Author Archives: Jerome Wilson

What is a Conservator? When Should One be Appointed? Probate Judge Lomme Explains

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Judge of Probate Terrance Lomme.

Judge of Probate Terrance Lomme.

Let’s take an all too common case along the shoreline.  Grandmother has been a widow for several years now, and gradually, gradually, the ordinary chores of keeping a banking account, paying bills, and having her finances in order, have become too much for her.

In such a case, grandma herself can go before a local Probate Judge and request the appointment of a Conservator to keep her books and pay her expenses.  The person to be appointed could be a relative, or a trusted friend of the person seeking the court’s appointment of a Conservator.

It is not necessary to go to the expense of hiring a lawyer in a case such as this.  Rather, if the person needing help has a person that they want to handle their affairs, they simply have to go before the Probate Judge and obtain the judge’s approval for the appointment.

Old Saybrook District Probate Court

The Probate Judge for the Town of Lyme is Terrance Lomme, and he is based in Old Saybrook.  His probate district also includes the towns of Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.

Lomme’s offices are on the second floor of the Old Saybrook Town Hall, and the Court’s telephone number is 860-510-5028.

There are, of course, other cases, which are far more complicated, and they may require a private attorney’s services.

Different Kinds of Conservators

The simple case mentioned above involves a “Voluntary Conservator” appointment.  There are also “Involuntary Conservator” appointments, which require, among other things, a doctor’s report stating that the appointment of a Conservator is a medical necessity.

“Involuntary Conservator” appointments are the most common kind of Conservator arrangement and, before they are approved, there must be a formal hearing before the Probate Judge.  Also, this kind of Conservatorship will only be granted, if there is clear and convincing evidence presented at a hearing that a Conservator’s involvement is necessary.  There is also a statutory appeals procedure for Involuntary Conservator appointments.

Another type of appointment of a Conservator is one just for a limited period of time, such as 30 days.  When the temporary appointment time limit expires, the affected person resumes making his or her own decisions.

Making things even more complicated, a Conservator can also be appointed for the Conservatorship of an “estate,” meaning essentially, control over tangible assets, and not over a person.  Banks can be appointed as a Conservator for an estate, but not for a person.  Also, hospitals and nursing homes are not allowed to be appointed either for a person or for an estate.

Periodic accountings are also required of a Conservator of Estate, and the posting of a bond is customary.  As for Conservators concerning persons, they must obtain court approval before placing the subject person in a long term care institution; or approving a change of residence, the selling of household furnishings, the sale or transfer of real estate, investing the subject person’s funds or placing the person in psychiatric care.

A Conservator of Estate can be terminated if the funds therein are below $1,600.  It can also be terminated if the person under a Conservator arrangement becomes capable of managing his or her own affairs.  A conserved person has a right to request restoration, and a court must hear this request within 30 days.  Furthermore, if a conserved person cannot obtain an attorney, one will be appointed for him or her in these situations.

Conservatorships Program at Essex Library

A program is scheduled this coming Tuesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Essex Library, which is the second in a series on what you need to know about probate.  It will focus on the law and procedures of Conservators as part of ageing and estate planning and will be hosted by Probate Judge Terrance Lomme.  The public is invited to attend and ask questions.

Middlesex Hospital Hosts “Open House” at New Medical Center in Westbrook

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Exterior of Emergency Center with helicopter coming in to land.

Exterior of Emergency Center with helicopter coming in to land.

Middlesex Hospital held a very successful preview of its new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook on Saturday, April 19.  The new center is located off I-95 at Exit 65 and has a street address of 250 Flat Rock Place in Westbrook. The four-hour preview event, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., attracted a flood of visitors to the new 44,000 square foot medical facility.

The new medical center will open its doors for patients on Monday, April 28.  Until then, Middlesex Hospital will continue to provide medical services at its present medical center in Essex.  Once the new center opens in Westbrook, the Essex center will be closed down permanently.  It should be noted that Middlesex Hospital has been providing emergency medical services at various locations in Essex since the 1970s.

