OLD LYME – John Sholtis, 77, of Old Lyme passed away May 9, 2021.
He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 55 years, Judy; daughter Adrienne and her husband Jim Lair; daughter Michelle Sholtis, her husband Michel Leroy; and the light of his life granddaughter Vivian Leroy; along with daughter of the heart Natalie Wellmaker and family…
Visit this link to read the full obituary published May 13, in The Day.
Being the only school district in the region to offer full-time, in-person learning, from the start of the school year, Old Lyme chose to be “all in”. In doing so, we have been the leader in how it is possible to safely reopen. We have been the model, not only to our neighboring towns, but to the State as a whole. We were the example for other towns to follow. We understood that this was vital for our children’s educational, social, and emotional development and pledged to do whatever it took. Hence with the tremendous effort of our entire community – our citizens, administrators, teachers, parents, and, most importantly, our children – we have gone above and beyond to make it happen.
Thus, with Connecticut recording not only its lowest COVID-19 positivity rate in weeks, but also the highest vaccination rates in the country, we were going into summer with a sense of confidence and optimism. The State is reopening, school sports have resumed, restaurant and social gathering restrictions lifted, masks mandates eased. Our new normal was emerging. And after such a challenging year, and the State’s emphasis on local, affordable summer programs, and making the accessibility of such options a top priority, children were looking forward to summer day camps …well, that is, except if you live in Old Lyme.
After being the leader all school year, and after our children proving that they can succeed indoors, Old Lyme now says that the risk of COVID-19 exceeds the benefits of offering its Parks and Recreation Summer Day Camp. The reality of it is they never seriously gave it much consideration to begin with.
This lack of endeavoring was most evident in the recent Old Lyme’s Parks and Recreation Commission meeting as constituents were turned away and told that they could not physically attend a meeting that was listed as public on the town website, with the location listed as Meeting Hall on the town calendar, and verbally told by the Selectmen’s office that they could appear in person. We were shut out, left to watch from the windows, directed that we could only call in, as the Commission met inside, unmasked, in a room filled with empty chairs. To say we were bewildered was an understatement.
We were there for our children to show support in the reinstatement of the Summer Day Camp. And while we are thankful that the Commission insinuated that they are now open to entertaining ideas, it is marked by great skepticism. The fact that the Summer Day Camp program was not a top priority months ago is a shame and a true let-down by our leadership. We never imagined that our town, which proudly stood as a model all school year, would stop now, as the entire rest of the State paves the way. Our communal efforts thrown to the wayside. As parents, the thought that Old Lyme would not run its Summer Day Camp never even crossed our minds. The idea that we would abandon our “all in” philosophy just because the school year is over was unfathomable. That should have been reason enough to make sure it happened.
While the Commission asserts that the risk of COVID-19 is far too great for the Summer Day Camp, these same concerns are obsolete when it comes to sports. The fact that so much energy has been, and continues to be, focused solely on ensuring the safe resumption of sport programs and the “fair” usage of our town facilities, from lacrosse to soccer to rowing, is hypocritical. The notion and seemingly justification, of having 225 children playing lacrosse, albeit not all together at the same time, but instead having contact with other children, from other communities, in the playing of such games, while advocating for the equal distribution of playing fields, even calling out other town’s “unwillingness”, thus necessitating us to play throughout the region, and then coming back into our schools and our community is “safer” than running our Summer Parks and Rec Day Camp is nonsensical.
And that is just one sport – it does not even take into account all the hundreds of contacts from all the other sports, from players to spectators, and consequential other points of contact from restaurants to stores, wherein the numbers in totality are virtually immeasurable. But then the Commission has the audacity to imply that contact tracing is only an impediment to the Summer Day Camp – this defies logic. It shows a true lack of rationale and undermines what is even of the Commission’s stated concern.
The Commission then tried to briefly, and selectively, talk COVID facts, again with only reference to its effects on the Summer Day Camp, as if sport programs are somehow immune. They brought up outdated and inaccurate data, while mentioning recent articles in the paper about other towns, the same towns that we play all our sports in and vice versa. Perhaps they did not realize that in doing so they are not only undermining their agenda against the cancellation of the Summer Day Camp, but they are belittling our remarkable accomplishments, for yes, our neighboring towns have struggled, but this should only strengthen the call for our local Summer Day Camp.
And perhaps they are not aware that many of us actually work on the frontlines and know the real data firsthand. They also failed to examine the toll COVID-19 has had on our children’s mental and emotional health – and how the research overwhelming demonstrates that the continuation of social and enrichment programs, such as the Summer Day Camp, is so desperately needed throughout the summer.
