Author: kathrynwboughton@gmail.com

The prolonged process of restoring Norfolk roads advanced significantly this week. Guerrera Construction returned to town and put the final course of paving on Maple Avenue and the River Place bridge project resumed.

“Maple Avenue is paved,” said First Selectman Matt Riiska. “There are just a few places to touch up—a couple of minor things to adjust—and some landscaping.”

The work, which was scheduled to begin in spring 2023, was delayed while the town completed remediation of contamination caused by the November 2022 gas spill. Riiska had hoped it would be completed by the first week in June this year, but the construction company was pulled away for a job elsewhere.

Riiska said the final step is administrative as he submits the paperwork for state reimbursement.

The River Place bridge project came to a halt in November 2022 when it was discovered that the footings on one headwall were deficient. It is now hoped repairs will be completed in May 2025. “It’s been a long and arduous task,” Riiska said. “Hopefully, it will move along.”

—Newsletter Editor

Bad things often come in threes. As if the hot weather were not enough, now the Great Mountain Forest weather station, although still gathering data, has lost its connection to weatherunderground and Norfolk weather aficionados have to rely on stations that may have very different conditions, such as Doolittle, Colebrook, Winsted or even the New Bedford Regional Airport.

“It went offline yesterday at 5:00 p.m. and I’m not sure why,” said Russell Russ, who manages the station. “I’m investigating, but it might take a while. Unfortunately, the station is 15 years old and it might be worn out [and] getting a new one might be complicated.”

Russ is planning to talk with GMF’s fundraising group and hopes he’ll have something back online soon. What’s next?

7/2/24 Editor’s note: The GMF weather station’s connection with weatherunderground.com has now been restored.

—Webmaster

Work on Maple Avenue has temporarily ground to a halt because Guerrera Construction has been called away to work at the Danbury Airport. “We’re a little delayed because I guess an airport takes precedence when you are talking to the FAA,” said First Selectman Matt Riiska. 

He had hoped to have the work completed in the first weeks of June.

Riiska expects work to resume in two weeks when there will be some final cleanup to do and a top coat of paving will be put down. Final landscaping will be delayed until the weather is more seasonable.

Riiska has been in contact with the state about replacement of two South Norfolk bridges swept away in last July’s flash flood. The Smith Road bridge final design will be completed by July 2025 with work expected to be done by spring 2026.

“When they are finished with that, they will start on the Old Goshen Road bridge,” he said. It is hoped that bridge will be complete by fall 2026.

The state has held the town harmless in reconstruction of the bridges, assuming all costs for engineering and replacement. Riiska said there is no plan to install a temporary replacement for the Smith Road bridge because of the cost.

“We just don’t have the funds for that,” he said, citing a figure for the temporary structure of just under $500,000. “The state doesn’t want anything to do with it.”

On River Place, Riiska has been promised that bridge work on will start by next week after a 20-month hiatus. “They said they would start Friday, but I will believe it if I see it next week,” he said. “It’s been a long, arduous process of coming to an agreement on pricing and timing.” 

The project was stopped in November 2022 when it was discovered that one headwall was not sitting on a firm foundation.

Finally, Riiska said he is negotiating with the state DOT to mill and pave Route 44 in west Norfolk where the road has been disturbed by infrastructure changes being made this summer. “I’m trying to talk them into milling and paving so it is not so bumpy for cars and plowing during the winter,” he said. 

—Newsletter Editor

The Norfolk Library Associates will continue its 50th anniversary celebration Sunday, June 23, with a Street Fair at Station Place from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. A DJ will play music on Robertson Plaza and there will be a photo booth, hayrides for kids, large puppets, a llama, crafts and much more. All activities are free.

Because of the flurry of activity expected, attendees should leave their dogs at home. 

The weatherman predicts a better than even chance of rain and, if it is indeed inclement, the event will be moved to the library, 9 Greenwoods Road.

Norbrook Brewery has created 50 cases of a special lager, “To Beer or Not to Beer,” and is donating proceeds from its sales to the associates to aid its mission of bringing education, enlightenment and entertainment to the community. Pre-ordered cases will be available for pick up at the library during the Street Fair. To order, call 860-309-9473.

The library was originally gifted to the town in 1888 by Isabella Eldridge, who maintained it as a cultural center for the town. After her death and the disruptions of the Great Depression and World II, lavish entertainments became a thing of the past until 1974 when library trustees Tibby Robinson and Martha Walcott decided to restore it to its rightful place as the centerpiece of the community. The library associates formed in June 1974.

Currently, most of the programs and special events at the library are funded by monies generated through the associates.

—Newsletter Editor

The Norfolk Community Association will unveil the second sculpture in its proposed Norfolk Sculpture Trail, Friday, June 28, at 6:00 p.m. on the Village Green. 

For the new addition the Community Association selected a lotus blossom, a collaborative work by Norfolk sculptor Elizabeth Knowles and Eric David Laxman of Valley Cottage, N.Y. Both artists will be on hand at the dedication and will discuss the genesis of the work.

The group unveiled its first sculpture, the Owl of Good Fortune by Jon Riedeman, last September on Robertson Plaza. 

“We usually start speaking to the artists two years in advance and they submit a sketch that we use for fundraising,” said Doreen Kelly, who co-chairs the Community Association with Barry Webber. “But in this case, it was an existing work that member Walter Godlewski knew about.”

