Category Archives: Top Story

TOP STORY—UPDATED: Old Lyme Faces Costly Deadline in Sewer Standoff

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Selectman Jim Lampos, First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker and Selectwoman Jude Read (from left to right) at their Oct. 6 meeting discussed a possible January referendum vote on the Sound View sewer project.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated with comments from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesman.

OLD LYME — Armed with refined cost estimates, the Board of Selectmen is pitching a January referendum vote for a sewer project that has faced resistance for decades as leaders grapple with how to pay for a cleaner Long Island Sound.

Meanwhile, Old Lyme Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) Chairman Steve Cinami continues to warn residents a delay could cost millions.

First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker at Monday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting told selectmen that state elections timelines and scheduling for the registars of voters will require pushing the referendum date on the Sound View Beach sewer project to Jan. 13, 2026.

She said state election law requires the town’s tabulating machines to be locked for two weeks following the Nov. 4 election. Also crowding the schedule is the Thanksgiving holiday and a state-mandated training for the registrars in December that will limit the availability of the part-time civil servants, according to Shoemaker.  

Sound View is responsible for up to $17.1 million of the $70 million proposal to require residents of four beach communities to install sewers. State and federal funding would bring the amount to be covered by Sound View residents down to $8.5 million.

Selectmen last month said there were too many unanswered questions to get the question on the ballot in time for the municipal election. But increased clarity on the amount Sound View users will have to pay, combined with the impending cost sharing agreement between the town and three private beach communities, have left selectmen ready to prepare another date. 

The Old Lyme WPCA, which oversees the Sound View project, has been pushing for townwide approval before construction bids expire in mid October. The urgency was underscored when the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) informed local officials that federal funding amounting to about half the project cost is in jeopardy if the town doesn’t get the project approved soon. 

Connecticut DEEP Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Quality Emma Cimino in an Aug. 15 email to Shoemaker said failing to move forward with the referendum by mid October “will significantly impact” the town’s ability to pursue Clean Water Act funding for 25% of the total project cost and a forgivable loan for another 25%.

After Monday’s meeting, Shoemaker said she will send the recommended referendum timeline from the Town’s Registrars of Voters Catherine Carter and Jennifer Datum to the state agency.  

She said the dates were selected in accordance with the state’s election law and calendar. 

“I will tell [the CT DEEP] if they have any other way to get around this, they will have to reach out to the secretary of the state’s office,” she said. 

Cinami, as head of the Old Lyme WPCA, called the proposed delay ridiculous. 

He said a staff attorney with the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s Office told him locking down machine tabulators after the election doesn’t mean the town can’t hold a referendum using paper ballots. 

Secretary of the State Spokesman Roger Senserrich on Tuesday confirmed the referendum could happen while the tabulators are locked. 

Cinami said delaying until mid-January could be an expensive proposition.

“The registrar of voters works for the town, to do town business,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday. “This could cost the town $3 million if we don’t pass a referendum and get the project going prior to the beach associations signing contracts with the state.” 

Cinami said the delay could make the town ineligible for the Clean Water Act funds if they are awarded at the end of December or early January, which is the timeline he’s been given.

“I don’t know what the town doesn’t understand,” he said. “I don’t think I’m a genius. I think the DEEP has been very clear what they plan on doing. And if you don’t listen to them, I think you jeopardize funding.” 

The state going back to the early 1980s has pushed for an end to pollution emanating from local beach communities, leading to a 2018 consent order with Old Colony Beach, Old Lyme Shores, and Miami Beach that resulted in the current shared sewer plan. Sound View was added in 2019 after voters in a townwide referendum agreed to spend $9.5 million on the public portion of the project with the understanding that affected neighborhoods would fund it.

The new referendum vote is necessary because inflation drove up the total cost of the project, though the promise of federal funding means Sound View ratepayers would be paying less than the amount authorized in the first referendum. 

The town is participating voluntarily in the sewer plan at this point. But the state has warned a consent order, like the one forcing the private beach associations to act, could be coming if progress isn’t made.

Cinami said the state set the mid-October deadline because that’s when the rest of the beach communities should be ready to move forward. 

Bids on the Old Lyme Shores portion of the project, the last of the four beach communities to solicit offers, close on Wednesday. 

