Letters

Dear West Haven Community:

The West Haven High School building committee, along with all boards and commissions in the City of West Haven, recognizes the importance of being transparent and providing information when it is requested in a timely manner.

For the Building Committee’s part, we hold regular monthly meetings that we publicize a year in advance, our agenda is posted with the City Clerk’s office, and our minutes filed upon completion and in accordance with the law.

In addition, we have always answered questions from the public when requested to do so. The new West Haven High School Building Project is 20% complete, and has been nothing but a huge success. The management team has done a spectacular job keeping this project safe, under budget, and on schedule.

This open letter in in response to concerns that are being raised again by a mother of two high school students, Christine Barrington, about the management of the High School Renovation Project, and the high school in general.

Mrs. Barrington, a layman when it comes to projects of this nature, does not understand the process and has been making wild and inaccurate claims over the past two years. Thousands of dollars are included in the budget that allow for safely remediating and disposing of hazardous materials. We now realize that no matter how many times experts in the field of construction, asbestos monitoring, and abatement explain the process and law; she continues to claim she knows more than they do.

This project, from the very beginning has put the safety of all first and foremost. All industry standards have been followed, and those State agencies charged with overseeing the demolition and construction of the new building including the Department of Health, have approved plans prior to any work taking place and monitored the implementation.

Here is what the entire community should know about the renovation project taking place on the West Haven High School campus:

~~ Hundreds of air samples have been taken throughout the course of the project, and all have concluded the building is safe for occupancy.

~~ Prior to the opening of school in the late summer of 2016, new security cameras were installed. Once concerns were raised, state agencies as well as local officials investigated the matter, and the building was deemed safe.

~~ All custodial staff are trained according to laws and standards when it comes to cleaning and following remediation protocols.

~~ Expert licensed asbestos professionals test according to DEP and EPA regulations.

In addition, more asbestos testing has been done than that of which is required, and in each case, all samples have come back negative. The bottom line is that there is no dangerous asbestos situation at West Haven High School and my niece and nephew, all other students, staff, and visitors are safe.

Ken Carney

Chairman, WHHS Building Committee

It’s not officially not winter yet but the City of West Haven has posted the ordinance for snow removable in the New Haven Register and the Voice. Here is a short version of the rules. In a normal snowstorm you park on the odd side of the street when in an emergency it is posted you cannot park on the right side of the street you go on the left side.

Around City Hall in an emergency there is no parking on both sides of the street it will be posted. But on dead end streets it is never posted. People don’t know you park on the odd side.

So we were told when we call Public Works we are not a priority it goes like this: main streets first, the secondary streets next, then dead ends last. I asked why? Plows are too big for the streets.

We are taxpayers. We deserve service that comes with paying our taxes even though the new administration came into a deficit.

Anthony C. Krzeminski

I attended the Nov. 29, Town Hall meeting organized by West Haven High School (WHHS) parents Marilyn Wilkes and Christine Barrington to address asbestos/air quality issues during the ongoing renovation project at the school. The meeting was intended to be a parent-to-parent informal information-sharing event. There were five parents present along with city officials,  BOE members, superintendent, School Building Committee members, City Council members, builders and other members of the public including myself, a non-parent resident of West Haven.

Christine Barrington has been following the construction project for years. She is troubled by what she feels are unproven assurances of safety at the High School. Mrs. Barrington has been concerned with student health since her eldest child enrolled in WHHS last year. She is concerned  because even though no one disputes the well-documented history of asbestos release incidents occurring at WHHS,  there are no records to show that WHHS has ever been adequately cleaned (in accordance with applicable federal statutes) to ensure the students are not breathing in dangerous levels of airborne asbestos fibers. There are also no records that conclusively show that WHHS is free from dangerous levels of airborne asbestos fibers. The only conclusive test is “Aggressive TEM” (Transmission Electron Microscopy) sampling and testing in accordance with AHERA sampling and testing protocols. ‘Aggressive’ TEM testing requires agitating the air first using a blower or similar device to disperse any potential asbestos fibers.

