Old Lyme Receives Sustainable CT Silver Award at Conference of Municipalities, One of Only 12 Towns in State to Receive Award

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Olwen Logan

Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold and Sustainable Old Lyme Team Chair Cheryl Poirier display the prestigious Sustainable CT Silver Level Certification Award they accepted on Tuesday on behalf of the Town of Old Lyme at the Convention of CT Conference of Municipalities held at Mohegan Sun. Photo by M. Noehren.

OLD LYME — On Tuesday, Nov. 30, Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold and Cheryl Poirier, who serves as chairperson of the Sustainable Old Lyme team, were honored at the annual Convention of CT Conference of Municipalities held at Mohegan Sun when they accepted the prestigious Sustainable CT Silver Level Certification Award on behalf of the Town of Old Lyme.

Old Lyme met high standards in a broad range of sustainability accomplishments to qualify for the prestigious Silver level certification, becoming only one of 12 towns in the state to receive that level of certification and the only one in New London County. All 2021 certified communities were recognized at the Annual Convention of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.

Sustainable CT is a statewide initiative that inspires and supports communities in becoming more efficient, resilient, and inclusive. The highest level of certification currently offered is silver — the Town achieved a Bronze certification in the Fall of 2020.

Asked how he felt about receipt of the award, Griswold responded by email saying graciously, “Cheryl Poirier deserves most of the credit for the honor Old Lyme received for achieving the Sustainable CT Silver Certification (the highest level at this time).”

He continued, “Cheryl and I were recognized during the awards luncheon of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities’ Convention at the Mohegan Sun Casino,” adding, “Numerous initiatives involving many different Town agencies helped the Sustainable Old Lyme Team win the three-year Silver status.”

Griswold concluded enthusiastically, “I have a feeling Gold is in the Team’s future under Cheryl’s dynamic leadership.”

Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold (third from left) and Sustainable Old Lyme Team Chair Cheryl Poirier (second from left) stand with other winners of the Sustainable CT Silver Level Certification Award. The award recipients were honored on Tuesday at the Convention of CT Conference of Municipalities held at Mohegan Sun. Photo by M. Noehren.

An Open Space Plan with its eye on sustainability, a town-wide Pollinator Pathway that encourages residents to plant native species, and a strong commitment to arts and culture were just some of the initiatives that led to Old Lyme receiving this highest level of certification by Sustainable Connecticut.

In its application for Sustainable CT certification, Old Lyme demonstrated significant achievements in 12 sustainable impact areas ranging from inclusive community building, thriving local economies, and clean and efficient energy use, to vibrant arts and culture, clean transportation and planning for diverse housing.

Twelve initiatives in Old Lyme’s certification application have been designated as “Success Stories,” which are deemed strong examples of a particular action and are shared with municipalities pursuing certification. Twelve Success Stories in the Town of Old Lyme’s submission include:

Meeting the Equitable and Inclusive Process requirements for the Economic Development Commission’s 2019 SWOT analysis process, 2020 Walk Audit, and the 2021 Lymes’ Creative Arts summer youth programming;
The Town’s Open Space Plan which includes prioritizing acquisitions, enhancing the local ecosystem, connecting open space parcels, offering recreation benefits, and ensuring the long-term viability of the Town’s open space.”
Pollinate Old Lyme!: A collaborative pollinator ecosystem educational program and the creation of a pollinator pathway in Old Lyme which includes public-access properties;
A commitment to the inventory and accurate promotion of the town’s tourism and cultural assets;
Its overall commitment to arts and culture in the town, including promoting arts programming by the OL-PGN Library and the creation of an arts district partnership;
The Planning Commission’s 2020 Plan of Conservation & Development, which addresses six key sustainability goals related to compatible physical development and stewardship, municipal programs and operations, community character and livability, economic vitality and resilience, infrastructure resiliency, and land use patterns;
The Old Lyme Historic and Architectural Resource Inventory with over 200 properties considered historically significant; the Inventory can be used as a planning tool for community leaders;
The Town’s “Complete Streets” improvements to the Sound View Village and its Gateway with new sidewalks and improved safety;
The Town’s communications strategy for disseminating information including meeting the challenges of communicating with residents during the pandemic;
The Sustainable Old Lyme Team’s mentorship of the Town of Lyme’s new Sustainable CT effort;
Assessing and sharing with the public the Town’s three-year-residential solid waste tonnage, with an incentive to reduce trash by 10 percent;
Two innovative strategies and initiatives specific to the community: Lyme-Old Lyme Public School’s carbon-free initiative, and the Witness Stone project in Old Lyme.

