To the Editor:

Thank you for your coverage of the Sound View sewer project.  Property owners in Sound View should be aware of their potential obligation for the construction, operation, and maintenance of this system.

According to the WPCA slide presentation, the “typical average house of 1 EDU (1,242 square feet)” would be charged a “$6,000 connection fee plus a $25,007 betterment assessment” for a total of $31,007.

The per EDU assessment will be calculated on a sliding scale.  Thus a 2,500 square foot house would be charged for 2 EDUs.   In my case, my house was built in 2009, with a compliant septic system that cost me $30,000.  My home did not need any zoning variances to be built, and the town limited me to a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house based on the septic capacity of the lot.  The EDUs however are based on square footage of the home, not bathrooms or typical occupancy, which are also metrics allowed by state guidelines.  My EDU calculation comes to 2.5, thus my betterment assessment comes to $62,500.  Along with the $6,000 connection fee, my total assessment comes to $68,500.   This doesn’t include the actual cost of connecting to the main, which estimated at $100 per linear foot brings me into the neighborhood of $80,000.

All this for a newly built home with a state of the art septic system.

Furthermore, these per EDU cost estimates have been quickly escalating, and there is no assurance that they will not go higher.  The referendum is for the bond issue only–the cost per homeowner is not fixed by the current agreement.  As the town has made it clear that 100% of the town’s share of the sewer project will be paid by the residents of Sound View only, and all future costs will also be passed on in full to these homeowners, the exposure of Sound View property owners is unlimited.

Finally, in the likelihood that other beach communities down the line such as White Sands require sewers, or the potential Halls Road developments, Sound View homeowners have received no assurance that they will not also be on the hook for those.  We have been told that these will be considered on a “project by project” basis, and the costs for those potential sewer projects may be paid by the town as a whole, thus obligating Sound View property owners not only to pay 100% of the town’s share at Sound View, but also a share of the costs for projects elsewhere in town.

The concern of Sound View residents is well founded.

Sincerely,

Jim Lampos,
Old Lyme.

An Open Letter to my Fellow Residents:

With great dismay, I note road after road of beaten, vandalized mailboxes in the past month.  Sill Lane, Boston Post Road, Four Mile River Road – each and every box has been hit, my own included.  This is a broken windows issue, and I offer a $1,000 personal reward to anyone our police tell me has given them information that leads to an arrest.

Vandals and petty criminals need to be on the alert – Old Lyme does not put up with such behavior, and we are united as a town against them.   Perhaps it is time for some Neighborhood Watch signs, unfortunately.  Please alert our police to anyone you may hear bragging about this thoughtless, pointless and despicable act.

Sincerely,

David Kelsey,
Old Lyme.

Editor’s Note: The photos, submitted by the author, show a selection of mailboxes in Sill Lane, which have been vandalized.

To the Editor:

Christina and I attended both public meetings hosted by Old Lyme’s Halls Road Improvements Committee, and conducted by members of the Yale Urban Design Workshop. Yale presented the Committee’s vision statement and several conceptual renderings of what fully realizing that vision might yield. The article in the New London Day accurately summarized the vision.

The audience was skeptical of the immense breadth and scope of that vision; – requiring twenty- five or more years to complete.  Several concerns were raised about cost and the impact on taxes.

We left with a few thoughts and concerns. It was not apparent to us that current Halls Road business owners and the professionals occupying office space had participated to any extent in developing that vision. It is absolutely important to get their buy-in. Essex Bank did state that any of their future development would take Old Lyme’s plan into consideration.

We found Alan Plattus’ presentation to be a bit glib. This is important stuff, and some of the vision could be lost in presenter style. Also, know the names of our local landmarks, especially if they factor into the plan. (i.e. it’s the “Bow Bridge” that used to cross the Lieutenant River). But, after all; they’re Yale, not Harvard.

Our suggestion: parse the plan into achievable shorter- range projects that will yield some early successes. Start with the hiking/biking paths along the Lieutenant River, rebuild the foot bridge, and create the new Halls Road village green.

Sincerely, 

Thomas D. Gotowka,
Old Lyme.

To the Editor:

I am writing today in support of our State Representative, Devin Carney. Over the last 4 years Devin has served us with distinction, worked incredibly hard on our behalf, and never missed a vote. Having really gotten to know Devin, he always has Old Lyme’s best interests in mind when proposing or voting on legislation in Hartford.

One of Devin’s greatest accomplishments for Old Lyme was helping defeat the rail bypass proposal that would have destroyed so much of what we love in town. Without flinching, Devin stepped in & helped lead the charge against the bypass. Because of his advocacy, he was made the Ranking Member of the Transportation Committee – one of the largest, most powerful legislative committees in Hartford. 

In addition, Devin stood up for taxpayers against proposals to increase our taxes like mileage taxes & veterinary taxes. He has worked across the aisle for budgetary reform, combatting the opioid crisis and supporting our seniors. His priorities are always in the right place for Old Lyme residents. 

Old Lyme deserves a representative who will put people before politics and I know Devin always will. Please join me on Tuesday, November 6th, in re-electing Devin Carney.

Sincerely,

Skip Sibley,
Old Lyme.

To the Editor:

I think just about everyone is aware by now that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In most years my October thoughts have been of a special aunt (my mother’s sister and my godmother), and my Grandmother, who was in her 90s when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Both were survivors – and my Grandmother lived to be 100.

This year, the pink ribbons and pink pumpkins I’m seeing are reminding me of a journey I began in August of this year. In the middle of lots of happy plans for my daughter’s September wedding (which was everything she had hoped for!), I learned that I, too, have breast cancer and my crash course in breast cancer was off and running.

