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By Michael P. Walsh

Special to the Voice

The city will hold the second in a series of public workshops focusing on the future of Allingtown.

The workshop is set for 6 p.m. today in the Notre Dame High School auditorium, 1 Notre Dame Way, but the potential for icy conditions could push the workshop to Feb. 13.

The workshop is sponsored by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Allingtown Steering Committee, an ad hoc committee formed by the commission to help develop a plan for the Allingtown neighborhood to achieve the goals of the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development.

The workshop will build on input received from 60 participants at the first workshop in April 2019.

Tonight, barring a postponement of the workshop due to inclement weather, the city will present a number of recommendations being considered for the Allingtown plan in response to the input at last year’s workshop. Anyone can participate in the workshop, whether they took part in the first one or not.

P&Z Chairwoman Kathleen Hendricks said the commission hopes to attract a wide range of participants for the workshop, including neighborhood residents, area businesses, University of New Haven students, community leaders, church groups and representatives of school organizations.

The commission also hopes that Allingtown’s young people will attend to provide fresh ideas for the plan, Hendricks said.

According to Assistant City Planner David W. Killeen, the workshop will include a presentation highlighting items of the POCD vision as well as general areas the committee plans to address, such as making Allingtown more pedestrian- and bike-friendly; promoting the redevelopment of underutilized and vacant commercial properties; improving community facilities, parks and open space; enhancing connections between UNH and the neighborhood; and improving housing and property maintenance.

The workshop will include opportunities for participants to collaborate in small group sessions and respond to initial recommendations being considered for the Allingtown plan. The information gathered will help the committee finalize the recommendations for inclusion in a draft plan before it is presented to the commission for its consideration, said Killeen, adding that a formal public hearing is expected later this year.

The concept for the Allingtown plan was first envisioned in the POCD, which was adopted by the commission in June 2017.

See the POCD at http://cityofwesthaven.com/DocumentCenter/View/827/Plan-of-Conservation-and-Development-Final-PDF.

For more information, call the Department of Planning and Development at (203) 937-3580.

The city will honor couples who have been married for at least 50 years during its 30th annual Valentine’s Day party from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at West Haven Elks Lodge 1537, 265 Main St.

The couples will receive chocolates and roses from the mayor’s office.

The party will feature music by the Clam Diggers and include hors d’oeuvres and refreshments.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi will recognize the oldest and youngest couples.

For reservations, call Elderly Services Director Sharon R. Mancini at (203) 937-3507 by Feb. 10.

The Southern Connecticut Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians hosted a celebration honoring the life of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on Martin Luther King Day, Monday at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit.

The Rev. Bonita Grubbs, a Baptist pastor and Executive Director of Christian Community Action of New Haven was the  featured preacher and delivered a message of “Hope.” The Rev. Stephen Holton, Rector of Christ Church, New Haven served as principle celebrant. 

Hamden Hall Country Day School Music Director Matthew Harrison accompanied West Haven High School junior Nora Mullins in leading  the congregation in spiritual hymns.

“This was the seventh year that UBE and Church of the Holy Spirit have collaborated in hosting this annual celebration of Dr. King’s life,” said UBE Chapter President Steven R. Mullins. “It is a wonderful event that brings a cross section of people from different races, religions and backgrounds together. We look forward to keeping it in West Haven for years to come.”

Because of the continued good weather and leaf production, the city has extended the pickup schedule for leaf bags through Jan. 31, Public Works Commissioner Tom McCarthy announced.

The bags are picked up on residents’ weekly curbside collection days. Leaves must be in biodegradable paper bags and will not be accepted if they are in plastic bags, McCarthy said.

After Jan. 31, the pickup schedule for leaf bags will resume from April 1-June 1 and then from Oct. 1-Dec. 31.

The city will honor couples who have been married for at least 50 years during its 30th annual Valentine’s Day party from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at West Haven Elks Lodge 1537, 265 Main St.

The couples will receive chocolates and roses from the mayor’s office.

The party will feature music by the Clam Diggers and include hors d’oeuvres and refreshments.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi will recognize the oldest and youngest couples.

For reservations, call Elderly Services Director Sharon R. Mancini at (203) 937-3507 by Feb. 10.

The West Haven Pollinator Pathway project has received a $5,000 Community Match Fund grant from Sustainable CT, project coordinator David Carr announced.

The Pollinator Pathway project aligns with the objective of action 2.5 to “create a natural resource and wildlife inventory,” said Abe Hilding-Salorio, Sustainable CT’s community outreach manager, “and is eligible to receive matching funds for as long as they remain available.”

Using the money, Carr aims to establish pollinator-friendly habitats and food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinating insects and wildlife by installing native plants that will support pollinator in West Haven.

“The West Haven Pollinator Pathway will help our community increase the biomass of native plants,” Carr said. “The project will succeed when lots of neighbors get involved and get excited about improving our natural world.”

The project’s next steps, according to Carr, are:  working with the Department of Public Works, parks, libraries, homeowners and school employees to determine the final locations for the plantings; raising $5,000 between Feb. 1 and March 31; providing community education resources about the importance of pollinators; buying the highest quality and quantity of plants for the most comparable sources; planning “Last Frost Community Planting Days.”

Sustainable CT, managed by the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University, is a statewide initiative that inspires and supports communities in becoming more efficient, resilient and inclusive.

To join the Pollinator Pathway effort, interested residents can attend a planning meeting at 1 p.m. Friday at City Hall, 355 Main St. They can also attend the West Haven Sustainability Team’s “Green Drinks” event at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Iishin Ramen Bar, 291 Captain Thomas Blvd.

