Author: kathrynwboughton@gmail.com

In case you didn’t know, there will be a solar eclipse on Monday, April 8. Connecticut will experience a 92 percent reduction in daylight around 3:20 p.m. at the peak of the eclipse, when the moon blocks the sun.

Botelle students will have the opportunity to observe the eclipse. Looking directly at the eclipse can harm the eye, however, so Botelle has ordered special glasses for students and staff. The glasses filter out 99.9999 percent of visible sunlight and 100 percent harmful UV light from the sun. Parents who do not wish their children to observe the eclipse should let the school know .

—Newsletter Editor

Budget season is no fun for town officials, even in the best of years. This is definitely not the best of years for First Selectman Matt Riiska, who is having to deal with school budgets that by far overshadow the remainder of Norfolk’s expenses.

Riiska recently received a copy of the Botelle School budget, showing a $230,000 increase in spending over last year to $2,649,086 230, an increase of 9.54 percent. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, he had learned that the town’s assessment at Northwestern Regional School #7 will rise by $345,000, up 19.2 percent if passed as presented. Norfolk’s total Region 7 assessment would be $2,146,681.

School costs, which usually account for about 75 percent of the annual budget, force town officers to keep their budgets lean. “One is up $230,000, the other $345,000 and I have actually reduced my budget by $55,000 by just going through and trimming here and trimming there,” Riiska said.

Riiska had earlier pledged to the Board of Finance that he would keep his final budget as close to this year’s $4,331,551 level of spending for municipal services as he could. He more than succeeded, achieving a reduced total of $4,276,869. How he did that will be explored more closely in next week’s newsletter.

The town, like all the communities in the Northwest Corner, has seen steadily declining school enrollments in recent years. This year there are 70 students at Botelle and only 750 attending the middle and high schools. “I understand there are costs you can’t avoid,” said Riiska. “You have to have teachers whether you have five kids or 55. And everyone gets a 3 percent raise.”

Another factor for the elementary school is a special education student whose outplacement will cost $185,000. That sum is offset by reductions in other line items in special education spending, reducing the total increase to 27 percent, or $151,000.

Riiska and the Board of Education will take their final proposals to the Board of Finance on April 9 at 7:30 p.m. at a meeting in Town Hall. The finance board can cut specific line items in the selectmen’s budget but can only dictate an amount that the Board of Education should cut, not where the reduction(s) should be made.

—Newsletter Editor

As of Thursday morning, only a handful of people had taken advantage of early voting, according to Democratic Registrar of Voters Danese Perron.

“I didn’t expect a big response, but we haven’t had much of anyone because they have been tearing up Maple Avenue,” she said. The town has been upgrading the infrastructure on Maple Avenue for the past year and is now preparing to pave it.

No one appeared on March 26. “They were working right in front of Town Hall,” Perron explained. Four persons voted Wednesday, and she was excited to see another voter approaching Thursday morning.

Early voting continues from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday followed by the presidential primary on Tuesday, April 2, from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. There is no voting on Friday.

April 1, at noon, is the deadline for registering in person with the Registrar of Voters or Town Clerk to vote April 2. It is also the deadline for unaffiliated voters to enroll in person in a party to vote April 2.

See the Democratic Sample Ballot here. See the Republican Sample Ballot here.

—Newsletter Editor

Bugs. Most of us would prefer not to share space with them. But with their numbers in sharp decline around the world, Susannah Wood, chairman of the Norfolk Conservation Commission, believes we had better take notice.

She will present a slide talk Saturday, April 6, at 4:00 p.m. at the Norfolk Library titled, “Insects in Peril—Why We Should Care and What We Can Do.”

“I know a lot of people go, ‘Ewww, bugs!’ but I have never felt that way. The insects that bother us are a tiny part of the insect world and I hope to broaden people’s perspective,” she said.

Insects are disappearing at alarming rates around the world. In the last 40 years, it’s estimated that we have lost 50 per cent of the world’s insects, according to the first global review published in the journal “Biological Conservation.” 

“I know attention has been very focused lately on pollinators, creating pollinator gardens and trying to help those important partners in our eco-system,” she continued. But when Oliver Millman, who wrote “Insect Crisis,” came to the Haystack Book Festival in 2022, “it made me realize the problem is bigger than pollinators.”

Milman and his book made Wood aware that insects are the underappreciated sanitary engineers and nutrient recyclers of our world. “I wanted to explore the whole panoply of insect life, how amazing they are and why they are imperiled,” she said. “So many creatures depend on bugs for food, and it goes right up the food chain to creatures much larger than insects. They are in bad shape and it’s kind of alarming. I wanted to know what we could do to preserve this eco-system, this bubble of life around insects.”

