Updated 1/17: Old Lyme’s Annual Town Business Meeting will be held Monday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School at 18 Lyme St.  The agenda was posted on the Town’s website last Friday.

The first item on the agenda is discussion and acceptance of the Annual Town Report for the fiscal year July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015, as submitted by the Board of Finance.

Subsequent items are as follows:

1. To accept Blackwell Lane Extension as a Town road, as recommended by the Old Lyme Planning Commission and the Board of Selectmen.
2. To adopt a Resolution endorsing the Inter-Town Capital Equipment (ICE) Purchase Incentive Program referenced in Section 4-66m of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended by Public Act 15-170, as recommended by the Board of Selectmen, for the creation of a multi-site UHF simulcast system for the Towns of Chester, Deep River, Essex, Durham, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Middlefield, Old Lyme and Westbrook in order to provide enhanced communications for rural volunteer firefighters and medical technicians in the above named towns, and to authorize the First Selectwoman to sign all necessary documents with the State Office of Policy and Management under the ICE grant program.
3. To approve the use of the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy  program (C-PACE) established by the State Legislature (Section 16a-40g of the Connecticut General Statutes), as recommended by the Board of Selectmen, in order to facilitate financing for clean energy improvements to commercial properties within the Town, and to authorize the First Selectwoman to execute and deliver the C-PACE Agreement together with such other documents necessary and appropriate to evidence, secure and otherwise complete the C-PACE Agreement.
4. To accept the gift from George M. Yeager, of New York, NY of a 36” x 40” oil painting on canvas entitled “Family Gathering For Tea” by Wilson Henry Irvine (1869-1936).

Finally, the board of selectmen will announce the currently closely guarded secret of their choice for Citizen of the Year for 2015.

Following the adjournment of the town meeting, the Boathouse Hains Park Improvement Committee will make a presentation.  More information to follow on the contents of this presentation here on LymeLine.com later this week.

The Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) hosts Professor Stephen E. Flynn, Professor of Political Science, Director of the Center for Resilience Studies, Northeastern University, on Monday, Jan. 25, at the Old Lyme Country Club, 40 McCurdy Rd., Old Lyme. Dr. Flynn will speak on “Extreme Weather, Pandemics, and Terrorism: Bolstering Societal Resilience in the Face of 21st Century Mayhem.”

A reception begins at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation starts at 6 p.m.

Dr. Stephen Flynn is Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University, with faculty affiliations in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.  He is also Director, Center for Resilience Studies, and Co-Director of the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security.

Before arriving at Northeastern in 2011, he served as President of the Center for National Policy and spent a decade as a senior fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2008 he served as the lead homeland security policy adviser for the Presidential Transition Team for President Barack Obama.

Dr. Flynn was an active duty commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years, including two tours as commanding officer at sea.

He is the author of The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (Random House, 2007), and America the Vulnerable (HarperCollins 2004). He holds research affiliations with the Wharton School’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, and the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute.

In Sept. 2014, he was appointed by Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to serve a member of the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Council (HSSTAC).   He is also a member of the National Security Advisory Board for Argonne National Laboratory.

He holds the M.A.L.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and a B.S. from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Dr. Flynn was a founding Executive Director of the Southeast Connecticut Committee on Foreign Relations (SECCFR), the forerunner of SECWAC. Milt Walters, SECWAC’s Chairman, expressed his gratitude that “Dr. Flynn, a leading expert on infrastructure security, could share his insights on the good and the bad at this point of unrest in the world.”

A dinner follows immediately after the presentation for a limited number of members and guests at the Old Lyme Country Club. To attend the dinner, a reservation is required – call 860-912-5718 or email info@secwac.org to make your reservation. A vegetarian option is available but must be reserved in advance.

All reservations or cancellations must be received 24 hours prior to the program.   Bring your check payable to SECWAC or for the total number of your reservations at $35 each.   Courtney Assad will collect your payment when you arrive to get your name tag. Credit card payments can also be made at check-in. At the same time, you will be given dinner tickets for each reservation to be collected by the server as confirmation of your payment.

