TOP STORY: State Warns Old Lyme to Get Moving on Sewer Project

OLD LYME–With town officials and residents of Sound View Beach still clamoring for answers about the latest developments in a longstanding push to bring sewers to the Old Lyme shoreline, the state has warned Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker that time is running out.

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protecton (CT DEEP) Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Quality Emma Cimino in an Aug. 15 email warned Shoemaker that state and federal funding amounting to roughly half of the project cost is in jeopardy if the town doesn’t move forward with a townwide referendum authorizing the funding necessary to award construction contracts by mid October.

Failing to complete “one or more of those milestones” by mid-October “will significantly impact” the town’s ability to pursue a Clean Water Fund grant for 25% of the total project cost and a forgivable loan for another 25%, according to Cimino. 

Sound View Beach, which is owned by the town, is responsible for up to $17.1 million of the $70 million proposal to require residents of three private beach associations and the town-owned Sound View community to install sewers. The state and federal funding would bring the Sound View contribution to $8.5 million.

The state going back to the early 1980s has pushed for an end to pollution emanating from local beach communities, leading to a 2018 consent order with Old Colony Beach, Old Lyme Shores, and Miami Beach that resulted in the current shared sewer plan. Sound View Beach, which is under town control, was added in 2019 after voters in a townwide referendum agreed to spend $9.5 million on the public portion of the project with the understanding that affected neighborhoods would fund it.

The town, which is participating voluntarily in the sewer plan at this point, is doing so under the threat of a consent order from the state like the one forcing the private beach associations to act. 

Sound View residents have long asked for more specific information about how much they will have to shell out as the municipal bond is repaid over 20 years. They’ve also questioned the data underlying the state’s contention that sewers are necessary to resolve the potential for pollution in the area.

The Board of Selectmen, waiting for answers to those questions, has declined to send to the Board of Finance a resolution that would trigger another town-wide referendum on whether to borrow an additional $7.6 million for Sound View’s portion of the project. The vote is necessary because rampant inflation has driven up the total cost of the project, though the promise of reimbursement from the state and federal government means Sound View ratepayers will actually be paying less than the amount authorized in the first referendum. 

Cimino told Shoemaker the agency was aware the Board of Selectmen had not yet voted on moving the increased bond authorization to referendum because they were waiting for the Old Lyme WPCA to share more information with selectmen and the public. 

“I want to emphasize the need for quick action at each stage to remain aligned with the association timelines,” Cimino said. 

The Old Lyme Water Pollution Control Authority on Tuesday held a contentious project presentation in front of a crowd of mostly Sound View residents. Meanwhile, costs continue to climb as bids last week came back unexpectedly high for the Miami Beach portion of the project, exacerbating selectmen’s concerns about the feasibility and affordability of the project.

Shoemaker on Wednesday in a phone conversation with LymeLine said the referendum would have to occur by Oct. 15 to meet the state’s demands. Logistical requirements involving planning and publicizing the referendum require a decision from both the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance by Sept. 30, according to Shoemaker. 

The Board of Selectmen is slated to meet in a special meeting early next week, she said.