Category Archives: Letters

Letter to the Editor: Proposed Gas Station/Convenience Market on Halls Rd. Raises Many Concerns

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To the Editor:

Re: Proposed Service Station Complex on Halls Rd.

We recently learned that Big Y Foods, Inc. is planning to develop the open parcel of land that lies between Treasures and the Essex Savings Bank on Halls Road into a large gas station and convenience market complex.

The open parcel, which is owned by the bank, is contiguous with another bank-owned parcel that fronts on Neck Rd. (Rte. 156). Both are for sale and, if linked, would provide access and egress on two of Old Lyme’s (already) busiest thoroughfares. The Halls Road “raceway” already connects, in less than three quarters of a mile, two busy entrance/exits to I-95 North and South. Old Lyme’s roads are already burdened by cars, trucks, and buses seeking alternate routes, when backups occur on the interstate,

I have been involved in the past in drafting certificates of need applications for Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. I know that we took great care to demonstrate that a proposed expansion of service was unique and not redundant of other readily available and existing services.

I don’t believe that the approving process for this project is required to consider redundancies. However, that said, Halls Road already has a Shell gas station, which, coincidentally, had also proposed a convenience store expansion.

Further, both Andy’s Deli & Market, and the Big Y World Class Market, already serve different segments of Old Lyme residents and visitors shopping for groceries and prepared foods. Thus, Old Lyme is already well-served by two high quality organizations.

We patronize both, and interestingly, for the same reasons. We are known, by name, in both stores; and both provide us with the feel of a small-town local market.

However, the difference is that the supermarket’s customer base will not be largely compromised by the new convenience market.

In contrast, I know that Amish and Neha Shah, Andys’ owners, feel that the proposed facility would compete with their customer base, and probably, as part of a much larger organization, offer broader products and services at lower prices than they, as sole proprietors, can provide. They are very concerned that their small market and relatively small margins, could not sustain any significant new competition.

Further, I don’t think, based on the meetings that I’ve attended, that this proposed gas station and convenience market complex can possibly be consistent with the master plan that is still in development by Old Lyme’s Halls Road Improvements Committee. Finally, we don’t need to put existing local businesses at risk by approving redundant services; and Halls Road’s ability to support increased traffic from I-95 is very limited.

Sincerely,

Thomas D. and Christina J. Gotowka,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Make Increased Voter Access Permanent in Connecticut

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To the Editor:

I am old enough to remember when voting was considered to be a patriotic duty.

Voting by mail in Connecticut will not continue unless we make it so.

Among the many lessons of the COVID pandemic, we have learned that the State of Connecticut is one of only 6 states in the country with no access to either early in-person voting days or to “no excuse” mail-in voting. When given the option to mail in our ballots in November 2020 due to COVID-19, the turnout for eligible Connecticut voters increased to 80%, a 3.5% increase from the high turnout in 2016.

I was thrilled to have an option besides standing in line on Election Day. I, for one, would like to see this increased voter access continue.

Our society has changed. We work long hours. We have long commutes. We have to contend with childcare and eldercare. Throw in an occasional blizzard, power outage, or pandemic, and continuing to have access to alternative voting methods just makes sense.

The Connecticut State Constitution currently does not allow for anything but in-person Election Day voting, and absentee ballots only under strict conditions. There is legislation being proposed this session in the Connecticut General Assembly to amend this, or at the very least, extend the option of “no excuse” mail-in ballots for another calendar year.

Lyme and Old Lyme residents, I urge you to reach out to your state Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) representatives, House Member Devon Carney (who represents Lyme and Old Lyme), State Senator Paul Formica (for the Town of Old Lyme), and State Senator Norm Needleman (for the Town of Lyme).  (Their respective contact information is given below.) Encourage them to permanently increase our access to the polls in as many ways as possible!  We deserve nothing less.

Sincerely,

Susan Fogliano,
Old Lyme.

Contact information for the CGA representatives is as follows:
State Rep. Devin Carney: Devin.Carney@housegop.ct.gov
State Senator Paul Formica: Paul.Formica@cga.ct.gov
State Senator Norm Needleman: Norm.Needleman@cga.ct.gov

Letter to the Editor: Patience, Kindness of Old Lyme Postmaster, All OL Postal Workers Much Appreciated

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To the Editor:

“Only Kindness Matters” a popular song by Jewel, is the modus operandi of Jim Swimmer, our Postmaster of the Old Lyme Post Office. Over the years, I have witnessed his patient, kind, and personal attention as a problem solver, or just as a helpful Human Being.

