OLD LYME—UPDATED 1/12 10:20PMwith links to additional Letters to the Editor: On Monday, Jan. 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the Memorial Town Hall Meeting Room, the Old Lyme Zoning Commission will hold its next regular monthly meeting. The agenda features two topics that have been sparking interest in the community.
The first is 43 Smith Neck Rd. in the RU-40 Zone, which is the subject of both a Continued Public Hearing and an Old Business item. The applicants, Jeffrey and Emily Merriam, are seeking a Special Permit to replace and construct a new five-bedroom residence with an attached two-car garage.
The agenda also notes in another item that a Public Hearing will be opened into a Petition to Amend the Old Lyme Zoning Regulations, Section 5.15 to create a Halls Road Overlay District allowing, among other items, mixed zoning use along Halls Road and the entire C-30S Zoning District, with associated architectural design guidelines. The applicant in this case is the Halls Road Improvement Committee (HRIC.)
On Monday, January 13, 2025 at 6:30 pm in Memorial Town Hall, the Halls Road Improvements Committee of the Town of Old Lyme will present the Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) proposal in a public meeting of the Old Lyme Zoning Commission. Attorney William Sweeney will describe the details of this optional Overlay District and answer questions.
The Planning Commission has unanimously agreed that the HROD proposal is consistent with the goals and standards set out for the Town in its latest Plan of Conservation and Development (2020). Now it is up to Zoning to approve, reject, or modify the proposal.
The HROD is the centerpiece of the Halls Road Master Plan. Current commercial-only zoning does not allow the changes envisioned there. HROD creates the options needed to allow investors to help change the focus of Halls Road toward the needs of Old Lyme and not through travelers.
This is an important public meeting, and a chance to show your support for a better future for Old Lyme. I urge you to come and be counted; bring your written thoughts to read and submit, make a statement for the record. We need your support to carry this important matter forward.
Approval of this added flexibility in our zoning is a vital step in supporting the future prosperity and livability of Old Lyme.
The image above shows a rendering of what the northwest segment of Halls Rd. might look like after the implementation of the proposed HROD. Image credit: Edie Twining.
Key Features of HROD are that it:
• Is totally optional; allows but does not require change to any property.
• Keeps our shopping area vital and focused on Old Lyme, not the highway.
• Creates options for much needed apartment/town-house-type housing.
• Balances our housing stock without using up our remaining open land.
• Promotes creation of a safe, walkable, bikeable, mixed-use town center.
• Follows Design Review process guides development to be “like Old Lyme.”
• Promotes significant new town revenues, reducing resident taxes.
Thank you in advance for your help with this important issue. I look forward to seeing you there!
Editor’s Note: This letter was previously submitted to Paul Orzel, Old Lyme Zoning Commission Chair, and members of the Old Lyme Zoning Commission.
To the Editor:
My husband and I have the good fortune to live on Smith Neck Rd, a beautiful spot many town residents visit throughout the year for recreation and relaxation. Our house is at 39 Smith Neck Rd,, just one property away from the proposed structure(s) planned for 43 Smith Neck Rd.
We are worried that the existing well at 43 Smith Neck will not support the current plans for a house of approximately 10,500 sf (with auxiliary structures) that includes 7 baths, 2 laundries, a pool, and an orchard, and, further, that this could result in serious water problems for their closest neighbors, including us.
Because of the water issues we have on our property, I question if this complex of buildings can be supported by the well water available on the site. Our well is a 15 foot dug well. I believe the one at 43 is the same. I do not know this for certain, as there is no public record of anyone in town no one has (sic) bothering to look. What I know for certain is that their well is about 100 yards from ours and our nearest neighbor’s well is in between the two! All three are in a direct line quite close to the Back River which runs past all three of these properties. All three are in a 100-year flood zone. Why is FEMA not involved in this approval process?
When we bought our home 10 years ago, we had a water flow analysis done. Here is a direct quote from the notes concluding that report:
“For a shallow well, the system functioned properly, shallow wells do have limitations. After running 300 gal. the well dropped 3’ indicting low yield of 1.5-1.8 gpm under current conditions. After the water run (sic) during inspection and flow test, 3’ feet or 159 gallons of water remained. System is susceptible to seasonal or drought conditions.”
Our well has run dry twice since we bought the house. Our neighbors on either side of us have also experienced significant water issues. These three households and possibly more have the potential to be negatively impacted by the construction project proposed for 43 Smith Neck Rd.
We fear that our water supply is under threat and ask the Zoning Committee to protect our water rights by –
– Denying approval of this Applicant’s permit as it currently stands.
– Conducting appropriate hydrology studies through the Town Engineer, Ledge Light, and other appropriate entities to determine the amount of water available at the far end of Smith Neck.
We ask the Commission to please slow the approval process until more facts have been gathered, so that the owner and his neighbors have full information on the available water supply before construction begins.
We fear that allowing the permit to go forward in its present form may set a dangerous precedent.
Anyone with an interest in protecting their well rights is encouraged to attend the Zoning Commission hearing at the Town Hall on January 13 at 6:30 pm. If the building application is approved at this meeting, the structures will go forward as planned.
Tessa Lark has been named Artistic Director of the Moab Music Festival. She will continue as Artistic Director of Musical Masterworks in Old Lyme. Photo by Richard Bowditch.
