Photographer Beth Green’s ‘Impressions of Connecticut’ on View at Saint Ann’s Through Labor Day

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Beth Green

OLD LYME –Photographer Beth Green’s Impressions of Connecticut exhibit will run at Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church through Labor Day. 

The exhibit, located in the church’s Griswold Room, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon. 

The church in a press release said the show focuses on scenes of shoreline Connecticut and the Connecticut River Valley, from a bend in the Lieutenant River, to a red barn in snow, to sunlight on the Long Island Sound. 

It also includes several of her iconic sports photographs from the 1970s, when Green became known as the first female photographer allowed in a professional sports locker room. 

A printed guide to the show includes a QR code for each photograph leading to audio narration by Green. All the photographs are available for sale.

Green’s career includes work as a photographer for international wire services and then as a photo editor for Newsweek magazine. After a decade with the magazine, she switched to architectural and corporate photography with a continued focus on using her photography skills to tell stories from a female perspective. 

Green describes herself as a “a very traditional photographer” from the world of film and large format photography. 

“With the advent of digital photography, the use of digital manipulations in my work is minimal,” she said. “I believe in the play of light on the subject to create my images. I crop entirely in my camera and turn my camera on the world around me as it exists. Light is my paintbrush and is the tool for my artistic license. My main interest is the image as it is in the world at that moment. There is nothing new in the world, it is how you arrange it in your viewfinder and capture the image forever at that moment.”

Green has served as a guest professor at Rutgers University and Fordham University, and has taught for the New York Institute of Photography.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the church.

Letter with 60 Signatures Sent to Old Lyme Inland Wetlands Commission About Gravel Pit Violations

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Editor’s Note: We were sent a copy of a letter submitted Monday, June 24, to the Old Lyme Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission in advance of the commission’s Tuesday evening meeting. A violation status update on the 308-1 Mile Creek Road property is included on the meeting agenda.. Letter organizer Peter Caron gave permission for LymeLine to publish the letter in full—he said it had been signed by 60 residents.

June 20, 2025

To the Old Lyme Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission,

Greetings.

We simply wish to convey our dismay at efforts by the owner of 308-1 Mile Creek to once again avoid fulfilling the orders of this commission. Time and again this property has been the site of astonishingly flagrant violations, time and again the town has attempted to bring its owners to operate within the law, yet time and again as cease and desist orders are lifted the conditions ordered with these permissions have gone unfulfilled.

This commission has been incredibly patient. The most recent inadequate application was (despite overwhelming community opposition) approved, but with entirely appropriate conditions requiring the applicant to undo some of the damage illegally done to the wetland. Rather than abide by the terms of that decision or appeal it, the owner instead now proposes to leave most of the most blatant violations in place, and to place additional fill in the wetland buffer. The absurdity of the situation, and the gulf between assertions made in the current owner proposed mitigation plan and reality on the ground were both readily evident at June 10th’s site walk.

Along with equally dominant impressions by many in attendance that the driveway really does not belong there, and that its widening and ad hoc improvement is only making the situation worse (and being struck by the drastically reduced water levels in the siltation ponds, themselves regulated inland wetlands), it was hard to ignore that: between the inadequate culvert (which contrary to promises made to this commission, appeared clogged) and the illegally placed boulders and berm (much of which is now sprouting invasive mugwort), the applicant is engaged in completely under-engineered and unlawful river impoundment impacting the river, its associated wetlands, and neighboring properties, with more severe impacts likely in the future if allowed to continue.

We suggest that, if continued use of the driveway is the objective, the appropriate course of action would be securing the permits required to make the culvert adequate from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The still unmapped but abundant vernal habitat in the floodplain upstream would have to be taken into careful consideration, but, if the driveway were to allow the swollen river to pass, it would go a long way towards handling the natural floodplain inundations currently being regularly experienced, without the damages illegal bandaid solutions are incurring.

We find the arguments made by the owner’s soils scientist for not completing the mitigation steps ordered by this commission entirely unconvincing. Erosion of the “millings” (placed without permit and of unknown origin) was clearly visible. References to elevations and wetland delineations in the owner’s latest mitigation proposal are worth little, since, crucially, the wetland’s extent before the fill violations occurred still hasn’t been properly mapped, and an accurate up to date survey showing the relevant driveway and river elevations still hasn’t been performed (despite the false characterization in Indigo’s WRP-1 plan of Annino Survey LLC’s limited data accumulation work as constituting an A-2 survey, it is actually a class D). While we understand the owner may have thought otherwise when he took the property off his former employer’s hands, the long history of egregious harm being committed on the property cannot and does not justify the further and ongoing injury being done to the land, the river, the town, and the law.

In light of the persistent noncompliance with this commission’s orders and the history summarized in the Valentine’s Day letter to this commission signed by scores of residents, we again urge this commission to commence revocation of the fundamentally flawed October 2022 permit in accordance with §14.5 of its regulations. We also suggest it may be appropriate for the most recent permit to be revoked, as its requirements are not being met. Otherwise, we urge the commission to at a minimum insist that the mitigation work it ordered be fully completed under the oversight of a town contracted professional at the owner’s expense.

Thank you for your work. We very much recognize its importance, are grateful for all of your time and efforts, and wish you a relaxing summer.

Sincerely,

Olaf Bertram-Nothnagel and Peter Caron,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Sound View Property Owner Asks Old Lyme to ‘Play Fair’ in Sewer Installation Charges

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To the Editor:

I am a newly appointed member of the OLWPCA (Old Lyme Water Pollution Control Authority) but am writing here not as a WPCA representative but as a property owner in Old Lyme.

My property in ‘Area B’ – near the railroad tracks – was recently appraised at $210,900. It consists of 712 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. It is seasonal. 