My initial diagnosis has led to several biopsies, that last of which took place just this week. I know that surgery lies ahead, and will be discussing options and recommendations with my surgeon on November 1, just as Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2018 ends.

It’s really out of character for me to be sharing so much personal information – especially in this public format.  But finding cancer as early as possible is what early detection is all about. If my little story (one of so many similar stories) gives you the nudge you need to schedule your annual mammogram, then my departure from character will be worth it for me.

Although I don’t know yet where my path will lead, I do know that my initial cancer was found only because of my annual mammogram.  And, as frightening as cancer is, I can’t help but wonder how long it might have gone undetected, undiagnosed and untreated without that simple annual test.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As it draws to a close, please call your mother, your sister(s), your cousins, and your friends and remind them all that early detection could save their lives.

Sincerely,

Cathy Frank,
Old Lyme,

To the Editor:

On Nov. 6, I would encourage the voters of Lyme and Old Lyme to support our state Rep. Devin Carney for re-election. Devin has proven himself to be a strong leader at the Capitol, becoming ranking member of the powerful Transportation Committee in only his second term. He has worked hard to improve our economy with structural budget reform, reduced spending and reduced bonding.

In addition, he truly cares about Lyme and Old Lyme and is always there to help maintain our quality of life. He frequently holds office hours and is always there to listen to our concerns. When policies are proposed that threaten our municipal tax structure or take away our local control, Devin is there to support and defend us. He has been a staunch advocate for open space and environmental issues, including supporting a Constitutional Amendment that will protect environmentally precious land.

Devin Carney deserves another term and I know the residents of Lyme and Old Lyme would be well served if he is re-elected.

Rowland Ballek,
Lyme.

To the Editor:

On Tuesday evening, June 5, a public hearing was held in the Middle School Auditorium concerning the proposed affordable housing project, sponsored by the Hope Partnership.  As the clergy from the First Congregational Church and St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, we sat through the meeting and listened to a very thoughtful and careful proposal from Hope, and from its team of planners.  We appreciated the structure of the meeting outlined by the Zoning Commission.  We also heard, by contrast, the comments and catcalls of residents, many of whom were vitriolic, spiteful, and willfully disruptive.  It was not a proud moment for Old Lyme.  It was, in fact, quite embarrassing, for it revealed some of the most dreadful tendencies that can emerge in small towns such as the one in which we all reside. 

It was apparent in the hearings that some residents had spent considerable intellectual energy to challenge the work that Hope Partners put into their proposal.  We can only wish that those same individuals used that energy to solve problems of housing, or poverty, rather than disrupting the work of a trustworthy organization focused on providing housing for everyone from firefighters to returning veterans, postal workers to retail workers and far more.  We could hope that they might have used their knowledge to solve some of the issues they claim to have uncovered.  We still hope that those individuals might use their wisdom and experience to help move a worthy project forward, helping to diversify our community, that others might enjoy what is truly good about this town.

As clergy, we believe we’re called to a better and higher way.  We believe there’s room for dialogue, respect, and civil disagreement in public forums.  And we believe that there are better angels within us all that may yet emerge.

We also believe that Old Lyme needs affordable housing.  We further believe that Hope Partners have carefully and thoughtfully selected an appropriate site for such housing in Old Lyme.  To provide shelter is an injunction and virtue at the center of all the Abrahamic faith traditions.  But it stands at the center of our democratic tradition as well.  There are those in our midst who desperately need shelter.  Some are elderly, as one person courageously reminded us on Tuesday.  Some are young families struggling to get by.  Some are recent college graduates, working several jobs to get a foothold in a shrinking labor market.  Some come to us from different parts of the world, striving to make a new life in the United States.  Affordable housing is a powerful way of providing shelter, when shelter is in short supply.

Every Christmas, each of our congregations rehearses the story of Mary and Joseph, turned away from their own quest for shelter because, the story tells us, “there was no room for them in the inn.”  We appeal to our fellow residents to seek a different, and better response, one that says, “There is room in our inn.  There is room in the town of Old Lyme.”

We believe that’s what the better angels of our humanity call us to in a moment such as this.

In faith.

Sincerely

Rev. Dr. Steven R. Jungkeit, Senior Minister, The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme
Rev. Mark K. J. Robinson, St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, Old Lyme
Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager, The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme
Rev. Carleen Gerber, The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme

To the Editor:

In 2017, the Inland Wetlands Agency of East Lyme unanimously denied an application presented by Joe Wren of Indigo Land Design for a 25-lot subdivision built on a parcel of property abutting Four Mile River and consisting mostly of wetlands. The five-page denial details the many reasons this application would likely have an adverse impact on the wetlands and watercourses. It discusses the hazards of groundwater pollution, questions the capability of the proposed septic systems to successfully remediate nutrients or pollutants, challenges the efficiency of the proposed stormwater management measures, and points out that the proposed activities would make it less likely for the existing wetlands to perform as a vernal pool where they exist, among other important environmental concerns.

In 2018, a new plan has been proposed and will be presented to the Inland Wetlands Commission on Monday, June 25, at 7 pm at East Lyme Town Hall. The new plan is for a 23-lot subdivision  that seeks to address the concerns of the previous denial without fully addressing many of the issues noted by the previous commission. This new plan will be presented to a commission consisting of a new Chair and new Vice Chair, as the Chairwoman who led the commission during the denial was told her seat would not be renewed.

The new plan does not protect this valuable natural resource. We hope that people will come express their concerns at the public meeting on June 25th. For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/protectgreenvalleylakes/

Sincerely,

Nancy Barwikowski,
East Lyme.