Here are a few of the meeting points:

1.     Aggressive TEM asbestos air sampling must be preceded by a thorough cleaning of the building. It was not satisfactorily answered at the meeting why a complete cleaning could not be accomplished at the high school.

2.     Connecticut state law does not allow asbestos to be abated while school is in session, unless a waiver is granted. A waiver was granted for the high school project. In fact, a waiver request under the law has never been denied. The reason the waiver was granted was to maintain the construction schedule-currently four years.

3.     The high school renovation project was nine years in the making and will take four years to complete. According to project and school officials, performing the asbestos remediation while the school is not occupied would add five years to the project. However, all future asbestos remediations are scheduled for the summer months with a completion date still scheduled for March 2022, so this argument seems to be invalid.

4.     Since there is so much asbestos in the high school, the obvious question is why a new school was not built rather than perform a renovation of the existing school. A new school could have been built in less than four years’ time.   The answer is that the State of Connecticut will not fund a new high school project, only a renovation project. This school construction project was approved before the Department of Health noticed West Haven was in violation of the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). At that point (2015), State of Connecticut advised West Haven that it needed to revise its construction plans in order to remove all remaining asbestos.

5.     Due to parental complaints, asbestos remediation is no longer carried out while school is in session, notwithstanding the waiver.

6.     Reports for periodic asbestos inspections as required by the EPA are missing  for the years 2009-2015. (For more information on the AHERA program, visit www.epa.gov/asbestos/asbestos-and-school-buildings).

7.     Only one of the camera locations was inspected after the 2016 camera installation project at West Haven High School.  The work was performed by unlicensed workers without any asbestos containment controls.

8.     There are other potential air-quality issues that should be investigated because of possible links to student health.

Pattricia Bollettieri

Dinner chairman thanks helpers

I am writing today in hopes that you will share my appreciation to the West Haven community.

The 7th Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner was a great success due to the generosity of the West Haven community.  Nearly 60 volunteers and numerous donors came together to make the dinner the success that it was.  I would like to extend a special thank you to Joe Collier of The Savin Rock Roasting Co. for providing our roasted turkey and Ron Quagliani and Sodexo of the University of New Haven for providing the fresh mashed potatoes.  This generosity made it possible for more than 270 meals to be provided to the community.

Yours in the Community Together,

Bill Ewry

Dinner Coordinator

Vote Maroney

James Maroney is running for State Senate in the 14th Senatorial District which includes parts of Milford, Orange and West Haven. I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know James and I am extremely impressed with his knowledge of state issues, and in particular, those that effect West Haven. James will work for better education, more worker training programs and he wants Connecticut provide services more efficiently and cost effective.

James wants to steam line the process for new businesses—making it easier and quicker. James Maroney graduated from Yale and is a small business owner. He knows Connecticut and understands its problems and struggles—James Maroney will fight for West Haven and our residents in Hartford to make sure our voice is heard. James will fight for the middle class, small business and a quality world-class educational system for our children.

Please join me in voting for James Maroney for State Senate on Nov. 6!

Michael Last

 

Festival Committee aware of problem

For over 14 years, the First Congregational Church of West Haven (FCCWH) has had the honor of putting on the West Haven Apple Festival. Every year we have vendors, musicians and entertainment from all around come and participate in one of the largest and well attended annual community events hosted in the City. The Apple Festival is a time for neighbors, friends and families to come together, enjoy food and entertainment, do some shopping, and enjoy each other’s company.

CT Premier Face Painting has been a vendor for the past five years, and has donated their time and talents to our Care and Share Program, which is an outreach where our Church and other local businesses sponsor a day of children’s crafts, amusements, food, etc. Many families over the years have enjoyed the masterful works of art and joy they add to the Festival experience.