“After that, my understanding is that the DEEP will allow the beach associations to start work,” he said. “And what I believe will eventually happen is that the town will be ordered to put in sewers.” 

Miami Beach WPCA Chairman Scott Boulanger could not be reached Tuesday for an update on the status of the project in that community after bids came back more than $5 million over budget this summer. 

By the Numbers

Selectmen on Monday tied up another outstanding issue with the presentation of a third-party report from the accounting firm HRT Advisors analyzing various budget projections. 

The disparity between estimates from the WPCA, Selectman Jim Lampos, and some residents had raised questions about the true cost to Sound View residents over the 20 year life of the project loan. 

The WPCA in an August presentation put the cost to construct the system at $1,939 annually over 20 years for a typical user, not including annual fees estimated at $565 by the CT DEEP. 

The HRT analysis, applying a 5% construction contingency for unexpected costs, estimated that construction costs and connection fees to the East Lyme sewer system enroute the New London wastewater treatment plant would amount to $2,241 per year. 

Applying an 8% contingency, the number would rise to $2,292 per year. 

There appeared to be consensus among selectmen to use the HRT figures as the official estimate going forward. 

The HRT report noted Cinami’s estimate included an outdated price tag of $4.1 million for the shared pump station, which is now $4.8 million after the low bidder dropped out. The accountanting firm also included interest on the bond accrued during the construction period.

Cinami on Tuesday agreed the third-party estimate was fair. Taking into account that he’d applied the connection fees to the annual operations and maintenance category rather than construction costs, he said there was only about $70 separating his figures from the accountant’s estimate using the 5% contingency. 

Lampos, who is both a selectman and resident of the Sound View Beach community, said the numbers prove the project is too expensive for the residents, who will have to foot the bill. 

He referenced the state “rule of thumb” articulated last year at a public meeting by agency project engineer Carlos Esguerra. The rule, based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance from the 1990s, says the cost is affordable to residents if it does not exceed 2% of the town’s median household income (MHI). Esguerra at the time identified Old Lyme’s MHI as $122,000, which equated to $2,440 a year.

Connecticut DEEP Spokesman James Fowler has not provided an updated affordability estimate despite several requests from LymeLine over the past few months. 

Based on the accountant’s lower estimate, the cost per user goes up to around $2,800 per year when annual operations and maintenance costs are included. Lampos described that figure as “well north” of the affordability threshold.  

The CT DEEP did not confirm whether the federal affordability threshold includes annual operations and maintenance costs. Cinami has said it does not. 

Lampos and Shoemaker said they have not been able to get confirmation from the state agency on the affordability calcuation or its implications for this project. 

Shoemaker called for answers from the state. 

On Wednesday, the CT DEEP spokesman in an emailed response to questions from LymeLine said there is no affordability criteria that would allow pollution to continue because the cost was over a certain threshold.  

“Affordability would only be used to determine a suitable compliance schedule,” Fowler said.

He described a financial impact assessment used by sewer service providers – sometimes referred to in shorthand as an “affordability” assessment – when a corrective plan is needed to address a pollution problem. If the assessment indicates a higher impact on residents, communities can break up projects into phases to reduce the financial impact, or seek increased funding.  

“In Old Lyme’s case, DEEP offered $15 million to lessen the impact,” he said. “In bigger communities like Hartford, its sewer utility is under order and has phased projects on a priority basis and is following a specific compliance schedule to work projects to address the pollution.”

Lampos told selectmen that taking a couple weeks to get the accountant’s analysis did not add to the overall project delay. That’s because negotiations on a Cost Sharing Agreement between the four beach communities are still being ironed out and the bids for Old Lyme Shores remain outstanding. 

He maintained that understanding the cost to Sound View residents and ensuring they are represented throughout the project is critical.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Sound View resident Mary Daley commended the three selectmen for their work on the complex issue. 

Daley, a vocal project opponent, was appointed to the WPCA last year. 

She said Lampos, Shoemaker and Selectwoman Jude Read each kept their campaign promises from two years ago. 

“Because, Jude, you promised to listen, and you certainly have. And, Martha, you promised to do this also, and to ensure that Sound View was represented on the WPCA, and you have accomplished that. And, Jim, you have gone over and beyond all expectations to affect and to ensure that Sound View is treated fairly in the sewer project, and we so appreciate your efforts,” she said. 

