Free radon test kits available

WEST HAVEN, April 1, 2022 — It’s not too late to test your home for radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer.

The city Health Department still has a limited number of free radon test kits, Health Director Maureen B. Lillis said.

To receive a test kit, call the department at 203-937-3660. A sanitarian from the department will deliver the kit and help place it in the home, Lillis said.

Radon is a colorless, odorless and naturally occurring radioactive gas formed from the natural decay of uranium. It’s found in rock, water and soil.

While radon in outdoor air poses a relatively low risk to human health, it can enter homes from the surrounding soil and become a health hazard inside buildings, Lillis said.

To learn more about radon, visit the state Department of Public Health’s Radon Program.

Support groups resume in person

WEST HAVEN, April 1, 2022 — The support groups offered by West Haven’s Youth and Family Services and Interagency Network for Children have resumed in-person meetings at the Johnson Community Center, 201 Noble St.

WHINC Parent and Guardian Support Group: Meets the 2nd Monday of each month, 6-7:45 p.m. For more information, call Viola at 203-804-5326.

Free on-site child care is available for parents of special needs children and their siblings, ages 5 and older, so parents can attend support group meetings. Parents or guardians must call the group facilitator at the above phone number by noon the day of the scheduled meeting.

West Haven Bereavement Support Group for widows, widowers and partners: Meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month, 6-7:30 p.m. For more Information, call Toni-Jo at 203-410-2541.

Part of dog park closing for maintenance for 6 weeks

WEST HAVEN, April 1, 2022 — Part of Veterans Memorial Park’s dog park — the side for large dogs — will be closed for maintenance for about six weeks starting the week of April 4, according to a Department of Public Works official.

The park area, at 91 Bull Hill Lane, will be aerated and seeded with a hardier seed, “which should stand up to the dogs’ wear and tear better,” said Ernie Chiarelli, the department’s project coordinator and sidewalk inspector.

Chiarelli said the area will also be fertilized.

During the maintenance work, both large and small dogs can use the side of the park for small dogs, he said.

Those with questions can call Chiarelli at 203-937-3527.

City toasts Keith Sweeney as Irishman of the Year; watch on YouTube

Joined by West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, 2022 Irishman of the Year Keith Sweeney, a decorated former city police officer, pulls off the shroud revealing the Kelly green street sign designating the Campbell Avenue side of City Hall as “Keith M. Sweeney Square” for the next year at the 29th annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on March 17. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Sweeney feted as Irishman of the Year; watch on YouTube

WEST HAVEN, March 21, 2022 — Keith Sweeney said it was worth the wait.

After a two-year pause because of the coronavirus, Sweeney, who was named West Haven’s Irishman of the Year in 2020, finally received his honor on St. Patrick’s Day 2022.

With Mayor Nancy R. Rossi looking on, Sweeney, a decorated former police officer, unveiled a Kelly green street sign designating the Campbell Avenue side of City Hall as “Keith M. Sweeney Square” for the next year at West Haven’s 29th annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on March 17.

Sweeney, whose grandparents hailed from the counties of Roscommon and Offaly, Ireland, was presented with gifts of appreciation, including an embroidered “Irishman of the Year” jacket, and words of praise from Rossi for “sharing and preserving the culture of Ireland and the teachings of St. Patrick, personifying the qualities of an Irish Westie and the values of an American Catholic.”

In addition to Rossi reading a proclamation citing Sweeney’s dedication to the Irish American community, the ceremony featured the hanging of the street sign outside City Hall’s Campbell Avenue entrance naming the public square for the honoree until next year’s celebration, when he will pass his title to a fellow person of Irish ancestry.

At the start of the 35-minute program, Joan D. Connor, the 2019 recipient, received her rectangular sign to take home. Connor is now the longest-serving honoree in event history because of the twice-postponed celebration.

The West Haven St. Patrick’s Day Committee each year recognizes an Irish resident or couple who exemplifies service in the city’s rich Irish American community.

“I want to first thank the St. Patrick’s Day Committee for bestowing this honor on me,” said Sweeney, an integral part of West Haven’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations as a committee member and participant. “I am humbled and honored to receive this distinguished award following all the great previous recipients, who have worked so hard trying to keep up the Irish heritage and tradition of our forefathers.”

As the sound of Celtic music played by bagpipers and drummers filled the air during the cultural event in honor of Ireland’s patron saint, Sweeney, 68, toasted his lineage with dozens of his closest friends and loved ones, along with a sea of shamrock-clad dignitaries, including police and fire officials, and descendants of folks from Erin.