Unfortunately, the Apple Festival Committee has been made aware of seven cases of allergic and negative reactions to the face paint. We have been advised by the parents that the reactions are limited to swelling and rashes, and that the children, although uncomfortable, are generally doing fine.

FCCWH promptly contacted the parents of the affected children, and has been in contact with the vendor since the first report came in. We do appreciate that the families we have been in contact with have been gracious and understanding.

FCCWH and the Apple Festival Committee wish to extend their warmest thoughts to the children and families who have had a negative reaction to the face paint. That said, even a singular case is one too many, and we will continue to closely monitor any new developments.

Christopher Vargo, Jr.

Martone ‘bombshell’ was misinformation

The West Haven High School Building Project Team was scheduled to deliver a status report to the Board of Education at its last meeting (Sept. 17). This had been planned for quite some time, and was part of the regular agenda with all guests listed on that document. The team consists of managers from Gilbane Construction, the general contractor for the project, and Antinozzi Associates, the architects. As the chairman of the Building Committee, I was also in attendance and was prepared to answer any question from the Board members or the general public. Since this project began, my goal has been to keep all interested parties informed, and conduct building committee meetings that are open and transparent.

As soon as the Public information began, Councilwoman Louise Martone of the tenth district, asked to address the Board. To say the least, she was unprepared and ill-informed. She started her speech by declaring that the project was $7 million over budget. After announcing that she hadn’t come prepared to speak, Mrs. Martone passed out a spread sheet to the members of the Board of various change orders as proof of “her theory.” After her “bombshell,” and saying she hoped there was a good explanation, she left without waiting for one or listening to the team’s presentation. This led me to believe Mrs. Martone wasn’t there to get answers and become knowledgeable of the process.

As soon as Mrs. Martone left in the dramatic fashion that she chose to, I spoke to the Board and I believe, clarified any confusion. I began by letting everyone know that all work for the project was put out to bid, resulting in a savings of $5 million. Since enrollment projections increased, however, approximately three and a half-million dollars was needed to add nine classrooms to the school, and increase the size of the cafeteria by two thousand square feet. The remaining savings are earmarked for additional furniture, fixtures, and other equipment (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment – F, F, & E). Keep in mind that much of what had to be added back was a result the previous administration’s lack of planning and desire to just get something done. Not only were we facing a school that was too small on the day it opens, but one that would be without many critical elements necessary for modern teaching and learning to occur.

When the Rossi Administration took office last December, it was handed a huge debt, as well as a financial mess. This project is 77 percent funded by the State of Connecticut, but we are mindful that local tax dollars are paying for the remaining amount, and must be spent wisely. Councilwoman Martone has never attended a building committee meeting nor has she ever reached out to request financial information. My suggestion is, however, that prior to similar outbursts in the future, she should at least spend the time to educate herself on the issue at hand and not embarrass herself the way she did last Monday.

Ken Carney

Building Committee

Giannattasio gets nod for 14th

As a former candidate for the 14th State Senatorial seat, I am giving my full endorsement to Anthony “Tony G” Giannattasio and I am asking that Republican voters support Tony in the Aug. 14 primary.

The reasons are clear. Tony is a respected and successful businessman, a life-long Republican and the Minority Leader on the Milford Board of Aldermen. He has held the line on taxes in Milford and has supported smart development. He and his family have volunteered for many local groups and non-profits. Tony gives back many hours to his community and the people he serves. I would expect no less from him when he is elected State Senator.

Unlike his opponent, who is currently a Republican State Representative, Tony would not betray the people of his district by supporting undocumented citizens to compete with US citizens.

