Monthly Archives: June 2024

Letter to the Editor: Old Lyme Historical Society Gives Thanks to All Who Made Hydrangea Sale a Success

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To the Editor:

Last weekend’s Hydrangea Sale held by the Old Lyme Historical Society Inc. was an unqualified success. Photo by James Meehan.

The Old Lyme Historical Society Inc. (OLHSI) would like to thank all the OLHSI volunteers, who assisted with their Hydrangeas Galore Plant Sale last weekend, and everyone who visited the Sale.

All the plants were generously donated by the Comstock Family Nursery in Old Lyme, and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Society’s Carol Noyes Winters Scholarship Fund.

Many thanks again to Mark Constock of the Comstock Family Nursery, the OLHSI volunteers, and the whole Lyme-Old Lyme community!

Sincerely,

The Old Lyme Historical Society Inc.,
Old Lyme.

Inaugural ‘StoryWalk ®’ Opens at Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center

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The Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library’s new StoryWalk ® at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center in Old Lyme will be opened today following a short dedication ceremony.

OLD LYME—On Friday, June 28, representatives of Old Lyme’s Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library celebrated the opening of the new StoryWalk® in memory of the late Agnes O’Connor at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center (RTPEC)’s Sunken Garden.

The RTPEC is located on the site of the former Bee & Thistle Inn.

After a brief dedication, participants were invited to enjoy refreshments and then walk/read the trail featuring In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming. All ages are welcome.

The Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin StoryWalk® is provided in partnership with the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center. It is located on the RTPEC grounds and can be accessed by visitors most days between dawn and dusk.

The StoryWalk® promotes early literacy, physical activity, and family time together in nature. Stories will be updated seasonally and feature books that celebrate nature.

The StoryWalk® is dedicated to the memory of Agnes O’Connor, a beloved Old Lyme resident and volunteer, who loved reading and nature. 

Juneteenth Joyfully Celebrated at FloGris Museum with Jazz & Poetry

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Celebrating Juneteenth at the Florence Griswold Museum on June 22 were, from left to right, poets Marilyn Nelson, Antoinette Brim-Bell, Kate Rushin, and Rhonda Ward, along with musicians James Austin Jr, Nat Reeves, Abraham Burton, and Michael Ode. All photos by Witness Stones Old Lyme.

OLD LYME—On Saturday, June 22, Witness Stones Old Lyme presented a celebratory event filled with jazz and poetry on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum. This event honored Juneteenth, a federal holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, and offered a vibrant fusion of music and spoken word.

Over 150 attendees experienced a powerful, moving, and joyful afternoon enriched by a harmonious blend of jazz and poetry.

Attendees at the Witness Stones Old Lyme event listen intently to the poets speaking at the Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry at the FloGris Museum

Acclaimed Connecticut poets Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward, and Antoinette Brim-Bell offered a range of work that mixed humor with poignant recollections and included tributes in verse to those once enslaved in historic Lyme. The poets’ words memorably captured forgotten voices and vividly brought to life the experience of bondage in the Lyme-Old Lyme community.

The Nat Reeves Quartet performs at the Witness Stones Old Lyme Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry at the FloGris Museum.

The celebration showcased the Nat Reeves Quartet, with Nat Reeves on bass joined by saxophonist Abraham Burton, pianist James Austin, Jr., and percussionist Michael Ode. Both Nat Reeves—a renowned figure in the jazz world for over 40 years—and Abraham Burton have contributed significantly to the genre as performers and educators, who train and inspire new generations of jazz musicians.

The Nat Reeves Quartet was one of the highlights of the Witness Stones Old Lyme Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry at the FloGris Museum.

The quartet’s stirring presentation combined with the poets’ voices offered attendees a reflective and uplifting experience honoring the legacy and cultural contributions of African Americans.

The Juneteenth celebration, held on a former site of enslavement, highlighted the importance of remembering and honoring the past and served as a reminder of the continuing struggle for freedom and equality.

More than 150 people turned out for the Witness Stones Old Lyme Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry at the FloGris Museum.

Editor’s Note: Learn more about Witness Stones Old Lyme and the 46 plaques commemorating those once enslaved in Old Lyme and Lyme at this link.

Local Vets Complete Training as Veterans Representatives for Towns of Lyme, Old Lyme, Killingworth

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Tony Vallombroso, who has been the Old Lyme Veterans Representative for many years, received his Municipal Veterans Representative completed training certificate from Ronald P. Welch, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.

ROCKY HILL, CT/LYME/OLD LYME—On June 14, the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) conducted an annual training program for the Veterans  Representatives of each Connecticut municipality.   

The event was held at the main VA campus at Rocky Hill, Conn. 

Completed training certificates were handed out by Ronald P. Welch, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.

Every Connecticut municipality is required by state law to have a Veterans Representative—usually a volunteer—who is trained annually to help community veterans understand their VA benefits and handle related issues. 

Incoming Veterans Representative David Griswold proudly holds his completed training certificate.