“It was an honor for our team to submit this application on behalf of the Town,” said Cheryl Poirier, chairperson of the Sustainable Old Lyme Team. “While we worked closely with various boards, commissions, and Town departments to document their sustainable efforts, we also sought out opportunities to reach new goals set by the suggested actions of Sustainable CT.”

She noted, “The Sustainable CT certification process gave us the vision to work toward an even more sustainable community,” explained Poirier.

Future efforts by the Sustainable Old Lyme team will be to educate its community members on ways to reduce the amount of solid waste that is tossed in the trash. “Sustainable CT sets a challenge for municipalities to reduce its residents’ solid waste by 10% or more, and we are interested in meeting that challenge,” Poirier noted.

Sustainable CT has seen strong momentum and growth as a valuable, high-impact program. One-hundred twenty-five municipalities have registered for the program, representing 86 percent of the state’s population. Collectively, 64 municipalities, which is equivalent to 60 percent of the state’s communities, have earned Sustainable CT certification. Certification lasts for three years, with submissions rigorously evaluated by independent experts and other Sustainable CT partners.

The program includes actions that help towns and cities build community connection, social equity, and long-term resilience. The program’s action roadmap and support tools are especially relevant as towns seek practices and resources to promote racial justice, respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and address climate change.

Sustainable CT is independently funded, with strong support from its three founding funders: the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, the Smart Seed Fund, and the Common Sense Fund. Additional support is provided by the Connecticut Green Bank and a growing number of community foundations and other sponsors.

For more information, visit www.sustainablect.org.

Old Lyme’s certification report can be found at this link.

Editor’s Notes: i) Congratulations to all those involved in making achievement of this certification a reality. We recognize that an enormous amount has been undertaken in order to prepare Old Lyme’s submission and thank all the volunteers who have worked tirelessly on this project.

Dec. 2 COVID-19 Update: Old Lyme Stays Red for Case Rates, Lyme Gray; Eight New Cases in OL Take Cumulative Cases to 493, Also One New Case in Lyme

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Olwen Logan

This map, updated Dec. 2, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Old Lyme is in the Red (highest) Zone while Lyme is one of only seven towns remaining in the Gray (lowest) 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.) Map: Ver 12.1.2020 Source: CT Department of Public Health Get the data Created with Datawrapper. Details in italics are the same for each of the maps included in this article.

LYME-OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Thursday, Dec. 2, at 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health (CT DPH) shows eight new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme taking that town’s total of cumulative cases to 493.

One new case was reported in Lyme, raising its cumulative case total to 136.

The news statewide is extremely concerning. According to the weekly COVID-19 Average Daily Case Rate Report issued by the state on Dec. 2, the number of towns in the Red (highest) Zone for case rates has soared from last week’s total of 110 to 135, which is now equivalent to 80 percent of towns in the state.

As comparative pointes of reference, the week prior to Thanksgiving (Nov. 18, 2021), there were 67 towns in the Red Zone, on Oct. 7, 2021 the number was down to 37, and on July 8, 2021, there was not a single one.

Old Lyme is in the Red (highest) Zone for the second consecutive week: last week was the first time Old Lyme had been in the Red Zone since Sept. 30, 2021.

Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest) Zone and is one of only seven towns in the state in that Zone, where it has been since Sept. 30, 2021.

