OLD LYME — On Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m., the Old Lyme Affordable Housing Commission (OL AHC) and the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG) will host an on-line community workshop to discuss the work in progress toward preparing a state-mandated Affordable Housing Plan for Old Lyme.
All Old Lyme residents are encouraged to attend.
The state of housing in Old Lyme and the most recent thinking on a housing strategy to meet current and future needs will be presented.
The OL AHC urges all residents to join, and add their voices to the discussion. Pre-registration is not required.
The connection information for this virtual meeting has been updated as follows:
To join the meeting from your computer, visit: https://oldlymect.webex.com/oldlymect/j.php?MTID=m829e255197f825a697f4a1404be6b776
To join the meeting by telephone: dial 408-418-9388 and enter access code 2349 906 5054
If you had already registered for the previously posted Zoom meeting, you are requested to ignore those instructions and use the Webex connection information above instead.
‘Port of Pecceto’ in acrylics by Len Swec is one of the featured works in the ‘Wanderlust’ show.
OLD LYME — Four new exhibitions, each with a different theme, will be on view in the Lyme Art Association’s beautiful historic galleries from March 4 through April 7. ‘Poetry of Motion’, ‘Black and White’, ‘Wanderlust’, and ‘Renewal: Visions of Spring’ will run concurrently, each in a separate room.
An Opening Reception for the show will be held Sunday, March 5, from 2 to 4 p.m. All are welcome.
The Exhibition in Four Acts is one of the LAA’s most dynamic and exciting exhibitions, bringing together four distinct types of representational art.
Poetry of Motion showcases the work of talented artist members, who set out to capture the fleeting gestures of action and movement within their artwork.
Black and White features work of all themes in black and white and all the greys in between.
Wanderlust will take visitors on vacation with the artists.
‘Speckled Eggs’ in watercolor by Liz McGee is one of the signature works in the ‘Renewal: Visions of Spring’ show.
Renewal: Visions of Spring focuses on uplifting imagery of springtime and rebirth.
Four Acts is generously sponsored by Guilford Savings Bank in partnership with the Community Foundation of Middlesex County.
“A visit to the Lyme Art Association to see the Exhibition in Four Acts feels like visiting four different galleries. There is a variety and a shift in mood as you move from one gallery to the next,” states gallery manager, Jocelyn Zallinger.
She adds, “This show also allows a visitor to focus on each genre in a way that is not possible in other exhibitions.”
REVISED SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA
Meeting Date: Friday 11 March 2022 – 3 p.m.
Location: Old Lyme Town Hall – Meeting Hall
- To approve the utilization of the Standard Allowance for American Rescue Plan Act funding reporting purposes.
- To approve an AMENDED AND RESTATED DEED OF CONSERVATION RESTRICTION 311.50-ACRE PARCEL, which amends a Deed of Conservation Restriction from David Sears McCulloch and Jean Adair McCulloch to The Nature Conservancy of Connecticut, Inc., its successors or assigns, dated on or about December 29, 1999 and recorded at Book 260, Page 1007 of the said Land Records, subsequently assigned to Jean A. McCulloch Farm LLC, having been approved by a judgment of the Superior Court on June 4, 2021, providing for the following specific amendments:
a. Paragraphs 3.3 (a), (b) and (c) of the Deed of Conservation Restriction are hereby amended by adding the following at the end of each section: “except as required to construct parking in the three areas shown on the maps in Exhibit B, such parking to be made of permeable surface material and designed in consultation with the Conservancy.”
b. Paragraph 3.3 (e) is hereby amended by adding the following at the end of the section: “except for the placement of sanitary garbage pails or bins and to erect environmentally sound composting toilets as required for the responsible management and in order to protect the conservation values of the property.”
To authorize and empower the First Selectman to sign, execute, receive, deliver and
record, on behalf of the Town, the AMENDED AND RESTATED DEED OF CONSERVATION RESTRICTION 311.50-ACRE PARCEL, and such other instruments and agreements as are required to carry out the foregoing resolution.
A copy of the AMENDED AND RESTATED DEED OF CONSERVATION RESTRICTION 311.50-ACRE PARCEL may be examined at the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Old Lyme during the Town Clerk’s ordinary business hours.
