Happy Friday!

This week the Board of Selectmen met several times to work on the budget, in preparation of sending it to the Board of Finance next week. We have met with Town Departments and many of the Boards, Commissions and Committees to review their budget requests. We will be having a final discussion on the budget during our Board of Selectmen meeting on February 3^rd.

We were pleased to see so many residents attend the Town Meeting on Monday, January 27^th. Bennett Bernblum presented the Annual Town Report, which was then unanimously approved by the voters. Dave Roberge presented the plans for the Emergency Operations Center Expansion and the appropriation of funds was approved by voters as well. Our last item on the agenda was the presentation of the Citizen of the Year Award. We were pleased to bestow this honor on Carolyn Wakeman. My remarks for her presentation can be found here.

The Invention Convention was held in Town Hall yesterday. A selection of 6^th grade students presented their ideas to a group of invited judges, of which I was one. Watching students stretch their minds to analyze, evaluate, and reflect on a problem and then see possible solutions come together as a prototype is always educational for the judges. We are lucky to have so many creative minds in Old Lyme.

The Swan Brook Sluiceway is complete. Gwenmor Marine Contracting has been cleaning up the construction area this week. The new design has been working well, and the pipes have been running consistently. We do realize that the real test will come when a nor'easter comes ashore and when the spring rains begin.

A few reminders for our community:

• Tax Collector Suzanne Thompson reminds Old Lyme property owners that Monday, February 3, is the deadline to pay the 2^nd installment of Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes; as well as Motor Vehicle Supplemental bills in order to avoid late payment interest penalties. Payment must be received by the Old Lyme Tax Collector or postmarked by February 3. The credit card fee has been reduced to 2.5% and the debit card fee is now 1.00%, ($2.00 minimum for credit or debit card), ACH or eCheck fee is 95 cents. See Tax Collector | Old Lyme, CT
• The Parks and Recreation Commission is seeking your input on potential enhancements to Hains Park (Rogers Lake). If you are an Old Lyme resident, please complete the following short survey. Thank you for your time and input! 
• The Lyme-Old Lyme Lions Club will be holding their Scholarship Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, February 9^th in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School Cafeteria from 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM. I was asked to remind you that the proceeds from this event go directly to the Lyme-Old Lyme student scholarships.
• The Rogers Lake Authority has a free program coming up on Wednesday, February 12^th that you may be interested in attending. There will be an informative presentation by David Post, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University.  He will provide some general background on the alewife and its importance to Rogers Lake. For more information, visit the Rogers Lake Authority webpage. Rogers Lake is a treasure to this town and we should do all we can to protect it in the coming years.
• RiverCOG has released their Household Hazardous Waste Schedule for the 2025 season. It has been published on our website for your convenience.
• Thank you to those who have taken the time to vote in USA Today's best Small Town Arts Scene contest - at the time of this e-newsletter writing Old Lyme is ranked one out of twenty. 

We are beginning to think about the summer season here in Old Lyme. On our Human Resources page you will find links to our seasonal positions in our Parks and Recreation Department and our Ranger Program under the direction of the Police Department. 

We are also in need of clerks for some of our Boards, Commissions and Committees. The pay for these positions is $75 to attend the meeting and take notes and then another $18 per hour to complete the minutes and send them to the chairperson for review. This is a great part-time opportunity. 

This weekend we turn the calendars to February. The days are getting longer and spring is on the horizon.