The Dec. 2 report shows there are 23 towns in the Orange (second highest) Zone and four towns in the Yellow (lowest but one) Zone.

Details of the Zones are as follows:

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.

We have been asked by a reader whether the cases we are reporting in Lyme and Old Lyme are in vaccinated or unvaccinated persons. We do not have that information, but we note that Eliza Fawcett quoted Gov. Ned Lamont in an article published Nov. 30 in the Hartford Courant, who said, “It’s really a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” The quote was taken from a speech Lamont gave during an appearance at the annual Connecticut Conference of Municipalities convention at Mohegan Sun on Tuesday.

Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser informed the school community Thursday, Dec. 2, of two separate positive cases of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High (LOL) School had been reported. See below for a full listing of all LOL Schools-related cases.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Dec. 9 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

All the towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) are in the Red Zone, except Lyme.

Prior to Monday, Nov. 22, when two new cases were reported, Lyme had previously gone 35 days in succession without reporting a single new case.

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 50 since Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the total stood at 443.

On Aug. 26 — which was the day Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year — Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have now been 121 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 22 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

In an email sent Thursday, Dec. 2, regarding the latest COVID-19 data, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Director of Health Steven Mansfield stated, “The number of new COVID cases within our jurisdiction continues to increase, which is consistent with an increase in COVID cases statewide, according to DPH data. Unfortunately, we expect this trend to continue as we move into the holiday season.”

He continued, “LLHD continues to focus our vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing initial vaccinations, and boosters to individuals who were vaccinated previously.”

The state does not issue reports over the weekend nor on public holidays. The next report from CT DPH will be issued Friday, Dec. 3, at around 4 p.m.

COVID-19 Cases in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools

This is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — there may have been further updates, however, which we have not yet received.

On Thursday, Dec. 2, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser informed the school community that two separate positive cases of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) had been reported.

On Monday, Nov. 30, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS had been reported.

On Monday, Nov. 29, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Mile Creek School had been reported.

On Tuesday, Nov. 23, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS had been reported.

On Monday, Nov. 22, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Mile Creek School had been reported.

On Thursday, Nov. 18, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS had been reported.

On Wednesday, Nov. 17, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS had been reported.

On Sunday, Nov. 14, Neviaser informed the school community that over the weekend a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS had been reported.

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS had been reported.

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS had been reported the previous evening.

On Thursday, Oct. 23, Neviaser informed the school community of two intrafamilial positive cases of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS.) He stated, “We were able to complete our contact tracing and the one individual who must quarantine has been notified.”

On Thursday, Sept. 23, Neviaser informed the school community of two intrafamilial positive cases of COVID-19 impacting LOLMS. He noted, “We were able to complete our contact tracing and the one individual who must quarantine has been notified.”

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, Neviaser informed the school community of a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, Neviaser informed the school community that a previously reported positive case of COVID-19 is now impacting Mile Creek School and Center School.

On Monday, Sept. 13, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19, which had been reported the previous day, was impacting LOLMS.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 was impacting Mile Creek School.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Monday, Aug. 30, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting LOLHS had been reported.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Friday, Aug. 27, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme School had been reported.

In all cases, contact tracing was completed and those individuals who needed to quarantine were notified. They will be able to return to school following their quarantine period. All other students and staff will continue to attend school as scheduled.

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There has been one COVID-related fatality of a Lyme resident: a 57-year-old male passed away Nov. 16, 2021. On Nov. 30, the state finally included this fatality in its data

Three COVID-related fatalities have been reported in Old Lyme. The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

Details of the third, which was reported in 2021, have not been made available.

COVID-19 Cases Over Time: Dec. 2020-Dec. 2021

The following maps show has the picture of COVID-19 cases has gone from an almost totally red map back in Dec. 2020 to an almost all-gray map on June 17, 2021, and today (Dec. 2, 2021) back to almost all red.

Oct. 14, 2021

This map, updated Oct. 14, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Old Lyme and Lyme are both in the Gray (lowest) Zone.