As the ranking member of the education committee, State Representative Pam Staneski, Tony’s Republican opponent, enthusiastically supported a bill which passed and was signed into law by Dan Malloy. Joining with the Democratic House majority, the bill allows undocumented students the right to apply for financial aid from our public universities, putting them in direct competition with your children and grandchildren! She violated the trust of the hardworking people in the 14^th district by embracing more aid for illegal, undocumented citizens without any regard for the struggle that we face when trying to educate our children. Without any clear caveat or pathway to citizenship for these undocumented students, we all really need to ask ourselves if this is a person that you want to represent you and our Republican values up in Hartford.

Furthermore, the admiration by Representative Staneski of the current Democratic State Senator, Gayle Schlossberg, who is not running for re-election, is concerning. In her announcement for this open seat, Staneski said in a press release that she has “tried to emulate” Schlossberg’s qualities.

The answer is clear to me. Vote for a real Republican who will not hide behind supposed altruistic votes which only support the continuing control of the Democrats over our beautiful state along with the decline of values and disrespect of Connecticut citizens.

On Aug. 14, to all Milford, Orange, West Haven and Woodbridge voters: Vote 4A for Anthony “Tony G” Giannattasio and return Connecticut to the people!

Michele Gregorio

 

Abortion is litmus test for this city voter come November

I am  pro-life, and my views on abortion inform the way I vote. If I put the rights of the unborn to life on one side of a balance and all the other issues important to me on the other side, the right to life outweighs them all. If necessary I will be a one-issue voter.

To say that abortion is a “choice” makes the  taking of a life into no more than deciding between coffee or tea. To say that this unborn child’s life is a matter of opinion-what if this opinion is wrong? These specious arguments are used to justify murder in much the same way that Hitler made his arguments against the Jews.

Hillary Clinton called me a deplorable racist. Yet I wish that the over 13 million black babies who have been aborted since 1973 were with us today. The oldest would be 45 years old.

President Obama said I am a bitter old woman who doesn’t like people who aren’t like me-I guess other bitter old women. But I’ll be a champion for the unborn-all of them.

Peter Strzok called me a smelly Walmart shopper. Yes – I smell hypocrisy, I smell true bigotry masquerading as arrogant self-righteousness, I smell intolerance and disdain toward the most lowly and helpless among us. Abortion – the most important human-rights issue of our time – will be an election litmus test for me.

Patricia Bollettieri

 

Scouts thanked

The Harugari German-American Club sends out a hearty thanks to the Troop 802 Boy Scouts of the First Congregational Church for helping to get our grounds cleaned up for our upcoming Sommerfest and other summer outdoor events. Scout leader Steve Shine and his boys did the leaf raking and a thorough sprucing up around the pavilion. The Club members were saved a lot of aching muscles and time. As a former scout leader in West Haven, it was my pleasure to grill up some hotdogs as part of lunch. Troop 802 truly lived up to it’s oath of leadership and service!

Don Heinig

 

Make pets safe

With the Fourth of July rapidly approaching, Phantom Fireworks would like to remind our friends and customers that some pets adversely react to the lights and noise of the fireworks. With a little extra effort, our pets can be spared the trauma they sometimes experience from fireworks.

Phantom Fireworks asks that you please be mindful of the following:

Keep your pets indoors during fireworks displays;

Turn on the TV or radio and air conditioning to help mask the noise of the fireworks, Keep pets in a soothing, dark room with light jazz or classical music playing. The idea is to muffle the fireworks noise with something soothing. Close draperies to help soundproof the residence;

Many suggest walking or exercising the pet prior to the fireworks in an effort tire out the pet in hopes the pet will sleep through the fireworks;

Close all windows and doors and block pet doors to prevent escape;

You could try distracting the pet as soon as the fireworks begin by involving the pet in something enjoyable, like “fetch;”

Prepare a safe area where the pet can burrow in to feel safe: maybe some blankets under a bed or a blanket draped over a small table. Play a radio near that area. Feeding the pet in the area will help the pet associate the area with other good things;

Do not take your animal to a fireworks show or let the pet outdoors while the fireworks are being used;

You might consider consulting with your veterinarian before the fireworks season. Some pets may require sedation. The veterinarian could suggest some behavior modification techniques.

