LYME/OLD LYME — On Monday, Apr. 25, at 7 p.m., the Lymes’ Senior Center (LSC) Building Committee will host a public forum on the potential renovation of the Senior Center.
Lymes’ Senior Center Committee members will present the current proposal and then answer questions from the community.
All residents of Lyme and Old Lyme are welcome to attend the forum, which will be held in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium.
The committee has prepared a public-information packet regarding the proposal, which can be viewed at this link.
The building committee is currently moving forward with a request for funds from the Towns of Old Lyme and Lyme to continue the next phase of the project to renovate the center.
Jeri Baker, who serves as both chair of the LSC Building Committee and chair of the Lymes’ Senior Center Board of Directors, told LymeLine by phone, “We are encouraged by the growing support for this project by the boards of selectmen and finance for both towns.”
She noted, “The committee has stayed the course toward renovation and reconfiguration as being the most cost effective way to address the growing membership and needed space for programs and services offered by this shared municipal agency.”
Baker pointed out that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, LSC membership peaked at 1006 members. During the COVID closure, membership dropped to a low of 554 but since the center re-opened, it has steadily increased to well over 950.
Baker commented enthusiastically, “I fully expect membership to stand at over 1000 by the time of the forum.”
She also noted that during a March 3 meeting, the Old Lyme Board of Finance (BOF) Chairman asked if the committee had entertained the idea of a constructing a new building rather than a renovation.
Baker explained to LymeLine, “The original charge by the towns from Day One back in 2019 was to look at renovation and reconfiguration of space; a new build was not on our radar until that question was asked.”
The committee immediately took the question to heart, but Baker explained, “After estimating the costs of both options, we determined in less than a week that a new build is much more expensive and not the way to go.”
Those comparisons were presented at the Old Lyme BOF March 15 meeting for consideration and discussion. The BOF raised additional concerns regarding the cost of a new building and asked for further information.
Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold also raised the question of public awareness of the project at this meeting.
Baker explained to LymeLine, “We look forward to this opportunity on April 25th to give town residents the information they need to secure their support for the project.”
She continued, “We have posted all the facts and a plethora of information on the websites of both towns for two years, attended many meetings with the boards of both towns, and have tried to get the word out about how important it is to help the center — and ultimately the residents of the towns it serves.”
Baker also stressed that the LSC Building Committee is not a sub-committee of the LSC Board of Directors but rather a committee appointed by both towns. It therefore intentionally represents not only both towns but also a broad cross-section of the community.
Editor’s Note: The members of the LSC Building Committee are:
From Lyme:
Alan Sheiness – Lyme BOF chair
John Kiker – Selectman, co-chair of committee
Russell Learned –Senior Director, Centerbrook Architects and Planners
Mary Stone – Active community volunteer, former Member of Region 18 Board of Education
From Old Lyme:
Jeri Baker – committee chair, chair of the LSC Board of Directors
Arthur “Skip” Beebe – retired general building contractor, member of many local organizations
Bennett Bernblum – Old Lyme BOF member
Ken Biega – Vice President, Noble Construction Management, Essex
Dr. Richard Goulding – former Region 18 BOE member, pediatric emergency physician
Ex officio members:
Steve Mattson, Lyme First Selectman
Timothy Griswold, Old Lyme First Selectman,
Stephanie Gould, LSC Director