Adjournment:
ESSEX/LYME/OLD LYME – On Sunday, March 20, Essex Winter Series (EWS) will bring the Resurgam Quartet to the stage for its third concert of the season, the annual Fenton Brown Emerging Artists Concert. These young, talented, Hartford-based musicians will offer an exciting repertoire of music by Borne, Piazzolla, Schumann and Schubert arranged for saxophone.
The concert is scheduled to take place at Valley Regional High School in Deep River, Conn.
The EWS 2022 season will conclude on Dec. 18 with January 2022’s rescheduled concert featuring the world-renowned Brentano String Quartet and Mihae Lee, piano.
Concerts begin at 3 p.m. and are general admission. For tickets visit www.essexwinterseries.com or call 860-272-4572.
As a precaution for our audience, artists and staff, health guidelines will be followed and may include, among other safety measures, the presentation of vaccination proof and mask wearing.
The EWS 2022 season – its 45th – is generously sponsored by The Clark Group, Essex Meadows, Essex Savings Bank, Jeffrey N. Mehler CFP LLC, Tower Laboratories Ltd., BrandTech Scientific, Inc., Masonicare at Chester Village and WSHU Radio. Funding also comes from the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA), the Connecticut Office of the Humanities (CTH) and Community Foundation of Middlesex County.
OLD LYME — On Monday, March 21, the Town of Old Lyme will hold a Special Town Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Meeting Hall of Memorial Town Hall, 52 Lyme St., in Old Lyme.
The following agenda items will be discussed and may be taken to a vote:
1. To approve the appropriation of an amount not to exceed $45,000 to fund the preparation of a Local Transportation Capital Improvement Plan grant application, to prepare easement documentation for a pedestrian bridge and a walking trail to the Florence Griswold Museum and to fund engineering and legal services to prepare a Village District Zoning Overlay. See Appendices 1 and 2 at the foot of this article for more information.
2. To approve the utilization of the Standard Allowance for American Rescue Plan Act funding reporting purposes.
3. To approve the funding of a request from the Ledge Light Health District in the amount of $21,622.15 (1% of Old Lyme’s American Rescue Plan funding) to help the District respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funding will be paid from American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds received by the Town.
4. To approve the funding of an amount not to exceed $20,000 to retain the services of George E. Krivda, Jr. to administer the Town of Old Lyme’s small business and non-profit American Rescue Plan grant program. The funding will be paid from ARP funds received by the Town.
5. To approve an AMENDED AND RESTATED DEED OF CONSERVATION RESTRICTION 311.50-ACRE PARCEL, which amends a Deed of Conservation Restriction from David Sears McCulloch and Jean Adair McCulloch to The Nature Conservancy of Connecticut, Inc., its successors or assigns, dated on or about December 29, 1999 and recorded at Book 260, Page 1007 of the said Land Records, subsequently assigned to Jean A. McCulloch Farm LLC, having been approved by a judgment of the Superior Court on June 4, 2021, providing for the following specific amendments:
a. Paragraphs 3.3 (a), (b) and (c) of the Deed of Conservation Restriction are hereby amended by adding the following at the end of each section: “except as required to construct parking in the three areas shown on the maps in Exhibit B, such parking to be made of permeable surface material and designed in consultation with the Conservancy.”
b. Paragraph 3.3 (e) is hereby amended by adding the following at the end of the section: “except for the placement of sanitary garbage pails or bins and to erect environmentally sound composting toilets as required for the responsible management and in order to protect the conservation values of the property.”
To authorize and empower the First Selectman to sign, execute, receive, deliver and record, on behalf of the Town, the AMENDED AND RESTATED DEED OF CONSERVATION RESTRICTION 311.50-ACRE PARCEL, and such other instruments and agreements as are required to carry out the foregoing resolution.
A copy of the AMENDED AND RESTATED DEED OF CONSERVATION RESTRICTION 311.50-ACRE PARCEL may be examined at the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Old Lyme during the Town Clerk’s ordinary business hours.
