Old Lyme voters will be asked at a Special Town Meeting to be held this evening Monday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium to consider a request from the Boathouse/Hains Park Improvement Committee to approve additional expenditure for the renovation of the boathouse at Hains Park on Rogers Lake. The amount being requested from town funds is detailed in the meeting agenda as “not to exceed $405,000.”
In July 2013, Old Lyme was awarded a Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant for $478,000 to expand and renovate the boathouse at Hains Park on Rogers Lake. The proposed renovations would make the boathouse ADA accessible with bathrooms, showers and a workout room, and provide a space to properly maintain and repair equipment. Renovation of the basketball court and repairs to the docks were also included in the original project scope.
At the Sept. 16 Old Lyme Board of Selectmen’s meeting, representatives from the Boathouse/Hain’s Park Improvement Committee reported that the estimated costs for the new boathouse, including some site work and renovation to the basketball court, had been revised upwards to $883,000, leaving a shortfall of $405,000 against the original STEAP grant of $478,000.
The revised project includes new bathrooms, which would be accessible to the public, but it is unclear whether the revised scope includes repairs to the docks, which are presently considered unsafe. At the meeting, First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder expressed concern about the safety of the docks and requested that remediation of the docks should be included in the project. She also stressed that one of the conditions of the STEAP grant is that use of the boathouse building should be made available to the public.
At a previous meeting, Reemsnyder noted she had received criticism earlier in the year that this grant was being used for a project that did not directly benefit a larger segment of the population. Reemsnyder had also previously suggested that Old Lyme residents should be allowed to store kayaks and similar equipment at the facility, but this does not appear to be part of the current vision for the boathouse.
On Monday October 6th the residents of Old Lyme will vote to dismiss or approve the expenditure of over $400,000 to cover a significant portion of the cost to demolish the Emerson Boathouse at Hains Park on Rogers Lake and build a new rowing boathouse complete with adjustable shell rack systems that increase the boat capacity on Rogers Lake by 65%. The balance of the $883,000 outlay is planned to be funded through a State Small Town Grant. I urge my neighbors to attend the Town meeting at 7:30 at the LOL Middle School, learn the facts and engage in courteous debate before the vote is taken.
Unlike the thorough planning and inclusive approach taken by the Sound View Commission, this boathouse is good governance gone awry. The citizens of Old Lyme have been given only 5 days of public discussion between the first information session and the final vote. The expenditure represents a 5% increase in the fiscal budget, however the money is being taken directly from our important rainy day contingency account, circumventing the annual budget process. While the first floor design includes bathrooms and changing rooms costing upwards of $130,000 primarily for rowers and regattas, renovations to the park’s public bathrooms are not included in the current proposal. While the proposed improvements are borne only by the taxpayers of Old Lyme, real beneficiaries are the Rowing Association (members from many townships) and the LOL HS Rowing Team – and the boathouse ownership has been manipulated so that LOL regional school district 18 will no longer own the facility, but just the Town of Old Lyme. Lyme pays nothing.
Does the Emerson boathouse need a facelift? Yes, however the taxpayers deserve a more inclusive design and a stronger voice in the process.
As a Lyme resident (new to the town) – I once tried to access the water at Hains Park with my kayak and was told I must go to the boat ramp on the other side of the lake instead – as only Old Lyme residents could launch there. It is too bad that the two towns that share such a beautiful lake can’t work together on this project as it would benefit all of us. I personally wouldn’t have a problem with some of my taxes going towards the renovation if I could share in it’s use.