Lyme-Old Lyme Schools’ District Budget Hearing to be Held This Evening

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Admin

LYME/OLD LYME — UPDATED APRIL 5 — see text in red: Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools will hold their District Budget Hearing Monday evening, April 5, in the board of education conference room at Center School starting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will also be live-streamed at this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF2_W7yYtFwx067Ici9776Q/videos?view=57

Public comment can be made in person or virtually via this Zoom link: https://region18.zoom.us/j/83527766795 and using Meeting ID: 835 2776 6795.
Those choosing this option will be required to follow the same expectations as those making public comment in person, i.e., after being recognized by the chairperson, participants must state their name and place of residence before making their comments to the board.

Region 18 Board of Education Chairman Diane Linderman. File photo

The Spring 2021 edition of Focus on Education includes a letter from Superintendent Ian Neviaser and Region 18 Board of Education Chairman Diane Linderman, which states, “On March 3, the Region #18 Board of Education approved a budget of $34,966,548 for the 2021-2022 school year.”

That number has now been revised down to $34,874, 548. Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser explained to LymeLine in an email this morning, “We were able to reduce the budget by $92,000 using ESSER [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief ] funds,” adding, “The lower number represents a 0.47 percent increase.”

The letter continues, “The Board of Education has strived to preserve and build upon the high standards of education in Lyme–Old Lyme while remaining fiscally responsible to our communities.”

The letter notes that two facilities projects are included in the budget, namely, replacement of the tennis courts at Lyme School and a study for the upcoming refurbishment of the elementary schools and the middle school.

Neviaser and Linderman explain in their letter that the proposed budget includes, “Additional technology support, as the role of technology grows in education, monies for our curriculum renewal cycle for grades 3–8, as well as replacement of the high school sound field systems and network switches.”

They also note that, “As a result of community input and interest, we will also be adding wrestling as a new sport.”

Regarding enrollment, the letter concludes, “For the last several years we have seen our enrollment numbers exceed our projections. We anticipate continued enrollment growth at the elementary level and therefore have added additional staff to address this.”

Death Announced of Robert C. Coleman, Jr., Father of Marisa Hartmann of Old Lyme

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Admin

Robert C. Coleman, Jr.

PARKVILLE, MD. — A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated later in 2021 for Robert C. Coleman, Jr., a resident of Oak Crest Village, who died on April 1, 2021. Born in Indiana, PA he would add, “Jimmy Stewart’s hometown,” as he would introduce himself. Following graduation from the State Teachers College, Indiana, PA, now Indiana University of PA, he enlisted in the Navy and graduated from the Naval Officer Candidate School at Newport, RI. He served almost five years of active duty during the Korean War, aboard the U.S.S. Chickaskia.

While attending a service at Mission San Buenaventura in Ventura, CA, he met wife-to-be, Lou Ann Beacom. They married and came east in 1955. Bob joined the Baltimore County School System that year, serving as a teacher, assistant principal and mainly personnel administrator for thirty-four years.

Family was primary in his life–being involved in the lives of their six children was challenging and rewarding to Bob who was an only child. Camping vacations to multiple state and national parks provided many memories when the children were young. An active lifestyle was important to Bob, enjoying retirement playing golf and bicycling on the North Central Trail.

Religion was a guiding force throughout his life. Prior to Oak Crest, Bob was active at St. Joseph’s Church in Cockeysville where he was a choir member for twenty years and a parish council member. He was also active in the Catholic Community at Oak Crest. Singing enriched his retirement as he sang in barbershop choruses, church choirs and the Oak Crest Chorus.

He is predeceased by his loving wife, Lou Ann. Surviving are their two daughters, Julie of Annapolis, MD and Marisa of Old Lyme, CT; four sons, Brian of Jarrettsville, MD, Michael of Cancun, Mexico, Christopher of Del Ray Beach, FL, and Daniel of West Chester, PA and nine grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Oak Crest Benevolent Care Fund, 8800 Walther Blvd., Parkville, MD 21234.

April 2 COVID-19 Update: Both Towns Report Same Cumulative Total as Previous Day; Old Lyme at 313, Lyme at 97

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Olwen Logan

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Friday, April 2, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1, shows that both Lyme and Old Lyme reported the same number of COVID-19 cases as the previous day. Lyme had a total of 97 cumulative cases while Old Lyme reported a total of 313.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturday or Sundays.

Old Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

TheDaily Data Report for Connecticut issued Friday, April 2, by the CT-DPH for data as at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 306 confirmed COVID-19 cases and SEVEN probable cases, making a TOTAL of 313 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported Thursday, March 31.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 4,948, an increase of three over Thursday’s number of 4,945.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 89 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 97 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported Thursday, April 1.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,335, an increase of three over Thursday’s number of 1,332.

