Markham Starr’s lectures always draw a large audience. This photo is from a previous talk by Starr. Photo courtesy of OLHS.
OLD LYME–Starting at noon on Saturday, Nov. 22, documentary photographer Markham Starr will lead a lecture at the Old Lyme Historical Society, 55 Lyme St., before setting out on a walk through the Champlain North Open Space on Wyckford Lane.
The event is presented by the Old Lyme Land Trust and the Old Lyme Historical Society.
Starr is a Connecticut resident and author of “Ceremonial Stonework: The Enduring Native American Presence on the Land.”
The Land Trust in a press release said Native Americans built nearly two dozen distinct types of structures in the area, ranging from cairns to stone serpent effigies, that remain standing in long-abandoned woods. While Native American stonework is widely recognized out west and to the south, New England’s stonework remains obscure, having blended back into the woods.
Champlain North is located off Rte. 1 near the Old Lyme Inn. The Land Trust advised hikers to wear thick boots and consider a hiking stick.
Federal Prevention Education Funding Remains on Shaky Ground
LYSB Board Chairwoman Shay Cantner, LYSB Executive Director Mary Seidner and Counselor Kelly Lydiksen on Wednesday showed off their newly renovated home on Lyme Street.
OLD LYME—Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) this week unveiled renovations to its Lyme Street headquarters, creating a more welcoming space for staff and families at the same time the nonprofit organization adapts to reduced federal funding.
The 1850 building at 59 Lyme Street, which anchors the small campus, was updated with a streamlined layout and new features through a state grant and donations, according to LYSB Executive Director Mary Seidner.
“What I find so amazing about the whole project is the community partnership,” she said.
She credited general contractor Steve Wood of Steve Wood Design Build of Lyme, architect Christopher DeFiore of Old Lyme, Project Manager Bob Cope and Project Advisor Steve Hallahan, both of Lyme, with making the renovation possible.
Former LYSB Board member Hallahan helped Seidner write the original grant to apply for the funds and he, along with Cope and DeFiore, donated their services pro bono. Seidner said, “They were all so generous with their time. It’s because of them that we were able to complete the project ahead of time and under budget.”
She added, “Our architect lives in town … Our designer lives in town. Our project manager is on our board, and he practically lived here,” she said. “It’s just beautiful.”
Meanwhile, a desk for the full-time, grant-funded LYSB Prevention Coordinator sits empty after The White House late last month announced its Drug Free Communities grant program has been put on hold. Seidner said the loss of $125,0000 in federal funds annually required her to lay off the coordinator while the grant award process remains in limbo.
Staff from LYSB greeted members of the public at Wednesday’s open house to show off the renovated space that included upgrades and a reconfigured floor plan to allow confidential workspaces and to ensure the space is accessible to everyone who enters.
The renovation, which gutted the interior of the 1,836-square-foot building, also adddressed crumbling plaster ceilings, walls with newspaper insulation, aging wiring and plumbing, a lack of ventilation, the dirt floor in a portion of the basement, inefficient and inoperative windows, and a stone foundation in need of repair.
“The building before needed a lot of help,” Seidner said. “Our staff spent a lot of time fixing things and dealing with stuff that didn’t work.”
Improvements include kid-friendly spaces for counselor Kelly Lydiksen to meet with young clients and their families. The licensed marriage and family therapist associate said the renovation had been completed for some six weeks when she joined LYSB about two weeks ago.
“There was a lot of ability to make it exactly what I needed it to be, which is great,” Lydiksen said. “I’ve been able to get a lot of resources and tools for kids specifically.”
In addition to Lydiksen’s second-floor office, there’s a room across the hall outfitted with a magnetic easel, books, crafts and seating that can be used as additional meeting space or a waiting area when needed.
Seidner cited privacy as a key concern in the renovation. Moving the staircase from the back of the house to the front has helped to accomplish that.
“Clients who are coming here for counseling can go right up the stairs,” she said. “They don’t have to walk through my staff break-room, which is what they used to have to do.”
LYSB uses a sliding scale based on the client’s ability to pay for each counseling session. The fees are subsidized through donations.
“About half of our clients are paying us $5, or zero,” she said.