December was a burdensome month for all forms of delivery due to the pandemic. There were often lineups of customers at the post office mailing packages to family and friends. Kudos to all the Old Lyme Postal Workers who handled the stream of objects coming to their counters – the packages piled up high behind the counters, which had to be sorted and started on to the next transit. Every worker was courteous and patient, and I’m sure were working many more than 8 hours a day behind the scenes to keep it all moving.

Folks complained about packages that were not delivered or received in the time expected. Even Priority Mail packages and Express Mail packages were delayed. I observed and heard about several instances of parcels that were sometimes routed to the wrong post office on the way to final destination. Through it all, Patience and Kindness to all customers seemed to be the rule at the Old Lyme Post Office. Thank You to all our Postal Workers!

Sincerely,

Patricia Shippee,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Less Than Two Weeks for This President, But Now New Concerns

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To the Editor:

The least of our worries is not whether the outgoing president pardons unrepentant criminals, or to whom he awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Rather, consider the following: in the final days of Nixon’s presidency, Defense Secretary James Schlesinger had issued a set of orders that, if the president gave any military strike orders, or, God forbid, a nuclear launch order, commanders should check with him or Secretary of State Henry Kissinger before execution. Schlesinger feared that the president, who appeared out of touch with reality, might start a war, or initiate nuclear Armageddon.

Today [Friday, Jan. 8], the Speaker of the House of Representatives began discussions with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding appropriate  precautions that may be taken during the period before the inauguration.

God save the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Thomas D. Gotowka,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: First Congregational Church Leaders Denounce ‘Unholy Alliance of Religion, White Supremacy, and Far Right’

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To the Editor:

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, (the wise ones) left for their own country by another road. — Matthew 2:12

It was for many of us a sleepless night.  Though the President and his supporters have been broadcasting their intentions for weeks now (years actually), the events on Capitol Hill and the Washington Mall on Wednesday were incredibly disturbing.  The violence, the lies, the ignorance, the gullibility, and the cynicism were staggering to behold, filling many of us with dread about the future of our country.

Not the least of the disturbing images to emerge from Wednesday’s events was the Confederate flag unfurled within the Capitol Building.  So too, the implements and symbols of Christianity were widely apparent among the insurrectionists – a sign reading “Jesus Saves,” crosses, and other such unholy displays of religious fervor were readily displayed.  Let there be no mistake: this was a white supremacist attack on democracy, one that appropriated and distorted the symbols of Christian faith as a means to achieve its twisted ends.

We at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme stand firm against this unholy alliance of religion, white supremacy, and far right political values.  We call on our neighbors and friends to join us in renouncing such distortions of faith, in the name of an embracing love that refuses to accede to the darkest illusions of human life.  We acknowledge the long history that has misconstrued religious faith as a means to express hatred, intolerance, racism, homophobia, xenophobia and misogyny.  Together, we seek another road.

It cannot be overlooked that Wednesday, January 6th was the Day of Epiphany, when Christians commemorate the journey of the Wise Men toward Jesus.  It also cannot be overlooked that in that story, Herod, another unstable political leader, unleashed violence in his own attempt to preserve what little power and authority he possessed.  But the Wise Men saw through Herod’s bluster and his ruses.  They refused Herod’s authority, and sought out the wisdom of the Prince of Peace.

We choose the way of the Wise.  That way is arduous.  It forces us to interrogate our deepest assumptions about religion, and about power.  It asks us to be resolute in renouncing the blandishments and deceptions unleashed by all the Herods of the world.  But it is also the way that leads toward truth, toward healing, toward wholeness, toward mercy, toward life.

It was for many of us a sleepless night.  Let it be our own invitation to take up the quest of the wise and to seek out another way.  Let it be an invitation to search for our own country by another road.

In the name of the Child born in Bethlehem …

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Steve Jungkeit, Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager and Rev. Carleen Gerber,
Old Lyme.

Editor’s Note: The signatories are all ministers at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme; Jungkeit is Senior Minister, Fitzpatrick-Nager is Senior Associate Minister and Gerber is Associate Minister.