Two-Week New Case Rates Make Depressing News for State, Local Towns

The report issued Friday, April 2, by the CT DPH for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks contains distressing news for the whole state. This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, April 1; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, April 8.

There are now 146 towns in the state in the Red (highest) Zone for two-week new case rates and these include Old Lyme, which remains in that Zone for the second week in succession.

Lyme, however, is one of only 13 towns in the state in the Gray (lowest) Zone for two-week case rates, recording a third straight week in the lowest zone. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Emphasizing the seriousness of the current situation, the Hartford Courant has today published an article by Alex Putterman titled, Seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate hits highest level in two months as variants spread in Connecticut; hospitalizations up

Overall, the state’s April 1 report contains disappointing news for the whole state with the number of towns in the Gray category staying constant and those in the Yellow and Orange Zones decreasing significantly this week (the previous week’s figures are shown in parentheses), reflecting a statewide increase in infection rates:

13 (13) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
2 (5) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
8 (20) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 146 towns are in the Red Zone, and the state as a whole is moving once again towards the map we published in November when every town in the state was in the Red Zone. The numbers are concerning in that the trend appears to be that cases are continuing to increase at this point.

Lyme joins only 12 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Ashford, Canaan, Chaplin, Cornwall, Eastford, Franklin, Hampton, New Canaan, Norfolk, Scotland, Sharon and Warren.

The Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone now has only two towns: Essex and Willington.

The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has only eight towns, down from 20 in last week’s numbers: Chester, Columbia, East Haddam, East Hampton, Salisbury, Somers, Stonington, Vernon

The gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
The yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
The orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
The red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

More Detail on Two-Week New Case Rates

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, April 1, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District. Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “We continue to see relatively steady case numbers within our jurisdiction. Our contact tracers report clusters associated with daycares, schools, and workplaces, and transmissions linked to social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest two-week case rates announced Thursday, April 1 (from 03/14 to 3/27) have remained constant in Old Lyme and increased in Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

Old Lyme from 15.5 to 15.5
Lyme from 9.2 to 12.2

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 3/14 to 3/27 (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 3/07 to 3/20 shown in parentheses) are as follows:

Lyme had 2 (1) cases in Week 1 and 2 (2) in Week 2
Old Lyme had 7 (9) cases in Week 1 and 9 (7) in Week 2

This data was updated April 1, 2021. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, April 8.

Vaccination Rates

At the request of several readers, we have started a new section reflecting the status of community vaccination rates in Lyme and Old Lyme. The data is taken from the COVID-19 Vaccinations by Town report published by CT-DPH, which is published roughly weekly.

Lyme is now ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 54.36 percent vaccinated compared with 48.63 percent in Old Lyme.

The percentages for both towns for the age segments 65-74 and 75+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 105.47 percent of seniors 75 and above having received their first dose and 95.09 percent of the same age segment having received it in Old Lyme.

The detailed data below is the most recent and was updated April 1.

Old Lyme
Total population: 7,306
Estimated population age 65-74: 1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above: 794

[table id=12 /]

Lyme
Total population: 2,316
Estimated population age 65-74: 372
Estimated population age 75 and above: 274

[table id=11 /]

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we added a new report showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

Since the most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and no subsequent updates have been issued, we have discontinued publishing this report until a new update is issued.

Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme.

Local Churches Plan to Celebrate Easter Today with Careful Attention to COVID Guidelines

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Admin

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.com.

LYME/OLD LYME — The churches of Lyme and Old Lyme are all hosting Easter Sunday services today with strict adherence to COVID guidelines and protocols, but, in each case, the service will look a little different.

Full details of each church’s service and the expectations if you wish to attend in person are given below, along with the respective Zoom links if you opt to join the service virtually.

Christ The King

Easter Sunday, April 4
Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection
Masses at 8 and 10:30 a.m.

Regarding Communion at Christ The King: The practice of distributing Communion at the end of Mass, after the Concluding Rite, will be continued. This allows everyone to leave immediately after receiving the Eucharist, so as to avoid large numbers of people leaving the church at the same time. Please come forward in a single line, keeping six feet between you and the person in front of you. (Follow the tape marks on the floor.) Please continue to wear your mask until you receive.

Seating capacity at Christ The King: Even though the governor has relaxed the rules on capacity levels for churches, six feet of distance must still be allowed between individuals or family groups. This means that it will not be possible to seat as many people in the church as usual. The parish hall can, however, offer distanced seating and a large screen television for viewing the Mass. Communion will be distributed there.

