Old Lyme Closes Out $1.42 Million Emergency Operations Center Expansion With More Than Half Covered by Grants

OLD LYME, CT – The $1.42 million expansion of Old Lyme’s Emergency Operations Center has been completed, with grants covering more than half the project cost and about $30,000 in unused construction funds set to return to the town.

The project was formally closed out last week as the Board of Selectmen reviewed final costs before U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney toured the expanded facility with praise for the completed center and the grant application that helped secure federal funding.

According to a budget document presented to selectmen by Old Lyme Facilities Director Erik Olsen on July 27, grants brought the town’s share to roughly $627,000. Construction costs came in at $1.34 million, not including equipment.

Olsen said about $30,000 in unused construction funds are expected to be returned to the town.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in April as the center officially went online with added space and upgraded technology to strengthen the town’s emergency response capabilities.

The largest source of funding was a $708,035 federal reimbursement, also known as an earmark, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy in 2022. The grant was awarded through the congressional appropriations process, which allows members of Congress to direct federal dollars to specific projects benefiting their districts.

Budget documents show the emergency operations center also received a $50,000 grant for IT and communications equipment, administered locally through the federal pandemic-relief program, and $40,000 for furniture and equipment through a grant from Millstone Power Station.

Courtney toured the facility July 29 with Emergency Management Director Dave Roberge.

“This place came out beautiful,” Courtney said.

He also commended Roberge’s grant application. Requests for funding through the congressional appropriations process face rigorous scrutiny from appropriations staff and are “not automatic,” according to the representative.

Roberge described the center as a long-term investment in emergency preparedness when he told Courtney “this is another 40-year building.”

During the tour, Roberge also outlined a new $150,000 grant request for portable dispatch equipment. He said the improvements would allow Old Lyme to handle emergency calls locally during periods of high demand and provide backup support to the Valley Shore Emergency Communications Center, located at the Troop F Connecticut State Police barracks in Westbrook.

Roberge confirmed the town would be making the request to the senators as well as Courtney’s office.

Courtney said members of the state’s congressional delegation often work together on federal funding requests, but the number of projects House members can support is limited.

“The Senate has unlimited requests, but we’re capped at 15,” he said. “And I’ve got 63 towns.”