MOAB, UT/OLD LYME, CT — On Jan. 6, 2025, the Moab Music Festival (MMF) announced that violinist Tessa Lark has been named its next Artistic Director. Co-Founding Directors Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins will be stepping back from the award-winning Festival (MMF) after 33 years; Lark’s role will combine the co-founders’ artistic responsibilities.
Lark currently serves as Artistic Director of the Musical Masterworks concert series in Old Lyme, Conn. and will continue in that role. Asked her reaction to Lark’s appointment, Alden Rockwell Murphy, President of the Musical Masterworks Board of Directors, told LymeLine exclusively, “”We are very excited for Tessa!” commenting further, “She now joins the ranks of distinguished visionary artists who hold multiple artistic directorships, and we congratulate her on this remarkable achievement.”
Rockwell Murphy emphasized, “Her [Lark’s] dedication to Musical Masterworks remains unwavering. With her artistry and passion, she will undoubtedly continue to enrich both the Musical Masterworks and Moab communities, making them brighter and more vibrant for all.”
Moab Festival Board of Trustees President Anne Wilson said, “While it is bittersweet to be moving on to the next chapter of artistic leadership, we are grateful to have had our founders’ direction, guidance, and support in choosing their successor. This extraordinary festival is well positioned for the future, with the strong foundation they built, and their long and exemplary tenure.”
Wilson continued, “We are delighted to welcome Tessa as the Festival’s next Artistic Director. Her long history as a Festival violinist, coupled with her immense talent and creativity, make her a perfect fit. We are excited to see Tessa’s vision unfold, and work together to usher in a new generation of world-class music in concert with the landscape® experiences, for which the Festival has become famous.”
Since her Festival debut in 2016, Lark has delighted audiences with her technical mastery, stylistic fluidity, and welcoming spirit. She boasts a Grammy- nomination for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for her recording of Sky, the violin concerto Michael Torke wrote for her. She has been engaged by the San Francisco, Seattle, and BBC Symphonies, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.
A recipient of Lincoln Center’s most prestigious honor for emerging artists, the Hunt Family Award, she also received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and top prize at the Naumburg International Violin Competition. She serves as a Co-Host/Creative of From the Top, NPR’s famed showcase for young classical musicians, and is
During Moab’s 2024 season, Lark performed works from her latest album, The Stradgrass Sessions, which pays homage to her love for both Bluegrass and classical music, and her idyllic Kentucky upbringing. The variety of styles presented on the album offers a small window into her fresh take on Festival programming, enhancing what audiences have come to expect from the Festival over the last three decades.
As Lark explains, “I’ve already fallen in love many times over with the Moab Music Festival and what makes the community unique: the impactful relationships that Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins have forged through their loving leadership, the symbiosis of new classical music with canonical favorites, the complex network of the Native cultures of the region, and the presence of myriad musical styles.”
She added, “I take genuine pleasure in personally connecting with folks from all backgrounds, and am passionate about creating spaces that joyfully embrace both musical and spiritual confluence. What makes the Festival extraordinary is also my ultimate life goal: relishing nature and music, all at once. Sharing that heaven-on-earth with others is a dream come true.”
Under the direction of Tomkins and Barrett, MMF has gained an award-winning national and international reputation, growing from a grassroots organization in a geodesic dome in 1992 to a globally respected institution attracting world-class artists and patrons who want to experience music among southeast Utah’s stunning red rock landscape. The founders were a critical part of selecting the incoming artistic director who will usher in the next generation of leadership as they become Directors Emeriti.
“I am beyond excited to be handing the reins of the Moab Music Festival to Tessa Lark,” shares Music Director Emeritus Michael Barrett. “I’ve known Tessa for nearly 20 years and have watched with admiration as she has fulfilled the promise of her immense talent in such creative and unexpected ways. It brings me great satisfaction that she has agreed to become Artistic Director. She has a finger on the pulse of musical life in America, and I’m certain her instinct and artistry will guide the Festival toward the synthesis of art, nature, and community Leslie and I first imagined 33 years ago.
As Artistic Director Emerita, Leslie Tomkins commented, “It has been a great honor and privilege to create and lead this organization for over three decades. Tessa came to mind immediately when considering a successor. She is a spectacular artist who brings joy and endless creativity to her playing and shines in musical genres beyond classical. Music in concert with the landscape distinguishes the Moab Music Festival from all others. Tessa has a deep connection to that special alchemy, and I look forward to seeing the Festival thrive and evolve under her imaginative, thoughtful leadership.”
Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued Jan. 6, 2025 by the Moab Music Festival.
Members of the Old Lyme Police Department stand either side of Georgios Sirigos (center) after his Jan. 8 graduation from the CT Police Academy. All photos courtesy of Town of Old Lyme..
OLD LYME—The Town of Old Lyme has announced that its newest Police Academy recruit, Georgios Sirigos, graduated from the 383rd session at the Connecticut Police Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker (right) and Resident State Trooper Matthew Weber stand with Sirigios (center) after his graduation.
The ceremony took place at Welte Auditorium at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn.
Georgios Sirigios receives the Chief Luciano Award from Chief Roberto Rosado of the Meriden Police Department.
During the ceremony, Sirigos was presented with the Chief Luciano Award by Chief Roberto Rosado of the Meriden Police Department. This award is given to the recruit who maintains the highest GPA throughout his training at the academy.
Sirigios celebrates with his family after his graduation.
Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker commented, “The Town of Old Lyme is very pleased to have Georgios as part of their Police Department. He will begin his field training in Old Lyme next week.”
Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued Jan. 8, by the Town of Old Lyme.
