Monthly Archives: May 2020

Old Lyme Beach Passes Now on Sale

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OLD LYME — Beach passes are now on sale from the Old Lyme Town Hall. The beaches will re-open May 23, but there is a possibility they may be closed again. In the event of further beach closures, no refunds will given for beach passes purchased.

You must be an Old Lyme taxpayer in order to purchase a Beach Parking Pass. View or download the beach pass application at this link.

Since Town Hall remains closed to the public, there are two ways to purchase a beach pass as follows:

  • Mail a check with your payment, proof of residency, and the application form to the First Selectman’s Office, 52 Lyme St., Old Lyme CT 06371.
  • Place the items listed in the first bullet in an envelope and drop it through the mail slot in the Town Hall front door with the appropriate cash or check. Credit card payments cannot be accepted at this time.

After receiving the payment and required information, the application will be processed and the beach pass(es) mailed to the address related to the application.

The fee for the first beach pass is $25.00 while a second one costs $40.00. Therefore the price for two beach passes, which is the maximum permitted per family this year, is $65.00. There are no reduced rates for beach passes this year.

Old Lyme First Selectman Tim Griswold noted in a text message this morning, “They [Beach Passes] are selling briskly.”

For further information and questions, contact Michele Hayes at mhayes@oldlyme-ct.gov or (860) 434-1605 ext. 212.

A la Carte: May Means Meatballs … and Sausages and Gravy!

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Lee White

It is May and May usually means lots of sunshine and warm evenings.  It is my favorite season of all, because trees are budding out, tulips are bright and gorgeous, lilies and irises are two weeks away as are lilies of the valley, mu birth flower. I am grateful that the people who sold me my condo, whom I knew from the yacht club, were gardeners. The best I can do is add a few annuals, but they planted the perennials, including a healthy and lush bright red azalea. 

I am also seeing much more wildlife than I’d ever seen in the six years I have lived in Groton. Driving down Rte. 1 and turning a right on my way to Eastern Point Beach, I watched a male fox ambling across the road, heading toward a small apartment complex. I turned another right to watch him and noticed a man on a walker in the fox’s way. I honked my horn so the man would not collide with him.

This morning, before I walked into my office, I looked at the parking lot and spied a turkey, the first I had seen in our complex. It was a young tom, in no hurry at all. I waited another 10 minutes and didn’t see another. I am feeding birds a bit longer than I usually do. (I take away the feeders and suet and add hummingbird feeders, although I haven’t seen one ever.) I am especially thrilled with catbirds and neon yellow finches. It is warm enough to open the outside faucets so I can add water to the bird bath, which they like. 

On the other hand, I still turn on my electric blanket. There is a reason we are told never to plant basil until Memorial Day. This past weekend, I wanted a make a good red sauce with meatballs and sausage. And I have everything for the dish, including pork chops, chopped beef and Italian sausage. If you have just one or two of the meats, the dish will be still fabulous.

Photo by Fidel Fernando on Unsplash.

Sunday Gravy with Sausages and Meatballs

Adapted from Johanne Killeen and George Germon, “On Top of Spaghetti,” (Morrow, New York, 2007)

Yield: Serves 4 to 6 as a main dish

One-quarter cup extra virgin olive oil3 pork chops (total weight 1 to 1 and one-half pounds)
1 and one-quarter pounds Italian sweet sausage, halved horizontally
1 cup chopped onions2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (or crushed) tomatoes
6-ounce can tomato paste
Cheese finds from Parmigiano-Reggiano or bits of Pecorino Romano (optional)
Mary’s meatballs
1 pound dried spaghetti or rigatoni, cooked
freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add pork chops and sausages and brown on all sides. Transfer chops to a plate. Toss onions into pot with garlic, fennel seeds and salt. Saute over moderate heat, stirring frequently and scraping up any bits, until onions are soft and golden.

