Monthly Archives: May 2020

Old Lyme Selectmen Meet This Evening, Public Can Participate By Phone

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OLD LYME —  The Old Lyme Board of Selectmen will hold a regular meeting via conference call this evening starting at 7:30 p.m.

As the Board will convene in the Meeting Hall while the Town Hall is closed to the public, persons wishing to listen to the meeting may call  1-408-418-9388  and give Access Code 24735882 to participate in the meeting.

The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

  1. Approval of Minutes:     20 April 2020
  2. Communications:  None
  3. Appointments:
  4. Economic Development Commission – David Rubino (D)

4.   Old Business:

a.   COVID –

i.   Town Beach Closings

ii.   Emergency Service Vehicle Parade

iii.   Positive Cases in Old Lyme

b.   Projects Update

  1. Hains Park Bathroom Building – Update
  2. Sound View Sidewalks – Community Connectivity Grant
  3. Mile Creek Bridge – Waiting on work to Start in Early May
  4. Grassy Hill Rd. – Road Paving Underway

c.   Census 2000 – Reminder to Respond

5.   New Business:

  1. Memorial Day Parade – Vote to Cancel
  2. Mid-Summer Festival – Vote to Cancel
  3. Board of Finance Budget Vote – 18 May 7:30 via Web Ex

6.   Public Comment:

7.   Other Business:

8.   Adjournment:

Letter to the Editor: Closing White Sand Beach, Hains Park is Wrong: Old Lyme Residents are Responsible, Respectful

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To the Editor:

I feel that closing White Sands (sic) Beach and Hains Park is wrong.  These are not public beaches; they are restricted for use by Old Lyme residents/property owners only, hence the requirement for a parking hang tag that residents can buy at the town hall. Certainly, we can maintain a safe distance from each other.

I have been isolating from family, friends and the general public since March 14th.  I follow guidance from the CDC and watch the news every day.  I worked for the CT Department of Public for over 20 years as a regulator, inspecting nursing homes, child care facilities, camps, mental health and substance abuse facilities, and I am very familiar with infection control.

Now that the weather is warming up and many places to recreate are closed, the beach is a safe place to commune with nature, listen to the waves, get some vitamin D, exercise, and ease anxiety.  Better than hiking or picnicking in the woods where there are ticks.

Now that the OL beaches are closed until further notice, I am grieving another loss of sanctuary – the freedom to exercise my solitary spiritual practice, to walk on the sand and wade in the water.

It is easier to maintain social distancing outside, than to do so in grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, hospitals, etc.

I believe that Old Lyme residents are responsible, respectful and thoughtful people, and I believe that we can use our beaches safely during this very scary, challenging time.

Sincerely,

Susan Kneen Way,
Old Lyme.

This Year’s Old Lyme Midsummer Festival Cancelled Due to Safety Concerns

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Every summer the Old Lyme Midsummer Festival attracts thousands of locals and visitors. The decision to cancel the 2020 festival has just been announced.

OLD LYME — The Old Lyme Arts District has just posted an announcement on their website, which states, “After much consideration, and with our first concern being the safety of our community, staff, volunteers, and vendors, the Old Lyme Arts District is cancelling the 2020 Old Lyme Midsummer Festival.”

The statement continues, “We recognize the Festival is a summer tradition eagerly anticipated by so many people (including us!). Thousands of people attend the Festival every summer and come from throughout the greater region. As much as we will miss you all and the midsummer excitement, we know the most important thing is protecting the health of our friends and arts family.”

With an eye on next year, the statement adds, “We are already thinking about the 2021 Festival,” noting, “2021 will also be the 100th anniversary of the Lyme Art Colonists opening their own gallery (known to us all as the Lyme Art Association.) Those artists persevered through World War I and the Flu Pandemic, creating art and in 1921 inviting the public to their new gallery to purchase and bring home treasures for their own walls.”

Concluding on a positive note, the statement reads, “We know our participating artists are creating art as we speak and we look forward to sharing it all with you – along with music, food, and fun purchases – next year. Each of our organizations will be opening as will be recommended under the Reopen Connecticut Plan. We look forward to seeing you all very soon. Stay well and stay in touch!”