Guests: SECWAC is a membership organization. Guests are welcome; please call 860-912-5718 or email info@secwac.org to reserve a guest pass.

Upcoming Program: Professor Elizabeth Wood, Yale University, will speak on “Sexual violence in conflict: why some armed groups engage in it, and the policy implications” at the Saybrook Point Inn on Feb. 3.

Editor’s Note: SECWAC is a regional, non-profit membership organization affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America and fosters an understanding of issues of foreign policy and international affairs through study, debate, and educational programming.  Our principal activity is to arrange 10 meetings per season to provide a forum for nonpartisan, non-advocacy dialogue between our members and U.S. policy makers and other experts on foreign relations (http://www.secwac.org).

Ramblin’ Dan Stevens (right) of Old Lyme performs with Clayton Allen this Saturday before leaving to compete in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn.

1/23 UPDATE:  We have just heard that the concert scheduled for tonight in East Lyme by Dan Stevens and Clayton Allen has been cancelled due to the weather. Instead, Stevens and Allen are heading off to Tennessee to compete in the International Blues Contest being held there next week. Good luck, guys!

Local musicians Ramblin’ Dan Stevens of Old Lyme and Clayton Allen recently won the Connecticut Blues Society Challenge Competition in the  solo/duo category.  As a result, they will be representing the state at the International Blues Challenge on historic Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn., between Jan. 26 and Jan. 30.   Join the duo this coming Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. at the barn at Old Orchard Farm, 22 Scott Rd., in East Lyme when they wrap up their Road to Memphis Tour with one final local appearance

Stevens and Allen will be showcasing original material along with their Memphis set in this last Connecticut concert prior departing for Tennessee.  Admission to the concert is $10.  The concert will feature a raffle of one of Steven’s homemade, three-stringed Cigar Box Guitars — a fundamental instrument used by early bluesmen and featured in the show — plus other prizes.

For more information about Saturday’s concert and to reserve tickets, visit this link. 

In a melding of diverse blues styles, Stevens and Allen have forged a unique sound, representing a wide variety of traditionally-based fingerpicking with a hint of primitive blues and early blues rock and roll. Allen’s raw energy and emotional delivery contrast with Stevens’s soulful approach creating a dynamic mix. A dose of one-stringed Diddly Bow and Cigar Box guitar backed with a driving rhythm and gospel-influenced vocals convey a deep authenticity.

The 2016 International Blues Challenge presented by the Blues Foundation (www.blues.org) is the world’s largest gathering of Blues acts and represents an international search by The Blues Foundation and its affiliated organizations for artists, who compete for cash, prizes, and industry recognition.

The four-day event will fill venues up and down Beale Street culminating in the final round at the renowned Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 30.  In 2008, Stevens and fellow musician Chris D’Amato advanced all the way to the final round and finished in the top six.

Predicted snowfall totals from Winter Storm Jonas

Forecasters are currently predicting 4″ to 8” of snow in Old Lyme from Winter Storm Jonas beginning around noon on Saturday.

A parking ban will be in effect in the town from noon Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday. Town of Old Lyme officials note that resident’s cooperation is appreciated so that snow plow drivers can clear the roads. They also request that travel is limited during snowfall and for everyone to stay off the roads as much as possible.

Coastal flooding may be a possibility, especially at the two high tides set for 10 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

While the need to open a respite center or shelter is not anticipated at this time, town officials are prepared to do so if necessary.

In an emergency, always dial 911.

To report a power outage to CL&P, phone 800 286 2000.

For information on shelter and other concerns, phone the Emergency Operations Center at 860 598-0120. The call center is not currently staffed but is being monitored.

Town of Old Lyme officials will continue to monitor weather conditions and will provide periodic updates. They ask that all residents be prepared for the storm and stay safe.