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OLD LYME — The Board of Selectmen discussed updates to several town projects at their Tuesday afternoon meeting.
- The Haines Park Bathroom Committee is expecting to send the project out to bid in March, with the potential to begin work as early as April, Giswold said. Due to an inadequate well servicing the planned bathroom, the project’s scope has been expanded to include a water system and crawl space where water can be stored, Griswold said. That could increase project costs by more than the $150,000 already appropriated for the project during the regular budget cycle. Griswold said that town officials may seek a special appropriation or transfer through the Board of Finance. An additional appropriation of more than $20,000 would likely require town meeting approval, Griswold said.
- The Connecticut Water Company estimates that the installation of updated water service to the Sound View neighborhood will begin in March, Griswold said. The utility would work on project until Memorial Day — pause during the town’s busy summer season — and resume after Labor Day. The goal is to complete the work before the end of the calendar year. The company’s plans include replacing water mains at the top of Swan Ave and Portland Ave, installing new mains on the north side of Route 156, adding three fire hydrants, and then connecting properties to these new mains, Griswold said.
- As for the town’s sewers, Griswold said that he’s been having weekly conference calls to work out an agreement with the town’s three chartered beach communities for connecting sewers. Manchester-based engineering firm Fuss & O’Neil cannot complete their work without the town granting an easement to the beach communities. Griswold has previously said that the town should negotiate an agreement around sharing costs with the beach communities before the easement issue goes to town meeting voters for approval.
- The special building committee for the Lymes’ Senior Center is expected to request funding for a feasibility study into a possible expansion for the senior center at the Board of Finance’s meeting on Tuesday, February 25. Jeri Baker, chair of the senior center Board of Directors and chair of the special building committee, said during public comments at the selectmen’s meeting that the feasibility study would include a full audit of the senior center’s facilities. “That would be what we would need first,” Baker said. “In order to get that, we would need the money to put out a [request for potential contractors] to actually help us do that.”
- The selectmen also appointed Candice Fuchs to fill a vacancy on the Economic Development Commission.
Griswold shared near the end of the meeting that Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Thomas Saadi will hold a ceremony to honor local veterans of the Vietnam War and Korean War at Lyme -Old Lyme Middle School on Monday, February 24. About 150 people are already expected to attend, Griswold said.