Appendix 1:
HALLS ROAD Improvements COMMITTEE
Short-term Financing Needs March 21, 2022
Approved by Board of Selectmen & Board of Finance: January 18, 2022
- LOTCIP Grant – Application for grant $13,500 (BSC Group)
To assist in preparing LOTCIP Grant for sidewalk and other streetscape improvements. Proposal includes engineering drawings to show where and how new streetscape & safety improvements are to occur along Halls Road. These documents will also be used to provide specific direction for any future Construction Documentation. This grant application is the first formal submission of plans to CT DOT, and the first chance to receive official approval / disapproval for each plan element. - Graybill Easement /survey $7,000 (BSC Group, not to exceed)
To secure an easement on the east bank of the Lieutenant. James Graybill has generously offered to grant an easement to the Town of Old Lyme to provide access to the old Lieutenant River bridge abutment on his property for a future pedestrian bridge. A pedestrian bridge over the Lieutenant has consistently been among the most favored potential improvements in public discussions and town-wide surveys. It will allow safe pedestrian and bicycle travel between Lyme Street and the Halls Road district, with views of a beautiful stretch of the Lieutenant River. Mr Graybill has also offered to include in the easement the path of a future trail to the Florence Griswold Museum. Such connections are great opportunities to integrate Old Lyme’s business district with its Arts District, one of Old Lyme’s definitive assets. It is important to secure this easement now, both to ensure future access to the bridge abutment and to make it possible to apply for grants to defray the costs of building the bridge and trails on the east side of the river. - Halls Road Overlay District – Zoning Attorney $10,000 (TCORS Bill Sweeney)
– Planning Consultant $ 9,000 (BSC Group, not to exceed)
To complete the work of creating new zoning supporting the recommendations of the Hall Road Master Plan. The previous Village District approach to new zoning created un-looked-for burdens for existing property owners. The new approach is to allow the old C-30s zoning to remain, and to create a Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) as an alternative. Those who wish to can use the HROD to pursue different, and more profitable, new developments in line with the Master Plan. These include mixed use (commercial & residential), apartments and townhomes. The HROD also brings retail development up to the street to create a walkable town center along Halls Road. The change simplifies the new zoning regulations to some degree, but it is important that they be complete, accurate, and legally correct before submission to the Zoning Commission. This requires professional help, which this allocation will pay for. It should be noted that some of this work has already begun on a good faith basis.
$39,500 Total of 1 – 3 above
Contingency Allowance $ 5,500
$45,000 Total Request
Appendix 2:
HALLS ROAD Improvements COMMITTEE
March 2022 NEXT STEPS
- Halls Road Overlay District – prepare documents for town’s application to Zoning Commission
- Target Date April 2022 with final approvals possible by July 2022
- Overlay District to provide new opportunities to property owners and future developers aimed at bringing commercial up to Halls Road and allowing apartments and town homes.
- C-30S Zone remains, unless an applicant choses to use the Overlay District.
- Grant Applications – to help fund Public Improvements along Halls Road. Timeframe for grant process can be 2 – 4 years.
Public Improvements include: Sidewalks, Pedestrian Lighting, Landscaping, Crosswalks, Pathways, and a new bridge over the Lieutenant River allowing pedestrians and cyclists to avoid the motorway bridge.
Grant opportunities currently seeking:
- October 2022 – Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) Grant – BSC to assist in preparation. Application to include engineering drawings that will define and detail scope of streetscape improvements. CT DOT formally considers our design concept with this grant.
- Possible funding of $2.5 million.
- The LOTCIP Grant program is currently 2 years out from application. We are aiming to apply for this in fall 2022 to get into the application queue with a goal to be awarded funding by 2024/25.
- Additional grants that would contribute funds toward the sidewalks and pedestrian bridge not likely to be covered by the LOTCIP Grant:
- November 2022 – CT Trails Program.
- January 2023 – CT Community Challenge Grant.
- October 2022 – Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) Grant – BSC to assist in preparation. Application to include engineering drawings that will define and detail scope of streetscape improvements. CT DOT formally considers our design concept with this grant.
Seek other grants available for multi-modal connectivity and trails.
