LYME/OLD LYME, CT – The Towns of Old Lyme and Lyme will host Public Information Sessions on Monday, March 25, and Wednesday, March 27. Both sessions will be presented by the Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee and cover the status of the Lymes’ Senior Center renovation and a request for an additional appropriation of $880,000 in total—$660,000 from Old Lyme and $220,000 from Lyme—from the two towns.
The 3/25 session for Old Lyme residents will start at 6:30 pm and be held in the Old Lyme Town Hall Meeting Room.
The 3/27 session for Lyme residents, also starting at 6:30 pm, will be held in the Lyme Consolidated School gymnasium. It cannot be held at the Lyme Town Hall because early voting for the Presidential Preference Primary will be taken place there.
Both Towns will then hold Special Town Meetings on Monday, April 15, at which votes be taken on the additional funds requested.
The Old Lyme (OL) Board of Selectmen and the OL Board of Finance approved the Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee’s request for an additional $660K of funding at their respective regular meetings Monday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 19. Both votes were unanimous.
The additional funds are being requested by the committee due to construction bids that came in higher than anticipated and the newly-added request for a kitchen upgrade that the Towns of Old Lyme and Lyme made last month.
According to the committee, the supplemental appropriation breaks out in brief as follows:
• The cost overrun has been reduced to $800,000 – a figure, which reflects approximately $600,000 in construction savings and an increase in contingency funds of nearly $65,000 to cover unforeseen circumstances.
• The kitchen upgrade is estimated to require an additional $80,000. • The total supplemental appropriation being requested from both towns is $880,000. • The Town of Lyme’s share of that cost (25%) comes to $220,000.
Both the Lyme Board of Selectpeople and the Board of Finance have reviewed and approved the supplemental appropriation request, but the funding must still be approved by the voters of Lyme at a Special Town Meeting that will be held on Monday, April 15.
At the March 27 Public Information Session, representatives from the Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee, including members of the Lyme Boards of Finance and Selectpeople, will discuss the budget in detail and take questions from the public.
The committee’s goal is to have the budget appropriations approved by both towns before the construction bids expire on May 6.
Lyme residents approved an initial appropriation of $$1,315,886 at last year’s Town Budget Meeting and, Old Lyme residents approved an initial appropriation of $$4,158,407 at a Town referendum held June 20, 2023. Since that time, through efforts of the towns and the committee, the project has been awarded $1 million in grants from the state.
When the renovations are completed, the Senior Center will have:
• An additional 3,265 sq.ft. of interior space (for a total of 8,737 sq. ft. of interior space) that will enable the center to accommodate more members and activities.
• Motorized room partitions that allow for multiple room configurations so programs and activities can take place simultaneously.
• An enlarged kitchen space with multiple kitchen upgrades that allows for larger center luncheon attendance.
• A quiet library room where members can relax and/or read.
• A greeting area that is separate from the activities area.
• A public entrance that can accommodate the arrival and departure of buses and emergency vehicles.
• Redesigned entryway and hallways, improved door thresholds and additional shelving and storage space.
• New furniture throughout.
The Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee has prepared a comprehensive FAQ so that residents in both towns can fully appreciate all the factors involved in planning the project and its future timing. Note the document is identical for both towns.
View the document at this link for the Town of Lyme.
View the document at this link for the Town of Old Lyme. .
Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued by the Lyme Board of Selectpeople.