Put chops back in the pot with any juices. Add tomatoes, 2 cups water and tomato paste. Drop in rinds if you have any. Cover pot, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Gently drop meatballs, a few at a time, shaking the pot to make room for the meatballs. Cover all the meatballs, cover pot and simmer for an hour or more. 

To finish sauce, take out chops, remove bones and chop of the meat and add to sauce. Check for seasoning. Ladle sauce over hot pasta and dust with cheese.

Mary’s Meatballs

Yield: makes 26 to 28 meatballs

12 ounces ground beef
4 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed, cut into tiny cubes (I used challah)
three-quarters cup milk
three-quarters to 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
8 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
fine sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, bread and milk. Add cheese, basil, parsley, egg and salt. Mix gently but thoroughly. Form into small meatballs, no larger than one and one-half inches in diameter.

About the author: Former Old Lyme resident Lee White has been writing about restaurants and cooking since 1976 and has been extensively published in the Worcester (Mass.) Magazine, The Day, Norwich Bulletin, and Hartford Courant.  She currently writes a cooking column called A La Carte for LymeLine.com and also for the Shore Publishing and Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day. 

Legal News You Can Use: Work, Disability and SSD in the Age of COVID-19

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Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash.

From New London to Los Angeles and beyond, the world has shut down to contain and fight the COVID-19 virus. The global lockdown has upended life for billions who now find themselves isolated in their homes.

While the isolation of self-quarantine and the anxiety of worrying about the illness that could lead to death is an alien experience for most people, it is for many disabled people a way of life that is not entirely new. Many who are unable to work because of injury or illness are excluded from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

A recent article pointed out that even when those with disabilities can continue working, the odds of continuing their careers are long. After all, “people of working age with disabilities have an employment rate that is 28.6 percentage points lower than that of people without disabilities” the author stated, adding that only 4 percent of companies offer positions inclusive of disability.

It is almost impossible to find anything positive about the pandemic. Still, Americans have largely shown their best in dealing with the virus, going out of their way to protect not only themselves but to protect friends, family members, colleagues, customers and strangers.

Businesses have responded quickly to the virus, implementing home-work systems and customer-protection measures to keep us all safer.

The swift business adaptations have hopefully shown many CEOs and managers that companies can make simple accommodations that would successfully include valuable, productive workers who happen to have disabilities.

Of course, for those whose disabilities make them unable to continue working, no accommodations or adaptations will change their situations. They must instead turn to a social safety net, such as Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits.

Obtaining those benefits is a complicated process, however, requiring the disabled to complete and submit extensive and detailed applications and then gain approval from the Social Security Administration.

In many cases, applications are rejected. Appeals include revised applications and a hearing before an administrative law judge.

An attorney experienced in SSD appeals can guide you through the complex legal process and obtain for you needed medical records and physician statements, prepare you for the hearing and represent you before the administrative law judge.

This post is sponsored by Suisman Shapiro Attorneys-at-Law.

Editor’s Notes: i) During this challenging time, Suisman Shapiro is providing essential legal services via electronic communications that keep staff in touch with clients while, at the same time, keeping both groups safe.

ii) Attorneys at Suisman Shapiro can discuss Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits with you and answer your questions on the subject. Visit their website or call 800-499-0145 — lines are open 24 hours a day.

Lyme Board of Finance Approves $10.7M Budget, No Change to Current Year’s Mill Rate

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LYME — The Town of Lyme’s proposed 2020-21 budget of $10,688,087 was passed unanimously Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Lyme Board of Finance, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Typically a town meeting would have been required to vote on the budget, but this year, in light of the COVID-19 situation, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont in Executive Order 7I waived the requirement for voting on town or school budgets by “any in-person budget adoption requirements,” thus leaving boards of finance free to pass town and/or school budgets by a member vote at one of their meetings.

After the budget was approved, the board of finance went on to set a mill rate for the 2020-21 fiscal year of 19.95, which reflects no change from the current year’s rate.

