On Monday, I attended the Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association monthly meeting. They will be sponsoring a water stop for the 20th Annual Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation Walk for a Cure which will take place on Saturday, October 4^th. The Executive Committee has been interviewing for the Town Nurse position over the past two months. They hope to finalize the hiring process this month.

During our Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday we discussed the Old Lyme Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) financial presentation for the Sound View and Miscellaneous B Sewer Project. Several residents have raised concerns as to what is included in the presented costs, and we want to present a complete breakdown of the costs prior to the referendum. The Selectmen voted to hire an outside accountant to look at the various numbers and provide their objective opinion. Sam Gold, Executive Director at RiverCOG, provided me with his recommendation.

I want to thank Emergency Operations Manager Dave Roberge for leading our team through the 2025 Governor’s Emergency Planning & Preparedness Initiative Exercise on Tuesday evening. Special thanks to Old Lyme Fire Department Chief Michael McCarthy, Patrolman George Sirigios, Red Cross Emergency Response Region 4 Coordinator Sue Bolen, Ledge Light Public Health Nurse Kris Magnussen, Fire Marshall/Emergency Operations Administrative Assistant Richard Smith, Executive Administrative Assistant Katie Balocca, Emergency Management Services Liaison and Special Needs Coordinator Tisha Kirk, Old Lyme Volunteer Ambulance Association Chief of Service Peter Ross and Deputy Chief of Service Dan Labriola for taking part in this process. The presented scenario allowed us to work together to balance drought conditions along with a wildfire that impacted our Region 18 campus and Lyme Street. We thought we had almost finished, when they provided us with news that a hurricane was approaching. It was a busy evening, but we all worked together to make sure the Town of Old Lyme was safe and informed.

Human Resources Updates:

• Alena Jalbert has joined the Town Hall team as an intern from UCONN. Alena will be working alongside the various department managers and putting together a policy manual for the Town of Old Lyme. She will be working 15 hours per week until the month of May.
• We are in the process of hiring new clerks for some of our Boards and Commissions. They will be assigned soon. We can always use substitute clerks as well.
• This week our new Waste and Recycling Coordinator, Raechel Peterson, attended her first meeting with the committee. The part-time (2days/week) position is funded by the nip bottle deposits collected in Old Lyme and returned to the town through CT’s redemption program. Funding a Waste and Recycling Coordinator is an accepted use of these funds and allows the position to be supported outside the town’s general fund. Raechel earned a BS degree in Psychology from Coastal Carolina University in 2023. After graduation she worked as an Environmental Specialist at the University of North Carolina, became an Environmental Conservation Corps member with the Sustainability Institute, and just completed a seasonal position with CT-DEEP’s Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division. The Committee looks forward to her assistance in helping Old Lyme find ways to reduce the environmental impact of its waste stream and manage disposal costs.
• Jill Karrenberg, our Human Resources Director, has informed us that she will be resigning at the end of September. Jill has decided to pursue her passion for teaching and will be teaching courses at Eastern Connecticut State University as well as GED prep classes at New London Adult Education. Jill has also been accepted into a PhD program and will be furthering her own education as well.

Reminders

• The Duck River Garden Club of Old Lyme will be sponsoring a Mum Sale this weekend. They are now serving Old Lyme and East Lyme, so there will be two locations. The Old Lyme Shopping Plaza at 19 Halls Road and the East Lyme Library will be hosting the event on Saturday, September 13^th, from 11:00 – 3:00 PM. They will have beautiful 9-inch mums in red, yellow, purple, orange, white and pink colors for $10 each. Cash or Check only! Please consider stopping by to pick up some plants. The members of the Duck River Garden Club spend many volunteer hours keeping our town gardens looking wonderful.  
• The Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau is launching a Suicide Prevention Initiative to Support Mental Health in SE CT, in collaboration with Old Saybrook Youth & Family Services. The youth service bureaus are proud to announce the installation of Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Resource signs on both sides of the Baldwin Bridge. The project was motivated by the quick-thinking actions of two CT State Troopers who responded to an individual at risk on the bridge in December of 2023. They were successful in convincing the individual to come back over the railing to safety. The project is launching with an event on Friday, September 19th at 11AM on the Old Lyme side of the Baldwin Bridge sidewalk approach area. It will feature guest speakers and mental health resource booths. The public is encouraged to attend and participate.
• Bound for the Sound will be taking place on Saturday, September 20^th. Bound for the Sound has a 10K (8AM start), 5K (8:15AM start) and a One Mile Family Fun Run (9:15AM start) that begin at Sound View Beach. The proceeds from this event benefit the Old Lyme Fire Department Auxiliary. Register soon!

I want to make the residents of Old Lyme aware of some attempted home break-ins in the shoreline area. Resident State Trooper Matt Weber informed me that they are aware of three homes where someone tried to break in. Some of this has been captured on camera and has been provided to the police and has been posted to social media as well. Please do all that you can to secure your home from burglars. We recommend that you install sturdy locks on all doors and windows, use a professional home security system or outdoor camera, improve your home's visibility with outdoor lighting, and keep landscaping neat to improve visibility. Indoor lights on timers make your home appear occupied when you are away from home. If you see any suspicious activity in your neighborhood, please call 911.

Enjoy the weekend.

All my best, 
Martha