At the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday morning, ushers will assist with seating, remind everyone about safety protocols, and — when the church reaches capacity — direct people to the parish hall. In the event that the hall also reaches capacity, congregants will be asked to return to their cars to view the Mass on mobile devices, so be prepared for that possibility.

All who wish to receive Communion may come inside at the end of Mass when Communion is distributed.

The obligation to attend Mass remains dispensed until further notice. There is no requirement to attend in person. If you prefer to stay home, join the church’s live stream on Zoom by using the links on the church website.

First Congregational Church of Lyme

Easter Sunday, April 4
Easter Sunday services will be held both on Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3295485601) and in person with some specific conditions. These steps are being taken to ensure that worship is as safe as possible.

- All the windows in the church will be opened to increase air flow. It might be chilly. You are encouraged to wear a coat or bring a lap blanket to increase your comfort level. This might be especially important for younger children.
- Masks will be required.
- Households will be allowed to sit together, but with 6 feet of distance between household units.
- There will not be singing, but there will be special music.
- Communion will be held, but the elements will be pre-placed in the pews, not passed through the aisles.
- There will be an offering, but the baskets will be placed at the entrance and exits, and not passed through the aisles.
- Worshippers are asked to enter through one door and leave through the other. The correct doors will be marked.
- The annual Easter Egg Hunt will follow the service, but there will be a gap in time between the events. If you are not staying for the egg hunt, congregants are asked to go to their car so that there is not extra overlap between the groups.
- Anyone feeling sick is asked to worship with those in church on Zoom rather than in person.

First Congregational Church of Old Lyme

Easter Sunday, April 4
Easter Sunrise Worship Service Video
In lieu of a live, outdoor Easter Sunrise service this year, a videotaped sunrise service is offered that can be viewed on the church’s YouTube channel.

Easter Sunday Worship Service
Live Outdoors at 10 a.m.
On Easter Sunday at 10 a.m., a live, outdoor service will be held on the front lawn, following public safety guidelines. If you wish to attend, you must call or email the church office at 860-434-8686 or fccol@fccol.org to reserve your space:

Give your name, the number of people in your party, and indicate whether you all belong to the same household (and thus can be grouped together).
Leave your phone number or email address so the church can contact you to confirm your reservation.

These are the details:

Squares will be traced on the lawn, spaced 12 ft. apart. Individuals or families, who make a reservation, will receive a square to sit in during the service.
Each square is limited to the members of a single household; and people must remain inside their square at all times in order to maintain social distancing. Congregants are welcome to bring lawn chairs to sit on and a blanket to wrap up in if it is unusually cool out.
The number of squares is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
If there are no open squares available, people are welcome to stand along the sidewalk – spaced 6 ft. apart from others.
Everyone must observe social distancing.
Masks are required. The church will have extra masks and hand sanitizer on hand.
The church’s bathroom facilities will not be open.
While the service is open to all, everyone is urged to exercise all appropriate caution and reasonable judgment about whether they personally should attend.
A video of the service will be posted on the church’s website, Facebook page and YouTube page – along with a written version of the sermon and the Order of Worship for the service.
In case of inclement weather, a church leader will communicate 24 hours in advance about how the service will occur, i.e., live and outdoors as planned, or online instead.

Easter Sunday Coffee Hour on Zoom
A virtual Coffee Hour will be hosted on Zoom at 12:30 p.m. Zoom details here.

Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church

Easter Sunday, April 4
Sunday of the Resurrection
Following guidelines from the bishop and safest practices during a pandemic, social distances will be maintained and all are required to be masked. To make room for everyone who wishes to attend in person on Easter Day, one Easter Sunday service will be held on the front lawn at 9:30 am.

If the weather makes it impossible to worship on the front lawn, a notice will be posted on the church website at 8:30 a.m. The recorded service will be available at that time as well.

Bring your chair and prayer book. This outside service will be filled with Easter music, prayer and spiritual communion.

All Zoom link information may be found on the church’s website.

April 1 COVID-19 Update: Old Lyme Stays in Red (Highest) Zone for Two-Week New Case Rate, Lyme in Lowest; OL Holds at 313 Cumulative Cases, Lyme Up One at 97

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Olwen Logan

This map, updated April 1, shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. The Town of Old Lyme remains in the (highest) Red Zone, while Lyme is still in the (lowest) Gray Zone. (Only cases among persons living in community settings are included in this map; the map does not include cases among people who reside in nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.)

LYME/OLD LYME — The report issued Thursday, April 1, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks contains distressing news for the whole state.