Monthly Archives: November 2018

Architect Arelt of Old Lyme Wins Prestigious A-List Award

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Christopher Arelt of Nautilus Architects, located in Old Lyme, stands with his A-List Award presented by athome Fairfield County magazine.

Christopher Arelt of Nautilus Architects, located in Old Lyme, has been awarded a prestigious A-List Award presented by athome Fairfield County magazine. Design submissions were judged by an exclusive panel of judges comprised of key influencers in the design industry of their respective fields.

The winning A-List Entryway project by Nautilus Architects is located in Old Lyme, Conn.

An interior shot of the house in Old Lyme, which was renovated to a design by Chris Arelt.

A description of the award-winning project follows:

The award-winning house in Old Lyme.

The original front entrance to this house had no cover and required venturing down into a sunken area surrounding the house and then up again to the door.  The door itself was a bland one, someone had taken siding and clad a blank door slab, then painted it to match the rest of the exterior.  There were two thin sidelites flanking it.  Inside, the foyer was undistinguished and dark.  Altogether, a great opportunity for improvement.

By extending the roof forward, a new deep cover was created, and the roofline was simplified to advantage.  Atop the flat portion of the extension, a large pyramidal skylight was positioned the center of the foyer to allow the space to be flooded with natural light.  This also established a clear hierarchy for the interior: the surrounding spaces now clustered around this important central element.

Under the deep overhang outside, a generously-proportioned ipe porch was added, at the same level as the interior, to allow the virtual space to extend beyond the walls.  The ipe continues across the sunken ground plane in the form of a bridge – no more down and up upon approach.

The dreary front door and sidelites were together about 6 feet wide.  The assembly was replaced with a single door, 6 feet wide (!), that operates on a commercial closer and pivot hinge so that, when open, it feels more like a section of wall has been removed.  The door construction is a unique combination of wood, steel, aluminum, and glass, incorporating many of the materials found elsewhere in the renovation.

Charles Sennott, Founder of The GroundTruth Project, to Speak Tonight at SECWAC Meeting

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Seen here reporting in Afghanistan, Charles Sennott will be the speaker at the SECWAC meeting at Connecticut College on Wednesday

The Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) hosts Charles M. Sennott on Wednesday, Nov. 14  when he will speak on “GroundTruth in a Post-truth Era,” at 6 p.m. The talk will be held in the Ernst Common Room at Blaustein Hall in Connecticut College.

An award-winning foreign correspondent and founder of The GroundTruth Project, Sennott will discuss the work of this non-profit news organization around the world. Specifically, Sennott will look at the assault on a free press in the US and globally and how it is impacting international coverage. A crisis in journalism is becoming a crisis for democracy.

Sennott is an award-winning correspondent, best-selling author, and editor with 30 years of experience in international, national and local journalism. A leading social entrepreneur in new media, Sennott started GroundTruth in 2014, and in 2017 launched the non-profit organization’s new, local reporting initiative, Report for America.

Reporting on the front lines of wars and insurgencies in at least 20 countries, including the post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and the 2011 Arab Spring, Sennott began his career in local news covering cops, courts, and municipal government. Sennott’s deep experience reporting led him to dedicate himself to supporting and training the next generation of journalists to tell the most important stories of our time.

Sennott is also the co-founder of GlobalPost, an acclaimed international news website.

Previously, Sennott worked for many years as a reporter at the New York Daily News and then the Boston Globe, where he became Bureau Chief for the Middle East and Europe, and a leader of the paper’s international coverage from 1997 to 2005.

Sennott has also served as a correspondent for PBS Frontline and the PBS NewsHour. He has contributed news analysis to the BBC, CNN, NPR, MSNBC and others. He is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the main event beginning at 6 p.m. The presentation is a part of the SECWAC 2018-2019 Speaker Series. For non-members, tickets ($20) may be purchased at the door; ticket cost can subsequently be applied towards a SECWAC membership. Attendance is free for SECWAC members (and their guests). Membership September 2018 through June 2019 is $75; $25 for young professionals under 35; free for area college and high school students.

Immediately following the presentation, SECWAC meeting attendees have the option for $35 to attend a dinner with the speaker at Tony D’s Restaurant, New London. Reservations are required at 860-912-5718.

The Ernst Common Room at Blaustein Hall, Connecticut College, 270 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT 06320. (MAP HERE)

SECWAC is a regional, nonprofit, membership organization affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA). The organization dates back to 1999, and has continued to arrange eight to 10 Speaker Series meetings annually, between September and June. The meetings range in foreign affairs topics, and are hosted at venues along the I-95 corridor, welcoming members and guests from Stonington to Old Saybrook, and beyond.

SECWAC’s mission is “to foster an understanding of issues of foreign policy and international affairs through study, debate, and educational programming.” It provides a forum for nonpartisan, non-advocacy dialogue between members and speakers, who can be U.S. policy makers, educators, authors, and other experts on foreign relations. Learn more at http://secwac.org.

Public Hearing Scheduled Tonight for Proposed Estuary Reserve in Old Lyme, Groton

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Great Island, Old Lyme. Photo by Bob MacDonnell.

