Monthly Archives: September 2015

Letter to the Editor: Old Lyme Rowing Association/Blood Street Sculls Celebrates Success of Inclusive Program

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To the Editor:

As the summer programs at Old Lyme Rowing Association/Blood Street Sculls wind to a close, it is important to celebrate how fortunate we are to have an inclusive, successful program.

158 kids ranging in age from 11-17 enjoyed learning to row, refining their skills and racing locally. The adult programs welcomed over 80 adults ranging in age from 18-75. National Learn To Row day allowed 65 people who had never rowed to give it a try. This event is free, and is completely volunteer supported. Athletes from our programs will be representing the US in international competition at World Championships, Junior World Championships and other international regattas.

Old Lyme Rowing Association/Blood Street Sculls is happy to welcome anyone into the program that best fits their ability, schedule and budget.

Sincerely,

Candace Fuchs,
Old Lyme.

Last of the (Eightmile River) Dams to be Removed

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The Ed Bills Dam locale in winter.

The Ed Bills Dam locale in winter.

The only remaining dam on the East Branch of the Eightmile River will come down as part of a river restoration project led by The Nature Conservancy and American Rivers.

Construction activities will remove the nearly 80-year-old Ed Bills Pond Dam and restore a natural river channel. The restored site will be ready for the return of migratory fish next spring. The project will provide habitat for such native species as brook trout, turtles, and mussels, as well as migratory alewife, blueback herring, Atlantic salmon, American eel and sea lamprey—all also native species.

“Connecticut has more than 5,000 dams. Most of these dams no longer serve their original purposes, yet they unfortunately still prevent fish from reaching spawning habitat critical to their survival. Projects like this one allow us to help change that and restore natural river conditions,” said Amy Singler, who is managing the project for the Conservancy and American Rivers.

The Ed Bills Pond Dam is near the mouth of the East Branch of the Eightmile River on Salem Road.  While the project will be visible from Salem Road, the dam is on private land. For the purpose of safety, public access is restricted. The public will be able to see photos as the project progresses and learn more about it at Facebook.com/CT.NatureConservancy and Facebook.com/AmericanRivers.

The dam is privately owned, and the dam owner is working closely with local and regional project partners to advance river restoration.

Funding partners include The Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Long Island Sound Futures Fund, Newman’s Own Foundation, Patagonia, Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, and many generous private donors.

The project will remove the dam and existing fish ladder in order to restore unrestricted natural river conditions through the area flooded by the dam, resulting in access to 9.7 miles of free- flowing river.

Like so many Connecticut Rivers, the East Branch of the Eightmile River has been dammed for more than 100 years; however, the dam being removed was built as recently as the 1940s for aesthetic and recreational purposes. The location of the fish ladder entrance at the dam is not optimal to allow passage of significant numbers of migratory fish.

Lyme-Old Lyme VFW Helps Veterans, Their Families in Need

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The Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1467 has provided significant monetary help in the form of temporary services assistance to no less than 16 local veterans and family members in the last two years.

For example, it has paid for tuition, room renovations, forward and back-on heating fuel bills, helped replace a heating boiler, provided grocery gift cards and vehicle gas cards, provided temporary living expenses and paid for needy air transport, as well as repair of veterans’ vehicles.

The LOL VFW exists solely to help veterans in need, and it has no geographical boundaries or preferences in providing temporary assistance services.

The LOL VFW can defray costs for rental payment or mortgage interest payment; utility or home heating fuel;  medical expenses, medications, eyeglasses, food and incidentals, children’s clothing needs, and durable medical equipment.  The LOL VFW also defrays the costs of vehicle repairs and repairs, maintenance, or disabled access renovations of veterans homes.

The privacy of any assisted veteran and/or their families is paramount. Veterans needing VFW temporary assistance may be reached by contacting one of the following email addresses and telephone numbers:
John Donnelly,  Adjutant, j.donnelly@snet.net,  860-964-0876

Tim Griswold,  Senior Vice Commander, timothygriswold@yahoo.com, 860-662-4001

Douglas Wilkinson, Veteran Services Officer, douglas.e.wilkinson@gmail.com, 860-501-3710

Old Lyme Assessor Announces 2015 Assessment Filing Deadlines

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The Old Lyme Assessor Walter Kent has announced  that the Assessment Date of Taxable Property in the Town of Old Lyme is Oct. 1.  It is no longer necessary for persons liable for taxes of real estate and automobiles registered with Connecticut Motor Vehicles Department to file Tax Lists with the Assessor annually as covered under Section 12-42 of the General Statutes.

Owners of tangible personal property, other than registered automobiles, such as commercial furniture, machinery and equipment, leased equipment, unregistered automobiles, camp trailers, etc., must file personal property list with the Assessor annually during the month of October.  Failure to file prior to Nov. 1, forces the Assessor, by law, to file the list and add a 25% Penalty (Sec. 12-42, PA 87-245).

Totally Disabled Persons, if they meet the requirements of Section 12-81(55) of the General Statutes, are eligible for the $1,000. Exemption is given upon submission of proof of such a disability by Oct. 1, 2015.

Any individual who is blind is entitled to an exemption under Section 12-81(17) shall provide proof to the Assessor and must file by Oct. 1, 2015.

Ex-Servicemen claiming statutory exemption, because of physical disability, in addition to regular exemption must submit exemption certificate from the Veterans Administration annually to prove claim.
Veterans must have filed this discharge (DD214) in the Town Clerk’s office by on or before Oct. 1, 2015 in order to receive exemption.  Section 12-81(g) provides for an increase in the property tax exemption amount granted to a qualified veteran if certain income requirements could be met.

Persons on active duty must present to the Assessor (Sec. 514) of the Soldiers and Sailors Act or a letter from their Commanding Officer stating date of entry and they are on active duty.  Any service person on active claiming Connecticut as their legal residence is entitled to one car exemption if the car is garaged out of State.

An application for property owners claiming land as farm, forest or open space should file an application before Oct. 31, 2015.  The only exception is during a revaluation year, when the deadline is extended to Dec. 30, 2015.  No other extension of the filing period is available, and failure to file within the prescribed time period is a waiver of the right to the classification for the assessment year commencing Oct. 1.

List must be filed at the Assessors Office, 52 Lyme St., Old Lyme, and Connecticut 06371. OFFICE HOURS ARE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 9 AM TO 4 PM