Asked by email after the meeting how he felt about the successful passing of the budget, Lyme Board of Finance Chairman Dan Hagan said, “The Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance did a great job developing a 20-21 budget that reflects the values of Lyme – strong support for education, open space, and fiscal responsibility.”

Facts & Figures from Old Lyme EMS; Who Does What at a Vehicle Accident Scene, Managing the COVID Crisis in Old Lyme

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OLD LYME — Traffic accidents for the three-month period from January through March of this year totaled 30, whereas incidents involving pain/sickness increased to 45. 

We are coming out of winter and hoping traffic accidents due to inclement weather will slow down, though we will likely see an increase in traffic accidents in our area as summer approaches. Some reasons for this include: distraction from sun glare, more people (pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists) outside, teenagers home from school, and an increase in road construction projects. 

Also, as residents are aware, Old Lyme’s traffic increases significantly during the warmer months with summer residents and beach visitors. We can also expect more traffic with the near-future lifting of the Covid-19 self-isolation. 

Old Lyme Ambulances generally respond to accident scenes.

When an accident occurs on local roads, town or state police, ambulance(s) and sometimes fire trucks and apparatus will respond. In addition to service vehicles, many volunteers show up on the scene in their private vehicles to assist with numerous tasks including obtaining patient information, vitals, fetching equipment and then securely replacing it back in the ambulance before transport to the ER. 

If a paramedic arrives on scene and travels with the patient in the ambulance to the ER, then the volunteer can drive their paramedic vehicle and follow the ambulance to the ER. This way, the paramedic will have their paramedic vehicle for the next call without having to be dropped back off at the scene. There are many reasons why it’s important to have extra hands on deck.

In most cases, it is important for volunteers to arrive at the scene of the accident prior to the ambulance’s arrival. Volunteers are able to stabilize the patient, obtain invaluable information by sizing up the scene, and documenting personal information including the patient’s  medication list, vital signs, nature of the illness or injury and more. As a result, by the time the ambulance and crew arrive, much of the initial work is completed and if needed, the patient(s) can be transported to the ER sooner.

A new stretcher system facilitates moving a patient into an ambulance.

Ambulances use a siren with red and white emergency lights to inform traffic that they are on the way to a call. During an active emergency and on the way to the scene, volunteer EMTs and EMRs use green lights in their vehicles (volunteer firemen use blue lights.) Whenever you are driving and see a vehicle with these lights approaching, please move safely to the shoulder so the First Responders can get to the scene. 

All EMT’s and EMR’s carry a trauma bag with lifesaving First Responder equipment so that, when arriving on the scene, they can radio to 911 dispatch or the responding ambulance the location of the emergency, for example, if a home is not marked well or if patient is injured on a trail. Also, they will request additional services if needed, such as police, paramedic, additional ambulance, extra man power, or the LIFE STAR helicopter.  

With Covid-19 still prevalent, respiratory distress calls more than doubled in March. Chief Tom Rozanski, President Claire Haskins, Vice President Dave Musto and Deputy Chief Juan Tirado of the Old Lyme Emergency Management Services (EMS) Executive Committee have been very busy coordinating virtual meetings for emergency preparedness with town Emergency Operations Committee, chaired by Old Lyme Fire Marshal Dave Roberge. Included in the meeting are Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold, Old Lyme Selectmen Christopher Kerr and Mary Jo Nosal, Resident State Trooper Matt Weber and town officers, and Old Lyme Fire Chief Steve Super.

The Old Lyme EMS Executive Committee has also had virtual meetings with other surrounding town ambulance departments.  Due to the demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), when supplies becomes available, a volunteer quickly offers to pick them up.  Many hands lighten the load.

Old Lyme EMS thanks the residents in advance for allowing us to serve our community. If you are interested in joining, call 860-434-0089. There are always two EMT’s manning the Cross Lane building from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., unless they are responding to a call. In light of the current social distancing protocol, it is best to call about how to obtain an application.