Middlesex Hospital’s new facility on Flat Rock Place in Westbrook is housed in a single long building, which is divided into two discrete sections.  The section on the right, when facing the building coming off Flat Rock Road, houses the Emergency Center.  The section on the left houses the Outpatient Center.  There is a single walk-in entrance to the Emergency Center.  There are two entrances to the Outpatient Center, one facing Flat Rock Place, and the other at the left side of the building.

The Emergency Center

The Emergency Department, named the “Whelen Emergency Pavilion,” offers emergency medical treatment, for things such as a heart attack, or a crushed limb.  Also, located at the Emergency Center is an “Express Care” treatment center, which offers treatment for injuries of a non-emergency nature, such as a sprained ankle, or for a minor cut.

Laurel Patt, Director, Radiology Services; Paula Howley, radiologic technologist; and Kim Carey, radiologic technologist.

Laurel Patt, Director, Radiology Services; Paula Howley, radiologic technologist; and Kim Carey, radiologic technologist.

There is also a separate ambulance entrance to the Whelen Emergency Pavilion, with a helipad located just beyond the ambulance area.  To give visitors a little extra excitement during the recent open house, the LifeStar helicopter made a special landing on the helipad and allowed visitors to explore it.

The Outpatient Center

The Outpatient Center is the section of the Medical Center, which is to the left of the Emergency Center when entering from Flat Rock Place.  The Outpatient Center has two separate entrances, one at the front of the building and another on the left side of the building.  The services offered at the Outpatient Center are extensive.  They include: a Radiology Department, which offers state-of-the-art imaging services, including the latest generation MRI, CT scanning, X-ray, digital fluoroscopy, among other services.

Interior of waiting area of the Outpatient Center.

Interior of waiting area of the Outpatient Center.

A Women’s Imaging Center is also located in the Outpatient Center.  It includes private spaces for digital mammography, ultrasound and bone density examinations.  Also in the Outpatient Center has a new MRI unit, which features the most advanced imaging with a wider and shorter opening aperture.

In addition, this is the location of the Medical Center’s laboratory, which is accessible to outpatients and for emergency services.  Finally, in the Outpatient Center there is an infusion section with a private area for receiving intravenous (IV) fluids.

On an artistic note there is also a Community Gallery featuring rotating works of art by professional, amateur and student artists.  There is also an open area stone garden off the left end of the building.

Entertainments for the Day

At the recent Saturday Open House, in addition to tours of the Emergency and Outpatient Centers, there were vehicles on display from the Westbrook and Essex Ambulance Associations, the Middlesex Hospital Paramedic service and neighboring commercial car dealers.  Also, there were free blood pressure screenings offered to visitors, and a roving magician to entertain the young.  Connecticut State Police officers distributed child fingerprint ID’s, among other amusements for the young and old.

Middlesex Hospital on Target to Open New Westbrook Medical Center in April

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Middlesex Hospital’s new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook is on schedule to open in April

Middlesex Hospital’s new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook is on schedule to open in April

Middlesex Hospital is on track to open a new emergency and outpatient medical center off Exit 65 of I-95 in Westbrook this coming April.  The new 44,000 square foot medical center is located at 250 Flat Rock Road, which is on the road that leads up to the Tanger Outlet Mall.

As soon as the new Westbrook Medical Center is completed, Middlesex Hospital will make the transition from its existing Shoreline Medical Center in Essex.  The new Westbrook location will be double the size of the Essex facility.  In addition, it will have the capacity to expand up to 60,000 square feet, if there is a need to do so.

Middlesex Hospital’s new Westbrook facility will have many improvements over the present Essex facility.  These include an expanded emergency center with 24 beds, as well as an urgent care area for non-emergency patients.  Patient privacy will be also be improved at the new center and there will be a separate outside entrance to the adjoining outpatient area.

In addition, the new facility will have a full service laboratory, an infusion therapy suite, expanded radiology services and a designated women’s imaging area.

Chester Company Donates $1 Million to New Center

Whelen Engineering, Inc., which is headquartered in Chester, is donating $1 million towards the building of the new Middlesex Hospital Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook.  The new Emergency Department in Westbrook will be aptly named the “Whelen Emergency Center.”

Whelen Engineering previously donated $1 million towards to the construction of a new Emergency Department in Middletown, which the hospital named the “Whelen Emergency Pavilion.”

