We’re delighted to publish today the latest newsletter written by Old Lyme’s First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder. This newsletter covers the months of June and July.
Where has the summer gone? While I make every effort to communicate with residents on a regular basis, June and July seemed to have gotten away from me. My apologies for missing the mark in the beginning of July, but here is an update from the last two months:
Rte. 156 Bike Path/Sound View Improvements Grant
The Selection Committee interviewed all six firms who submitted their qualifications for consideration to develop the Plans and Specs for the Bike Path and SV Improvements. The Selection Committee, Frank Pappalardo, Jean Davies of the RiverCOG, and I, were appreciative to have the excellent guidance of Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal throughout the process. We rated each firm separately and then combined our scores to come up with a final rating and selection. The documents were submitted to ConnDOT for approval, and they agreed with our selection of BSC Group. We now will develop and approve the Scope of Work (SOW), negotiate the costs, and then proceed to a Town Meeting for approval. The firms that were interviewed were all quite capable, and the decision was a difficult one, but the process developed by ConnDOT is a good one. Stay tuned for future updates and public information meetings as we continue to work on the project.
Rogers Lake Dam
The repairs to Rogers Lake Dam have begun! If you travel down Town Woods Road, you will see the construction equipment and safety fencing around the work area. Most of the work will be off the road, but there may be an occasional impact to traffic. While we were hoping the lake would not need to be lowered, the contractor has discovered that the lake does need to be lowered to accommodate some of the work. Letters have gone out to residents in the end of July, and the lowering has begun last week. The completion of the work is expected to be sometime in late September of this year. A fish ladder is also being installed at the site, as well as a new dry hydrant. The dry hydrant will provide a source of water for any fire emergency in the area of the lake. The plans for this project have been ongoing for over ten years, so it is terrific to see the work finally begin. Special thanks to Tim Griswold and Ellie Czarnowski for their help in keeping this project on track.
WPCA and Wastewater Management Study
On June 11, the Wastewater Management Task Force met for the last time, and all of the members agreed to serve as members of the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA). We now have a full slate on the authority, though we are still looking for two alternates to serve on this very important Board. After adjourning the Task Force, the WPCA meeting was called to order and Kurt Zemba was elected Chair. On July 30, the WPCA and Woodard and Curran were present for a public information meeting where we updated residents on the progress of the study. Unfortunately, we did not have the final data and cost estimates for the project, but we expect to have all of this information for the meeting scheduled for August 27th. Mark your calendar and join us for this very important meeting.
Senior Center Questionnaire
Our new Senior Center Coordinator has hit the ground running! Stephanie Lyon has worked with Essex Printing to put out the Senior Center Newsletter, which includes a questionnaire for citizens to encourage more participation from Seniors. In order to assure her of a good response, everyone who fills out the questionnaire will be eligible to win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Hideaway Restaurant! If you have not yet filled out the questionnaire, go on the Town website at www.oldlyme-ct.gov and find the questionnaire (it is in the top left corner of the links), or pick up the Lymes Senior Center Newsletter at Town Hall or the Senior Center. Good luck to all who enter, and thank you Stephanie for reaching out to all our Seniors!
New Social Services Coordinator
As of July 1, 2013, the Social Services Coordinator hours have increased from 9 hours per week to 12 hours in order to accommodate the needs of our town. For that reason, a new Coordinator has been hired and I am pleased to introduce Valerie Goncalves as our new Social Services Coordinator. Valerie comes to us with a wealth of experience, as her former position was with the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, where she assisted people in need with Energy Assistance, SNAP, and other local resources. Valerie has already begun her duties and is currently becoming familiar with our Town, area resources, and our citizens. Her office hours are posted on the web site, and she will be getting out communication through our News and Announcements on the home page. Welcome, Valerie Goncalves!
ConnTrek Students Hike through Old Lyme
On June 26th, you might have noticed a bit of a stir in town if you traveled on Route 156 South of McCurdy Rd, or on Route 1 north of Lyme St. Russ Salvador, a teacher from Groton, and several other adult chaperones hiked 100 miles with about 30 elementary school kids. The event is a fundraiser, and the group started out on June 25th. Ultimately, they hiked to UConn, stopping overnight at several host sites, one of which was Town Woods Park. Our Police Officers, Fire Department and the National Guard escorted the group on their trip and got them safely to the Park for their overnight stay. I welcomed them to the park and made sure they were settled in nicely. In the morning, after breakfast that included coffee for adults and donuts for all, they were on their way to the next stop, Devil’s Hopyard. The group had already collected over $15,000 for a fund that provides services to all First Responders. Congratulations to these wonderful adults and children who dedicated their time to supporting those who help all of us in our time of need. Thanks also to our Public Safety personnel who made sure that they were safe as they traveled through Old Lyme.
I-95 Safety Improvements Coming for Old Lyme
On July 17th, representatives from the CT DOT presented their draft plans for Safety Improvements to Interstate 95, from the Baldwin Bridge to Exit 72 in East Lyme. The engineers developing the plans for the project shared the plans to improve the shoulder area, install “jersey barriers” in the median, and pave both the northbound and southbound lanes. This was an opportunity for citizens to ask questions and offer suggestions as the plans are about 30% complete. The meeting was lightly attended but those who were there offered good suggestions and shared concerns. A copy of the Power Point Presentation is on the town website at www.oldlyme-ct.gov
Midsummer Festival and Fireworks Display
Our Annual Midsummer Festival is was a great success on July 26 and July 27th. As usual, the fun annual event, was a great success, with a concert at the Flo Gris Museum on Friday evening, Carolyn’s Miracle Foundation 5Krun on Saturday morning, and culminating with the return of the Fireworks on Saturday evening after a concert by the Old Lyme Town Band. It was great to have the fireworks return to their prior location – having been set off behind the High School, with the viewing area on the field between the High School and Middle School. This year we were blessed with excellent weather and great choices all along Lyme St. Special thanks to the many members of the Midsummer Festival who work so hard to make this charming annual event a reality.
Single Stream Recycling – Acceptable Items Only Please!
Just this week I received a letter from Willimantic Waste – the vendor who processes our Single Stream Recycling. Apparently much of the Single Stream Recycling coming from Old Lyme has prohibited items that make the processing cumbersome and more expensive, including plastic bags, diapers and household trash, to name a few.
Please log onto our Town website and review the acceptable items, as well as the prohibited items for recycling. We will be sending out reminders, in order to avoid penalties, additional fees and/or rejection. Recycling is a worthy goal, and can save tax dollars if we are all diligent about what we put into our containers. Remember – BLUE for TRASH; GREEN for RECYCLING!
Remember to subscribe on our Town website at www.oldlyme-ct.gov, and also at CTalert.gov for emergency updates and notices. Also, take time to enjoy the rest of the Summer. Hopefully, we will be blessed with continued good weather!