroad Avenue and Sawmill Road to formally herald the construction phase of the much-anticipated Metro-North Railroad commuter station.  Construction on the $103 million project, which began with preliminary site work last week, is expected to take about two years, said Jeffrey A. Parker, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, who called the tracks spanning the city’s limits “the busiest stretch of railway in North America.”

“Not only will construction of this new station create jobs, the presence of the station just two blocks from the center of West Haven will have major economic implications for miles and miles around the area,” Rell told the crowd of several dozen dignitaries and officials — as well as a throng of newspaper, radio and television reporters — at the future home of the transportation hub.  The effort to bring a regional intermodal train station to West Haven was no easy task.  It blossomed out of a hard-fought, grass-roots campaign led by an impassioned group of business owners, city officials and community activists that petitioned the state to choose the city over neighboring Orange as the more viable site.  As Metro-North trains roared by in the background, the late-morning ceremony was a symbol of closure for many in attendance, especially for Michael A. Mercuriano, chairman of the West Haven Train Station Committee.  Mercuriano, who owns a real estate firm on Elm Street, called the 10-year battle “a colossal victory that was well worth the fight.”  Mayor John M. Picard added: “We won the train station for the people of West Haven. We won it for people like the late Dodie Ireland and David Carmody, who were long-standing public servants and integral members of the Train Station Committee.”

Rell praised the DOT for its efforts to move the major transportation project forward and touted the support of Picard, U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, and state Reps. Stephen D. Dargan, D-West Haven, and Paul Davis, D-Orange.  Rell said building the station will reduce congestion on state highways, making roads safer and reducing air pollution.  “That is good financial news for commuters, good clean air news for the environment and good rush-hour news for our crowded roads and highways,” she said.  Eileen Buckheit, West Haven’s planning and development commissioner, said the project will help revitalize the surrounding neighborhood and stimulate the city’s lagging economy.  “Investments like these are critical to creating jobs and producing long-term economic growth in Connecticut, particularly among our hard-hit construction industry,” said DeLauro, who has secured $3.5 million for the project since 2001. “By investing in our transportation infrastructure again, we can put these men and women back to work.”

The train station will line the tracks between Hood Terrace and Railroad Avenue near Sawmill Road and Interstate 95’s Exit 42. It will include a surface parking lot with 660 spots and two platforms with a pedestrian overpass, along with retail and condominium opportunities a half-mile from downtown.  Plans call for a 3,000-square-foot station building with a waiting room, restrooms and a newsstand.  To coincide with the project and the renaissance of the central business district, the area’s ongoing streetscape improvements will link the new hub to downtown.  Improvements, financed by the U.S. departments of Housing and Urban Development and Transportation, include new sidewalks, trees, benches and lantern-style streetlamps along Wagner Place and down Main Street to create a pedestrian-friendly pathway.

Soundview Hall, UNH’s LEED certified dormitory
For more on the story, read the New Haven Register article from Sunday, November 7, 2010.

Chick’s Drive-In: saving thousands through energy incentive program
For more on the story, read the New Haven Register article from Wednesday, October 27, 2010.

Allingtown Festival Features International Food, Music and Dance
The Allingtown International Food & Fun Festival will feature cuisine, live music and dance performances from around the globe this Saturday, October 30, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Allington Green in West Haven. A number of UNH student groups will be performing at the inaugural festival, including the dance team and the “5,6,7,8″ tap dancers. UNH students also will be organizing a haunted house for area children.

Other activities include a pizza-eating contest, martial-arts exhibition, face and pumpkin painting, arts and crafts, and inflatable rides.  Food vendors include Cappetta’s, Charli’s Cup Cakes, Saoco Columbian Restaurant, Taqueria Mexicana, Turkish Kabob House and Swagat Indian Restaurant. Musical acts and dance groups include El Tepeyac Mexican dancers, South American dancers, Campania club singer Stephanie Guerrera and the headline group “The Signature Band.” The festival is sponsored by the Allingtown Volunteer Fire Association. The event is free and open to the public.  For more on the story, read the New Haven Register article from Tuesday, October 19, 2010.

West Haven Restaurant Week October 17-23
Visit www.westhavenrestaurantweek.com to see participating restaurants!!  Also, read the article from the New Haven Register from Tuesday, October 19, 2010.

West Haven Chamber of Commerce Trade Show slated for September 14th
Free registration until September 14th, please call the Chamber at 203-933-1500 or send in this form to register.

