Happy Halloween!

I want to start off by reminding everyone that we will have trick or treaters out and about this evening. Please be extra cautious on rural roads as children visit our various neighborhoods. As always, Lyme Street will be very busy, and we need everyone to drive slowly down in town while the event is taking place. 

This week I attended a Central District Meet and Greet with the Connecticut State Police Command staff. This allowed Resident State Trooper towns to discuss public safety stats and data, as well as make new contacts to keep our towns safe and efficient.

Earlier this week I learned that River Valley Transit will be adding some municipal stops in the Town of Old Lyme. There will be twenty-eight municipal stops, three of them are existing, four are planned to be installed on existing signposts, and twenty-one are expected to be new signpost installs. Brendan Geraghty from River Valley Transit will be making a presentation at the November 17^th Board of Selectmen meeting. 

DEEP has been doing work for us on Seaside Lane replacing two drainage pipes that they had installed in 1998 as part of the marshland restoration project. Last year a winter storm took out the two pipe lengths closest to the shoreline. This project is replacing them and making it safer for beach goers. DEEP has also cleaned out the marsh drains which should decrease the flooding that happens on the other side of the street. 

If you are an Old Lyme resident in need of assistance, or if you would like to make a donation of grocery gift cards and or non perishable food items to help Town residents who will be impacted, please contact Social Services Coordinator Amy Bonatti at the Town Hall 860.434.1605 x228.

A Note From the Registrars of Voters

Reminder that early voting is underway today (Friday 10/31) until 6:00PM and continues Saturday (11/1) from 10AM - 6PM and Sunday (11/2) from 10AM - 6PM at the Town Hall. There is no early voting on Monday (11/3).

Tuesday, November 4, is Election Day

• Our polling location is the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School gymnasium, 53 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT.
• The polls are open from 6AM - 8PM.
• We will be using new tabulators! A short video demonstrating the new tabulators and an informational sheet are available at this link. Check it out before you vote.

For questions/information about Absentee Ballots, please contact the Town Clerk's office at 860-434-1605 ext. 220 or ext. 221. Voting information, including a sample ballot, can be found on the Town's website.

The Parks and Recreation Department is happy to report that their Fall Youth Soccer season was a great success. They had enrollment of 210 players ages Pre-K to 5^th Grade, making up twenty-four teams. They were also lucky enough to have seven sunny and warm Saturdays this year. Many thanks to all the volunteer coaches, parents, and high school referees who did their part to make this season a winner. 

We want to make everyone aware that our two newest employees began working for us this month. Julie Carlos is the new Land Use Technician. Julie will be working with the Planning and Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commissions. Jamie McLinskey is our new part-time Human Resources Generalist. Jamie will be working from 9AM-2PM daily. 

Town Hall Staff voted for their favorite decorated gourds this week. This year’s theme was living things and the winners are: 3^rd place an adorable squirrel by Assessor Melinda Kronfeld, 2^nd place is a clown fish by Anita Lettieri also in the Assessor’s Office and 1^st place went to the jellyfish by Courtney Joy in the Town Clerk’s Office. Thanks to all who participated. Special thanks to Tracy Beatty, Payroll Manager, for organizing and coordinating this much anticipated annual event. This is year three and we feel like it was the cleverest and tastiest year yet. 

Finally, please remember that Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend. Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour on Saturday night. Enjoy the extra hour on Sunday! 

All my best, 
Martha