For the latest news and information about the West Haven Pollinator Pathway, residents can subscribe to the project’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pollinatorpathway06516/. They can also call Carr for details at (203) 877-2704, ext. 400826.

Carr said residents can find information about making West Haven a welcoming place for friendly pollinators in the community at https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/westhaven and https://sustainablect.org/.

The city is seeking veterans, civic groups, fraternal organizations, service clubs and marching bands to participate in the annual Memorial Day parade, which steps off at 10:30 a.m. May 25.

The parade has no rain date.

Participants must register and list required special accommodations.

Transportation is provided for veterans who are unable to walk the 1.5-mile parade course, which follows Campbell Avenue from Captain Thomas Boulevard to Center Street. To make arrangements, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510.

The parade grand marshals are World War II veteran Frank Corso, who served in the Army Air Forces in 1942-45, and Korean War vet Salvatore Gullo, who served in the Navy in 1948-52.

Download a participation form at http://cityofwesthaven.com/DocumentCenter/View/2215/Memorial-Day-Parade-Reservation-Form-2020-PDF.

Forms are also available in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due April 10.

Forms can also be emailed to parade organizer Kristen Teshoney at kteshoney@westhaven-ct.gov or faxed to (203) 937-3705.

By Michael P. Walsh

Special to the Voice

The city reminds residents not to put Christmas trees in plastic bags or stands for curbside pickup.

Lights must also be removed from Christmas trees. Plastic bags and other items can become tangled in the machine that grinds the trees into compost.

Christmas trees will be picked up in January and February only. Residents needing a pickup after Feb. 29 will be charged a $25 fee. Christmas trees can also be brought to the compost site at 1 Kimberly Ave.

Also, residents are reminded that four 2020 holidays will delay curbside pickup one day.

Affordable Waste Systems LLC of East Haven, the city’s private contractor for rubbish and recyclables, will not pick up rubbish, recyclables or metals on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If a holiday falls on a weekday, pickup for that week will move ahead one day. But when a holiday like Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, only Thursday and Friday’s collections will move up a day.

Thanksgiving is also the only holiday that excludes metal pickup in those affected districts.

Separate metals and recyclables from regular trash.

Detailed information about the city’s trash and recycling guidelines is available at http://www.cityofwesthaven.com/260/Bulk-Trash-Pickup.

By Michael P. Walsh

Special to the Voice

The second installment of city tax bills — real estate, personal property, motor vehicle and sewer — were due Jan. 1, and payments after Feb. 3 are considered delinquent and subject to interest, Tax Collector Dorothy Chambrelli said.

The 2018 supplemental motor vehicle bills are for vehicles registered after Oct. 1, 2018, and were also due Jan. 1.

The tax office is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St.

The city has an ATM outside the office.

Taxpayers can make a payment at www.cityofwesthaven.com and click- ing on Tax Collector under the Government heading. Sewer bills are on the same page but under a separate heading. Tax payment history can also be viewed and printed.

The fees for credit cards and electronic checks are posted on the city website and outside the tax office.

During tax season, through Feb. 3, current taxes can be paid by the drop box outside the tax office from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Current taxes can also be paid by mail to the tax office lockbox, P.O. Box 150461, Hartford 06115-0461. When paying by lockbox or drop box, the canceled check is the receipt.

After Feb. 3, taxes with interest can be paid by mail to the Office of the Tax Collector, P.O. Box 401, West Haven 06516.

Payments can also be made in person.

Anyone needing a motor vehicle cash, credit card, bank check or money clearance must pay in person with order.

By Michael P. Walsh

Special to the Voice

To help crews expedite snow removal, Public Works Commissioner Tom McCarthy is reminding residents and businesses to observe parking regulations during and after storms.

Per the “Severe Weather” parking ordinance under Chapter 188 of the West Haven Code, police will tag and tow vehicles violating the ordinance at the owner’s expense. Violators will receive a $100 fine.

Once snow begins to fall, a parking ban is in effect on the even-numbered side of most roads, unless one is posted with a “No Parking” sign on the odd side. The ban is in effect for 36 hours after a storm. Residents are urged to park in driveways or designated private lots.

However, during an official snow emergency declared by Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, a parking ban will run from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on both sides of Campbell and Savin avenues, Morgan Lane, Elm Street, Meloy Road, Second Avenue from Elm to Beach streets, and Main Street from Savin to Washington avenues.

McCarthy is also reminding residents and businesses to shovel their side- walks within 24 hours after a storm or face a $25 fine “for each day that the violation persists.”
According to the “Removal of Snow and Ice” ordinance under Chapter 195 of the West Haven Code, people are given 24 hours to remove snow from sidewalks on and bordering their properties. Violators are subject to the $25-per-day fine, which is enforced by the Police Department, the ordinance states.

To report a complaint, call the department’s non-emergency line at 203-937- 3900. Complaints are kept confidential.

McCarthy also pointed out that plowing or blowing snow into city streets is prohibited and violators are subject to a $60 fine for each offense, per the ordinance.
Also, residents and businesses with mailboxes damaged by snow thrown from a plow are the responsibility of the property owner.

The city will only repair mailboxes damaged by the striking of a plow blade if there is visible evidence, such as paint or tire tracks.

Snow removal around mailboxes is the property owner’s responsibility.

Residents are also urged to help fire- fighters keep hydrants clear of snow.

For more information, call the Department of Public Works at (203) 937- 3585 or visit the department’s page at www.cityofwesthaven.com.