It turns out that many factors are spurring loss of insect populations, including loss of habitat, heavier use of pesticides and possibly climate change. “It’s happening in so many places,” Wood said. “Our environment is so fragmented. I have a big bottle of Round Up that I need to get to the next Hazardous Waste Day, but my neighbor might still use that product—and you have no control over that. So, the best thing you can do is educate people.”

Her program is sponsored by the Norfolk Conservation Commission. Register here.

—Newsletter Editor

The Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance is being pressed by a combination of factors as it faces a post-Covid world. Among them are decreasing volunteerism, a rising number of calls –many from neighboring Winsted—and the ever-increasing cost of doing business.

And the nature of the calls is changing, as well. Norfolk Chief of Service Kitty Hickcox said a larger number of responses are for mental health problems and drug-related emergencies. “There was an extreme uptick [in mental health] calls during Covid,” Hickcox said, “and it is still higher than pre-Covid.”

Connecticut regulations require two medically trained personnel on every run. “Usually, it is an EMT and EMR, as well as a driver,” she said. “There are a handful of times where we pass on a call because we don’t have enough people on the shift. Then, we have to go to mutual aid, usually from Winsted or North Canaan.”

Mutual aid can be a two-edged sword, however, and frequent calls from Winsted have pressed Norfolk’s crew. “Winsted benefits quite a bit,” she said. “More than 10 percent of our calls are to Winsted and [additional] calls probably gets cancelled the same number of times. Winsted could use a second full-time crew. As it is now, Norfolk and New Hartford pick up their slack.”

Hickcox said Winsted called on Norfolk 75 times in 2023, cancelling before the ambulance could arrive at least 40 times. Its in-town calls totaled 140, and it covered Colebrook, which is part of its coverage area, 27 times.

Because Norfolk has only one ambulance, the town is unprotected while the crew answers calls from neighboring towns.

She explained the domino effect that can result from mutual aid calls. If a town needs mutual aid, calls are routed through a list of ambulance services in neighboring communities until one can respond. It takes six minutes each time a call is forwarded to a new town. “The expectation is that you call 911 and an ambulance arrives in your yard,” Hickcox said. “But it can become a medical game of musical chairs. It can be 45 minutes that [a patient] lies on the floor.”

The Norfolk ambulance squad lost about 20 percent of its manpower during the pandemic but has succeeded in attracting enough volunteers to fill its ranks since then, sparing it the fate of other Northwest Connecticut towns that rely, at least in part, on paid EMTs. “But we always need volunteers,” said Hickcox. “That is probably our biggest challenge.”

If a town had to rely solely on a paid department it could cost more than $1 million annually.

“We have spent the last few years trying to fill the ranks. We have a fair number of retired people. We do really well with people in their 60s, who want a new challenge. We always say our volunteers range from 25 and 80.”

Many towns use junior corps to engage the next generation of volunteers, but Hickcox said Norfolk has no program for young people. “There aren’t enough kids in town,” she said, adding that Northwestern Regional School #7 no longer offers Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes.

Although there is no official program for young people in Norfolk, youths can still take part, however. “They can take an EMR class at 14 and an EMT class at 16, but they can’t be unsupervised until they are 18,” Hickcox said. 

There are always classes forming in nearby towns or online. Adults sometimes take month-long intensive training to earn certification. To qualify as an EMR requires 60 to 70 hours of instruction, while EMT courses consume some 250 hours. EMTs must take 40 hours of continuing education every other year. “It’s a long haul,” said Hickcox.

“A lot of people will say, ‘I’ll write you a check,’” she said. “I don’t want to say money isn’t important, but it’s not our biggest challenge. There’s always an excuse why they can’t join.”

Those who wish to volunteer can find application forms on the service’s website. https://norfolkambulance.com

The Norfolk ambulance service is funded by the Norfolk Lions Club, in-kind support from the town, memorial contributions and donations. 

—Newsletter Editor

Inflation may have eased marginally in the past few months, but the Norfolk NET Community Food Pantry is still seeing its impact on area families. On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, a total of 27 families were fed, a great increase over pre-Covid figures.

“It’s interesting,” said volunteer director Lynn Deasy. “When we started keeping statistics in January of 2022, we fed only eight different families each week for a total of 27 people. Now we are up to 42 families a week, or 114 people.”

 “In the past few weeks, we have had a couple of days where we were as high as 20 different people. My volunteers have rollerblades on. The numbers have just exploded,” she said.

The Pantry has nine volunteers. “We are so blessed. We couldn’t do this without them,” the director said. 

