LYME/OLD LYME — The Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Board of Education (BOE) will hold their District Budget Meeting Monday evening, May 3, in the Board of Education Conference Room at Center School starting at 6:30 p.m.
The Budget Meeting will also be live-streamed at this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF2_W7yYtFwx067Ici9776Q/videos?view=57
Public comment can be made in person or virtually via this Zoom link: https://region18.zoom.us/j/83527766795 and using Meeting ID: 835 2776 6795.
Those choosing the virtual option to make public comment will be required to follow the same expectations as those commenting in person, i.e., after being recognized by the chairperson, participants must state their name and place of residence before making their comments to the board.
The proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year totals $34,874, 548 representing a 0.47 percent increase over the current year’s budget. When this total is combined with last year’s decrease of 1.06 percent, the total change over two years is -0.6 percent or $210,210.
In the Letter of Transmittal accompanying the printed budget, LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser and Region 18 Board of Education Chairman Diane Linderman say, “We have developed a budget that continues to support all of our award-winning academic and curricular offerings, which are commensurate with, and often superior to, both public and private schools throughout Connecticut.”
Members of the BOE are expected to vote at the meeting to move the public vote to approve the budget to an in-person referendum the following day, Tuesday, May 4.
Voting will take place from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School for Old Lyme residents and Lyme Town Hall for Lyme residents.
Information on absentee ballot and voter information is available at the following links:
- for Old Lyme residents:- https://www.oldlyme-ct.gov/town-clerk/pages/voter-information
- for Lyme residents:- https://townlyme.org/
Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School will not be closed during voting hours — students will be following a regular school day.
Voting will take place from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School for Old Lyme residents and Lyme Town Hall for Lyme residents.
Information on absentee ballot and voter information is available at the following links:
- for Old Lyme residents:- https://www.oldlyme-ct.gov/town-clerk/pages/voter-information
- for Lyme residents:- https://townlyme.org/
Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School will not be closed during voting hours — students will be following a regular school day.
LYME/OLD LYME — Can video gaming be dangerous for kids?
On Tuesday, May 4, from 7 to 8 p.m., Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau and the Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Community Coalition are sponsoring a Zoom presentation on youth gaming and gambling. The Parent Teacher Organizations of Lyme, Mile Creek and LOL Middle School are co-sponsoring the event.
This free, interactive workshop will discuss an overview of youth gaming and gambling. Learn from experts about risk factors, and protective factors for prevention, treatment, and recovery. All are welcome.
The presenters are Kaitlin Brown and Kelly Leppard, who both have extensive experience in this field.
Brown is Director of Programs & Services with CT Council on Problem Gambling. Kaitlin is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor, Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor, and holds and International Gaming Disorder Certificate.
Leppard serves as the Primary Prevention Services Coordinator for Problem Gambling Services with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Certified Prevention Specialist.
OLD LYME — On Friday, Oct. 8, at 9 a.m., the Old Lyme Open Space Commission will offer the public an opportunity during their in-person meeting at Old Lyme Town Hall to call with questions or comments about the Town’s proposed acquisition of 41-1 and 41-4 Whippoorwill Road.
This purchase will add 35 acres to the existing Ames Open Space, with improved access to its trail system.
While the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance have approved this transaction, it still needs to go before the Planning Commission and a Town Meeting before the sale can take place.
It should be noted that the land being purchased and the roadway leading to it are still private property and not open to the public.
Readers can call into the Open Space Commission’s meeting by dialing 1-605-472-5727 and entering access code 3819718.
The full agenda for the meeting is as follows:
Hybrid Meeting, Open to the Public
- Call to Order
- Approval of Minutes from September 10, 2021
- Welcome to the Public: Open Discussion on the proposed acquisition of the Ames Open Space 35 acres
- Land Steward Report: Peter Norris
- Existing Business
- Open Space Property Updates
- Ames Open Space: Amanda Blair
- Bartholomew Open Space: Amanda Blair
- Champlain North: Steven Calcagni
- McCulloch Family Open Space: Amanda Blair
- Eklund Pond Open Space: Anne Welles
- Grant Activity
- Rockfall Foundation & Hartford Audubon Society Grants: Andrea Fenton
- Future Applications
- Community Outreach
Hikers Happy Hour - Inland Wetlands Commission Report: Evan Griswold
- Conservation Commission Report: Gary Gregory
- New Business
- 2022 Schedule of Commission Meetings
- Additional New Business?
- Public Comment
- Executive Session – As Necessary
- Adjourn
Editor’s Note: For more on this story, visit this link.
OLD LYME — A meeting for the Pre-K- 8 Facilities study will be held Wednesday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. in the LOLMS auditorium. QA+M Architecture will present recommendations based on their assessment of existing conditions, evaluation of buildings, and future cost estimation for repairs and updates to Center School, Lyme School, Mile Creek School, and Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School.
Town Hall illustration by Old Lyme resident Edie Twining.
Survey Results Will be Used to Help Determine Allocation of $2.162M in Federal Funds by the Town
OLD LYME — Old Lyme residents, business owners, and organization leaders are encouraged to take the Old Lyme Pandemic Recovery Survey to share how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their family or organization. The survey closes Jan. 7, 2022.
The survey is not an application for funds, but rather data gathering on the pandemic’s effects on Old Lyme. Town projects or programs will be determined after the survey, and applications for assistance will be sought following the set guidelines.
The survey can be found at OldLymeSurvey.com and print copies will be available at the Town Hall reception desk beginning Tuesday, Dec. 14. The committee asks that one survey is filled out per household or organization. Responses are anonymous unless the survey taker chooses to share their contact information at the end.
The Federal guidelines relating to how Old Lyme and other municipalities may use the Federal funds are as follows:
- Support public health expenditures, e.g., funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff
- Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector
- Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic
- Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors
- Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband internet.
To learn more about the ARPA Committee, visit https://www.oldlyme-ct.gov/
OLD LYME — On Thursday, Jan. 6, the Town of Old Lyme received an additional, but limited, quantity of COVID-19 test kits and N95 masks from the state.
Four hundred (400) test kits and N95 masks are available to distribute, and these test kits are again being prioritized for residents, “who currently need to make wise decisions about quarantining or isolating because they have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.”
A ‘Drive-Thru Pickup’ is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 8, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or until supplies are exhausted on the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School driveway behind Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau for Old Lyme residents, who meet the criteria stated above.
Enter from the Center School driveway entrance. Residents will need to show ID.
The quantity of test kits and masks being distributed will be one test kit containing two tests and four N95 masks per household.
At this time, the state is expected to receive additional shipments. When the Town of Old Lyme receives additional deliveries, future drive-thru events will be scheduled and then announced.
To stay in touch regarding when additional test-kits and masks become available for distribution, simply text OLCOVID19 to 888777 on your phone. The most recent information about COVID-19 test kit and mask distribution events will be shared there as well as on the Town of Old Lyme website, the Town’s social media platforms and with the Town’s media partners, which include LymeLine.com.
Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued Jan. 6 by Old Lyme Emergency Services Director David Roberge.