Shay Cantner, who serves as LYSB Board of Directors Chairwoman, said board members had no difficulty getting behind the renovation project for the old house purchased in 1978 as the burgeoning organization’s headquarters.
Cantner, who is in her fifth year on the board, cited inconveniences like broken chairs in Seidner’s office and temperatures that always seemed too hot or too cold.
“I think all the staff work so hard and they deserve to be in a place that is at least updated, so they can focus on the work, and serving the children and families. That’s where their focus should be,” she said.
The youth center and early childhood center, located in the property’s former garage and barn, were not affected by the renovation.
Seidner recalled three of the organization’s four full-time staff members worked out of an eight foot-wide trailer on the site during the renovation.
“We were very close together, but it was an adventure,” she said. “That’s the way we looked at it.”
Federal Funding Delay Results in Staffing Cut
LYSB Executive Director Mary Seidner stands at the entrance to her renovated office.
Seidner on Wednesday said she laid off prevention coordinator Antoinette Thuillier, who holds a master’s degree in public health and had been in the position for 11 months, after the grant funding to renew the position did not come through by the end of the federal fiscal year on Sept. 29.
The renewal would have extended the five-year Drug Free Communities grant to 10 years. LYSB was finishing its fifth year in the program, which provided $125,000 annually.
Seidner said LYSB had received pre-approval and was awaiting final confirmation when The White House on Sept. 26 announced it would “recompete” the award process, essentially canceling existing proposals and reopening a new round. The surprise decision affected six prevention coalitions in Connecticut, according to Seidner.
The federal grant program supports work to reduce drug, alcohol and tobacco use among children.
The White House in its announcement said the move was necessary to ensure applicants are in compliance with recent executive orders from President Donald Trump.
“Our team is working aggressively to put safeguards in place towards advancing President Trump’s America-First policy agenda and mission,” the announcement said. “We are performing due diligence to ensure that absolutely no taxpayer dollars go to furthering the radical left’s agenda.”
LYSB’s prevention coordinator runs the Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition and the high school Youth Prevention Coalition. Other responsibilities included working with the Old Lyme Police Department DARE program as well as participating in driver’s education and health classes at the high school, Seidner said.
Seidner emphasized LYSB’s prevention work will continue in a modified way as the remaining staff members take on additional duties.
“I don’t want to give anyone the impression that we’re in trouble, because we’re not in trouble,” she said. “But it hurts.”
She said spending would get “very tight” with the loss of funding amounting to a quarter of the overall budget. She said it’s unclear when the government will resume awarding grants.
“That’s why I’m saying national politics have hit Lyme Street,” she said. “The children of Lyme and Old Lyme are being affected by this decision.”
“Blinded by the light Revved up like a deuce Another runner in the night” – Manfred Mann
Has this ever happened to you? You’re driving on a narrow road in the dark, when the headlights of oncoming traffic suddenly blind you, leaving you wondering where is the road and whether you might crash.
With sunset now coming as early as 5 p.m. (thanks to the return to Standard Time), driving in the dark becomes a real challenge if not a danger. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data shows nighttime crashes are three times more likely than daytime, even on dry roads.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
There are several reasons that headlights appear so bright. The first is that the headlights may not be properly aligned, aiming too high. And with more vehicles riding higher from the road (think SUVs and trucks), their headlights shine more directly into oncoming traffic.
Most problematic are the new kinds of headlights we use. The older incandescent (yellowish) lightbulbs are being replaced by LED or xenon lights, which are blue-white and more glaring to your eyes.
That’s because bright oncoming headlights, especially the bluish ones, cause the pupils in your eyes to constrict rapidly, literally blinding you until the oncoming vehicle passes and your eyes adjust.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
When bright lights come at you, don’t look into the oncoming beam. Instead, look to the right edge or lane marker of your driving lane. Use anti-glare mirrors, especially in your rear-view mirror, so headlights on vehicles behind you don’t hit your eyes. Most of all, slow down! Being blinded on darkened roads, coated with wet slippery leaves, is dangerous.
WILL BLUE LIGHT GLASSES HELP?
