Category: Resources

Dear Members,
I want to express a hardy thank you to all those that attended your town meetings approving additional monies that we needed to build our senior center. Your presence was overwhelming and appreciated! Although we do not yet have a specific date for our groundbreaking ceremony, I have been informed that it will be sometime mid-May. We will send out an email as soon as we know in hopes that you can attend.

On a different note, we have now officially been out of our building for 6 months. During this time our members have been so flexible and have accommodated the changes in locations well so thank you. A special thank you to all of the organizations that have helped keep our community active and intact. These include The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Saint Ann’s Episcopal Parish, Roger’s Lake Clubhouse, Lyme Library, Old Lyme Library, Lymewood, Dance Studio of Old Lyme, & Old Lyme Town Hall. In the future we will also be using Soundview Bocce Courts, Florence Griswold Museum Grounds, and Christ the King Church.

Our Outdoor Summer Concert Series will take place at the Florence Griswold Museum Grounds and we will be co-hosting the event with them. The concert dates will be Friday, July 5th, Thursday, July 11th, Thursday July 18th, and Friday July 26th. The Flo Gris will have a food truck on site for these concerts. Please see next month’s newsletter for more details.

For the months of June and July our lunches will be held at Christ the King Church on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Hope you can join us there!

Best regards,
Stephanie Gould, Lymes’ Senior Center Director

May 15th is right around the corner and if you haven’t scheduled your
appointment to complete your application, time is running out! If this is your year to reapply, you would have already received a letter from the Town of Preston Assessor inviting you to reapply. Additionally, you would have received a
reminder call from my office too. For individuals who still hadn’t responded,
another letter was forwarded to again remind you of your need to reapply. We’re
trying to help you continue this benefit but, we can’t do it alone. To schedule an
appointment, please call the Senior Affairs Office at 860-887-5581 ext.6.

Yes, it’s that time of year when the General Government and Board of
Education budgets are presented to the public for discussion. Have you ever
attended one of the Public Hearings? Do you wait for your property tax bill to
arrive and say “This is crazy, what’s going on?” This is your opportunity to get the
real story on what the driving forces are behind those tax bills. Don’t voice your
concerns after the fact, be proactive and make a difference.

Public Hearing: April 25th at 7:00 p.m. in the Preston Veterans Memorial School gymnasium, Route 164, Preston

Town Meeting: May 9th at 7:00 p.m. in Preston Veterans Memorial School gymnasium, Route 164, Preston

Referendum: May 23rd, (time to be announced) Preston Plains Middle School, Route 164, Preston.

Your voice does matter!

Will be distributed on:

Tues. June 11^th,, Wed. June 12^th, and Thurs. June 13^th from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Farmer’s Market cards are available to low income seniors who meet certain eligibility requirements.

You must meet the following Eligibility Requirements in order to receive a benefit card:

¨ You must be 60 years or older.  If you are under 60 and disabled you must meet eligibility requirements and live in housing facilities occupied primarily by older individuals where congregate nutrition services are provided.

¨ Yearly income not to exceed $26,973 for single or $36,482 for couple.

¨ Must be participating in another need based program that verifies income eligibility such as Renter’s Rebate, Congregate Meal Program, Medicaid, SNAP (Foodstamps), etc.

¨ You must be a resident of the town you receive the benefit card from.

Limit of one card per eligible senior annually.

Have you signed yourself up for a online newsletter yet?  You should as you will get access to it all before the printed ones get here to our center. Page 8 has our popular day trips!   https://mycommunityonline.com/publication-page/thrive-55-active-living-center?pid=842d82a8-cc71-4209-ae4c-1475f042db0e&type=Community&acc=06-5014

As a reminder, the application for the Homeowners Program is May 15,
2024. It may seem like a long way away but it’s right around the corner. Call 860-
887-5581 ext. 6 to set up your appointment. If you file Income Tax, that process
must be completed prior to scheduling your appointment. For additional
information, please contact the Senior Affairs Office at 860-887-5581 ext.6.

The Renter’s Rebate Program begins accepting applications on April 1st through October 1st, 2024.

Participants in the program must be 65 years of age by the end of the
calendar year preceding the filing period; or be 50 years of age or older and the
surviving spouse of a renter, who at the time of his/her death, had qualified and
was entitled to tax relief at the time of his/her death. Applicants filing under the
disability provision must be accompanied by current proof of disability. The
Claimant must have been a resident in Connecticut for a one-year period of time
prior to filing an application.

The qualifying income guidelines for the calendar year 202 3 must not
exceed $43,800.00 if unmarried, or $53,400.00 if married. For married couples or other, unless legally separated, income from both husband and wife must be
counted in establishing qualifying income, regardless of living arrangements.

Qualifying income is considered wages, bonuses, commissions, gratuities
and fees; self-employment net income, gross Social Security benefits, Federal
Supplemental Security income, dividends, interest, annuities; IRA distributions,
Black Lung payments; Green Thumb payments; interest resulting from gifts
received; Lottery winnings; net rental income, pensions, Railroad Retirement;
severance pay, Unemployment compensation, Workers Compensation, Alimony,
etc.

The applicant must provide proof of rent and utilities payments during the
2023 calendar year.

Individuals interested in making application for the Renters Rebate of
Elderly and Totally Disabled Program are requested to contact the Senior Affairs
Office at 860-887-5581 ext. When leaving a message, please include your name
and telephone number. Thank You.