OLD LYME—It was a brisk and sunny afternoon on Saturday when state and local officials, Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center (OLCLC) Board Members and members of the public gathered at the OLCLC building at 57 Lyme St.for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the reopening of the Center after a major renovation. The ribbon-cutting was followed by an Open House with children’s crafts for little ones.

The OLCLC had to complete an extensive renovation (including partial gutting) after it was discovered a structural beam was rotted in its 1850 building.

The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Old Lyme Economic Development Commission (OLEDC) Chairman Cheryl Poirier, then Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker spoke, noting, “We’re just so glad this renovation went so well, it’s another new bright spot on Lyme Street, and we’re glad to have you back and up and running.”

State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd), whose District includes Old Lyme, spoke next reading an Official Citation from the State of Connecticut, which had been introduced by Carney and State Senator Martha Marx (D-20th).

Carney said, “Be it hereby known to all that the Connecticut General Assembly hereby offers its sincerest congratulations to Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center in recognition of your years serving Lyme and Old Lyme children and families. Your programs have helped develop the skills of so many children and enhanced their self esteem. Your welcoming environment has benefitted our community, and we congratulate you on your beautiful renovation.”

He noted, “The entire membership extends its very best wishes on this memorable occasion and expresses the hope for continued success.”

Then Kristen St. Germain, President of the OLCLC Board of Directors, spoke at some length about the importance of the Center and the renovation project, while expressing appreciation to many people. She first thanked the Old Lyme Economic Development Commission for organizing the event and all those in attendance for, “Joining us to celebrate this incredible milestone for the Center.”

She noted that the journey to reach the point at which they now stood had truly been “A labor of love,” adding, “For me, it’s personal—over the past 26 years, all three of my children have been part of the OLCLC programs making my own return to work that much easier. Like many parents on this board, I deeply understand the importance of quality childcare, and entrusting our children to a place that we can feel good about and I also know that this has been something that has become increasingly difficult for working families to experience these last few years.”

St. Germain went on to explain that following the pandemic, the Office of Early Childhood reported “a staggering shortage of 50,000 infant and toddler slots across the state.” She noted, “Our Center, too, faced significant challenges, having to close its doors for over a year. During that time, we reimagined our programming to help meet the growing demand for infant and toddler care in our community.”

But she noted the challenges did not stop there, referring to the discovery of a structural beam that was rotted in the OLCLC’s 1850 building. That “major setback” sparked the whole renovation project, which took some 18 months of intensive work to rectify. St. Germain then stated ebuliently, “But thanks to the unwavering dedication of so many, we persevered and reopened, ready once more to serve families seeking exceptional care for their children.”

She noted “an incredible team of people” had made the renovation happen, citing current Board Chair Marie Ryan and all of the Board of Directors, noting, “Your tireless volunteer efforts have been invaluable.” She mentioned the staff, who kept the OLCLC going in a limited capacity throughout the renovation and, “[worked] under some unbelievable obstacles to keep our toddler and school age programming running so successfully during the rebuild.”

St. Germain added thanks to David Noe and HP Broom, “For transforming this space into a repurposed facility that will serve families for the next 40 years,” and to Charter Oak, “For helping us secure the funding to make this vision a reality.”

Thanking the Old Lyme Historic District Commission, St. Germain said, “We appreciate your partnership as we navigated the challenges of rebuilding within the historic district,” and then she mentioned First Selectwoman Shoemaker and the numerous town officials who had ensured, “Every requirement to get this project across the finish line,” was met.

State Representative Carney was also thanked for supporting the project at the state level.

The Old Lyme Historical Society also received a shout-out “For the use of your building during our renovation.” St. Germain elaborated on that act of kindness, saying, “This was so helpful in allowing us to conduct administrative work and operations while also being able to be close to the construction site.”

St. Germain concluded by addressing the OLCLC patrons, whom she described as, “The most important people,” thanking them for their “patience and understanding during our temporary closure.,” noting how challenging it must have been and saying, “We appreciate your loyalty in returning to us.  We promise to continue to take great care of your babies moving forward.”

Her final firm statement was, “As we stand here today, I can confidently say this was a labor of love. We are profoundly grateful to everyone who contributed to making this happen.”

Bill Bartlett, project manager for HP Broom, the builder of the project, followed, saying, “We enjoyed working with the Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center, … when we met Marie and the gang in the early stages, you could walk in the door and see all the way down to the basement floor and then up into the roof rafters…. it was fun bringing it back…. it was great, it was a lot of fun.”

Poirier wrapped up the proceedings noting ” I think everyone knows childcare is an economic issue. Parents sometimes can’t have a caregiver go back to work because there isn’t quality childcare available. … We’re just very lucky to have the Center here on Lyme Street that our local employers can depend on to be part of the solution to employment.”