At the meeting room of St. Anne’s Parish in Old Lyme, three sets of French doors let in the light – what little there was on the rainy Friday morning – as four members of the senior center’s Art Workshop set up the tools of their trade on white tables where they could soak in the natural glow.

Older adults from Lyme and Old Lyme who previously converged at the Lymes’ Senior Center are now spread out across town as they await construction of a $5.3 million renovation.

Doors closed at the senior center three months ago in anticipation of renovations that have not yet begun. Since then, members have been attending classes, clinics, informational sessions and luncheons at seven locations scattered throughout Lyme and Old Lyme.

Among the artists who drove in amid the drizzle for the two hour workshop was Cathy Castonguay. She took time from her latest oil painting ― a view of the Connecticut River from Ferry Landing ― to appreciate how welcoming the church and so many other local organizations have been during the transition.

The group of about eight regular members had closer to a dozen when the painting sessions were held at the senior center, she said. She expects numbers to go back up once the doors open to the updated and expanded 9,600-square-foot senior center.

“I think it’ll have to rejuvenate once we go back,” she said. “Because some people just don’t like change.”

Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee Chairwoman Jeri Baker this week said she expects construction crews to break ground in early March, once contractors are selected through the bid process to work under the Hartford-based Newfield Construction firm.

A timeline from the engineers estimates the project could be done by the end of December. The committee had been targeting a mid-October move in date.

Meanwhile, the Board of Finance has not yet weighed in on how the project, approved by voters in June, will ultimately be financed. At the board’s meeting Tuesday, Baker asked for assurance that construction bills will be paid once they start coming in.

The board during deliberations failed to act on the Board of Selectmen’s Jan. 16 suggestions for how to pay for the town’s portion of the renovation costs.

Selectmen had voted to recommend using $2 million from the town’s rainy day fund while financing the remaining $1.3 million through a bank loan. There are plans to raise money through individual and corporate donations to help pay off any loans.

But some finance board members, including David Kelsey, were reluctant to erode the surplus.

Old Lyme Finance Director Anita Mancini said the town’s rainy day fund currently stands at close to 30% of the town’s operating budget. It would dip to around 25% if the town puts $2 million toward the renovation.

The industry standard for a healthy undesignated fund balance is around 15%. But local officials over the years have favored a more of a cushion because the area is vulnerable to storms and flooding that could potentially wipe out expensive beachfront real estate that serves as a valuable source of tax revenue.

Lyme’s $1.3 million share of the project is included in that town’s capital budget.

The Old Lyme finance board members also balked at making a decision without knowing the scope and cost of other capital needs that could emerge in the coming years, including a bridge replacement on Grassy Hill Road, the installation of sewers in some beach communities, improvements to Halls Road and fire apparatus purchases.

They argued putting the projects into one bond request could save money through lower interest rates. But seeking a municipal bond for the senior center renovation alone would not necessarily make sense because of extensive bonding fees.

During the public comment period following the board’s deliberations, Baker noted it’s been “four years, four months and four days” since planning for the renovation project began. She said she was looking for reassurance the project won’t be delayed “any further than it already has been.”

Lyme and Old Lyme each received a $500,000 grant through the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP).

She said there are expenses, including planning and engineering fees, that aren’t covered under the STEAP grant.

Finance board Chairman BJ Bernblum, who also serves on the building committee, told her the lack of a decision would not hinder the town from paying the bills for the project.

He said the town has the money in the bank “to pay the bills as they come in, prior to making a decision on the ultimate financing of the project.”

A waiting game

When the building committee convened earlier this month, meeting minutes show three senior center members expressed their concerns about a lack of communication about the status of the renovations and the difficulties that come with not having a central location during the transition.

Baker told The Day the timeline was reliant on the STEAP grants totaling $1 million between the two towns. But after the funding was announced in September, the towns didn’t end up getting access to the funds until early December.

“We didn’t have access to the monies and we couldn't go forward,” she said.

Then there’s the project’s insurance policy, which still has to be finalized before it can be signed by First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker.

But Baker said the late start “will not necessarily delay” the reopening.

“The thing we need to do is provide better communication,” she said.

Back at St. Ann’s Parish, Louise Muller was working on an acrylic painting inspired by an oxen pull at the Chester Fair.

“I do miss the senior center and seeing and hearing the other groups,” she said. Bustling and crowded, the center was a place where the percussion of tap shoes often could be heard ― at least when the dancers weren’t forced to practice their footwork on the carpet due to space constraints.

When Lymes’ Senior Center Assistant Director Caitlin Perkins walked in to the church meeting room to make sure everything was running smoothly, Muller greeted the young town employee with an enthusiastic “good to see you!”

Perkins’ reply was personalized: “You too, Louise.”

Perkins said the center, led by Director Stephanie Lyon-Gould, offers as many programs during the transition as it did when they were all held in one place.

“We’ve just adapted,” she said. “So we drive to seven different locations. It’s a very nomadic lifestyle for now.”

Perkins acknowledged a “lesser sense of community” without a center to call home.

“Unfortunately, that’s the biggest impact the renovation has had,” she said. “However, we are very much striving to keep our attendance numbers up.”

Watercolor artist Norma DeGrafft, who was working on a painting of her great-granddaughter, said there’s a benefit to all the conversation the renovation project has generated about the need for more space and more programs in one welcoming building reserved for older adults.

“People are finding out that there’s a senior center there, and it’s not just where you go and sit,” she said.

e.regan@theday.com