Mark Comstock, Hydrangea and Bonsai Enthusiast, Receives Statewide Gardening Recognition for Volunteer Efforts

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Mark Comstock will receive the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s Certificate of Individual Achievement on Oct. 22.

OLD LYME–A local bonsai enthusiast and hydrangea purveyor has been recognized with a Certificate of Individual Achievement from the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut. 

The Duck River Garden Club in a press release lauded Mark Comstock, owner of Hydrangea Galore in Old Lyme, for the recognition. It will be presented at the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s 96th Annual Awards Meeting and Luncheon on Oct. 22. 

The honor is awarded for outstanding contributions to an individual, a garden club or a group of garden clubs. 

The Duck River Garden Club described Comstock as a conservationist and an expert in hydrangeas as well as the art of bonsai. They cited various classes he has presented to multiple garden clubs, the Lymes’ Senior Center and the general public – including one on the intersection of bonsai and conservation that included a demonstration on a local pitch pine tree. 

In addition to donating his plants for Duck River Garden Club sites throughout town and to the club’s garden sale each May, he recently solved a water issue by bringing in his 500 gallon water tank for the duration of the sale. 

“Mark is professional, enthusiastic and generous with his vast horticulture knowledge,” the club said.

Comstock in a phone interview Monday said he was honored to be recognized.

“But I think the real honor should go to the entire Duck River Garden Club for everything that all the members do together,” he said. “We are an incredibly, incredibly active and beneficial garden club for the town of Old Lyme. And there is no other group that I would rather be serving the town with during my horticultural endeavors.”

For Comstock, membership in the club goes “deeper than horticulture.” It’s about meeting other people and learning about the town by becoming actively involved in it.

“They’re so tightly in step with what’s going on in town, and they care so much about making the town beautiful,” he said. “And those are the people I want to be around.”

TOP STORY: With Democrats Absent, Republican Couple Takes Center Stage at Lyme Candidate Forum

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First selectman candidate Tom St. Louis (right) speaks at the Lyme Republicans’ candidate forum on Saturday. He is flanked by moderator Don Gerber, who is also the town engineer, and running mate Mary Powell-St. Louis.

LYME–At a Republican-sponsored candidates’ forum held Saturday with no representation from Democrat-endorsed contenders, it was left to husband-and-wife running mates Tom St. Louis and Mary Powell-St. Louis to spar among themselves. 

The Democrats, under whose banner unaffiliated first selectwoman Christy Zelek is running,  declined to participate in the forum. Instead, they opted to knock on doors so they could speak one-on-one with voters. 

St. Louis, the Republican first selectman candidate, and Powell-St. Louis, who is running for selectwoman, headlined the forum billed by moderator Don Gerber as a “cordial event.” Gerber said there was no reason for people to be upset with each other. 

“I’ll be quick to shut it down if I see that coming,” he said.  

Gerber’s only opportunity to put his policy into action was decisive. It came in response to one of the roughly 30 people in the room, who asked St. Louis what he thought about his opponent’s ability to manage a budget. 

“I think that it’s more appropriate to have that question answered by the candidates, who are not here, rather than for us to speak for the candidates that are running against them,” Gerber said. “So I would pass on that question.” 

St. Louis thanked the resident for asking. “We really hoped to have an ongoing dialogue so that we can have that discussion,” he said. 

Gerber called for the next question.  

Hydrilla Hypotheses

St. Louis and Powell-St. Louis during most of the roughly 75-minute forum agreed on key issues, including the need to keep taxes low and to assert local control over zoning decisions. But one area of disagreement involved the hydrilla scourge overtaking the Connecticut River and tributaries, including Hamburg Cove and Selden Cove in Lyme. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state and regional partners are involved in a years-long project to investigate the safest, least toxic way to stem the hydrilla infestation. But the project has taken flak from critics opposed to use of the herbicide diquat in some of the test cases. 

St. Louis has spent 37 years as an engineer at Pfizer, while Powell-St. Louis’ career as a physician includes roles in private practice and the pharmaceutical industry. 

