OLD LYME–An overnight fire destroyed a seasonal cottage on Brookside Avenue in the Old Colony Beach Association area of town.
Old Lyme Fire Marshal Dave Roberge said the call from a neighbor came in around 1:43 a.m. Wednesday. Crews from Old Lyme Fire Department and several nearby departments found the house fully ablaze.
The house was unoccupied at the time, Roberge said. There were no injuries. The cause remains under investigation by the fire marshal.
There wasn’t much left of the house by the time crews arrived so it didn’t take firefighters long to put out the fire, according to Roberge. He described it as a “total loss.” Crews remained on scene until about 5:30 a.m.
Assessor’s records show the one story, 1940 bungalow at 27 Brookside Ave. is owned by Patricia Capasso of Wethersfield.
Roberge said there was thermal damage to two homes on one side of the house.
Departments from East Lyme, Lyme, Essex, Old Saybrook and Clinton also responded.
Roberge asked anyone with photos or video of the fire to send them to him at firemarshal@oldlyme-ct.gov. The information can also be submitted by sending a direct message to the Old Lyme Fire Department’s Facebook page at facebook.com/oldlymefire.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to clarify the date of the fire.
Center School preschool teacher Kinny Newman promised her classroom—a work of progress as of Monday morning—would look “stunning” by the start of school on Wednesday.
OLD LYME–Preschool teacher Kinny Newman early this week sat at her desk in a Center School classroom preparing for the start of school on Wednesday.
Newman, surrounded by rows of signature fern plants, reviewed a class list with instructional assistants Jennifer Martin and Sakura Gemme.
Six students on the roster were siblings of previous students, according to the teacher.
“It makes it all really real when you read their names,” she said. “And then you get really excited about it.”
Newman said the ongoing renovation project to update the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system in the building – as well as three other schools in the district – slowed down classroom preparations, but she predicted the latest crop of preschool students wouldn’t be bothered by the temporary upheaval.
“They’re resilient. We’re resilient. We’ll figure it out,” she said.
The staff members were working on a tighter timeframe than usual because the renovation project had closed the doors of Center School, Mile Creek and Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School for most of the summer. Operations at Lyme Consolidated School during the same timeframe were condensed as staff members relocated within the building.
Ian Neviaser, Superintendent of Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, said on Monday that the contents of all the classrooms were emptied into the auditorium for summertime storage while crews abated the building’s original ceilings of hazardous components.
The previous Friday was the first day teachers could get into their classrooms, he said. The crunch to prepare for Wednesday’s opening had teachers, assistants and cleaning crews working throughout the weekend.
“Normally, our teachers come back early and set up their classrooms – and many of them come in long before they’re required to be here,” he said. “They didn’t have that option this summer.”
In Newman’s classroom, spirits were high after all the hours put in over the weekend left the women in a good position to be ready on time.
“We’re not quite finished yet,” Newman warned. “I have a whole reading tent coming from Amazon.”
The renovation project involves upgrades to the HVAC and security systems in the four buildings, plus an addition and an expanded parking area at Mile Creek School. Voters in late 2022 authorized spending up to $57.5 million on the project, though the district will save about $17 million due to grant funding and lower than expected interest rates.
Center School preschool instructional assistant Jennifer Martin on Monday helped prepare the classroom for the 2025-26 school year.
The most noticeable changes to the schools will be seen in the front vestibules that welcome students on Wednesday, according to Neviaser. He said security changes made as a “retrofit” following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting more than 10 years ago have been overhauled to align with state requirements for new construction.
“These are more modern,” he said of the new doors and windows. “They are both blastproof and bulletproof, and allow us to monitor the comings and goings of visitors more easily due to increased visibility.”
With work at Center School, Lyme Consolidated and the middle school expected to be completed by the new year, he said the project at Mile Creek will extend for about a year and a half.
Parents hoping for improved traffic flow due to the expansion will find themselves disappointed because the pickup and dropoff area is not slated to be reconfigured until next summer.
“So this year the traffic flow is probably going to be about the same as it was in the past,” he said.
He said the school added a preschool class at Lyme Consolidated after a new state law required students to be five-years-old by Sept. 1 to start kindergarten, resulting in fewer kindergarteners and more preschoolers. Officials condensed four kindergarten classrooms, which were evenly spread between Lyme Consolidated and Mile Creek, into three while moving a Lyme Consolidated kindergarten teacher to the preschool level. Preschool classrooms are traditionally in Center School.
Neviaser this month emphasized at a Region 18 Board of Education meeting that Lyme Consolidated will house a preschool class for one year only because the shift promises to reverse itself when this year’s four-year-old cohort enters kindergarten next year.
“So that’s new and unique,” the superintendent said from the school Monday as he prepared for the new school year. “And then we will be living through construction for a few more months.”
Fire Marshal Dave Roberge, in an email to Neviaser shared with the Region 18 PreK-8 Building Committee, acknowledged construction is ongoing. Roberge said he found the buildings are in compliance with fire detection, notification and evacuation requirements, and he will continue to monitor the situation as construction continues.
A mosquito prepares to bite. Image courtesy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for Unsplash.
NEW HAVEN, CT – The State Mosquito Management Program is warning Connecticut residents about the risk of infection by West Nile virus (WNV) this season.
On Wednesday, Aug. 27, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) issued a press release stating that it has detected WNV-infected mosquitoes in 34 towns this season including Old Lyme.