As such, we would like to offer some viable options to implement to ensure the successful and safe reopening of our Summer Day Camp. We can look at the actions our schools and of our children who have proven they can do it – and no, we do not have to worry about them “hugging” as one Commission member tried to use as an excuse. Our children have exemplified all school year they have what it takes to make this possible. We can also look to how our neighboring towns, who once looked to us, are running their programs. We present these options as a starting point and welcome the Commission to build upon them:
In closing, we think it is important to note that we are in no way trying to suggest that sport programs should not run, but instead we are trying to uphold equality for all programs. The Parks and Recreation Summer Day Camp was the only safe, affordable, and consistent program for the children within the community, to stay within the community all summer long. And the only sustainable option of those children who do not play sports. By sending our children to different weekly camps throughout the region, it is not only significantly more costly, but we are also expanding our exposure and putting our children, their families, and the community at undue risk
As a community we should stand together and acknowledge the social, emotional, and psychological impact that all our local programs have on our youths. They need this now more than ever.
It is our hope that we can work together for the betterment and empowerment of our collective community.
Let us be “all in” together.
LYME/OLD LYME —The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Tuesday, May 11, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 10, shows that no new COVID-19 cases were recorded in either Lyme or Old Lyme compared with the previous day. Lyme and Old Lyme held at their previous day’s cumulative case totals of, respectively, 107 and 341.
These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturdays or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days. The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Wednesday, May 12.
The May 11 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 10, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 330 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 341 cases.
This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.
The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,234, an increase of eight over the previous day’s number of 5,226.
Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 99 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 107 cases.
This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.
The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,401, which represents no change over the previous day’s number of 1,401.
The report issued Tuesday, May 11, 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 shows another major improvement for the state as whole with the number of towns remaining in the Red Zone (indicating the highest COVID-19 new case rates) falling to 54 from last week’s number of 97.
During a news conference held Thursday, May 6, Gov. Ned Lamont attributed the decrease in infections to the continuing roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine.
Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the zones in which they were placed last week with Old Lyme still in the Yellow (second lowest new case rate) Zone while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone.
Old Lyme is now one of the 31 towns in the Yellow Zone. Last week, there were 18 towns in this Zone, so this is encouraging news as more towns fall out of the Orange (second highest) Zone.
Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week new case rates, recording an eighth straight week in the lowest zone. Twenty-two towns were in this zone last week and, in more good news, this number has increased to 29 this week.
In both cases, the increased total in each Zone reflects a decreased new case rate. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)
Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:
All the remaining 54 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 97.
Lyme joins 21 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Andover, Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Chester, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, East Granby, Essex, Franklin, Hampton, Kent, Lisbon, Lyme, Middlefield, Norfolk, Pomfret, Roxbury, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Union, Warren, Washington, Weston, Westport and Willington.
Old Lyme joins 30 other towns in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone: Avon, Brooklyn, Clinton, Colchester, Columbia, Darien, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Lyme, Easton, Glastonbury, Granby, Griswold, Killingworth, Ledyard, Marlborough, New Fairfield, New Hartford, Newington, Portland, Preston, Rocky Hill, Somers, Southbury, Stonington, Tolland, West Hartford, Woodbridge and Woodbury
The Orange (second highest rate) Zone now has 55 towns : Ashford, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bolton, Branford, Brookfield, Canterbury, Canton, Cheshire, Coventry, Danbury, Ellington, Fairfield, Farmington, Goshen, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Harwinton, Lebanon, Litchfield, Madison, Mansfield, Montville, New Canaan, New Milford, North Canaan, North Haven, North Stonington, Old Saybrook, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, Salem, Simsbury, South Windsor, Sprague, Stafford, Suffield, Thompson, Vernon, Voluntown, Waterford, Westbrook, Wethersfield, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Woodstock.
In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.
This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, May 6; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.
LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield
On Thursday, May 6, 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, “Although the number of new cases remain relatively stable, our contact tracers continue to report clusters, especially those associated with 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 Average Daily Case Rate announced Thursday, May 6, (from 4/18 to 5/01) have stayed constant in Old Lyme but decreased in Lyme.
The two-week case rates are as follows:
The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/18 to 5/01 (compared with the previous two-week case rate shown in parentheses) are as follows:
This data was updated May 6. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, May 13.
Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 74.65 (72.06) percent vaccinated compared with 65.56 (63.89) percent in Old Lyme. The previous week’s percentages are shown in parentheses.
The percentages for both towns for the age cohort 65+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 100 percent of seniors 65 and above fully vaccinated while 97.69 (92.85) percent of the same age cohort are fully vaccinated in Old Lyme.
The percentages for the age cohort 45-64, however, show the numbers reversing with Old Lyme having 57.66 percent fully vaccinated marginally ahead of Lyme at 53.91 percent.
Regarding the age 15-44 cohort, Lyme comes back into the lead again with 37.71 percent fully vaccinated while Old Lyme stands at 33.99 percent.