Charli’s Cupcake Factory
Read their latest review from the New Haven Advocate.

Free lecture about “Sustainability and Sikorsky”, open to the public
For more on the story, read the New Haven Register article from Monday, August 30, 2010.

The United Illuminating Company along with regional leaders host site selectors during fourth regional familiarization tour
For more on the story, read the New Haven Register articles from Monday, August 23, 2010 and Thursday, August 26, 2010.

Mariah’s Chow Chow Relish, now available at a store near you
For more on the story, read the New Haven Register article from Tuesday,  August 10, 2010.

Farmers market dedicated in memory of Tony Inzero
Mayor John M. Picard read a mayoral proclamation dedicating the farmers market in memory of Flower Affair co-owner Tony Inzero at a ceremony attended by about two dozen city officials, downtown merchants, family and friends on Thursday, August 5th on the Green. Looking on were Inzero’s longtime friend and colleague, Betty DelVecchio, along with his wife, Patti, daughter, Jenna Whetzel, and son, Anthony.

“From this day forward, the Tony Inzero Farmers Market will grace the West Haven Green as a lasting tribute to his lifework and his love for West Haven,” the proclamation reads.  Inzero, who lived in Hamden, died last July at age 59.  He was an integral part of the downtown business community and was a founding father of the West Haven Business Association.  As president of the association of downtown business owners, Inzero spearheaded a host of events and programs to drum up business for fellow merchants, including the inaugural farmers market in 2000.  He also helped initiate the popular Halloween Costume Parade, a Thanksgiving food drive for the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force, a series of street festivals, a “passport” program, as well as the designation of downtown’s newest destination, Center Square.

Before becoming a florist, Inzero, affectionately known among friends as “Tony the Rose,” was a referee at the Stamford-based World Wrestling Federation, now World Wrestling Entertainment.  An aficionado of The Beatles, he loved to play the guitar in his spare time.  Modeled after a New England marketplace, the farmers market opened its 11th season July 8. Through Oct. 30, state farmers will sell homegrown fruits and vegetables on the Campbell side of the Green from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

West Haven to hold kickoff for ‘Guys and Dolls’ production
Theatre West will present a three-night production of “Guys and Dolls” on the Green.  The free performance, slated for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10-12, is being produced by the West Haven Downtown Revitalization Corp.  Sponsors include Wachovia Bank, Yale University, University of New Haven, West Haven Community Development Administration and Webster Bank.  Accompanied by musical director Steve Baranski, Stephen Dest will direct the theater troupe’s performance of the Broadway musical featuring local actors.

To kick off the production, cast members will perform a scene from the musical at noon Tuesda, August 3rd on the steps of City Hall, 355 Main St.  The ceremony will include remarks from Mayor John M. Picard, Dest and members of the nonprofit Downtown Revitalization Corp.

Farmers market opens Thursday on the Green
The farmers market will open for its 11th season Thursday, July 8 on the Green.  Through Oct. 30, state farmers will sell homegrown fruits and vegetables on the Campbell Avenue side of the Green from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.  The semiweekly taste of Connecticut is modeled after a New England marketplace.  For details, call organizer Ashley McClellan in the mayor’s office at 203-937-3559.

U.S. Economic Development Administration Regional Director visits West Haven site
Economic Development Administration Regional Director Willie Taylor recently visited the West River Crossing site during his trip to Connecticut.  The city is applying for a grant from the U.S. EDA to pay half of the estimated $2 million cost of replacing the bulkhead which is located at the site.  For more on the story, read the New Haven Register article from Saturday, June 5, 2010.

CEDF Assists Pathacura a West Haven Firm Expand Biomedical Disposal Program
by Rina Bakalar on May 19, 2010 www.cedf.com
Connecticut waterways may be safer from biomedical waste, thanks to an innovative Community Economic Development Fund small business loan guarantee program. CEDF, with its loan-program partners, Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community and the City of West Haven have guaranteed a small business loan to a West Haven company that stems improper disposal of needles and prescription drugs.  West Haven’s Pathacura removes area medical waste from health care facilities safely and with a dedication to protecting one of the state’s most precious assets, its water.

“Pharmaceuticals and personal health care products in the water are a growing national concern, and it’s important that Connecticut’s water is protected from pollutants and chemicals,” says Pathacura’s Michael Mongillo.  Mongillo’s father started Pathacura 15 years ago. The son’s been growing the business despite difficult economic conditions. Even as the recession deepened, Pathacura’s volume spiked with H1N1 testing and vaccinations. “Pathacura’s credit needed development, but we were too small a company to go to a bank for funding,” he says.

