Author Archives: MaryJo Nosal

Letter to the Editor: Nosal Says Proposed Upgrades to Old Lyme EOC Are Important, Necessary For Residents’ Safety

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To the Editor:

This evening, at the Old Lyme Annual Town Business Meeting, there will be a presentation, followed by a vote, on proposed upgrades to our Emergency Operations Center (EOC).  After expected grants of over $900,000, which will cover most of the construction, furnishings, and IT, the town would be responsible for about $600,000 for the upgrades to our town asset at the Boughton Road Fire Station..

As a former town selectwoman, I have participated in numerous emergency drills and actual emergency events at the Boughton Road Fire House. I consider these communication and infrastructure upgrades important and necessary for the safety of our residents.  Additionally, these upgrades will enhance the required training of our volunteers who, for example, must practice decontamination drills in the event of an accident at Millstone.  Compared to other facilities I have seen, the EOC is cramped, and the limited space makes it difficult for personnel to efficiently manage the multitude of required tasks in an emergency event.  A centralized facility in any emergency provides direct, effective, and essential, communication to all emergency personnel and residents. 

I understand that emergencies requiring personnel to assemble at the EOC are infrequent, but if and when they arise, an effective operation center is absolutely critical.

Sincerely,

Mary Jo Nosal,
Old Lyme.

Op-Ed: Follow NEC Future’s Own Findings, Abandon Alternative #1, Statement from Old Lyme Selectwoman MaryJo Nosal to the FRA:

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Today we welcome representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, 4:30PM. The following is a statement I planned on reading if the meeting format had allowed for public comment:

Congress established the Northeast Corridor Commission in 2008 and it was “chartered to facilitate collaborative planning and unified action” for the NEC Future process. The Commission’s report, NEC FUTURE and Investing in the Northeast Corridor: Advancing the American Economy (02/19/2016) (http://www.nec-commission.com), estimates the annual economic loss to our nation’s economy due to frequent Northeast Corridor (NEC) service disruptions at $500M. Equally important, the report clearly and strongly supports the needed investment in a NEC which includes the mid-size cities to advance the potential of the railroad as an engine for the American economy. “The potential for more transformative economic gain may lie in mid-sized cities such as Baltimore, Hartford, Newark, New Haven, Providence, and Wilmington. Their economies, with anchors such as research universities and corporate headquarters, stand to benefit from more reliable and frequent service, providing faster access to the financial and human capital resources of major hubs. Such investment in infrastructure would support recent economic and demographic trends and align with local economic development plans already in place. Additional capacity, improved travel time, and new origin-destination pairs could ensure the viability of projected growth in major markets, spark growth in mid-sized markets, and put the U.S. on par with peer regions around the world when competing for economic growth. Other cities, such as Hartford, not on the NEC mainline, have the potential to benefit with higher levels of investment. Today, infrequent service and lengthy travel times place limits on the potential growth mid-size cities might realize in terms population and jobs. Service improvements in consideration through the NEC FUTURE process would dramatically decrease the travel time from mid-sized cities such as Wilmington, Providence, and Hartford to the larger strong markets in New York, Boston, and Washington.”

The FRA should support the Commission’s findings by selecting the alternative, or modifications of the alternative, which provides increased mainline access to the NEC for customers and businesses, and significant improvement in travel time to hub cities by expanding NEC service to the underserved mid-size markets including New Haven and Hartford, CT. Eliminate the Old Saybrook-Kenyon Rhode, Island bypass option as it certainly does not meet the stated goals of the NEC Future and in fact, is in opposition to the Commission’s findings as it threatens an established economy of a small historical town and does not provide significant access or significant time savings to hub cities.