Ruth E. (Lloyd) Shapleigh 08/09/13
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Monthly Archives: August 2013
Latest Newsletter from the Old Lyme First Selectwoman
Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder.
We’re delighted to publish today the latest newsletter written by Old Lyme’s First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder. This newsletter covers the months of June and July.
Where has the summer gone? While I make every effort to communicate with residents on a regular basis, June and July seemed to have gotten away from me. My apologies for missing the mark in the beginning of July, but here is an update from the last two months:
Rte. 156 Bike Path/Sound View Improvements Grant
The Selection Committee interviewed all six firms who submitted their qualifications for consideration to develop the Plans and Specs for the Bike Path and SV Improvements. The Selection Committee, Frank Pappalardo, Jean Davies of the RiverCOG, and I, were appreciative to have the excellent guidance of Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal throughout the process. We rated each firm separately and then combined our scores to come up with a final rating and selection. The documents were submitted to ConnDOT for approval, and they agreed with our selection of BSC Group. We now will develop and approve the Scope of Work (SOW), negotiate the costs, and then proceed to a Town Meeting for approval. The firms that were interviewed were all quite capable, and the decision was a difficult one, but the process developed by ConnDOT is a good one. Stay tuned for future updates and public information meetings as we continue to work on the project.
Rogers Lake Dam
The repairs to Rogers Lake Dam have begun! If you travel down Town Woods Road, you will see the construction equipment and safety fencing around the work area. Most of the work will be off the road, but there may be an occasional impact to traffic. While we were hoping the lake would not need to be lowered, the contractor has discovered that the lake does need to be lowered to accommodate some of the work. Letters have gone out to residents in the end of July, and the lowering has begun last week. The completion of the work is expected to be sometime in late September of this year. A fish ladder is also being installed at the site, as well as a new dry hydrant. The dry hydrant will provide a source of water for any fire emergency in the area of the lake. The plans for this project have been ongoing for over ten years, so it is terrific to see the work finally begin. Special thanks to Tim Griswold and Ellie Czarnowski for their help in keeping this project on track.
WPCA and Wastewater Management Study
On June 11, the Wastewater Management Task Force met for the last time, and all of the members agreed to serve as members of the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA). We now have a full slate on the authority, though we are still looking for two alternates to serve on this very important Board. After adjourning the Task Force, the WPCA meeting was called to order and Kurt Zemba was elected Chair. On July 30, the WPCA and Woodard and Curran were present for a public information meeting where we updated residents on the progress of the study. Unfortunately, we did not have the final data and cost estimates for the project, but we expect to have all of this information for the meeting scheduled for August 27th. Mark your calendar and join us for this very important meeting.
Senior Center Questionnaire
Our new Senior Center Coordinator has hit the ground running! Stephanie Lyon has worked with Essex Printing to put out the Senior Center Newsletter, which includes a questionnaire for citizens to encourage more participation from Seniors. In order to assure her of a good response, everyone who fills out the questionnaire will be eligible to win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Hideaway Restaurant! If you have not yet filled out the questionnaire, go on the Town website at www.oldlyme-ct.gov and find the questionnaire (it is in the top left corner of the links), or pick up the Lymes Senior Center Newsletter at Town Hall or the Senior Center. Good luck to all who enter, and thank you Stephanie for reaching out to all our Seniors!
New Social Services Coordinator
As of July 1, 2013, the Social Services Coordinator hours have increased from 9 hours per week to 12 hours in order to accommodate the needs of our town. For that reason, a new Coordinator has been hired and I am pleased to introduce Valerie Goncalves as our new Social Services Coordinator. Valerie comes to us with a wealth of experience, as her former position was with the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, where she assisted people in need with Energy Assistance, SNAP, and other local resources. Valerie has already begun her duties and is currently becoming familiar with our Town, area resources, and our citizens. Her office hours are posted on the web site, and she will be getting out communication through our News and Announcements on the home page. Welcome, Valerie Goncalves!
ConnTrek Students Hike through Old Lyme
On June 26th, you might have noticed a bit of a stir in town if you traveled on Route 156 South of McCurdy Rd, or on Route 1 north of Lyme St. Russ Salvador, a teacher from Groton, and several other adult chaperones hiked 100 miles with about 30 elementary school kids. The event is a fundraiser, and the group started out on June 25th. Ultimately, they hiked to UConn, stopping overnight at several host sites, one of which was Town Woods Park. Our Police Officers, Fire Department and the National Guard escorted the group on their trip and got them safely to the Park for their overnight stay. I welcomed them to the park and made sure they were settled in nicely. In the morning, after breakfast that included coffee for adults and donuts for all, they were on their way to the next stop, Devil’s Hopyard. The group had already collected over $15,000 for a fund that provides services to all First Responders. Congratulations to these wonderful adults and children who dedicated their time to supporting those who help all of us in our time of need. Thanks also to our Public Safety personnel who made sure that they were safe as they traveled through Old Lyme.