Middlesex Hospital’s History of Medical Care on the Shoreline

Middlesex Hospital has a history, beginning in 1970, of providing medical care to the shoreline residents of Middlesex County.  The hospital first rented a space in Centerbrook, where it set up a full-service, satellite Emergency Department.

From its first day of operation, this Shoreline Medical Center in Centerbrook experienced phenomenal growth.  In fact, it soon became impossible for the medical center to remain at its Centerbrook location and properly serve an overrun of patients for the size of the facility.

Two Essex residents, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Knapp, came to the rescue by donating to Middlesex Hospital 10.4 acres of land on which to build a new, permanent Shoreline Medical Center in Essex. Today, the facility serves on average 2,000 to 2,500 patients a month in its Emergency Department alone.  In addition, the Medical Center’s Emergency Department has received a number of prestigious awards for its excellence in patient satisfaction.

The Shoreline Medical Clinic in Essex will close this coming April when the Westbrook Medical Center opens.

The Shoreline Medical Clinic in Essex will close this coming April when the Westbrook Medical Center opens.

Middlesex Hospital to date has not announced its plans for the building in Essex, once it has been closed and replaced by the new Westbrook facility.

New $28 Million Medical Center in Westbrook on Track to Open in April 2014

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The new Westbrook Medical Center under construction.

The new Westbrook Medical Center under construction.

Middlesex Hospital’s new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook is scheduled to open its doors to receive patients, as early as April 2014.

The Whiting-Turner Construction Company of New Haven is in charge of constructing the new Medical Center in Westbrook.  The company estimates that the new facility will be finished by March 2014. Then, it will take much of April 2014 for Middlesex Hospital to furnish the new Center and install medical equipment.

Construction continues daily.

Construction continues daily.

New Center Can Expand to 60,00 Square Feet

The new Medical Center in Westbrook will initially have 44,000 square feet of working space.  However, the Center can be expanded to 60,000 square feet, if it becomes necessary.  By contrast the Hospital’s present Medical Center in Essex is just over 20,000 square feet.  On an historical note, the Essex facility has provided emergency medical care for shoreline residents for over 40 years.

The new Middlesex Hospital Shoreline Medical Center will be located on Flat Rock Place, which is just off Exit 65 of Interstate I-95.  Flat Rock Place is a four-lane access highway, which has the auto dealerships of Honda and Toyota at the bottom end and the Tanger Outlets shopping mall at the top.  The new Medical Center will be located half way up Flat Rock Place on the left hand side.

When complete, the new Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook will have, “a whole host of diagnostic and treatment services,” according to hospital sources.  In addition, “radiological services will expand to include a new MRI testing area, and a designated woman’s imaging area.”  Also, the new Center in Westbrook will continue to provide 24/7 medical care, and it will have a helipad for emergency helicopter trips, as well as paramedic services.

The current Shoreline Medical Center on Westbrook Rd. in Essex.

The current Shoreline Medical Center on Westbrook Rd. in Essex.

Advantages of New Westbrook Location

In addition to a large roster of medical services at the new Westbrook facility, there are significant access advantages as well.  The new Westbrook center will be conveniently located, just off I-95 at Exit 65.

Also, the new Westport location will permit patients from towns, such as Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Clinton and Guilford, to have direct I-95 Interstate access to the new facility.  In addition, the residents of Deep River, Chester and Haddam, via Rte. 9, will have I-95 Interstate access to the new Center as well.

Although patients from Essex will no longer have their very own medical center right in town, it will be only be a few extra miles down Rte. 153 for Essex residents to reach the new Westbrook Center.

New Executive Director Has Big Dreams, Plans for Connecticut River Museum

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Chris Dobbs, the new Executive Director of Connecticut River Museum.

Chris Dobbs, the new Executive Director of Connecticut River Museum.

Imagine if you will, a vintage, side-wheeler steamboat tied up smartly at the Steamboat Dock of the Connecticut River Museum.  Imagine as well that, on given days, this old, classic steamboat carries modern day passengers up and down the Connecticut River on both educational and pleasure cruises.