St. Louis said he’s comfortable with the idea of treating hydrilla with herbicides. 

“I would never want to just wantonly treat a natural environment with a chemical,” he said. “But I look at this situation and say that ‘do nothing’ is not an option. We know what ‘do nothing’ entails. It means losing the cove.” 

He said studies show there are no unreasonable adverse effects to human health or the environment. 

Powell-St. Louis took the microphone to disagree.  

“So we have a different set of opinions here, even in the same household,” she said. 

She called on her background in medicine and public health, as well as her attendance at two presentations on the federal hydrilla project, to back up her skepticism. 

“They’re either not revealing all the data, or the data isn’t there,” she said. 

Financial Acumen

Asked by audience members for more areas of dispute between the couple, Powell-St. Louis said she’s the one with more opinions on the school district where she was elected for two terms to the school board, and where the couple sent their three sons from kindergarten through grade 12. 

“I think that I probably have more knowledge and expertise, and maybe more opinions, about what has gone on within the school district,” she said. 

Her husband countered that he’d likely be the one to try to “dive more fully” into Board of Finance issues, especially ensuring healthy contingency funds.

But Powell-St. Louis countered that previous experience on the school board and her current role on the building committee for a $57.5 million Lyme-Old Lyme Schools renovation project gave her plenty of insight into the issue of spending and saving. 

She referenced advocacy during the spring budget planning process for the reinstatement of a music teaching position that had been stripped from a draft spending plan. Her recommendation at the time was to use a portion of the district’s reserve funds to dampen the impact of debt service on the budget in the coming years. 

While the school board found savings elsewhere rather than acting on her suggestion at the time, she said the topic of how much to save was an extensive conversation at this week’s school board meeting. That’s when members decided to return more than half a million dollars of the district’s surplus to Lyme and Old Lyme to blunt the impact of future tax increases.

Powell-St. Louis credited her advocacy with keeping discussion about the reserve fund front and center. 

She said while St. Louis is talking about diving into conversations about finances, she’s already orchestrated those conversations.

“Not you. I did it,” she told her husband to laughs from the crowd. “OK, so give credit where credit is due, please.” 

St. Louis got more laughs when he asked “Are you done yet?”

The back-and-forth came amid criticism from the Democrats for running a married couple at the top of the Republican slate. 

A post from the Lyme Democratic Town Committee on social media shows Lyme’s sample election ballot with “husband” and “wife” stickers pointing to the couple’s names. 

“If this Republican husband-and-wife team is elected, the control of the Town of Lyme’s Board of Selectmen will be in the hands of one family,” the message said. 

Powell-St. Louis on Saturday was adamant that the three-member Board of Selectmen is inevitably composed of three independent people with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. 

“And so I have my own opinions,” she said. “I am capable of making decisions on my own independently, and I will do so, plain and simple.”

United on Housing

St. Louis and Powell-St. Louis on Saturday remained unified in their fears about the threat to local autonomy presented by looming state mandates requiring all cities and towns to take up some of the responsibility of creating new affordable housing opportunities. 

St. Louis, a current member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, framed the issue as an example of government overreach that inspired him to run for first selectman. 

A comprehensive affordable housing bill was vetoed by Gov. Ned Lamont during this year’s legislative session in Hartford. He promised a special session to revisit the issue. 

The need for affordable places for people to live has emerged as a priority in the state as demand continues to outstrip supply. The National Low Income Coalition in its 2025 housing profile for Connecticut estimated there are 94,000 more low-income households than there are places for them to live affordably. 

A home is considered affordable when the people living there don’t spend more than 30% of their income on rent or mortgage payments. 

Among the provisions in the failed bill was the “Fair Share” framework, which would have required municipalities to plan for a prescribed number of affordable housing units within their borders. 

St. Louis said such mandates override local zoning controls that limit residential growth to one, two or three acre lots.

“We should own our zoning code,” he said. “And so to that end, I’m going to be an advocate for the town. I’ll work with town principals. I’ll work outside the town with state representatives, representatives from other towns to make sure the governor gets the message that we want to own our land use decisions.”

He said the number of affordable housing units estimated as Lyme’s “fair share” in the failed bill ignored limitations including a lack of public water, sewers and transportation. 

Powell-St. Louis stepped in with the numbers. 

