More than 200 people crammed into the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium Monday evening for the Old Lyme Special Town Meeting called by the board of selectmen to consider three agenda items. Under presiding moderator Attorney Marylin C. Clarke, all three were subsequently passed on voice votes, but not without leaving some residents questioning the result of the first motion.
That motion was to authorize approval for the construction cost of Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements Project in the amount of $877,000. This total comprised $595,000 for construction; $151,000 for a combination of inspection and municipal services, plus a contingency amount; $65,500 for Department of Transport materials testing, administrative costs and audits; and an additional amount of $65,000 as a buffer to allow for higher than expected bids.
First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder explained that a federal grant being administered by the State Department of Transportation will cover 80 percent of the project construction costs of approximately $701,600, leaving a total cost to the town of $175,400.
In a presentation preceding the vote, Rob Pinckney of the BSC Group that served as project designers, noted the project would “employ the ‘complete street’ concept to accommodate all users and enhance safety.” He said it would provide 6 ft. wide sidewalks to the south of the bocce court on Hartford Ave., which are both safe and ADA compliant, adding that it would also allow for improved stormwater drainage and inclusion of “Sharrow BikeWays” for the whole length of Hartford Ave. These latter are lanes on which road markings are used to indicate a shared lane environment for bicycles and automobiles, which indicate, in Pinckney’s words, that “a bicycle has the right to be on the road.”
Pinckney said the proposal also provides for bumpouts, landscaping, banner poles, benches and bike racks.
Reemsnyder stressed that if the project were not approved, the Town would then be responsible for reimbursing $108,000 for charges the Town had already incurred for planning and design work on the project. The Town had received a grant from the state that reimbursed 80 percent of these costs, but it was contingent on the project being passed. She noted that if the project were approved, construction would begin in the fall of 2016.
When the moderator opened the floor to questions, the first was whether the project still included a bike route on Rte. 156. Reemsnyder said that was not the case. The second question was how the implementation of sewers would affect the project. Reemsnyder replied that “new technology” would allow sewers to be installed without damaging the upper surface and that the engineer responsible for their implementation would “have to get the road back to how it was.”
Another questioner asked whether bathrooms were included. Reemsnyder responded, “We thought they were when we started,” but she went on to clarify that it had transpired that the grant did not cover them to the extent originally envisaged. Reemsnyder confirmed the committee was still “trying to find ways to address the issue,” which included discussions with the private beach associations.
A question was raised as to whether the vote would be by paper ballot or hand-count, to which no response was given. There were further questions regarding speed limits on Rte. 156 and Hartford Ave. and then Barbara Crowley asked, “What is the town going to do to encourage growth [in Sound View]? Are there going to be any incentives to promote businesses?” Using the example of a recent report in Mystic where changes to sidewalks have promoted business growth, Reemsnyder stated, “I think this is supporting a better environment down there — both business and environmental.”
Some confusion reigned when the moderator took a voice vote on whether to call the question while a resident was indicating she still wished to ask a question. With the voice vote approved to call the question, Clarke then rapidly moved to a voice vote on the proposal, which she immediately deemed a victory for the “Ayes.”
A significant number of those present left after the first vote, many pleased with the result but some unhappy about how the voting process had been handled.
The other two motions on the agenda — to authorize the acceptance of Queen Anne Court as a Town road and to appropriate an amount not to exceed $60,000 to cover excess costs of the Resident Trooper Department from the already approved municipal police budget — were both passed by voice votes.
Tonight’s vote of the Route 156 Bike Path and Sound View Improvement project was the most undemocratic process that the people of Old Lyme have ever witnessed. It began with a presentation of the project with a question answers session, which was cut short by the mediator when an opposer asked a difficult but legitimate question. Then, the topic was brought to an immediate yay or nay vote, which should have been voted on by registered voters, business owners, and tax payers who pay more than one thousand dollars per year. However, no formal restration was ever conducted, therefore the children, families, and friends of the would-be registered voters had the opportunity to voice their yay vote. The vote was difficult to determine however, in a rush to judgement the yay-sayers were given the vote by the mediator, Marilyn Clarke. Then, Bonnie Reemsnyder, first select woman, proceeded to railroaded the tax payers with this $877,000.00 project with no explanation of why the vote was not brought to ballot. We should request the assistance of the states attorney general’s office to determine the validity of this vote and the conduct of our town officials.
I agree with Frank..tho I could not attend the meeting because of work, this circus sounds just like any other “raise your hand” voting . No one is checked on the way in to see whether they are registered voters in THIS town, how in heck do you go with a “yes” vote with 200 people in attendance? And then the warning that if it doesn’t pass, the taxpayers are responsible in paying back 100,000? WHO spends money before the actual project is approved,,oh yes, OLD LYME GOVT does! And WHO ends up having to pay that price? Oh yeah, old lyme tax payers whether we want to or not!
And what happened to the ORIGINAL purpose , the bathrooms and the bike path..oh later date when OL Taxpayers will end up paying for that..
Something is seriously wrong with the way the govt is run in this town, My feeling is, you want improvements , let the ones who “want” it , pay for it..Most in this town are just trying to get by, for us to be ‘forced’ into paying for something a bare minimum of town residents will even use, is very wrong..
Old Lyme has a wealth of natural beauty and our beaches are a true gem. The bicycle path will encourage more daily use by locals, less vehicle traffic and fewer out-of-town daily visitors so there is no need for more parking spaces.
Locals care for the community they live in and are going to take care of the beach and not leave garbage behind like the out-of-town visitors (savings gain). Bike paths are great for small business. Smart business owners should be able attract more business than passenger vehicles – i.e. you could park at least a dozen bikes in the same footprint of a parked passenger vehicle (revenue gain). Less fossil fuel emissions (everyone gains).
I am excited that our whole family can soon safely ride our bikes to the beach. Maybe some day those noisy bars on the beach will be replaced with a nice seaside cafe or restaurant. If Old Lyme were better known as a family-oriented beach destination rather than a party spot it would raise residential and business property values.
Are you also waiting for the buildings on Hartford Ave to fall down??? The owners should be made to take them down before they injure someone. (not a property owner)