I-95 Safety Improvements Coming for Old Lyme
On July 17th, representatives from the CT DOT presented their draft plans for Safety Improvements to Interstate 95, from the Baldwin Bridge to Exit 72 in East Lyme. The engineers developing the plans for the project shared the plans to improve the shoulder area, install “jersey barriers” in the median, and pave both the northbound and southbound lanes. This was an opportunity for citizens to ask questions and offer suggestions as the plans are about 30% complete. The meeting was lightly attended but those who were there offered good suggestions and shared concerns. A copy of the Power Point Presentation is on the town website at www.oldlyme-ct.gov
Midsummer Festival and Fireworks Display
Our Annual Midsummer Festival is was a great success on July 26 and July 27th. As usual, the fun annual event, was a great success, with a concert at the Flo Gris Museum on Friday evening, Carolyn’s Miracle Foundation 5Krun on Saturday morning, and culminating with the return of the Fireworks on Saturday evening after a concert by the Old Lyme Town Band. It was great to have the fireworks return to their prior location – having been set off behind the High School, with the viewing area on the field between the High School and Middle School. This year we were blessed with excellent weather and great choices all along Lyme St. Special thanks to the many members of the Midsummer Festival who work so hard to make this charming annual event a reality.
Single Stream Recycling – Acceptable Items Only Please!
Just this week I received a letter from Willimantic Waste – the vendor who processes our Single Stream Recycling. Apparently much of the Single Stream Recycling coming from Old Lyme has prohibited items that make the processing cumbersome and more expensive, including plastic bags, diapers and household trash, to name a few.
Please log onto our Town website and review the acceptable items, as well as the prohibited items for recycling. We will be sending out reminders, in order to avoid penalties, additional fees and/or rejection. Recycling is a worthy goal, and can save tax dollars if we are all diligent about what we put into our containers. Remember – BLUE for TRASH; GREEN for RECYCLING!
Remember to subscribe on our Town website at www.oldlyme-ct.gov, and also at CTalert.gov for emergency updates and notices. Also, take time to enjoy the rest of the Summer. Hopefully, we will be blessed with continued good weather!
Book About Chester-Hadlyme Ferry by Maestros, Formerly of Old Lyme, Republished by Chester Historical Society
The cover of “Ferryboat” by Betsy and Giulio Maestro, formerly of Old Lyme.
This spring, as the State of Connecticut debated raising the fares for the historic Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, the Chester Historical Society focused on the history of the ferry as it opened its new transportation exhibit, “Over the River and Through the Woods.” After all, the ferry has been an integral part of Chester history since it began in the 1700s.
And now the Historical Society has reprinted the children’s book, Ferryboat, written about that historic ferry by Betsy Maestro and illustrated by Giulio Maestro and originally published by HarperCollins in 1986.
Ferryboat went out of print several years ago, but the Maestros have permitted the Chester Historical Society to reprint 1,000 copies of the book.
“We couldn’t be happier to be bringing this wonderful and colorful book to a whole new generation of readers and their families,” said Society president Skip Hubbard. “Over the years we have had some requests, so I expect there will be plenty of interest. It’s a pleasure to read it with a child and it makes a great gift.’’
The Maestros, who lived for many years in Old Lyme, where they raised their son and daughter, said, “We created the book because we loved the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry and enjoyed riding on it with our children when they were small. The children in the book are loosely based on our own son and daughter. Over the years, it was fun to share the book with other children at schools all over the United States as an example of something unique and scenic near our home in Connecticut.”
The Maestros now live in Arizona, “not far from the red rocks of Sedona,” where they continue to write and illustrate children’s books.
An illustration from “Ferryboat.”
Ferryboat, chosen by Yankee Magazine in 2000 for its list of Classic New England Children’s Books, has also been referenced in Southwest Airlines’ Travel Guide, where the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry is described as “a popular means of crossing the river during the summer months. It’s more than a tourist attraction – it’s an educational outing for children and adults into the workings of a modern-day ferry.” (Connecticut DOT, take note!)
