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Lyme Land Trust Announces “Tour de Lyme”

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The Tour de Lyme will pass through the bucolic Lyme countryside.

The Tour de Lyme will pass through the bucolic Lyme countryside.

A new annual road and trail cycling event will be introduced in southeastern Connecticut in May when The Lyme Land Conservation Trust launches its first “Tour de Lyme” fundraiser.

Scheduled for Saturday, May 11, the Tour de Lyme organizers say the event will offer participants six different “ride” selections  – four road routes and two trail biking sections.

The ride selections range from a “challenging” 55-mile route to a relatively easy 10-mile “family ride”.

The organizers are planning to draw both cycling enthusiasts and casual riders from around the Northeast and report that early registrations have included riders from across southeastern New England and New York.

President John Pritchard said the land trust decided to hold a cycling event to raise funds for its preservation efforts because Lyme’s bucolic back roads and forest trails are popular with many cyclists.

“Because Lyme’s roads are already favorites for many cyclists, we believe the cycling community will participate in Tour de Lyme to help support the land trust’s programs that preserve the beauty and environmental diversity in the town,” he said.

“Lyme is known for its scenic landscape and healthy environment, a complement to the health benefits of cycling – a fact area cyclists have long understood,” he said.  “Cyclists have a history and proud tradition of participating in charity events that support grass-roots community improvement initiatives, so we believe Tour de Lyme will be a popular annual event for cyclists in the Northeast.”

The various rides will have staggered start times so riders all return at about the same time for a picnic lunch at the starting point, which is the Lyme Consolidated School next to Town Hall and the Lyme Library on Rte. 156 in Lyme.

Proceeds from the fund-raising event will be used to support the Land Trust’s operations, said Pritchard.  The Lyme Land Trust, a non-profit 501 (C) 3 charity, was founded in 1966.  It now manages more than 3,000 acres of preserved open space with 40 miles of trails and two fish ladders on the Eightmile River.

Besides entry fees and rider team fund raising, there are several local and regional businesses that have signed on as sponsors to help underwrite the event, including: Essex Financial Services, Erik Block Design Build, Dominion Resources, Lawrence & Memorial, All-Pro Automotive, Anthem BlueCross/BlueShield, Bouvier Insurance, NRG Energy, Reynolds Garage & Marina, Antonino Acura, Coca Cola Bottling of SE New England, Connaughty Chiropractic Center and Connecticare Inc.

Cyclist and team registration is open at www.TourdeLyme.org/register.

Interested cyclists, volunteers, and sponsors should visit www.tourdelyme.org

For more information, email info@tourdelyme.org or call George Moore, 860-434-4639.

Talking Transportation: Cruise Ships: The Devils on The Deep Blue Sea

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Jim CameronIn the eight years I’ve been writing this column I’ve never found a reason to write about cruise ships, one of my favorite ways to travel.

Since my Dad took me as a passenger on freighters through the Caribbean when I was a kid right up to our now-annual cruises to the same area, I’ve always loved the high seas.  There’s nothing easier than driving to the pier in New York City, hopping on board and kicking back for a week.

A few years ago my fascination with cruising brought me to a great book, “Devils on the Deep Blue Sea” by Kristoffer Garin which detailed the formative years of the cruise industry, especially the start-up of Carnival Cruise Lines in 1972.  It was a rough start, but today Carnival owns 10 cruise lines (almost half the cruise ships in the world) including Cunard, Holland America, Costa, P&O, Princess and Seabourn.  At one point they even had their own airline ferrying passengers to Miami and San Juan, their biggest embarkation ports.

By segmenting the cruise market, just as hotels do, they offer everything from singles-filled party cruises to upscale trans-Atlantic “crossings” on the Queen Mary 2 (which is where I was while reading Garin’s book in 2006).

But more recently Carnival’s had some very bad PR.  Last year it was crash of the Costa Concordia in Italy (whose Captain abandoned ship).  Then, the February stranding of the 4,000-person Triumph for days in the Gulf of Mexico (without power, food or sanitation) was just the latest in a series of engineering problems.  Last week another ship, Fascination, failed a Center for Disease Control (CDC) health inspection, the fourth of their ships to do so this year alone.

Last week demand for cabins was so low that Carnival was offering cruises for $38 a night per person … less than the cost at Motel 6.   And that price includes all meals (assuming those CDC inspections don’t hurt your appetite).

Admittedly, this is a weak time of year for cruising, but Carnival knows it’s always best to sail with a full ship and make money on the booze and ship excursions.

In my view, the real problem isn’t Carnival or its ships’ safety, but the fact that they pay no taxes … and yet, depend on the US Coast Guard for their numerous rescues.

Micky Arison, son of the founder of Carnival (and owner of the Miami Heat), is the richest man in Florida.  Last year Carnival brought in $15.3 billion in revenues.  But they paid just 0.6% in US, state, local and international taxes last year while socking taxpayers for millions in US Coast Guard expenses for 90 different rescue missions in the last five years.

Senator Jay Rockefeller says Arison is a “cheater… treacherous and wrong” and wrote him asking to do the right thing and pay-up.  Carnival declined the invitation, prompting Rockefeller (the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee) to call their response “shameful”.

Shameful, perhaps.  But perfectly legal and the result, even Rockefeller admits, of sloppiness by Congress.  So, expect some grandstanding, a few hearings and maybe some face-saving philanthropy by Arison.   But don’t expect many changes in the cruise industry, especially in higher fares that reflect the true cost of being a “devil on the deep blue seas.”