Both Lyme and Old Lyme are in the Gray (lowest) Zone, where Lyme has been since mid-September. The last time both towns were in the Gray Zone was July 22, 2021.

Sept. 23, 2021

This map, updated Sept. 23, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme have moved into the Red (highest) Zone.

Both Lyme and Old Lyme remained in the Red (highest) Zone for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19. This was the third week in succession that both towns were in the Red Zone.

Statewide, there were 81 towns now in the Red Zone, which is three down from the previous week’s total of 84. On Sept. 2, the total was 91 so the trend was undoubtedly downward although it was still up significantly from the 39 reported on Aug. 12.

Sept. 9, 2021

This map, updated Sept. 9, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme have moved into the Red (highest) Zone.

There were 47 towns in the Orange (second highest) Zone, 19 towns in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone. and 20 towns in the Gray (lowest) Zone.

All other towns in the state, including Lyme and Old Lyme, were in the Red (highest) Zone.

Sept. 2

This map, updated Sept. 2, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Lyme is still in the (lowest) Gray Zone, while Old Lyme has moved back down into the Yellow Zone.

The map above is from Sept. 2 when 91 towns were in the Red Zone, which is down one from 92 a week ago on Aug. 26, but still up significantly from 73 on Aug. 19, and 39 on Aug. 12.

Old Lyme had fallen to the Yellow (second lowest) Zone along with 10 other towns. This total of 11 towns is unchanged from last week, when Old Lyme was in the Orange Zone.

Lyme was in the Gray (lowest) Zone. This was the 24th straight week for Lyme in the Gray Zone. Again, this total of 20 towns in the Gray Zone was unchanged from last week.

Forty-seven towns were in the Orange (second highest) Zone.

Aug. 26, 2021

This map, updated Aug. 26, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Lyme is still in the (lowest) Gray Zone, while Old Lyme has moved back down into the Yellow Zone.

The map above is from Aug. 26, when Old Lyme was in the Orange (second highest case rate) Zone with a daily case rate per 100,000 of 10.8.

Eleven Connecticut towns were in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone down from 20the previous week. Locally, these included Deep River, Old Saybrook and Haddam.

The remaining 20 towns in the state, including Lyme, were in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone. This was the 23rd straight week for Lyme in the Gray Zone.

Aug. 19, 2021

This map, updated Aug. 19, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Lyme is still in the (lowest) Gray Zone, while Old Lyme has moved back into the Orange Zone.

The map above is from Aug. 19 when Old Lyme was back in the Orange (second highest case rate) Zone. Almost 50 towns in the state remained in the Orange Zone, which was around the same number as the previous week.

Less than 20 Connecticut towns were in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone down from 40 the previous week. Locally, these included including Deep River, Essex and East Haddam.

The remaining 20 towns in the state, including Lyme, are in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone. This was the 22nd straight week for Lyme in the Gray Zone.

Aug. 12

The map below is from Aug. 12 and shows that Old Lyme had fallen out of the Orange (second highest case rate) Zone into the Yellow (second lowest) Zone — but only by a fraction.

Almost 50 towns were in the Orange (second highest case rate) Zone — up from 33 the previous week — including Westbrook and Salem locally.

Old Lyme joined the Yellow (second lowest) Zone along with around 40 other Connecticut towns, including Old Saybrook, East Lyme, and Essex.

All remaining towns in the state, including Lyme, along with Deep River and Chester, were in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone. This was the 21st straight week for Lyme in the Gray Zone.

This map, updated Aug. 12, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Lyme is in the (lowest) Gray Zone, but Old Lyme is in the Yellow Zone.

Aug. 5

The map below is from Aug. 5 when six towns were in the Red (highest case rate) Zone (the previous week’s number was four) and 33 in the Orange (second highest case rate) Zone — the previous week’s number was four, including Old Lyme.

East Lyme* had reentered the Yellow (second lowest) Zone along with more than 50 other Connecticut towns.