Even with good driving habits, glare from new headlight technology can still feel intense leading some drivers to look for solutions like special glasses. But the jury’s still out on this idea. Some manufacturers and optometrists say that lenses designed to block or filter short-wavelength blue light can help reduce the perceived glare by filtering out that part of the spectrum. Some glasses described as “for night driving” (the ones that are often yellow in tint) also have reflective coatings.
Doctors say some patients swear by these specs, making them more confident. But safety experts say you shouldn’t take this as license to drive faster than is safe for the road conditions.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?
You can start by making sure you’re not part of the problem. Get your own headlights checked for alignment at your mechanic or national chains like Midas or Goodyear. It’ll cost you about $100.
It used to be that the Connecticut DMV checked headlight alignments during your bi-annual emissions tests, but that ended in 2001. A bill (HB 6163) before the Connecticut legislature in 2023 would have restored those tests, but it never became law.
In the UK they’re taking this problem more seriously, upping testing of headlight brightness and where they aim down the road. Some are even calling for a ban on super-bright LED and xenon bulbs. UK stats claim 280 collisions a year in that country are caused by the dazzling bulbs.
Meantime, take it easy on the roads at night. Maybe even avoid driving in those hours, if you can. Try the glasses, if you’d like. But above all … stay safe!
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.
A pumpkin was catapulted into the Lyme Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG) compost pile at last year’s inaugural event. Photo courtesy of LOLFSG.
OLD LYME–On Saturday, Nov. 8, big orange gourds will be flying at the second annual Lyme Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG) Pumpkin Toss.
The event will run from 9 to 11 a.m. at Town Woods Park, 30 Town Woods Road.
The event offers families a fun venue to recycle their Halloween pumpkins for a good cause, according to an LOLFSG press release.
Building on the popular pumpkin chunkin’ phenomenon, garden volunteers will deploy a trebuchet to toss the pumpkins into the compost pile.
The group said pumpkins from last year’s toss broke down through the composting process into nutrient-rich soil, which helped the Foodshare garden grow over three tons of produce for donation to the Gemma Moran United Way food distribution program and the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries.
Trustees Tap Current Admininistration Director as Interim Leader, Promise No Interruption to $17.8 Million Expansion Plan
OLD LYME–The Florence Griswold Museum today announced Executive Director Joshua Campbell Torrance will step down on Nov. 26 of this year to move to a new position in Cooperstown, NY.
Torrance, who led the museum since February 2023 and oversaw the planning stages for a $17.8 million renovation and expansion project announced last month, has accepted a leadership role at Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm and Country Village.
The Florence Griswold Museum in a Thursday press release said its Board of Trustees has named Peter Steere, the current director of administration, as interim director. Steere held the position since 2024, following his retirement as chief operating officer for Yale Health.
Steere brings 40 years of senior executive experience in strategic planning, human resources management, and major expansion projects.
Board Chairwoman Barbara Harms identified Steere as a seasoned project manager.
“Our staff is exceptional, and devoted to the museum and its future,” she said. “There will be no interruption to our expansion plans.”
Torrance will serve as senior vice president overseeing the two Fenimore museum sites before taking over as president and CEO with the retirement of Dr. Paul S. D’Ambrosio.
Harms lauded Torrance for his role in the Florence Griswold Museum’s planned expansion, which she said included multiple in-depth studies, revised vision and mission statements, and an institutional rebrand to honor the museum’s history while preparing for its future.
“Joshua’s tenure was a time of study, planning, and clear strategic direction,” Harms said. “We appreciate his guidance and inspiration, and we look forward to advancing the plans developed under his leadership as scheduled.”
Torrance described himself as privileged to have worked with the museum’s board, staff members and volunteers.
“I am grateful to them for allowing me to be a small part of their distinguished history and impressive future,” he said.
The museum said the move is a homecoming for Torrance, who received a master’s degree in history museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program at SUNY Oneonta, and whose first job after graduation was at the Fenimore Art Museum in 1998 as curatorial assistant under then-Vice President D’Ambrosio.
“I am confident that under Joshua’s leadership the future of Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm are in good hands,” D’Ambrosio said. “There is no one I trust more with the stewardship of two places that have meant so much and been such a large part of my life, for forty-two years.”
