OLD LYME—We received the following ‘Press Statement’ related to developments regarding the Tantummaheag Landing situation from Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker late yesterday evening. It is signed by all three members of the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen.
We publish it below in full and unedited.
This evening, we are instructing our town counsel to send a letter to George Frampton and Carla Darista regarding the Town of Old Lyme’s steps moving forward regarding Tantummaheag Landing.
The letter informs the property owners that the town maintains its claim that Tantummaheag Landing is a public highway as is reflected in their deeds.
The letter goes on to explain that we will be completing a survey of the property. Any pins and/or markers which were previously in place which may have been removed will be reestablished by a licensed surveyor.
Upon completion of the survey, the town will determine which plantings interfere with access to the highway/landing. The plantings will be tagged, and the homeowners will have 7 days to remove the plantings they installed. If they are not removed, Public Works will remove or cut down those plantings.
Once the survey is complete and the plantings are removed, the Board of Selectmen will determine the best management to maintain the highway/landing for users. We hope to have this completed by the end of July.
The Board of Selectmen would like the visitors to the landing to be respectful of the property owners. The landing will only be accessible from 9 AM to dusk daily during this period. If you are planning on kayaking from the landing, please note that you cannot have direct access to the landing at this time. Please back up your vehicle to the planting line, drop off your kayaks and return to the street to park. Due to the plantings, parking is not permitted currently on the property. We ask that you take every precaution not to disturb the plantings
The local police and Troop F have been provided with this information and have been asked to instruct their officers of the current situation and our process to resolve it.
As always, the Board of Selectmen believe that our residents will be respectful of the property owners and their abutting land.
Editor’s Note: We will have more on this developing story shortly.