This week the Board of Selectmen held two meetings to work on some ordinances that will come before you during our Town Budget Meeting on May 19^th. Please remember that this meeting will be held at Town Hall in the Meeting Room at 7:30PM. The revised new ordinances will be posted on the Town Website early next week for review.  

On Monday, May 5^th, the Lyme’s Senior Center had their soft opening. Director Stephanie Gould and Assistant Director Caitlin Perkins planned a pizza party to welcome back the members who have been patiently waiting for this day. There were approximately 150 smiling faces gathered for the event. Town Hall staff Vicki Urbowicz, Courtney Joy, Michele Hayes, Katie Balocca and I went to help. Here are a few photos of the occasion. Remember to mark your calendars for the Grand Opening on May 31^st!

I want to take a few minutes to discuss solicitors in the Town of Old Lyme. The town has an Ordinance Chapter115 – Peddling and Soliciting. This requires companies to take out a permit to go door to door in our town. Once we have granted the permit, we post in my newsletter who has obtained a permit and when they are allowed to solicit. We also notify the Police Department, so they know we have issued a permit. If someone comes to your door, please ask them for their permit. If they say they don’t have it or their boss has the copy, please tell them they must register with Town Hall. Let’s do our best to keep everyone safe.

You may have seen the electronic speed signs on various roads around town. If you notice one of the signs appears off, it is in “stealth mode”. In this mode the sign appears off, but it will actually be recording speeds so we can gather data on how motorists are operating without the speed warning. We will have four signs up by the end of next week. 

This week we received an email from Eversource regarding the Electric Discount Rate Tiers. They also provided more information on the Public Benefit Changes. Please click on the links to read the letter in its entirety.

Our Building Inspector, Mark Wayland and assistant, Glynis Houde have asked me to provide you with some information about a project they are working on.  

Open Building Permits

You may get a call or email from the Building Department alerting you of open (active) permits on your property. If you want to see if you have any open permits, you can search the records by going to this link: Search - Town of Old Lyme, CT . There you can type in your address and view any records that are still marked Active. If you have active permits and the work is finished, you can call the Building Department at 860-434-1605 Ext 230 to schedule a time for the Building Official to inspect the work and close out the permit.

I would like to thank Mark Hastings and the Rogers Lake Authority for their constant watch over Rogers Lake. Mark and his volunteers monitor the lake’s height and open and close the dam to maintain the correct balance. The influx of heavy rains brings challenges to the daily monitoring. One inch of rain can cause the lake to add 2 inches of water. Not only does the dam need to be opened and shut, but DEEP needs to be notified of the opening and closure times. This week a small part broke and Dave Evers from the Rogers Lake West Shores Association provided a temporary fix. Public Works ordered a new part which should arrive today, and Public Works hopes to install it on Saturday. This is just another way our small town works together to keep Old Lyme moving.

Finally, I just want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in Old Lyme. I hope you get to celebrate with the people you love this weekend. 

All my best, 
Martha