After participating in the East Lyme Board of Education/STARS to STEM, Inc. ad hoc committee meeting this past Oct. 24, I was extremely pleased to witness and support the final negotiations between the two above-referenced parties in agreeing to: 1) officially craft a contractual agreement outlining the partnership between the two parties in the further development and partnered operation of a revitalized planetarium at East Lyme High School — not only for use by the entire East Lyme school system, but for the East Lyme community as well —for an agreed-upon time frame of five years, with the opportunity for a contract renewal/extension for another five years; and 2) help S2S develop operational plans for the planetarium to function as a community-wide resource for towns and municipalities beyond the borders of East Lyme, especially those communities that can benefit from STEM-based educational resources to which they traditionally have not had access.

The East Lyme BOE will have this action item on its Dec. 4 Meeting Agenda — the realization of a years-long dream made possible by vision, hard work and effective cooperation amongst all involved.

Mark PrinceValle

East Lyme

Editor’s Note: The writer is an advisor to the STARS to STEM, Inc. board.