“Whether it was working on the (Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day) Parade Committee or as a member of one of the different Irish societies in the area, we have to recognize all the hard work they do in an effort to keep the Irish traditions alive,” Sweeney told the crowd, many of whom donned Aran sweaters and other Irish garb on a misty St. Paddy’s Day.

In the 1890s, Sweeney’s grandparents left the Emerald Isle in search of the American promise, settling in West Haven.

The youngest of five brothers, Sweeney grew up in a single-family home on Lake Avenue overlooking Lake Phipps. He attended city schools and graduated from West Haven High in 1972.

At the midday ceremony, Rossi also presented an Irish flag to Sweeney, who was accompanied in the front row by daughter Erin Sweeney, of West Haven. Just a few rows behind, Bruce E. Sweeney, a long-standing member of the First Fire Taxation District’s Board of Fire Commissioners, looked on with pride as his brother was feted.

Keith Sweeney, a lifelong Westie, was also joined by former wife Kathleen Johnson, of West Haven. Daughter Shannon Sweeney and granddaughters Etta Aylwin Seely, 3, and Nellie Kate Seely, 1, all of Concord, Massachusetts, were unable to attend.

Among those attending the event were 2022 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal Seamus Bohan, of Orange, and 2022 Parade Queen Morgan Daley, of Hamden, and her honor attendant, Megan Burke, also of Hamden.

The opening procession was led by the West Haven Police Honor Guard and the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums.

After 2013 Parade Queen Fiona Stewart, of West Hartford, sang beautiful renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Irish national anthem, “Soldier’s Song,” the Rev. Mark R. Jette, the 2010 Irishman of the Year, offered an Irish blessing and shared a few funny stories about his adventures with Sweeney in Ireland.

Once at a pub in Ireland, Jette said Sweeney asked the barman, “What’s the weather forecast for tomorrow?”

“I’ll give you an Irish forecast,” the barman said. “Go and look out the window. Can you see the mountains?”

“Yes,” Sweeney said.

“It’s gonna rain,” the barman said.

“How do you know that?” Sweeney asked.

“If you can see the mountains, it’s gonna rain,” the barman said. “If you can’t see them, it’s raining.”

The invocation was followed by remarks by 2014 Irishwoman of the Year and state Rep. Dorinda Keenan Borer, D-West Haven, who served as the master of ceremonies and greeted the gathering before presenting Sweeney with a General Assembly citation on behalf of the city’s delegation.

Rossi then delivered remarks lauding Sweeney.

“Keith Sweeney’s accomplishments are a testament to the determination, joy and hope of the Irish, and on this special occasion, we remember with pride the inspiring contributions of Irish Americans like Keith Sweeney to our way of life,” Rossi said.

The program culminated in an emotionally charged performance of “Amazing Grace” by the emerald society’s array of bagpipers and drummers, who dedicated the rendition to Sweeney.

The society also serenaded Erin Sweeney, whose birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day, by playing a surprise birthday ditty.

Keith Sweeney is a member of the West Haven Irish American Club and was its Irishman of the Year in 1989. He is a former member of the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.

Sweeney, a longtime member of the St. Patrick’s Day Committee, has participated in many wearin’-of-the-green celebrations in his hometown by leading dignitaries in the opening procession and presenting the colors as a member of the West Haven Police Emerald Society.

Sweeney is best known for his career as a West Haven police officer and detective. He served on the department for 11 years, starting in 1979, and was the recipient of several commendations.

Sweeney received the department’s Purple Heart and Medal of Valor, as well as the Connecticut State Police’s Medal of Bravery, for gallantry in the line of duty while responding to an August 1988 mutual aid incident in which he suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg.

During his distinguished tenure, Sweeney also received the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association Award and the Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association Award.

Sweeney, a former member of the New Haven County Detectives Association, retired from West Haven’s finest in 1990.

He later served as an instructor at the Connecticut State Police Training Academy in Meriden and was an investigator at the state’s attorney’s office for the New Haven Judicial District, retiring in 2012.

Sweeney is a founding and charter member of the West Haven Police Emerald Society, was its Officer of the Year, and is a past president, trustee, quartermaster and treasurer.

He is a lifetime member of West Haven’s Elks Lodge 1537 and was its Elk of the Year in 2010. He is a past exalted ruler and has served as a trustee for nearly 30 years.

Sweeney’s propensity for public service included serving on the Board of Police Commissioners from 2016 to 2021. He also represented the 1st District on the City Council and served on the Democratic Town Committee.

Sweeney has given back to his community by coaching Conlan’s All-Stars — a girls hockey team in the late 1970s and early ’80s — and coaching and refereeing boys hockey. He has also volunteered at West Haven Hook & Ladder Company 1.

Sweeney is a former recipient of the Jimmy Fund award.