She explained that Knowles “was the creative force behind the design” and that it was executed by Laxman. It has previously been displayed in Manhattan. 

Unlike the cast bronze owl, “this piece uses modern materials and is kind of a whimsical and magical piece,” according to Kelly. “They chose a lotus because we were just coming out of Covid and the lotus is a symbol of renewal.” 

The association hopes to install one new piece each year to create a sculpture trail through the town’s center. “The whole purpose of the trail is to create connectivity between the different sections of town because it is largely divided by Route 44,” Kelly explained. 

Eventually, there will be a map to guide walkers, but for the moment each new sculpture will be placed in a location that enhances it. “We want to be very sensitive to the beauty of Norfolk as it is,” Kelly said. “We don’t want to create anything that looks like too much. We’ll know when there is enough.”

Money for the projects comes from fundraising drives held once or twice a year. “We get a nice response from that and then we reach out to local grant-giving organizations that know the work we do,” Kelly explained. 

The Community Association wants the money to stay in Norfolk and local artists are commissioned to create the pieces. 

—Newsletter Editor

Happy chatter filled the backstage of Botelle Elementary School Monday before official promotion ceremonies began for four sixth graders advancing to Northwestern Region #7’s middle school.

Parents, grandparents, brother and sisters sat in the semi-darkened auditorium as Superintendent of School Marybeth Iacobelli addressed the young graduates. 

She encouraged them to have faith in their own vision, noting that a civil engineer once “proved” that bumblebees cannot fly because their wings are too small. “But the bumblebees went ahead and flew anyway,” she said. “If you meet people who try to discourage you from following your dreams, just go ahead.”

School Principal Lauren Valentino said that one benefit of having such a small graduating class is that there is time to personalize the proceedings. She offered the audience insights into each of the students: 

• Robertson Bazzano, “a lover of the great outdoors who is kind, cares about his classmates and protects anyone who needs help.”
• Rocco Colella, “a whiz with a computer who can present an argument with the best of them. A future lawyer perhaps?”
• Kallyn Hagerty, “a quiet student” who “draws like a pro, using her vivid imagination, an avid reader, amazing writer and storyteller.”
• And Evie Whitaker, “an enthusiastic, firecracker of a girl” who is “an avid reader and a creative artist. Future engineer? I keep telling her she’s a natural teacher …”

Telling the children they are ready for middle school, she concluded, “Enjoy those new experiences, new teachers, new friends, new lockers! Tonight, we celebrate you and all you’ve accomplished throughout your years at Botelle School.” 

—Newsletter Editor 

The thrill of discovery again awaits residents at the transfer station. This week saw the grand opening of the Swap Shop, which has replaced the former Norfstrom’s container. The new container will act as a recycling point for usable items that the owners no longer want.

Norfstrom’s was removed when the recycling privilege was abused by residents who brought inappropriate items—think toilets—and other bulky waste that they deposited outside the container when it was closed. Rather than providing a way to keep reusable items out of the waste stream, thereby saving tax dollars, it became a nuisance for the transfer station workers.

The idea was revitalized by Norfolk residents Susan Sloan and Kathleen Connolly, who began the effort to buy a new container by redeeming recyclable cans and bottles thrown out at the transfer station. Nickel-by-nickel they built up enough money to buy a container, which they have donated to the town.

Wednesday, they threw open the doors, posted signs and stacked flyers instructing residents how to use the facility. They already had it stocked with many items, such as an artist’s field easel, a hammock, cups and other items retrieved from the transfer station.

The container is not large, so it is most appropriate for dishes, toys, lamps, artwork, small furnishings and the like. 

“We are not accepting large items or medical supplies like walkers or wheelchairs,” said Sloan. “We can’t take flammable or hazardous items and no electronics.” 

Most of all, they do not want junk. “If it is garbage, throw it out,” said Connolly. They advised residents to recycle items appropriate to share with their neighbors. A group of volunteers will seek to maintain the Swap Shop, but if it is again abused, it will be closed down. 

The container will be open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., through the fall. All donations must be left inside the Swap Shop. For questions about donations or help with delivery, call Sloan, 860-542-1671, or Connolly, 860-518-6156.

—Newsletter Editor

The Farmers Market will return to Town Hall grounds August 3 during the summer Weekend in Norfolk if 20 vendors sign up for spaces. The cut-off for reserving a space is July 2.

The Farmers Market Committee discussed a pop-up market centered around the theme of a Kid’s Day during its June 11 meeting and decided the event should include food service, live music and possibly even a juggler.

The markets, held weekly for years, were curtailed in frequency this year with only four pop-up events planned. The first, well-attended, was held last February at Botelle School during the winter Weekend in Norfolk.

—Newsletter Editor

Did you know that the Norfolk Net Food Pantry would love to have your empty egg cartons, whether half-dozen or whole dozen? They get eggs in bulk to repackage for the families they serve, and empty cartons are always needed. Please donate them in the blue box by the lower door of Battell Chapel any time, or drop them off at the church office.

The Pantry also needs a (slightly) used, freestanding refrigerator without a freezer, preferably full sized, so that food shopping trips can be cut back to once a week. To donate an appliance, contact Lynn Deasy, volunteer director, at 860-307-7757.

—Webmaster