Spring is officially here!

During the past week our Public Works Department has begun spring cleanup around town. You might see the street sweeper and dump truck on your road, so please be aware of their presence. Public Works Director, Ed Adanti, has informed me that they will complete taking the berms down at White Sand Beach this morning.

On March 13^th, I attended the Accreditation Awards ceremony at the Connecticut Police Academy. Corporal Dominic Solari and Patrolmen George Sirigos represented the Old Lyme Police Department as we accepted our Tier II Accreditation certificate. Many thanks to Matt Ward and Katie Balocca for their work on this accreditation project in conjunction with Andretta Swift from Badge Six. We are now working toward our Tier III certification. For those who are not aware, the police accreditation program is managed by the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) and is a three-tiered process designed to enhance law enforcement agency professionalism and reduce liability exposure. 

This week I had the opportunity to meet with some of our Senior Center members to discuss the opening of the renovated Lymes' Senior Center. We are beginning to plan our Grand Opening reception and will set a date as soon as the new furniture is delivered. We have planned with the storage company to deliver the items in storage during the second week of April. We are getting closer to a soft opening date!

Last night I met with the Flood and Erosion Committee to learn more about what they are working on. The committee voted on officers; Russ Linderman and Katherine Thuma will be named Co-Chairs for the next year and Josh Thompson will be the recording secretary. They asked me to remind residents again about the Hurricane Awareness Workshop on Wednesday, March 26, from 5:30PM to 8PM.

Harbormaster Matt Lynch has provided us with an update on the Pilgrim Landing kayak racks. There are 24 spaces available this year. The applications will be online only, starting April 1^st at 8AM. Please note that there are some new Kayak Rack Regulations that are posted on the Harbor Management Commission Kayak Information webpage.

Amtrak has informed us that the Ferry Landing Pier will close on April 1^st and that the new pier at Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam will open. Amtrak will construct a new and improved fishing pier at the Ferry Landing State Park site once the bridge project is complete. Amtrak and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP) are working together on both projects. We have also posted the third addition of the Connecticut River Bridge Newsletter. Amtrak publishes this newsletter to keep residents informed on the project progression.

I hope you all enjoy the first full weekend of spring.