Many of these suggestions have come from Press-Enterprise, Riverside, CA; Blue Cross for Pets (UK); Pet MD , Humane Society of US, and The Telegraph (UK).

Phantom Fireworks hopes you enjoy the Independence Day holiday safety and show courtesy and compassion to your pets and animals.

William A. Weimer

VP Phantom Fireworks

 

Proud daughter

I grew up on the Southern Connecticut shoreline in the small city of West Haven. I spent every weekend in the summer on Sea Bluff Beach making sandcastles, searching for shells, walking out to Bradley Point on low tide, and exploring Long Island Sound. Most nights I would walk down the boardwalk with my family, stopping to get ice cream from the ice cream truck in Old Grove Park. I always noticed the sign for “The Thunderbolt” on the wooden fence by the bocce courts. I remember visiting the Savin Rock Museum and Learning Center on school field trips where I learned the history of my city, and the importance of that sign. West Haven was home to Savin Rock Amusement Park, a New England treasure and that was known for its bandstand, rides, horse races, marathon dances, and food. Popular local restaurants, such as Jimmie’s and Turks, were established during the golden age of Savin Rock. My grandmother told me about the fun times she had at “The Rock,” and remembers taking my father and his siblings there as young kids. The park shut down before I was born, but its legacy has always lived on.

I have vivid childhood memories from The Savin Rock Festival. I remember going on the carousel as a young girl while my mom stood beside me, while my father watched and waved. My brother always enjoyed the slide and would race me every year-I remember winning every time. My friends from school were always there, and some of them even performed during the day with their dance schools, bands, and other organizations. I am not the only twenty-something year old Westie who fondly recalls The Savin Rock Festival.

In more recent years, I helped my father by volunteering with his team. I saw first-hand how hard his administration worked to give West Haven the festival it deserved. Thousands of people would come to watch the bands and dance the night away. A few years ago, The Temptations performed, and I was awestruck by the excitement of the crowd. The festival opens our city up to the Greater New Haven area and promotes our shoreline, businesses, and community. While those benefits are not numerically calculated, they are important. Visitors become patrons of our beloved city and may return after the festival because of the fond memories they have. I always took the festival for granted.

I am saddened and disappointed that the new administration has decided to halt a long-standing West Haven tradition that honors our heritage. While I understand the need to budget and save money, this act is harmful to our city and more performative than sincere. The amount of money being saved by cutting the festival is quite small, compared to the advantages it has. Last year was the 39th annual Savin Rock Festival, and I am proud to know that my father upheld its legacy.

Caitlin O’Brien

Use the SRC site

My name is Sandra G. Ineson of 79 West Walk.  I have been working with Ermenia Gaeta, also of West Walk, to get a new senior center for the seniors of West Haven.  There are so many of us with no place to go for comradery, trips, luncheons,and just plain fun — a safe place that is worthy of us and the years we have put in to support West Haven.  It’s amazing that East Haven, Milford, Orange etc. have wonderful senior centers built with money from the state.  What is wrong with West Haven that we cannot get funding from Hartford so we could have a beautiful Center for The elderly of our city?

We now have a chance to get a building for our seniors, the Conference Center. It is architecturally perfect for the seniors’ gatherings, large enough, great parking, beautiful location, centrally  located. The state could easily fund the Conference Center so West Haven can have a senior center.  I know that the seniors of West Haven are disgusted with the buildings  that the City of West Haven have given for senior senters…very run down  and dangerous!!

Mayor Rossi, when it is your time to enjoy your senior years,  wouldn’t it be Nice to have  a senior center to join where you can meet friends, make new friends, go on trips, have a nutritional lunch, just live your golden years, not just survive them!    Please make this happen for all of us: a Senior Center we can use to enhance our golden years. Give us th Conference Center as the permanent home for The West Haven Senior Center!