“So in that House Bill 5002, the recommended target number for what was called ‘fair share’ housing for Lyme was 176 affordable housing units,” she said. “176.” 

“Right,” he said. “Versus the total housing units we have in town: less than 1,200.”

The forum included brief remarks from school board candidate Lannie Mossberg and alternate Zoning Commission candidate Steven Deveaux. 

Absentee ballots for the Nov. 4 election are available now. Early voting begins Oct. 20.

Talking Transportation: Is This Leading by Example, Governor Lamont?

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Jim Cameron

What would happen to you if you borrowed your company’s car and, thanks to built-in tracking technology, were caught driving 113 mph? Or how would your HR staff “dialogue” with you if the car’s mileage wasn’t properly logged, you had apparently used it for personal trips, then left it sitting in a garage and when you did return it to the motor pool it had $3,500 in damage?

This isn’t a hypothetical question. These are actual cases of state employees, including former Chief of Staff to Governor Lamont, Jonathan Dach.

All of this comes to light in the latest detailed report from the Auditors of Public Accounts, a non-partisan, independent body appointed by the legislature. Their reports make for interesting reading, but little else: they have no enforcement powers or ability to penalize for wrong-doing.

Consider their report this past week on how the Governor’s office is run:

  • Of the three cars assigned to the office, mileage logs were not kept.
  • The Governor’s Office had 92 laptop computers for their 30 employees.
  • Time sheets for staffers were approved by superiors who had no direct knowledge of the employees’ work hours.

In response to the audit, the Governor’s Office said they agreed with the findings and would try to do a better job. End of story.

Some of these matters require mandatory referral to the Office of Ethics, but there seems to be little enforcement happening there, the case of Jonathan Dach being a good example.

You’ll remember that Dach was the Governor’s Chief of Staff, a $215,000 a year gig that was, as the Governor’s Office said, “a round the clock job.” Dach apparently spent a lot of that time driving including 2,300 miles for personal trips visiting the beach, restaurants, brew pubs and even a Dave Mathews concert, according to the audit.

Electronic tracking in another state-owned Ford Escape showed somebody once drove 113 mph on a trip from New London to Hartford. That’s illegal, even for a staffer in the Governor’s office.

What did Ned Lamont have to say about all this?

“The people of Connecticut deserve transparency and accountability … we need to lead by example,” he said last June. He added that he would seek reimbursement from Dach for personal use of the state car. But there’s been no further word on what, if any anything happened since Dach left his job in June.

As for the computers, $7,423 worth of laptops “could not be located.” But the Governor’s staff added that as soon as a laptop is no longer under warranty, it’s replaced and the old model is given to interns for their use. Great. Blame the kids.

Regarding the time sheets for the $3,746,724 annual payroll for the office’s couple dozen staffers, the audit says “limited resources” in the office meant they had not adopted a formal timesheet approval process.

In an era of tight finances, it’s discouraging to read that the Executive branch of state government, which claims that it wants to lead by example, has failed in its oversight of equipment and staff. It makes one wonder what’s happening in the other 88 agencies in our state, their 45,000+ employees and 3,300+ state vehicles.

And though they are lacking in any real power, kudos to the Auditors of Public Accounts for making all of this information public.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Saturday is Farmers Market at Tiffany Farm’s Final Day of the Season

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On Oct. 11, The Farmer’s Market at Tiffany Farms will be open for its final day of the 2025 season.

LYME, CT— Saturday Oct. 11 is the final day of the 2025 season forThe Farmers Market at Tiffany Farms.

It will be open rain or shine, farm field permitting.

Vegetables, fruit, meat, milk, cheese, eggs, chicken, and baked goods as well as preserves and maple syrup will be available at the farm on 156 Sterling City Road from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Saturday’s lineup includes Chatfield Hollow Farm, Dondero Orchards, Falls Brook Organic Farm, Four Mile River Farm, From the Farm, Hooting Owl Farm, Long Table Farm, Marna Roons, Ms BeeR Haven, Space Farms Soap, Tiffany Farms Pasture Raised Beef, The Country Kitchen, Traveling Italian Chef, Wave Hill Breads and Mystic Cheese.

For more information, call the farm at 860-575-4730.