Some of the best wildlife habitat on the Connecticut River estuary and in southeastern Connecticut, including coves, islands, and marshes in Old Lyme, are included in a new national reserve created to bring in funding for scientific research and conservation education.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses the Lord Cove and Great Island Wildlife Management Areas in Old Lyme, and Bluff Point and Haley Farm State Parks in Groton. The research reserve is a project of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the University of Connecticut, and Sea Grant.

The Connecticut Audubon Society is calling on residents to support the new reserve at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Nov. 13, in Groton. Officials will explain the proposal and gauge public support.

It is set for 6 to 8 p.m., in the auditorium of the Academic Building, second floor, at UConn’s Avery Point Campus, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton.  The schedule for tonight’s meeting is as follows:

Welcome/Meeting Goals
6:00 – 6:10
NERR System Overview (NOAA)
6:10 – 6:20
CT Selection Process (CT)
·         Big Picture (Teams/Members, Major steps, timeline)
·         Preliminary Selection Process and Results
·         Detailed Screening & Results
6:20 – 6:40
Site Overview (CT)
6:40 – 6:50
Next Steps: (CT & NOAA)
·         Nomination submission to NOAA
·         Management Plan & EIS Efforts
6:50 – 7:00
Public Q&A / Comments / Discussion
7:00 – 7:40
Wrap-up & Adjourn
7:45 – 8:00

As much as $1 million a year in funding for scientific research and monitoring, education, and stewardship will be earmarked for both sections of the reserve, to be used by scientists and others engaged in researching water quality, habitat quality, fish and wildlife, and other topics.

The reserve will also be a source of funding, materials, and field trip locations for local education programs such as Connecticut Audubon’s Science in Nature, which has reached more than 75,000 school children in Connecticut and has thrived particularly in Old Lyme and New London, the heart of the estuarine reserve area.

Officials made the announcement of the reserve recently after a two and a half-year review. Two members of the board of Connecticut Audubon’s Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center in Old Lyme – Ralph Wood and John Forbis – were on the committee of local experts who recommended the sites. Others on the committee included representatives of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the University of Connecticut, and Connecticut College.

The inclusion of the Old Lyme areas is significant because the lower Connecticut River is globally important for conservation. Estuaries in general are among the most biologically productive ecosystems on earth. The mouth of the Connecticut River and the estuary are unusual if not unique in the eastern United States because, without a big city on its shores, it has remained relatively undeveloped. The result is a vast area of extraordinarily high quality habitat.

Ospreys, terns, herons, eagles, and egrets feed and nest along the river. Ducks and geese find food and shelter in the coves over the winter. Perhaps as many as a million tree swallows roost in the reeds in late summer. The river itself teems with striped bass, blue-claw crabs, migrating herring and shad, and endangered species such as Atlantic sturgeon.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s marine headquarters in Old Lyme and the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus in Groton are included in the reserve.

Directions and Parking for tonight’s meeting:
For driving directions and parking information, visit: http://marinesciences.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/459/2015/11/Avery-Point-map.pdf
After 5 p.m., visitors may park for free in any on-campus space not designated as reserved, restricted, or limited.

Local Chambers Host ‘State of the Shoreline’ Business Breakfast This Morning

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Join a regional “state of” address tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. to hear a discussion from municipal leaders about successes and challenges of the past year, as well as current issues that affect the business community.  The event will be held at Flanders Fish Market & Restaurant, East Lyme.

If you live or work in Old Lyme, East Lyme, or Waterford, take this great opportunity to gather information, ask questions, and get involved in your community.
Speakers include:

  • Mark Nickerson, East Lyme First Selectman
  • Bonnie Reemsnyder, Old Lyme First Selectwoman
  • Dan Steward, Waterford First Selectman

This event is presented by the Chamber of Commerce of ECT in partnership with the Lyme-Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce  

Chamber Member Admission: $12

Includes coffee and continental breakfast.

Registration required at this link: https://info.chamberect.com/events/details/state-of-the-shoreline-old-lyme-east-lyme-waterford-11716

Learn How to Enhance Your Habitat for Songbirds, Beneficial Insects

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Learn how to make your yard more desirable to hummingbirds like the one pictured above.

Join Audubon CT, Lyme Land Trust, and the Town of Lyme Tuesday, Nov. 13, at Lyme Public Hall to learn about enhancing your land for songbirds, wild turkeys, and beneficial insects.  At 7 p.m., DEEP wildlife biologist Peter Picone will share a fascinating presentation of his knowledge and insights on creating and improving wildlife habitat in your surroundings. 

The program is part of a project launched by Audubon Connecticut in the Important Bird Area (IBA) called the “Lyme Forest Block,” which spans forested habitat in six towns in southeastern Connecticut. The goal of the project is to teach you how to enhance your land to attract and nourish forest birds.

Lyme Public Hall is located at 249 Hamburg Rd. (Rte 156), Lyme,

For more information, email openspace@townlyme.org or visit http://www.lymelandtrust.org/event/enhancing-habitat-for-songbirds-and-beneficial-insects/