I never received a response from Mayor Rossi’s office.  I am really disappointed. I have heard that she is revamping the first floor of Noble Street senior center.   It does not solve the problem with that building and the area in which it is located.  We seniors, somehow, have to make the State of Connecticut Senior Care Dept. aware of the huge problem we have here in West Haven, and ask them why it jas not helped us monetarily have a senior center commensurate with the centers is other towns. The Conference Center is available for use as our senior center.  If Hartford would get involved and help us, we could have a senior center as wonderful as the other towns  have around West Haven.

Sandra G. Ineson

A little over three years ago, as someone who had only recently moved here, I wrote to the Voice with my perceptions of where West Haven was and where it ought to go. The Voice published the letter, and I imagined it might be the beginning of a conversation about how to plan a more vibrant future for West Haven. Sadly, it was not.

The energy that surrounded the development of the Plan of Conservation and Development has dissipated, and The Haven has become the butt of jokes and jibes on Facebook. Our financial situation has deteriorated and — seemingly — no one is interested in taking a look at the big picture. Where there ought to be exploration and vetting of opportunities, there is inertia and fault-finding.

We have run out of raw resources to exploit and there will be no revival in real estate prices if there is no reason for young people to move here. We have to become a place that welcomes innovation while enhancing the well-being of long-time residents.

I recently urged the City Council to pass a resolution to join Sustainable CT, an organization that costs nothing to join and offers support of all kinds to municipalities that want help in working towards sustainability. Sustainability is a fancy name for not taking out more than you are putting in. It means it’s not smart to pay money to attract a business that is only interested in its own bottom line and will move to greener pastures whenever they get the chance. It means that you want businesses that will be partners with your town or state, not exploiters. It means that you want young people to have as good an opportunity to live and work in their home town as any previous generation. It also means taking care of the resources you do have —air, water, soil, people— so you don’t create expensive liabilities to pass on to later generations. It’s like preventive medicine —only for communities.

One of West Haven’s charms is that it has not moved along with the times. Unfortunately, that is also one of its drawbacks. It calls to mind two sayings. The first will be familiar to all as a popular definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and imagining you will get a different result. The second is from Albert Einstein.

“The world we have created today as a result of our thinking thus far has problems which cannot be solved by thinking the way we thought when we created them.”

Our fiscal crisis can be an opportunity, if only we will start thinking in new ways. We pay over $1 million a year for electricity for our schools. Why don’t they have solar panels to offset that cost? We pay for tipping fees — garbage going to the incinerator or dump. Why don’t we have an aggressive recycling program? Our No. 1 attraction is our shoreline. Why are we squandering it by paying so little attention to the water quality there? Milford has already made a move in the direction of sustainability. They even have a kelp farm, started with the assistance of the non-profit GreenWave. Has anybody in this city explored that kind of opportunity? Kelp cleans the water, protects the shore from wave action, offers cover for fish, AND is a cash crop in high demand. Why don’t we have community gardens at our elementary schools where there is so much sod doing nothing but costing money to maintain?

Fault-finding is not the way to move forward. Opening our eyes to the possibilities around us while preserving the resources we have —natural, historical, and cultural—is the only way we can become a thriving community in the 21st Century. Westies are generous and helpful to those in need; it’s time for them to learn how to pull together for themselves.

Robin Parsons

Earth Day is April 22 and Arbor Day April 27. I would love to see a citywide clean-up for Earth Day: particular areas of need are the beaches and wetland areas. While some of the trash is blown out of recycling bins, much is still thrown out of car windows. “No littering” laws much be enforced.

For Arbor Day I would ask every property owner in West Haven to consider planting a tree on their property. People can donate money to the West Haven Tree Committee.

In recent years, we have lost so many trees to storms, disease, insects and the UI. I would also like to see more Westies request that their friends and relatives plant in tree in their honor when they pass on.

Barbara Cavallaro

 

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