Volunteer Festival Organizer Cheryl Poirier explained exclusively to LymeLine, “We also looked at the possibility that the Governor could allow for July large outdoor gatherings assuming safety measures were used. We researched how we could provide a safe Midsummer Festival with social distancing, masks, and other safety measures.”

She added, “We couldn’t guarantee at this time we would have available enough hand sanitizing stations, staffing to ensure frequent disinfecting of tables, handles, as well as other considerations. Realizing how difficult it would be to accomplish this, we decided the most prudent decision was to pause for a year and come back next year with the best procedures available.”

Griswold Defends Decision to Close Old Lyme Town Beaches

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This sign at Sound View Beach informs the public that the beach is closed. Photo by Caroline LeCour.

OLD LYME — “We don’t envision this as a long-term requirement,” stressed Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold in a phone conversation with LymeLine on Friday. He was referring to the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen’s decision to close all of the Old Lyme Town Beaches from yesterday and henceforward for am unspecified period of time. These beaches include Sound View, White Sand, and Hains Park.

Griswold explained the decision was taken in the middle of the week when he held a “roundtable” comprising representatives from Old Lyme Emergency Services and the Beach Associations. He noted that the matter had been discussed at the previous board of selectmen’s meeting but no vote was taken by the board at that time. Griswold added that Gary Fox, Miami Beach Association President, was involved in the discussion and “agreed it was wise to take this step.”

The view looking towards Miami Beach from Sound View Beach. Both beaches are closed to the general public. Photo by Caroline LeCour.

The consensus of the roundtable was that with “the first sunny weekend” anticipated May 2 and 3, the Town should “take a pre-emptive strike” to close Sound View primarily because it is a “destination” beach attracting many out-of-towners as well as local residents, causing it to become overcrowded.  Also, with the hot weather anticipated, Griswold said there is a likelihood that both Rocky Neck and Hammonasset State Park beaches may end up closed due to the number of visitors they receive. This frequently leads to visitors, who cannot access those parks after they have closed, “looking for somewhere else,” and coming to Sound View Beach instead.

Griswold explained the plan was to close off Swan and Portland Avenues and use them for exit only and keep Hartford Ave. open as the access road to the beach.  Saying “the town parking lot will be shut and metered parking coned off,” Griswold emphasized that the restaurants on Hartford Ave. could remain open for take-out, “provided, per the Governor’s order, customers do not consume the food on the premises.” A limited number of parking spaces for 30-minute periods will be left open for customers wishing to use the take-out option.

Police planned to place lighted message at key points on Rte. 156 and the I-95 exit ramps to advise people that the beaches were closed in advance of them arriving at the beaches.

A view of White Sand Beach in Old Lyme prior its closure this weekend in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. File photo.

Justifying why the Town had to close White Sand Beach and Hains Park as well as Sound View, Griswold said, “If we close one beach, we couldn’t in good faith not close the others,” though he conceded, “[Old Lyme] residents would probably do a better job [of social distancing.]  He added, “There is obviously a diverse opinion about this,” noting the closures would not be necessary, “If it were not for the nature of Sound View, which is such a mecca.”

Stressing the decision to close the beaches was not a permanent one, Griswold said, “We’ll see how it goes.”

 

NY Times Includes LymeLine in ‘Support Local Journalism Initiative’ to Celebrate ‘World Press Freedom Day’

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It’s World Press Freedom Day!

According to Wikipedia, this day was declared on May 3 by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

May 3 also marks the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in Windhoek in 1991.

We are thrilled to have been included in an initiative by The New York Times to support local journalism in celebration of World Press Freedom Day . Titled simply, “Support local journalism,” the piece states, “Local journalism helps tell the full story.

News organizations near you are at risk. Support them today.

Local journalism is in crisis and at risk of disappearing. These vital resources are critical to the safety, security and knowledge of our communities, never more so than in these difficult times. On World Press Freedom Day and every day, we encourage you to find a local news organization you trust and support it.”

There is then a drop-down menu where you can search by name, city or state or “search near you” and both LymeLine and ValleyNewsNow are in the database, which links the reader to our DONATION PAGE.

We are enormously appreciative of this support from The New York Times.