- Design Drawings – With Grants Awarded the town can engage professionals to create final construction documents. Timeframe: 1 year from RFQ to final documentation.
Implementation – Seek and receive bids for construction, award project, and begin construction of roadway improvements. Requires prior grant funding and town-funded design documents (as above) and town approval of total funding package. Timeframe: TBD.
OLD LYME — On Wednesday, March 23, at 6:30 p.m., the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library hosts local author and artist, Spencer Reece, who will present, All the Beauty that is Still Left: A Poet’s Painted Book of Hours, via Zoom. All are welcome to this free presentation.
Devotional poet, priest, and National Book Award nominee Spencer Reece found himself with family in Old Lyme to wait out the pandemic.
Seeking happiness amid the difficulties of this new situation, he channeled change into art; producing 50 vibrant watercolors inspired by his life journeys and his reflections of faith. Each painting faces a quote from an acclaimed writer or spokesperson that has inspired him, becoming a poet’s painted “Book of Hours”.
Register here to receive the Zoom link for the presentation.
For more information about the library, visit www.oldlymelibrary.org or call (860)-434-1684.
OLD LYME — On Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m., the Old Lyme Affordable Housing Commission will host a second, online community workshop in order to continue the discussion about the state-mandated Affordable Housing Plan for Old Lyme. All are welcome.
At the first workshop, background information, the results of a local housing study, examples of affordable housing, and initial thinking about a strategy to meet the needs of the community were discussed.
The second workshop will focus on a proposed strategy and action plan that will meet the state requirement to, “Specify how the municipality intends to increase the number of affordable housing developments in the municipality.”
All Old Lyme residents are encouraged to join the workshop and add their voices to the discussion.
Connection information for the meeting can be found here.
This evening, Friday, April 8, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Peter Drake, Provost of New York Academy of Art, will present an Artist Talk and Live Drawing Demonstration at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. The event is free and all are welcome.
Drake was appointed Provost in January 2018 and previously served as the Dean of Academic Affairs since 2010 at the New York Academy of Art.
Drake continues to be a Thesis Advisor having previously taught at Parsons the New School for Design, the School of Visual Arts, and the Maryland Institute College of Art.
As a visual artist his work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the US, China and Europe, including solo shows at Linda Warren Projects (Chicago) and District & Co. (Dominican Republic) and group shows at Bernarducci Gallery (New York), Sloan Fine Art (New York / LA) and the Phoenix Museum of Art.
He has curated exhibitions for the New York Academy of Art, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Parsons and the Drawing Center. He is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, a National Endowment for the Arts Award and a MTA Arts for Transit Public Art Commission.
His work is the public collections of the Whitney Museum, the Phoenix Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Achenbach Collection and the Los Angeles County Art Museum.
Drake maintains a studio in DUMBO, Brooklyn through the Two Trees Cultural Space Program and is represented by Bernarducci Gallery, New York and Linda Warren Projects, Chicago.
This artist talk is made possible by the generous support of the Robert Lehman Foundation.
Guests will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The Lyme Academy of Fine Arts has removed the mask mandate for students, staff, faculty, models, and visitors inside its buildings.
The health and safety of guests are of the utmost importance. CDC guidelines are regularly monitored and the Academy’s policies adjusted accordingly.
OLD LYME — Lyme Youth Service Bureau (LYSB)’s annual Youth Art Show, which is now in its 36th year, celebrates the artistic achievements of K through 12 students, who attend Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools. The show includes many pieces that have recently won impressive awards in state and local competitions.
The show is a collaboration between LYSB, LOL Schools, and Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. The show features drawings, paintings, graphic, and ceramic arts and is held in the Academy’s Sill House Gallery.
The show opens on Thursday, April 7, with a reception from 4 to 5:30 p.m. for Grades K to 5, followed immediately by one for Grades 6 to 12 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
The show will be on view from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily for the next two days, Friday April 8, and Saturday April 9, and also on Saturday, April 16.
All are welcome and admission is free.
The Sill House Gallery at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is located at 84 Lyme St. in Old Lyme.
For more information, contact Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau at 860-434-7208 or visit www.lysb.org.