Tony Vallombroso has been the Old Lyme Veterans Representative for many years. David Griswold of Old Lyme will be working with Vallambroso as an incoming Veterans Representative.

Lyme First Selectman David Lahm is the Veterans Representative for Lyme.

David Lahm is the Veterans Representative for Lyme, as well as serving as the Town’s First Selectman. 

Old Lyme VFW Post 1467 Commander Richard Mason serves as the Killingworth Veterans Representative.

Richard Mason is commander of Old Lyme VFW Post 1467 and also the Veterans Representative of Killingworth.  

Below is a list of dignitaries, who attended the training event:—

  • Ronald P. Welch, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs
  • The Honorable Stephanie Thomas, Secretary of the State
  • Edward C. Payton, Interim Deputy Director, VA Connecticut Healthcare
  • Astrid Perez, Director, Veterans Benefit Administration, Hartford Regional Office
  • Stuart Topliff, Town Assessor, Town of Rocky Hill, Property Tax Exemptions
  • Heather Tweeddale, Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (Talent Solutions), Employment with the State of Connecticut
  • Nicholas Savaria, U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Health Administration)
  • Jessica Gagen – Military Services Coordinator, VBA Overview/Claims Trends/Automated Claims Review
  • Donna Bois – Assistant Veteran Readiness and Employment Officer (AVREO)
  • John S. Carragher, Advocacy and Assistance
  • Chuck Leone, Residential Programs and Services
  • Laura Nelson, Sgt. John Levitow Healthcare Center
  • Pam Porter, Cemetery and Memorial Services
  • Nicole Dykstra, Connecticut Department of Labor (American Job Centers)
  • Ariana Deeley, Director, Hartford Vet Center

Clarifications on Project Status Update From Halls Rd. Improvement Committee

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OLD LYME —LymeLine reader William Folland raised the need for some clarifications on the project status update we posted Saturday from the Halls Rd. Improvement Committee (HRIC).

Halls Rd. Improvement Committee Chair Edie Twining has now responded to Folland’s requests for clarification.

We felt it would be helpful to our readers to post both comments ‘side by side,’ though we urge readers to read the comments as posted against the article because, in this article, we have extracted from Twining’s full comment.

Folland said:

“The grants (LOTCIP and TA) that the town has submitted to fund this project is for construction costs only, the town will most likely be required to fund design costs.

The preliminary design cost, for infrastructure upgrades (sidewalks plus) on Halls road is appox. $624,000

Despite knowing funding the need to keep this project ongoing no town funds were provided in the towns 2024/2024 budget for this project.

To date town approved funds have been spent on the bridge design, no town approved funds have been spent on sidewalks.

The bridge design is incomplete with design requirement flaws, in addition a fishing pier and floating dock must be included in the plan. This will add sugnificiant cost to the project, a cost that most likely will be required to be funded by the town.

Back to funding: The grants (LOTCIP and TA) that the town has applied for will require a 20% match for cost of construction further driving up the towns funding obligation.

In closing: The issues that i have mentioned above represent only a fraction of problems yet to be resolved. The project would benifit greatly with the addition of a professional town planner to guide the HRIC.”

Twining responded:

“Some of the wording in your clarification could be misleading.
1. The $624,000 is not an estimate for preliminary design costs (as your wording implies), but the best current estimate of the total cost to accomplish all the remaining design work needed to bid and build “Complete Streets” (sidewalks, lighting, etc.). The grants applied for to date were construction grants, and expressly excluded funding for design. Our grants team continues to seek funding for the design portions of the project.

2. To date the town has spent none of its own revenue on the Bridge and Trails Design Project, as that work has been completely funded by two grants and managed entirely by volunteers. The DEEP’s request for a fishing pier and parking spaces in return for giving Old Lyme the DEEP’s property on the east bank of the river was not anticipated, and was not in the original funding. There have been no flaws in the design requirements, but rather delays in proceeding with this added design cost for the water access. This added work is under negotiation with the assistance of the town’s Harbor Management Commission.

3. The grants applied for all have different requirements, some need 20% matches, some only fund construction, some only fund planning etc. Some of the grant programs that require matching funds allow other grants to cover the 20% match. Some consider funds already spent by the town to be eligible as part of those matches. We are fortunate to have a committee member with grant experience, as you know.

4. The Halls Road Master Plan, as you learned in the past four months, has multiple pieces to the puzzle. Funding from the town is currently committed to the Senior Center and School Facility renovations. Those are big projects that will eventually be completed. And, yes, efforts on the scale of Halls Road and these current projects could benefit from a part-time Town Planner.

5. The safe passage of our school children and the entire Old Lyme community to and from our commercial center will continue to be an issue until funding is possible for the Halls Road Master Plan through the town and outside sources. We believe the need to support the businesses in our commercial center and to connect them to the rest of town is a nonpartisan goal that will significantly benefit our town and its future.

In closing, what you refer to as problems we see as challenges. Problems are easy to identify (or imagine). Solutions are what we need, and that is where our work is. It was good to have your help with that.”