To the Editor:
Unlike the private beach associations that have been granted a close 1:1 correlation between properties and EDUs, multiple properties in Sound View/Area B will be charged with multiple EDUS, since the Town got stuck with 270 EDUs for 214 properties. That deal was made by then- WPCA Chairman Richard Prendergast.
In July 2024, the ‘ Sewer Project Summary Update’ by current WPCA Chairman Steve Cinami, stated that one EDU would cost $22,555.69 or $1368 per year financed at 2% over 20 years, or $27,360. This did not include contractual connection fees of 1.2 mil – Old Lyme’s cost to allow the Old Lyme infrastructure pipe to connect to East Lyme and New London pipes, nor did it include contractual maintenance, usage, the cost to decommission existing working septics, accounting, insurance – a long laundry list of items excluded from the EDU calculations. In addition, WPCA Vice Chair Corey Bullock, who is employed by B&L Construction (a sewer contractor) provided Sound View property owners written estimates between $8 – $10k to decommission and run a new pipe from the building to the curb. Cinami is arguing it’s $5k.
In April 2025, having received bids in March, Chairman Cinami posted that 1 EDU would be $1939.76 per year for 20 years at 2% or $38,780 per EDU plus contractual connection fees, maintenance, and up-front homeowners’ expense of $5-10K to decommission working septic systems. Remember that some properties would pay more than 1 EDU – up to 3 in fact — $116,340 or higher.
By July 2025 all received infrastructure bids and the internal bid for Sound View, had expired but we were assured by Chairman Cinami that the internal bid for Sound View and all infrastructure bids had agreed to extensions, except maybe not the pumpstation.
In August 2025, at a packed town meeting, several property owners expressed their lack of confidence and frustration with Chairman Cinami’s answers to questions and cost analysis. The Board of Selectmen directed Cinami to post a property-by-property cost analysis on the town website and WPCA website. That spreadsheet has not been published.
In September 2025 the Board of Selectmen wisely employed an independent accounting firm HRT Advisors, LLC to review project numbers. HRT’s conclusion was that 1 EDU including contractual fees would be $2241 per year plus DEEPs estimate of $565 per year for maintenance for a total of $2806 per year – $56,120 per EDU. That’s $168,360 if your property is charged 3 EDUs.
In October 2025, Chaiman Cinami modified his EDU value to $2252.94 to $2734.94 per year for 20 years so between $45,058 and $54,700, again completely excluding contractual connection fees, maintenance, usage, and up-front connection of between 5 – 10k. But the WPCA voted unanimously to accept and utilize the HTR analysis – $2805 per EDU – $56,120 plus the decommissioning cost between $5 – 10K. The proposed referendum amount in October was 17.1 million.
Because the WPCA’s calculation includes charging 8 EDUs for 8 undeveloped lots, 9 if you include the town bus stop as Cinami requested, I asked for clarification since Clean Water Funds specifically state they are not to be used for development. Cinami answered that is a question for Zoning. The WPCA has not reached out to Zoning for an answer on this. The EDU count today includes 1 EDU for the bus stop.
At the November 2025 WPCA meeting, the Board voted unanimously to include the 1.2 mil East Lyme, New London contractual fees as a capitol expense to be included in the EDU.
In November 2025, we learned, contrary to what we had been told, that the bidder for Sound View was requesting a $400,000 escalation to hold the bid through December, that the second bidder for the pump house was also requesting an escalation, that the bid for the force/main bioxide station had fallen out and replaced with a bid at 1.2 million increase, and that Old Colony’s Chairman Noe was now demanding compensation for shared piping that had been agreed on before the designs were finalized two years ago. These additions are not included in the $56,120 EDU figure.
In a CT Examiner article dated 11/22/25 Chairman Cinami stated that an EDU was $3,100 per year or $62,000. That does not include decommissioning working septic systems.
In a Ct Examiner article dated 12/3/25, less than two weeks later, Cinami stated ‘the maximum assessment would be $38,711 per EDU’. Huh? There has been no additional funding identified.
We do not know if legal fees, approximately $50,000 will be absorbed by the Town or rolled to the project, we do not know what a third party will charge to maintain and service the system once built, nor what insurance, bookkeeping, auditing will run. We do not know if Miami Beach, which has to vote again on bonding, is in or out. We do not know a lot of things. We do know no bids have been signed. We do know statute 7-249 was written for this exact situation.
Chairman Cinami has officially resigned effective December 31, 2025.
There is plenty to doubt before agreeing to bond $20,528,486 dollars.
Mary Daley
Old Lyme, CT
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Mary Daley is a member of the Old Lyme WPCA. She is writing as a property owner, not as a representative for OLWPCA.