Mongillo heard about CEDF’s micro-finance loan guarantee program at a Rotary Club meeting. CEDF, with the Department of Economic and Community Development and cities of Hartford, Stamford, Bridgeport and West Haven, created the program to mitigate the risk of eligible small businesses. The cities support the small loans with 30 percent guarantees. The program is also partially funded by the Small Business Administration.  Pathacura is using the loan to expand its medical hazardous remediation work for local businesses and public facilities.

“The guarantee programs with our partners enhance CEDF’s ability to support small business, particularly start-up or at-risk business and those with little or no collateral,” says Donna Wertenbach, CEDF President and CEO. She noted that CEDF is able to make these loans because 21 banks and other institutions have invested in CEDF’s small-business, high-risk loan pool.”  If you are a small business in Connecticut and would like more information on how CEDF can help you grow your business, please call our offices at 203-235-2333 ext. 2040.

Work begins on new Center for the Arts
April 6, 2010 – With newly erected scaffolding in tow, project supervisor John Dietz of Kronenberger & Sons Restoration Inc. of Middletown pulls up a couple of two-by-fours to an awaiting carpenter April 5, as work officially begins to transform the old Masonic Temple at 304 Center St. into the future home of the West Haven Center for the Arts.  Improvements to the city-owned building, built in 1912, include repair and façade work, along with the installation of new columns and doors.

The downtown arts center is being funded as a fiscal development project by federal Community Development Block Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The renovation is being done by Kronenberger & Sons, which specializes in the restoration, preservation and adaptive reuse of period structures.  Campbell Avenue architectural firm Sapienza & Lessig has designed the building’s exterior, while the interior is being done by Turner Brooks Architects of New Haven.  Last April, the city received a $500,000 gift from Yale University to help turn the 15,022-square-foot temple into a first-class cultural arts center.

Bulkhead repair one step closer
After the recent approvals from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the bulkhead located along the New Haven Harbor off Water Street is one step closer to being repaired.  For more on the story, read the New Haven Register article from Monday, March 1, 2010.

Public informational meeting set for Campbell Ave. streetscape project
The city is a step closer to launching the vast reconstruction of Campbell Avenue from Captain Thomas Boulevard to Route 1.  According to City Engineer Abdul Quadir, the preliminary design work of the estimated $6.5 million streetscape has been done, paving the way for the project’s construction under the federal Surface Transportation Program administered by the state Department of Transportation.

As part of the city’s policy on informing and involving the public in projects that affect quality of life, the city will hold an informational meeting at City Hall, 355 Main St., where residents can voice their concerns to assist in the project’s development.  The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in the second-floor Harriet C. North Community Room.
Quadir said plans call for milling and paving more than two miles of Campbell Avenue from Captain Thomas Boulevard north to the Boston Post Road and enhancing the thoroughfare with new sidewalks, curbs, benches, trees and streetlights.

Quadir said the Federal Highway Administration will fund 80 percent of the construction cost, with the city paying for the remaining 20 percent.  Right now, about $4.5 million in funding is available for the estimated $6.5 million project.  Anyone interested in obtaining more information or offering advice about the project can call Quadir at 937-3577.

UNH dedicates “green” dorm, breaks ground on Lee Forensic Institute
Mayor John M. Picard cuts the ribbon with ceremonial gold-plated scissors on Friday, September 25th to mark the dedication of the University of New Haven’s new, $43 million Soundview Residence Hall with members of the UNH board of governors, along with Christopher Rinck, president of the Undergraduate Student Government Association,and UNH President Steven H. Kaplan.  The five-story, 402-bed dormitory, which sits on a portion of the university’s 80-acre main campus on Ruden Street off Campbell Avenue, showcases panoramas of Long Island Sound and the New Haven skyline. Energy-efficient lighting, recycling rooms and a first floor exclusively devoted to sustainable living mark it as one of UNH’s most ambitious capital initiatives to date.  The dorm was completed as UNH experiences record-breaking enrollment, with the largest freshman class in history arriving in late August. Founded in 1920, more than 5,200 students now attend the private, liberal arts university.

