Around 180 people showed up at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Monday night to vote on the question of whether an amount not to exceed $405,000 should be taken from the town’s surplus account to fund the overage on the construction of a new boathouse at Hains Park and also re-surfacing the basketball court. First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder gave a presentation supporting the proposal, which she explained it was originally planned to fund from a Small Towns Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant of $475,000, which was approved in 2013.
She commented that a long-range Master Plan for the park had been developed, but not yet approved, stressing, “This is not a final plan,” noting that the proposed plan for the boathouse was, “Driven by function,” according to architect Nina Cuccio Peck.
Justifying why such a significant cost overrun had occurred compared to the STEAP grant amount, Reemsnyder said the original plan [submitted to the state] had included the addition of one bay to the existing building, rather than its demolition and reconstruction, which as now proposed. She explained, “The current building configuration did not support the program.”
Reemsnyder said the plans would benefit the community because members of the public would be allowed to store their kayaks in the new boathouse. The current boathouse is owned by Regional District 18 but is being transferred to ownership of the town. Also, although improvements to the docks, which were in the original scope of work, are now excluded from the current proposal, renovation of the park’s basketball court has now been included.
After the presentation, Attorney Marilyn Clark, who moderated the meeting, opened the floor to questions from the audience. These ranged from whether the second floor, which is intended to be available for public use, was handicapped accessible (No) to who would hold the keys for the property (District 18, the Rowing Association and town officials) and whether the bathrooms inside the boathouse would be available to the public (No.)
One resident asked, “How are you going to control growth out there [on the lake]?” to which Co-President of the Old Lyme Rowing Association (OLRA) Greg Hack responded that the club “actually has 37 or 38 boats” (not the 53 representing the boathouse capacity) and they already, “restrict hours of use, adding to rippled laughter, “We don’t want to have a total armada out there.” The questioner commented, “It’s an awful lot of money for the enjoyment of a select few,” to which Hack rejoined, “It’s a legacy gift … which will touch many more than the 100 involved this year” over subsequent generations.
Steven Cinami wanted to know why the boathouse was being designed for 53 boats when only 38 were owned and a total increase in the size of the association had been predicted to be 10 percent? He also questioned why the bathrooms were being renovated in a place with restricted access and were not being made accessible to all? Peck responded that building code required the construction of toilets in the boathouse.
Another resident was concerned about the opportunity cost of this expenditure by the town, asking, “If the town spends thi s much money on housing boats, are they going to have enough money for the lake?” Reemsnyder responded that the town already had formed a Rogers Lake Weed Committee that was “actively working” on that problem.
Former First Selectman Tim Griswold cautioned against use of the town’s surplus noting it’s, ‘Not a cookie jar,” and asked whether usage fees would be charged for rowers who are not from Old Lyme. Janet Sturges said she had been asked to clarify the board of finance’s position on the proposal. She stated that the board of finance had not approved the project, but simply recommended it be sent to a Special Town Meeting.
After a protracted period of voting by paper ballot, Clark announced the result (100 Yes, 73 No) to whoops of joy and much hugging by supporters of the project. A beaming Paul Fuchs, OLRA Co-President, told LymeLIne, “We’re just really excited we’ve got the support from the town on this. It’s gratifying to have the support of the town — we appreciate it.”