Beach Wheelchair Donated To Park-Rec By West Haven Business Alliance

WEST HAVEN, CT — (Pictured): West Haven Business Alliance owner Michelle Caprio, left, joined by member David Tammaro, second from left, donates a beach wheelchair on behalf of the alliance to the Department of Parks and Recreation on Wednesday.

With Caprio and Tammaro are, from left, Park-Rec Director Mark E. Paine Jr. and Pool and Waterfront Coordinator Margaret Ruggiero and West Shore Deputy Fire Chief Raphael Zayas.

Caprio, a lifelong Westie who started the alliance as a way of giving back to the community, said the new wheelchair will support the independent mobility of disabled beachgoers at West Shore’s Dawson Avenue Beach.

The $1,100 wheelchair has four 12-inch wheels that allow it to roll on beach sand and was the idea of Tammaro, a West Haven resident and business owner.

The wheelchair is accessible at the beach’s lifeguard stand from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., said Ruggiero, who supervises Park-Rec’s lifeguards. It is stored after beach hours at West Shore fire headquarters, just across the street on Ocean Avenue.

The mission of the West Haven Business Alliance “is to promote, provide, network, and collaborate West Haven businesses and their owners. This will allow for the betterment and development of business, fostering services for enhancing consumers and the business community.”