Let’s assume for the moment that all current received bids hold without increases once they expire June 30th and let’s assume for the moment that Miami Beach receives a bid this fourth go-around and Old Lyme Shores receives an acceptable bid in its third go-around. 

My property is assigned 1 [one] Equivalent Dwelling Unit [EDU.] Based on the Chairman Cinami’s latest figures and after an assumed 50% reimbursement is applied, I will owe $38,000 for construction fees. In a written quote from B&L, I will owe an additional $8,700 to decommission my engineered septic system and run a new line to the curb. Then of course, there’s those additional town contractual fees of the project; 1.3 million owed to East Lyme and New London to connect,  plus maintenance, management, bookkeeping, bioxide, easements, legal, consulting fees and repairs, etc. These additional charges cannot be divided by 270 EDUS because the undeveloped lots (including the bus stop!) equate to 9 EDUs that must be subtracted from maintenance billing.

Furthermore, the Chairman has said that some properties will be granted variances to delay connecting so those properties as well, cannot be billed for maintenance until some later date. Hard to guess what all that extra maintenance and contractual fees will cost me then when I connect, but let’s say conservatively it totals another $600 a year, plus $400 a year for actual usage based on flow. In summary then, it’s $1000 a year in contractual and maintenance and usage fees for the next 20 years or $20,000 (we’ll set aside that these contracts have escalation clauses after year 1). I’m up to $66,700 for a sewer to replace my perfectly fine engineered system on my property that is appraised at $210,900. That’s 31.63% of the appraised value. I will be paying minimally $3,445 per year for the next 20 years for something I do not need.

You call that fair? 

There are 29 single family homes in Area B. Sixteen are appraised less than $255,000. They will all be charged just like me. Nadeau Associates stated that the value added to a residential property [after installation of a new sewer system] is 7% and the OLWPCA expert Christopher Kerin [of the real estate valuation and advisory firm Kerin & Fazio LLC] says it’s 10%. All of the 29 residential homes in Area B and the majority of the commercial properties, will fail that test. 

And given the following quote from Graham Stevens [of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection] in 2023 to OLSSPA [Old Lyme Shoreline Sewer Project Alliance] that, “Determination that project area user charges to finance the project in excess of 2% MHI [Median Household Income] are unaffordable” indicates that only the medium income of Area B/Sound View should be considered – not the town. I am betting that all of Area B, and Sound View will fail that 2% income affordability test if it is applied the right way. Just because our properties are located near the railroad tracks, does not give you the right to railroad us. Play fair Old Lyme!   

Sincerely,

Brian Cornell,
Old Lyme.

TOP STORY: On ‘Make Music Day,’ Artists Converge in Old Lyme’s Continuing Ode to Free Music for All

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Barbara Harvey and Texas Jack Hardesty played from the side porch of Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau. Photos courtesy of Cheryl Poirier unless otherwise noted.

OLD LYME —Make Music Old Lyme rang in the summer solstice Saturday evening with tunes up and down Lyme Street as part of the international tradition promoting free music for all.

‘Two of Us’ attracted listeners in front of Patricia Spratt for the Home.

Economic Development Commission member Cheryl Poirier estimated there were at least 300 people strolling the historic district while more than a dozen musical acts entertained from porches, yards and storefronts.

Chris Gregor entertains at Center School, where folks stopped to listen and to buy something to eat from the Lions Club grills.

Revelers strolled a route extending from fire station, where Old Lyme’s Colin Hallahan played cover songs and originals, to the lawn of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme on which the 50-year-old Old Lyme Town Band played selections from its 500-piece catalog.

Old Lyme Town Band puts on a show in front of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.

Poirier acknowledged the crowd seemed lighter than in previous years, though she said it’s difficult to provide an exact count when attendees are spread out across three-quarters of a mile for two hours.

Howling Hound Dogs wail under the Kousa Dogwood at Cooley Gallery.

Some people walked up and down the street sampling all the sounds, while others sat down to enjoy one band at a time.

The Scoville Jazz Duo became a trio at the former ice cream shop.

The event is produced by the Old Lyme Arts District and the MusicNow Foundation. Launched in France in 1982, Make Music is an international musical festival open to all who would like to participate, and takes place in over 1,000 cities in 120 countries every June 21, the summer solstice.

The Old Lyme Historical Society got interactive with their contribution to ‘Make Music Day.’ Photo courtesy of Edie Twining.

Children made their own music in an activity hosted by the Old Lyme Historical Society during the stroll.

Band of Friends were back on the patio of the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library.

This year marked the 7th annual Make Music event. Genres represented this year included bluegrass, folk, indie rock, American standards, and pop.

The Celestials croon at Village Shoppes.

The international Make Music phenomenon returns for next year’s summer solstice on Sunday, June 21.

The Lions Club volunteers finish up after a successful event.

Saint Ann’s Announces Summer Programs for Children, Adults

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Saint Ann’s Church stands serene on Shore Rd. Photo courtesy of Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church.

OLD LYME–Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church has announced enrichment programs to engage kids and adults throughout the summer. 

Starting this Sunday, June 29, Saint Ann’s will offer three sessions of the Godly Play curriculum for children from 3- to 12-years-old. The Montessori-based educational program uses an interactive storytelling process to explore the mystery of God’s presence in their lives, according to the church.

Godly Play classes will take place at 9:30 a.m. on June 29, July 6 and August 3. Parents are welcome to attend Saint Ann’s worship service at 9:30 a.m. while their children are in Godly Play, with children to join their parents in the service following the lesson.

For adults, the Summer Bible Study will take place on Mondays from July 7 to Aug. 25, at 5 p.m. in the Griswold Room or via Zoom. 

The focus this summer will be on the Book of Acts, which tells the stories of the faith, joys, accomplishments and struggles of the earliest followers of Jesus.