The Day

East Lyme residents vote to approve funding for roads, docks and more at a town meeting on Wednesday.

- By KIMBERLY DRELICH Day Staff Writer k.drelich@theday.com

East Lyme — About 50 residents at a town meeting Wednesday approved, by majority vote, funding for basketball courts, town roads, rowing docks, police cars and a dust-collection system at the high school, among other items.

They approved bonding $130,000 to replace the basketball courts with a new surface and new hoops; $20,000 to replace the aging rowing docks by Pattaganse­tt Lake; and $990,000 for town roads and projects that include a sidewalk between East Lyme Middle School and Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School and a crossing light by East Lyme High School.

They further voted in favor of appropriat­ing $34,405 for a dust-collection system at the high school. Superinten­dent Jeffrey Newton said that as students work on metal and wood projects during shop classes, the dust-collection system would improve indoor air quality and prevent dust from getting into digital equipment.

Residents also approved appropriat­ing about $110,000 from money left over from the 2016-17 vehicle acquisitio­n plan and budget transfers to replace two police cars from 2007 and 2005.

They further approved appropriat­ing a total of $163,389 for various items, from HVAC replacemen­t to sidewalk repair, for projects in the town’s Capital Improvemen­t Plan. First Selectman Mark Nickerson said the town sets aside funding each year in “mini savings accounts,” so if, for example, a roof leaks, town officials don’t have to schedule a town meeting to get approval to spend money to repair it.

Residents voiced their opinions Wednesday on whether or not the town should spend money on the items.

Ron Rando, who spoke about several items, said the state is in financial straits and the town has to “take a hard look” at what it is spending money on. He questioned why the basketball courts couldn’t be patched up, rather than replaced.

Daniel Price, the chairman of the Police Commission, spoke in favor of replacing the two police cars. He said he is opposed to wasteful spending, but if the town doesn’t use the funds now to replace these cars, it would end up spending more next year.

A $50,000 federal grant through the Connecticu­t Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation to study flood plans and shoreline resiliency also was approved at Wednesday’s meeting.

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