I am sending this newsletter a little earlier in the week so that it will arrive before the holiday tomorrow.

This has been a quiet week in Town Hall, and we have been busy preparing for budget meetings in January.

Our snowstorm last weekend developed quickly with snow accumulating up to 2 inches per hour. As usual, this was no match for our excellent Public Works Department, who worked tirelessly during the night to clear our local roads. Our team had to double up as we were a man down due to a scheduled vacation. I want you to know that our team greatly appreciated some of the positive comments they noticed on community Facebook pages. Thank you for those positive thoughts!

Public Works will start their annual curbside Christmas Tree Pick Up on January 12^th. Please make sure you place your tree out on the side of the road on the morning of the 12^th.  This service to our residents will run until January 16^th.

We are still accepting applications for our 2025 Citizen of the Year. Please consider nominating a resident who volunteers their time for a worthy cause in Old Lyme or a neighbor who goes out of the way to make your day a little brighter.

Applications for Authorities, Boards, Commission and Committees are still open. We are looking for a wide variety of volunteers to fill these positions. Everyone has a special interest or area of expertise that will benefit the Town of Old Lyme. Please consider submitting an application. We will begin appointments on January 26^th at our Board of Selectmen meeting.

Town of Old Lyme Assessor Melinda Kronfeld has been appointed by the Connecticut Association of Assessing Officers (CAAO) as the Chair of the Motor Vehicle Committee along with her Co-Chair Danielle Dippolino from the Town of Newington. Together, with the committee members, they will represent the CAAO with regard to its statutory obligation for motor vehicle assessments and in coordinating efforts with the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) and the Motor Vehicle Department in order to provide the best data and procedures possible for the assessment of motor vehicles. Congratulations Melinda!

On December 16^th, the Town of Old Lyme was informed that on behalf of the Connecticut Sea Grant we were awarded a grant between the University of Connecticut and SLR International Corporation. This grant will allow us to work in coordination with a Long Island Sound Sustainable and Resilient Communities Extension Professional to complete the Old Lyme Strategic Resiliency Action Plan. This plan will review existing risk and vulnerability assessments and prioritize actions for implementation. The Resiliency Action Plan will build on the 2021 Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan and incorporate our new findings from the 2026 updated version. The Plan will also incorporate the feedback from the Connecticut Institute of Climate Resilience and Adaptation (CIRCA). This grant funds of $57,900 pays for 100% of the study with not expenses to the Town. This study is expected to be completed within two years. We look forward to putting together our Resiliency Action Committee soon. Many thanks to Selectman Jim Lampos, Denise Savageau and Katie Balocca for working on this grant.

Please note that our website will be down on January 3^rd beginning at 4PM until January 4^th at 9AM. CivicPlus will be making some necessary upgrades to their software.

I am wishing all of you a Happy and Healthy New Year!

All my best, 
Martha