With ceremonial gold-plated shovels in tow, Joan McDonald, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, University of New Haven President Steven H. Kaplan, and members of the UNH board of governors break ground on the new, $9.4 million Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science in honor of world-renowned forensic scientist Henry C. Lee on Friday, September 25th.  Lee founded UNH’s forensic science program in 1975 and has served as its endowed professor. His testimony figured prominently in the trials of O.J. Simpson and Connecticut’s notorious “Woodchipper” killer.  Lee’s experience has been called on in the investigations of the JonBenet Ramsey slaying, the 1993 death of White House counsel Vincent Foster, and in a recent review of evidence in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The 15,649-square-foot Lee Institute, which should open next fall, will include a Forensic Crisis Management Command Center, a forensics and crime scene technology learning center and classrooms.  The Forensic Learning Center will include classrooms, laboratories and virtual crime scene training modules to train police, lawyers, investigators and students in new concepts and practices in forensic investigation and physical evidence.  It also will include sophisticated crime scene equipment, including ground-penetrating radar for locating buried bodies and evidence, a high-intensity laser for bullet-trajectory reconstruction, portable instrumentation for analysis of chemical and biological matter, and a teleforensic satellite Internet system.  The teleforensic satellite system will allow investigators to uplink via satellite to local, state and federal law enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other governmental agencies and then downlink time-sensitive information to a panel of forensic experts at the Forensic Learning Center and beyond.

Informational session to discuss loan programs for small businesses
The city will hold an informational session at 6 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St., to discuss assistance programs for small businesses in the current economic downturn.  The two-hour session will inform business owners on ways to improve their business with assistance through the city’s façade and signage loan program and small business loans, including non-bankable loans.  The meeting will also discuss assistance for startup businesses and business plan writing.

The session is presented in cooperation with the Community Economic Development Fund, Connecticut Small Business Development Center, and the city Community Development Administration and Planning and Development Department.  For details, call city special-projects coordinator Ashley McClellan at 937-3635 or e-mail mcclellan@westhaven-ct.gov.

The Best Places to Raise Your Kids 2009 & 2010
WEST HAVEN – The City of West Haven has been lauded by “BusinessWeek” as one the “best places to raise your kids.” Noting that West Haven is home to the University of New Haven and is about five miles from Yale University and offers easy access to Bradley Point Park beach and the Sandy Point bird sanctuary, the publication narrowed the list of towns using the following weighted criteria: affordability; school performance; number of schools; household expenditures; crime rates; air quality; job growth; family income; museums, parks, theaters, and other amenities; and diversity.
Runners-up were: East Hartford and Norwalk.
See more at: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/106120/The-Best-Places-to-Raise-Your-Kids-2009

Public Info Session for Draft Grant Application
WEST HAVEN – The City of West Haven is conducting a public meeting to allow for review and comments on the City’s draft grant application for funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Program. The grant award, if successful, will be used for environmental cleanup activities for the property located at 742 Washington, Ave.

The meeting will be held on:
Wednesday, November 5, 2008, at 5:30 p.m.
Harriet C. North Community Room,
City Hall, 355 Main Street, West Haven

Interested parties can also view the draft application and submit comments to the Planning Department located in the 3rd floor of West Haven City Hall.

Questions should be directed to:
Lisa Johnson
Assistant Grant Writer
City of West Haven
355 Main Street
West Haven, CT 06516
203-931-4941

West Haven Mayor Announces Potential Economic Development Opportunity for City
WEST HAVEN, Oct. 14, 2008 – Mayor John M. Picard and state officials announced at a news conference today the favorable results of a privately funded feasibility study that recommends that the University of New Haven house its future law school in the city.  The potential development site is located within the city’s Transit Oriented District plan, across the street from the site of the future West Haven train station. Conceptual drawings for a UNH Law School will also be privately funded.

“With record enrollment, new construction and the growth of programs at UNH, if the University secured funds to establish a law school, we would need to locate it off campus,” said UNH President Steven H. Kaplan. “This West Haven location on the train line would be ideal.”  Mayor John Picard said, “With support from the state departments of Economic and Community Development and Transportation, I am confident that the potential for this development will have a positive economic impact on the city and the region.”

“Turning this vision into a reality will be another major step forward in the renaissance of the City of West Haven. Building a law school here will be a very good thing for the University of New Haven, our city and the state,” said Mayor Picard.  The news conference included remarks from Picard, Joseph F. Marie, Commissioner of the state department of Transportation and Steven H. Kaplan, President of the University of New Haven.