It has been a beautiful week in Old Lyme. The Town Hall staff enjoyed watching all the preschool end-of-year activities at the campus across the street and now school is out for the summer.

Selectwoman Jude Read and I attended the Waste & Recycling Committee meeting on Monday night. This group of dedicated volunteers is working to determine their next steps to help the town decrease our waste and recycling costs. Jude and I were able to listen to their concerns and provide them with some possible suggestions. Maryellen Basham is resigning from the committee to pursue other interests, so there will be a vacancy if anyone would like to volunteer.   

On Tuesday, I had lunch at RiverCOG with Sam Gold (Executive Director) and Rob Haramut (Senior Transportation Planner) to discuss the status of the grants that we have applied for in the past two years. Our applications are mainly for Halls Road improvements, including sidewalks. We also discussed other options for sidewalk funding. The Board of Selectmen are looking forward to the Halls Road Improvement Committee’s presentation at their meeting on Monday, June 17^th.   

The Old Lyme Fire Department received a $1500 grant from CT Water to provide training for the department’s pump operators. This training will ensure that when hydrants are used, they will have the correct instructions to protect the critical water infrastructure in town. The town greatly appreciates the efforts of Chief McCarthy and our volunteers for actively seeking grants whenever possible.   

On Wednesday, Emergency Management & Fire Marshal Dave Roberge coordinated our 2024 Governor's Emergency Planning and Preparedness Initiative (EPPI) from 9 am to 12 pm. This year’s EPPI focused on coordination and consequence management related to possible election security based incidents. Our registrars, poll workers and town hall staff were all part of this exercise.    

On Thursday, the Old Lyme Volunteer Ambulance Association held a ribbon cutting ceremony for their newest ambulance. Part of this funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money that was provided to the Town of Old Lyme. Selectwoman Jude Read and I were pleased to be able to attend the short ceremony.

Tim Griswold stopped by today to provide an update on the Ferry Road Sidewalk project which is nearly complete. Colonna Concrete should be finishing up next week.  As I drove by this morning, I admired how lovely the new sidewalks look. I appreciate that Tim has continued to work on this project after he left office. He has updated me each week and provided me with a tour or two of the various aspects of the project.  

Here are a few reminders:

• Town Hall and the Transfer Station will be closed on June 19^th in observance of Juneteenth. Curbside trash and recycle collection will be per usual.
• Hazardous Waste Collection  will take place at the Lyme Old Lyme Middle School on Saturday, June 15^th  from 9-1 pm.  
• June is dog licensing month - Ella Shoemaker stopped in yesterday to get hers.  
• Make sure you check out the newest Senior Center Building Committee update on our website. 
• Make Music Day is June 21^st   

This weekend is Father’s Day - I certainly appreciate all the dads in town that volunteer for committees, coaching, projects and a host of other activities. Enjoy celebrating with your loved ones and family!