This is just one of the ambitious dreams held by the Connecticut River Museum’s new Executive Director, Christopher I. Dobbs (he prefers to be called “Chris.”)  Dobbs recently replaced the museum’s former Executive Director, Jerry Roberts.

A resident of Deep River, the 42-year-old Dobbs comes to his new post at the Connecticut River Museum after a nine year stint as Executive Director of the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society in West Hartford.  Prior to that, he was the Associate Director of Education at the Mystic Seaport Museum of America and the Sea.  Dobbs has an M.A. in Museum Studies from the State University College of New York, Cooperstown, N.Y.

To help him secure the Connecticut River Museum’s top job, Dobbs submitted to the search committee an impressive, three-paged, single-spaced, small-type resume, setting forth his previous experience and multiple accomplishments in the museum field.  For example, his resume notes that as head of the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, he “Developed and completed a $1.2 million capital campaign (raised 20% more than goal.)”

Also, noted is that in his previous position he, “Acted as the chief fundraiser by working with individual donors, foundations, city government, and State of Connecticut legislatures and agencies, and that he, “Increased endowment 45 per cent.”

“Conversational” billboard entrance to the Museum

It is highly likely that the new Executive Director’s fundraising skills did not go unnoticed by the Connecticut River Museum’s search committee for a new Executive Director.  Further evidence of Dobbs’s successful fund raising was that he managed and fundraised for a 250th Birthday celebration for his previous employer’s namesake, Noah Webster.

The Dream of a Steamboat Tied Up at Steamboat Dock

In a recent interview, Dobbs demonstrated that he is a person who can dream big.  For example, he suggested that, at some future date, the Connecticut River Museum might acquire a fully working, side-paddling steamboat.  With this historical coincidence in mind, the new steamboat would be docked at the Steamboat Dock of the Connecticut River Museum.  In the 19th century, the Steamboat Dock was a frequent stop for steamboats operating along the river.

As for the present availability of old steamboats, Dobbs said, “There are some of them still around for sale.”  Dobbs asks what could be more appropriate than to have a working steamboat tied up at the Steamboat Dock of the Connecticut River Museum.

This does not mean that the museum’s present sailboat, the “Mary E,” which seasonably carries paying passengers on short cruises up and down the Connecticut River, would be replaced immediately.  However, the new Executive Director feels that having a working steamboat at the Steamboat Dock would be uniquely consistent with the Connecticut River Museum’s mission and history.

The unadorned entrance of the Connecticut River MuseumThe unadorned entrance of the Connecticut River Museum.

This talk of steamboats does not mean that Dobbs is not completely on board in commemorating next year’s 200th anniversary of the 2014 burning of the American ships in Essex by British forces during the war of 1812.  However, Dobbs clearly feels that this one-time historic event should not be the principal focus of the Connecticut River Museum.

Tying the Museum to the Entire Connecticut River

Rather, the central mission of the museum, in Dobbs’s view, is that it should focus on the full length of the Connecticut River.  As Dobbs puts it, “This is, after all, the Connecticut River Museum, and, therefore, the entire length of the river from the Canadian border down to the river’s mouth on Long Island Sound is what this museum should be all about.”  It should be noted that the Connecticut River is 407 miles long and begins just below the Canadian border and runs down to its mouth on Long Island Sound in Connecticut between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme.

Artist rendering at the Museum of 1814 British attack on Essex Artist rendering at the Museum of 1814 British attack on Essex

Activities that the museum might sponsor could be canoe excursions on the upper Connecticut River between Vermont and New Hampshire.  In addition, the new Executive Director envisions joining the fight against pollution in the Connecticut River, as well as children’s programs about animal and aquatic life along the Connecticut River, including teaching young and old how “to hold a fish and touch a crab.”

Dodd also raptures that the Connecticut River is, “America’s First Blue Way.”  Also, like many environmentalists, he is grateful that the mouth of the Connecticut River between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme “has not been spoiled by development.”

In sum, Chris Dobbs, the new Executive Director of the Connecticut River Museum, takes a broad and exciting view of his new position.  He states conclusively, “We are the Connecticut River Museum, and that is the Connecticut River, and that is what we are about.”  He continues, “That means that the museum is entwined with the river, every single mile of it.”