The other 33 towns where WNV-infected mosquitoes have been found are Bethel, Bridgeport, Cheshire, Danbury, Darien, East Haven, Easton, Fairfield, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Hamden, Hartford, Hebron, Manchester, Meriden, Milford, New Britain, New Haven, Newington, North Branford, North Stonington, Norwalk, Southington, Stafford, Stamford, Stratford, Wallingford, West Hartford, West Haven, Westport, and Wethersfield.
The CAES notes that no human cases of WNV have been reported so far this season but now is often the time of year when the first cases are reported to public health.
“We continue to detect West Nile virus in mosquitoes throughout Connecticut, with the highest levels of activity in Fairfield and New Haven counties and in the metropolitan Hartford area,” said John Shepard, Medical Entomologist at CAES. “This includes infection of mammalian-biting mosquitoes, which increases risk of human infection.”
“West Nile virus transmission is expected to continue until mosquito activity ceases in October,” said Dr. Philip Armstrong, Chief Scientist at CAES. “We encourage everyone to take simple measures to prevent mosquito bites.
This includes applying insect repellent and covering bare skin, especially in wooded areas and during dusk and dawn when biting mosquitoes are most active.”
To reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes, residents should:
Minimize time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
When it is necessary to be outdoors, use mosquito repellents containing an EPA-registered active ingredient, including DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA registration of skin-applied repellent products indicates that they have been evaluated and approved for human safety and effectiveness when applied according to instructions on the label.
Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or when mosquitoes are more active. Clothing should be light-colored and loose-fitting and made of tightly woven materials that keep mosquitoes away from the skin.
Wear clothing and gear treated with permethrin. Permethrin is an insecticide that kills or repels mosquitoes and ticks.
Be sure door and window screens are tight-fitting and in good repair.
When sleeping outdoors, use tents or mosquito netting in an unscreened structure. Treat camping gear with permethrin when possible.
Cover strollers and baby carriers with mosquito nets when outside.
West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in the United States and occurs every summer in Connecticut. Most people infected with WNV do not experience any symptoms. However, about one in five develop West Nile fever, which includes symptoms such as fever, body aches, joint pain, headache, and rash. In rare cases—approximately one in 150—WNV can cause a severe illness that affects the central nervous system.
Of those severe cases, about one in 10 are fatal.
Adults over the age of 60 are at the highest risk of serious illness.
The response to mosquito-transmitted diseases in Connecticut is a collaborative inter-agency effort involving the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Department of Agriculture, and the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) at the University of Connecticut (UCONN). These agencies are responsible for monitoring mosquito populations and the potential public health threat of mosquito-borne diseases.
The CAES maintains a network of 108 mosquito-trapping stations in 88 municipalities throughout the state. Mosquito traps are set Monday – Thursday nights at each site every 10 days on a rotating basis and then at least once a week after detection of virus. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site, and date.
For information on WNV and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus, how to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, and the latest mosquito test results, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program website at https://portal.ct.gov/mosquito.
ESSEX – Sarah Cooley Martin, born May 18, 1940, died Aug. 1, 2025, with her family at her side in Essex. Born in Hartford, she was the daughter of Paul Whitman Cooley and Jane Crary Allen.
Sarah attended the Renbrook School, graduated from The Wheeler School in Rhode Island, and then attended Hollins University, Virginia. During her college career, Sarah spent a year abroad at the coveted Villa Marchetti Art Academy.
She is survived by her sister Clare Edwards and her husband Jared of Essex; and by her brother Jefferey Cooley and his wife Betsy of Old Lyme. She is also survived by her three sons, Whitman Seymour and wife Lisa of Niantic, David Seymour and wife Anna and Christopher Seymour of West Hartford; as well as by her nephew Johnathan Edwards and wife Allison of West Hartford. Sarah is also the beloved grandmother to eight grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Her husband, Robert S. Martin, predeceased her in 2023. Sarah enjoyed traveling and spending time outdoors with her husband Bob. She was a skilled racket player and a feared opponent on the croquet court.
After her education, she resided in West Hartford and was a volunteer at Hartford Hospital for numerous years. Her fondness and constant involvement in all five ARTs of Hartford made her a keen ally to them where she served on the Board of Trustees of the Mark Twain Home and Museum and of the Connecticut Opera.
A gourmet cook, all welcomed an invite from Sarah for a friend-filled, exciting meal at the dining room table, particularly at 219. Utilizing these cooking skills, Sarah served on the editorial committee and was chair of recipe testing of the award-winning Connecticut à La Carte Cookbook, published in 1982, which benefitted the five ARTs of Hartford, and subsequently went on to multiple publishings.
Dedicated to community, Sarah was a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity through Asylum Hill Church and a member of the Connecticut Valley Garden Club where she served as its president. She played bridge at the Old Lyme Country Club and was a regular attendee at Florence Griswold Museum events and programs. Sarah was also a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America.
Sarah’s greatest passion was spending time at her Shore home visiting with family and friends, sharing a laugh or memory with everyone in Old Black Point (OBP). She spent her summers at OBP since the year of her birth, and she always looked forward to the summer weekends of mayhem and shenanigans with a full house of family and grandchildren.
A woman of utmost grace, character, enthusiasm and unpretentiousness, Sarah never missed an outing, sports game, performance, or ceremony for those she loved. She fostered irreplaceable relationships throughout her life which will sustain her legacy for those of us that remain behind.
A Memorial Service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at Asylum Hill Church in Hartford, with a gathering to follow for Family and Friends.
Donations may be made in her memory to the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center, 79 Retreat Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106, and the Essex Meadows Scholarship Fund, 30 Bokum Road, Essex CT 06426.