All remaining towns in the state, including Lyme*, were in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone. This was the 20th straight week for Lyme in the Gray Zone.

This map, updated Aug. 5, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Lyme is still in the (lowest) Gray Zone, but Old Lyme has moved into the Orange Zone.

July 29, 2021

The map below is from July 29, when four towns were in the Red Zone –Harland, Salem, Bozrah and Sprague — and four towns were in the Orange Zone — Easton, East Hampton, Ledyard and Thompson.

Old Lyme had reentered the Yellow (second lowest) Zone along with more than 50 other Connecticut towns. All remaining towns in the state, including Lyme, were in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone. This was the 19th straight week for Lyme in the Gray Zone.

This map, updated July 29, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Lyme is in the (lowest) Gray Zone, but Old Lyme has moved into the Yellow Zone.

July 15, 2021

The map below is from July 15, when one town, Franklin, was in the Red Zone (indicating the highest rate of COVID-19 new cases) and another two, Salem and Andover, were in the (second highest rate) Orange Zone. New Hartford and Griswold were in the Yellow Zone (indicating the lowest but one rate of COVID-19 new cases.)

This map, updated July 15, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme are still in the (lowest) Gray Zone.

July 8, 2021

This map shows New Hartford as the sole town in the Yellow Zone.

This map, updated July 8, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme are still in the (lowest) Gray Zone.

June 17, 2021

This is the map, when just one town, Bolton, was in the Yellow Zone.

This map, updated June 17, shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme are in the (lowest) Gray Zone.

Dec. 18, 2020

Map of Connecticut dated Dec. 17, 2020 showing both Lyme and Old Lyme now in the CT DPH-identified ‘Red Zone.’

Nov. 29 COVID-19 Update: One New Case in Each Town; Cumulative Total Rises to 475 in Old Lyme, 135 in Lyme

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Olwen Logan

Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

LYME-OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Monday, Nov. 29, at 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health (CT DPH) shows one new, confirmed COVID-19 case in Old Lyme taking that town’s total of cumulative cases to 475 and one new case in Lyme, raising that town’s cumulative total to 135.

Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser informed the school community today (Nov. 29) that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Mile Creek School had been reported. See below for a full listing of all LOL Schools-related cases.

As we reported on Friday, Nov. 26, Old Lyme has re-entered the Red Zone in the weekly COVID-19 Average Daily Case Rate Report issued by the state on Nov. 26. This was the first time Old Lyme had been in the Red (highest) Zone since Sept. 30, 2021. Lyme remained in the Gray (lowest) Zone, where it has been since Sept. 30, 2021.

The number of towns statewide in the Red Zone has increased dramatically in the past two weeks with 67 towns in it last week and 110 this week. To give a further indication of the significance of the increase, the number of towns in the Red Zone on Oct. 7, 2021 was down to 37.

All the towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) are in the Red Zone, except Lyme.

Prior to Monday, Nov. 22, when two new cases were reported, Lyme had previously gone 35 days in succession without reporting a single new case.

This means the cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 32 since Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the total stood at 443.

On Aug. 26 — which was the day Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year — Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have now been 103 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 25 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

In an email sent Wednesday, Nov. 24, regarding the latest COVID-19 data, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Director of Health Steven Mansfield stated, “The number of new COVID cases within our jurisdiction continues to increase, which is consistent with an increase in COVID cases statewide, according to DPH data. Unfortunately, we expect this trend to continue as we move into the holiday season.”

He continued, “LLHD continues to focus our vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing boosters to individuals who were vaccinated previously,” adding, “It is imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies. We strongly advise everyone to continue to wear masks indoors in public settings, regardless of vaccination status.”

The state does not issue reports over the weekend nor on public holidays. The next report from CT DPH will be issued Tuesday, Nov. 30, at around 4 p.m.

COVID-19 Cases in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools

This is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — there may have been further updates, however, which we have not yet received.

On Monday, Nov. 29, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Mile Creek School had been reported.

On Tuesday, Nov. 23, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) had been reported.