JIM CAMERON has been a commuter out of Darien for 22 years.  He is Chairman of the CT Metro-North / Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council, and a member of the Coastal Corridor TIA and the Darien RTM.  You can reach him at CTRailCommuterCouncil@gmail.com or www.trainweb.org/ct .  For a full collection of “Talking Transportation” columns, see www.talkingtransportation.blogspot.com

Reception Launches 2013 Senior Studio Exhibition at Lyme Academy College

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This illustration titled, "A Time to Scatter Stones and a Time to Gather Them," is featured in the 2013 Senior Studio Exhbition.

This illustration titled, “A Time to Scatter Stones and a Time to Gather Them,” by Alyson Jo Stewart is featured in the 2013 Senior Studio Exhibition.

An exhibition of artwork by seniors at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts opens at the College’s Chauncey Stillman  Gallery this evening with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m.   The reception is free and open to the public – all are welcome.

As the culmination of their program of study, all students at the College participate in the Senior Studio.  This year long, capstone experience allows students to develop a body of work that reflects their individual interests, skills and aesthetic sensibilities.  Students conceive their own project and, with ongoing support and input from the faculty and their student peers, execute and present it within a set amount of time.

'Galaxy Fishers' by Jeremy Horseman is another work from the exhibition.

‘Galaxy Fishers’ by Jeremy Horseman is another work from the exhibition.

The 2013 Senior Studio Exhibition reflects the culmination of the project.   Students will be present at the opening reception and available to discuss their work.  Sally Seaman, Interim Dean at the College, comments, “We always look forward to this exhibition.  The Senior Studio experience leads students to synthesize and apply all they have learned, giving us the opportunity to witness and celebrate their unique creative voices.”

The exhibition runs through May 18, in the Chauncey Stillman Gallery.  Entrance to the gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The College gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Leon and Bernadette Olivier, Outthink, Sennheiser Electronic Corporation and Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller & Shah, LLP for this exhibition.

For more information about the exhibition or Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, contact Olwen Logan, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at 860-434-3571, ext. 135 or ologan@lymeacademy.edu

Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts continues the academic tradition of figurative and representational fine art while preparing students for a lifetime of contemporary creative practice.  Students develop intellect and imagination, intensity of observation, sound craftsmanship, individual initiative and creativity, as well as depth of interpretation of ideas through artistic expression.

The College, which is located at 84 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drawing, Illustration, Painting, and Sculpture; a Post-Baccalaureate program; a Three-year Certificate; an active Continuing Education program including a Pre-College program and is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the National Association of the Schools of Art and Design.

For more information, call 860-434-5232 or visit www.lymeacademy.edu

Gun Laws Approved, Giuliano Votes No, Says Mental Health is the Issue

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The Connecticut General Assembly approved an emergency certified bill early Thursday morning (April 4) that makes sweeping changes to Connecticut’s gun laws in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary school tragedy.

“This legislation represents a missed opportunity,” said Giuliano, who works as a professional school psychologist and voted against the bill.  “If the intent is to prevent another Sandy Hook tragedy, then this legislation should have targeted substantive improvements to mental health access and treatment that are necessary to identify and deter the actions of the criminally insane.”

Some of the law changes include:

–          Ban sales of high-capacity ammunition magazines
–          Background checks for private gun sales
–          New registry for existing magazines that carry more than 10 rounds
–          Statewide dangerous weapon offender registry
–          Immediate universal background checks for all firearms sales
–          Expansion of CT’s assault weapons ban
–          Require eligibility certificate to purchase any rifle, shotgun or ammunition
–          Expands requirements for safe storage of firearms
–          Increases penalties for firearms trafficking and illegal possession offenses

The bill passed in the senate by a vote of 26 to 10, in the House by a vote of 105 to 44 and was signed by the Governor.

Rep. Giuliano represents the 23rd district communities of Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.

DOT Plans to Double CT River Ferry Fares, Announces Meetings to Discuss Proposals

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ferry 2The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) announced yesterday (April 5) that it will be holding two public meetings regarding plans to raise the fares on the two Connecticut River Ferries starting July 1, 2013.  The ferries affected are the Chester-Hadlyme and Rocky Hill-Glastonbury routes.
DOT says in a press release that the increases are necessary to offset the rising operating costs that have occurred over the years.  Fares have not been raised since 2003.
Under the proposal, effective July 1, vehicle fares will be increased from the current $3 per crossing to $6.   Fares for walk-on passengers and bicyclists will be increased from $1 per crossing to $2.  The price of the Discount Coupon Book that now costs $40 for a book of 20 coupon tickets (a 33 percent savings) will be increased to $80 (also a 33 percent savings).

“We are committed to maintaining the ferry operations serving tourists, commuters, pedestrians and bicyclists alike,” stated Commissioner James P. Redeker.  “Raising the fares has been carefully considered.  Fare increases are never popular, but costs for operating the ferries have consistently been significantly greater than passenger revenues, resulting in a state subsidy of $651,000 in the most recent fiscal year.”

The two public meetings on the fare increases will be held:

  • May 20, 6:30 pm – 9:00 p.m., Rocky Hill Community Center, Room 1
  • May 22, 6:30 pm – 9:00 p.m., Chester Meeting House

Commissioner Redeker noted that a Strategic Business Plan was developed in consultation with the Connecticut River Ferry Task Force, a group of concerned citizens.  Several of the recommendations from that effort have been implemented.  The Department is installing new road signs that will direct the public to the “Historic Connecticut River Ferry.”  Significantly, new environmentally compliant engines were installed in both the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry and the -Hadlyme Ferry during the 2012-2013 winter maintenance period.

The Chester-Hadlyme Ferry began its season on Monday, April 1, and will run through Nov. 30.  The Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry season is from May 1 to Oct. 31.