Watch the ceremony on West Haven YouTube.

For the latest news and information, subscribe to the city’s Facebook page at West Haven City Hall.

Keith Sweeney receives an embroidered “Irishman of the Year” jacket from Mayor Nancy R. Rossi. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

The West Haven Police Honor Guard and the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums lead the procession of dignitaries. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Democratic state Rep. Dorinda Keenan Borer, the master of ceremonies, delivers opening remarks. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

2013 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Queen Fiona Stewart, of West Hartford, sings a beautiful rendition of the Irish national anthem, “Soldier’s Song.” (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

The West Haven Police Honor Guard presents the American and Connecticut colors. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

The Rev. Mark R. Jette, the 2010 Irishman of the Year, offers an Irish blessing — and a few jokes about the honoree. Jette is the former pastor of St. Lawrence and St. Paul churches in West Haven and now serves Sacred Heart Church in Suffield. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Sweeney is joined by, from left, Rossi, daughter Erin Sweeney and 2019 Irishwoman of the Year Joan D. Connor. Connor, who received her retired sign to take home, is now the longest-serving honoree in event history because of the twice-postponed celebration due to the coronavirus. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Keenan Borer, the 2014 Irishwoman of the Year, presents Sweeney with a General Assembly citation on behalf of West Haven’s delegation. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Rossi reads and presents Sweeney with a mayoral proclamation declaring March 17 as “Keith M. Sweeney Day” in West Haven. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Led by West Haven native John Hines, center, the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums plays a Celtic rendition of “Amazing Grace.” (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

2022 Parade Queen Morgan Daley, right, with Honor Attendant Megan Burke, both of Hamden. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Sweeney pauses below his newly unveiled street sign with, from left, brother Bruce E. Sweeney, former wife Kathleen Johnson and daughter Erin Sweeney. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Rossi releases West Haven’s ARPA spending plan

Rossi releases ARPA spending plan

WEST HAVEN, March 16, 2022 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi has released a comprehensive plan outlining how the city will spend about $29 million in federal coronavirus relief funding.

Rossi presented the ARPA Community Investment Plan to the City Council on March 14.

The nine-page spending plan requires the council’s review and approval.

In October 2021, Rossi launched an online submission form seeking residents’ ideas for spending the American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The ARPA plan includes $3.5 million for the long-planned arts center at 304 Center St., $3.07 million for fire department aid, $3 million for stormwater management, $2.4 million for police personnel retention, $2 million for infrastructure paving and improvements and $1.65 million for municipal building improvements.

It also includes $1 million for a recycling and reuse center, $1 million for open space preservation, $1 million for small-business aid, $680,000 for public health outreach, $585,000 for broadband access and $500,000 for traffic and boardwalk monitoring cameras.

See the full ARPA Community Investment Plan.

In late January, Rossi established a nine-member committee to oversee West Haven’s allocation of ARPA funding.

The mayoral-appointed ARPA Committee is led by Chairman Kenneth Carney, Vice Chairman Michael P. Last and Secretary Dwight Knowles. The other members are Christopher Barstein, Neil C. Cavallaro, Iris Diaz, Kenneth Ferris, Gary M. Perdo and Rohan Smith.

The committee meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:45 p.m. in the Harriet C. North Community Room on the second floor of City Hall, 355 Main St.

Carney is the chairman of the West Haven High School Building Committee and the West Haven Building Oversight Committee; Last is the city treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the West Haven Community House; and Knowles is the clerk of the high school’s Building Committee.

Barstein is the executive director of Benchmark Senior Living and was a hospitality industry professional and educator for more than 35 years; Cavallaro is the city’s superintendent of schools; and Diaz is the chairwoman of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown and was the vice chair of the city’s Charter Revision Commission.

Ferris is a former two-term city treasurer and was a member of the city’s Inland Wetlands Watercourse Agency; Perdo is a member of the high school’s Building Committee and the Washington School Building Committee; and Smith is an accountant at the West Haven VA Medical Center and was a member of the Charter Revision Commission.

Marchers sought for West Haven Memorial Day parade

WEST HAVEN, March 9, 2022 — The city and the West Haven Veterans Council are 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 30.

Participants must register and list required special accommodations for the procession, which has no rain date.

The city will provide transportation for veterans who are unable to walk the 1 ½-mile parade route, 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 marshal is Emery Linton Sr., an Army veteran of the Vietnam War.

Download a Participation Form.

Forms are also available for pickup in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due May 6.

Completed forms must be faxed to 203-937-3705 or mailed to the West Haven Memorial Day Parade, Office of the Mayor, 355 Main St., West Haven, CT 06516.