The state changed its reporting format for vaccination rates on April 15 and their new data does not align precisely with the former data. The detailed data below was partly updated April 29. One change is that the state is now reporting 65 and above as one group, whereas it was previously split into 65-74 and 75 and above. We will present new vaccination rate tables shortly.
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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.
At the request of several readers, we have 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).
The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.
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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.
The site of the proposed Big Y Express at the western end of Halls Rd. in Old Lyme.
OLD LYME — In a letter dated May 10, addressed to Rachel Gaudio, Chairman of Old Lyme’s Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission, Ryan Scrittorale, PE, Project Manager at Benesch requested the commission to withdraw the application made on behalf of his client, Big Y Foods, Inc. for the “development at 99 Halls Rd. and 25 Neck Rd.”
The proposal was for a 2,100 sq. ft. convenience mart and a gas station on a site surrounding Essex Savings Bank that is currently vacant and partially cleared. The application stated that the fuel system consists of six dispensers under a protective canopy and two double wall fiberglass underground fuel tanks with electronic monitoring.
Scrittorale’s letter states, “Big Y Foods, Inc. has prided itself on being a Neighborhood Supermarket and is vested in the community of Old Lyme.”
5/12 UPDATE: We are now hearing via a social media post that a Letter of Intent has been signed for the purchase of 100 Halls Rd. with a view to submitting a proposal to construct a gas station/convenience store on that site We contacted the person, who wrote the post, to verify it. The person does not wish to be identified in this article but states their source is ‘reliable.’
100 Halls Rd is immediately opposite the 99 Halls Rd./25 Neck Rd. discussed above. If traveling up Halls Rd. from Lyme St., 100 Halls Rd. is the blue building on the left-hand-side of Halls Rd. where it meets Neck Rd. The Big Y proposal was for the right-hand-side of Halls Rd. at the same location.
We will publish more information as we obtain further details.
OLD LYME — The following resolution was approved by seven members present at the Old Lyme Economic Development Commission’s regular monthly meeting held Wednesday, May 5. One member, Margaret Jane DeRisio, abstained citing a possible conflict of interest.
The Old Lyme Economic Development Commission (EDC) is tasked with supporting and encouraging a vibrant and sustainable business climate in Old Lyme, scaled to the resources and needs of the town. We seek the optimum development of business opportunities in Old Lyme. The mix of businesses in a particular area such as Halls Road can have a significant impact on the climate for all businesses there, current and future. Planning, therefore, becomes important.
Because Halls Road connects the northbound and southbound halves of Exit 70 on I-95, its current commercial-only zoning makes it most attractive (in the current business climate) to regional and national chains whose businesses are aimed at highway traffic, and not at the needs of our small town.
For decades Old Lyme’s planning documents have explicitly said the town should give preference to businesses that support the needs of the town and discourage those aimed at servicing I-95 traffic. They have sought to prevent Halls Road from becoming a series of truck stops and fast-food venues.
Halls Road has only a limited space that can ever be developed. The town should do what it can to ensure that this limited area is developed in such a way as to best serve the needs of the town and its businesses, present and future. Each new development has an impact on the range of possible future developments. If the Halls Road plan calls for mixed use in a walkable, bicycle-friendly, town-center environment, then each new development in that area must support that long-term goal. Any step in a contrary direction (e.g. toward truck stops, warehouses, factories, big-box stores, etc.) works to prevent the accomplishment of the long-term goal, and should be prohibited or strongly discouraged in this area. These contrary developments are not just sub-optimal uses of a limited resource (buildable land). Their presence significantly reduces the chance of getting the investments we do seek in that area: a mix of smaller-scale market-rate housing combined with shops and restaurants that serve the population of Old Lyme.
The Halls Road plan is near completion. The next phase includes changing the zoning along Halls Road to reflect the goals of the plan. This will give future investors a clear sense of what types of development are encouraged along Halls Road and which types are not. Clarity is good for business. If Old Lyme does the planning and zoning work correctly, it will attract the kinds of investment we want, and help transform Halls Road into a sustainable, mixed-use, commercial area more in keeping, both visually and functionally, with the small town feel of Old Lyme. Bad developments today obstruct more and better investments in the future. Today, investors interested in mixed-use developments like those envisioned in the town’s plan cannot consider Halls Road because it is zoned “commercial-only.” They are not allowed to compete with truck stops or storage warehouses for the limited property there.
We think it would be wise to declare a moratorium on zoning approvals for projects along Halls Road, effective immediately, pending the completion of the Halls Road plan and any new zoning regulations based on it. It is not fair to our town or to investors to move forward with projects while the rules are in flux. We cannot support near-term projects that would work to prevent or degrade future developments of higher long-term value.