Publishers Weekly wrote about Ferryboat, “Their words and pictures are so completely involving that it’s almost like being on the real thing. The author carefully explains the workings of the ferry and takes readers from shore to shore, lovingly describing the sights and sounds of the ride … The double-page spreads, with a deep blue river and lush tree-lined shores, are colorful and appealing.” School Library Journal called the book “a charming treat,” adding, “How the ferry operates (it never needs to turn around since the front is the same as the back!) is sure to fascinate young armchair mariners.”
The book is available for purchase at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme; the Chester Museum at the Mill in Chester (open weekends 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Century 21 Heritage Real Estate office in Chester.
Ferryboat can also be found at Gillette Castle in East Haddam; the Connecticut River Museum and the Valley Railroad in Essex. It is priced around $12.
‘Summer Nights at Harkness,’ Featuring Duke Ellington, Moved to the Garde for This Evening’s Show
The Duke Ellington band will perform at the Garde in New London on Thursday.
Old Lyme resident Frank Bombaci, Sr., President of Bring Our Music Back, Inc., presents the final concert in the “Summer Nights at Harkness” series on Thursday evening. The concert, which features Duke Ellington, has been moved to the Garde Arts Center in New London due to the inclement weather expected.
The “Night at the Opera” concert, which had been planned for Aug. 15, has now been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Tickets from that night are now welcome at the Duke Ellington concert.
Doors open Thursday at 5 p.m.
The performance schedule is as follows:
6 – 6:45 p.m. The Real Ambassadors (Youth Performance)
15 intermission
7 – 7:45 p.m.- String of Pearls
8 – 8:45 p.m. The Duke Ellington Orchestra
20 minute intermission
9:05 – 9:50 p.m. -The Duke Ellington Orchestra
Shoreline Web News LLC, owner of LymeLine.com, is proud to be a sponsor of “Summer Nights at Harkness.”
The Duke Ellington Orchestra is perhaps the greatest of all Jazz bands. The group stayed together for over 50 years, recording and writing some of America’s greatest music. Artistically the era of “swing” and of the big bands was dominated by the orchestra of Edward “Duke” Ellington, the first great composer (and self-arranger and one of the most prolific in the entire history of music) of jazz music.
Ellington’s reputation has increased since his death, with thematic re-packaging’s of his signature music often becoming best-sellers. Posthumous recognition of his work includes a special award citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board.
Bring Our Music Back, Inc is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the enrichment of life and healing through music in support of aspiring musicians, programs and services within our communities. The initiative of their concerts is to give burgeoning talent a voice and venue with national recording artists while providing a platform to raise funds to give back to music initiatives within the community. This is Music with Purpose.
Concert tickets are $25 in advance; $35 at the door and ticket packages for all concerts are available. Group sales rates are offered for 15 or more.
To purchase tickets, visit www.bringourmusicback.org, call 860-434-1882 or stop by The Bowerbird or Songbird Cafe in Old Lyme.
Old Saybrook Farmers Market Offers Crafts, Music, Fresh and Local Foods
Since 1998 the Old Saybrook Farmer’s Market has offered Connecticut grown or made products and produce to an appreciative crowd, growing from two vendors in the first season to 24 in 2013.
Open every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through Oct. 30, vendors supply an abundance of high quality produce picked only hours before the market opens, along with breads and bakery items baked fresh that day.
Also available are organic and pesticide free fruits and vegetables, local honey, free range eggs, beef, pork and fish, award-winning jams, relishes, guacamole, salsa, pesto, specialty sauces, hummus and more – all hand made with local ingredients.
Live music is always a special attraction at the Old Saybrook Farmers Market.
There’s more than just food at the Old Saybrook Farmer’s Market. Fine crafted items such as hand woven linens, hand dyed yarn, local wool, hand made clothes, bags, soaps, pottery, a variety of plants and flowers and more, are valuable additions to this market.
On Saturdays, grab a cup of fresh roasted coffee and a delicious bakery item or a hand scooped Italian ice while relaxing and enjoying live music performed by artists such as Glenn Roth, an innovative fingerstyle guitarist and folk artist Geoff Kaufman to name a few.
There are demonstrations scheduled from the local martial arts studio Middlesex Tang Soo and other craftsmen and women. Check the website for more details at www.oldsaybrookfarmersmarket.com.
Old Saybrook Farmers Market is certified by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and guarantees that everything sold at the market is Connecticut Grown
or made.