Deasy has seen little reduction in the cost of living. “I don’t see a decrease,” she said. “If you need food, you need a lot of other things as well. A lot of times people are just shifting things around, asking, ‘What bill will I pay?’”

The Community Food Pantry, located in Battell Chapel, takes a some of the worry out of current daily life. It is set up like a mini grocery store and patrons are allowed to choose what they like to eat, unlike some food banks, which hand out bags of pre-selected groceries. “We were trying to figure out why we are getting so many people,” Deasy said. “Everyone said, ‘Because you let me choose what to eat.’ We all have things we don’t like.”

She said there are no restrictions on the amount taken, except for meat or dairy products, which are limited to two meat items and three dairy products. “We do ask them not to come more than once a week and I tell them, ‘Pretend this is your weekly grocery shopping.”

An affiliated Clothes Closet serves anyone who needs clothing and bedding, and accepts donations of clean, lightly used items.

Since 2017, the food pantry has been operated under the auspices of Norfolk NET, a collaborative, grassroots organization that works to alleviate poverty. “The food bank has been around for 30 years and used to be operated through the Church of Christ’s discretionary account,” said Deasy.

“But we got feedback that some people didn’t like writing a check to the church. We talked with [First Selectman Matt Riiska] to see if we could go under the town, but that never really worked.” 

The group further explored becoming a nonprofit but were dissuaded by the tax filings required for 501(c)(3)s. In the end, the agency simply opened a bank account, and donations can be made directly to the Norfolk Food Pantry. “It makes it easier to budget and balance,” said Deasy.

“Mostly, we are trying to figure out what else we can be doing to increase support. We’ve upped our social media, and my sister is building a website. I think that will help. And the town pages [the Norfolk Hub’s eblast, norfolkct.org and the church pages] have gotten the word out,” she continued. “Without donations, we wouldn’t exist.”

People can support the food pantry by either placing non-perishable foodstuffs in a blue bin at the back of Battell Chapel, 12 Litchfield Road; bringing perishable items such as meat and milk to the food pantry during opening hours, or through monetary donations left with pantry volunteers or in the church office. 

While all donations are gratefully received, Deasy said that money may benefit the food bank more. They have a dedicated shopper, David Gourley, who assiduously seeks out bargains. “He loves to shop, and he is always looking for the best prices,” Deasy said. 

Each week on its Facebook page, the food bank lists foods that it particularly needs. This week it is seeking cold and hot cereals, oranges, apples, bananas, coffee, cranberry juice and egg cartons. Yes, egg cartons—Bill Arkuett’s hens are back on the job after their winter hiatus. 

The food bank is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 

—Newsletter Editor

The “slip and fall” lawsuit brought against the town after a pedestrian fell in the vicinity of the Congregational Church has been settled for an undisclosed amount.

First Selectman Matt Riiska told the Board of Finance this week that a settlement was agreed to before the trial could begin. “They settled at about 9:30 at night,” he said. A jury had already been empaneled. 

Riiska said the town’s insurance company will pay the settlement, but he is looking to the future and prevention of future accidents. A municipality is responsible by state statute for the maintenance of sidewalks, both repairing them and clearing them following storms.

He said he contacted Julia Scharnberg, head of the Historic District Commission, to discuss the issue. “I told her there are three choices,” he said. “We can remove the walks and put in grass, we could put in gravel walks or … well, we really can’t choose three, which would be to put in granite walks.”

He will also take an ordinance to a future town meeting that would require home and business owners to clear walks in front of their properties. 

—Newsletter Editor

Tuesday night the Planning and Zoning Commission approved two applications to construct a new firehouse on Shepard Road after imposing a number of conditions on the project.

The first application considered was for a lot line change to enlarge the firehouse property and the second was the proposal for the building and the grounds around the firehouse.

The conditions for the building site dictate that lights on all signs must be angled downward to reduce light pollution, that the transformer and generator be located at the rear of the lot, that the generator be tested during the day and that the generator and transformer be shielded from view and their sound muffled.

Additionally, the parking area on Shepard Road is to be reserved for City Meadow except during emergencies, access to City Meadow must be unfettered; three old trees on the eastern lot line must be removed and replaced, the air conditioner compressor must be located as far from the front of the property as feasible and be screened, a final set of plans must be submitted and the Zoning Enforcement Officer must receive timely reports about construction sequence, sedimentation control, site inspection and the like. 

Finally, the number of lights on the railing along the boardwalk leading to City Meadow must be cut in half,the Kelvin rating on exterior lighting cannot exceed 4,000 and within six months of the project’s completionthe fire department must create and submit a lighting use plan.

Approval of the firehouse plan came only after approval of the lot line application, stripping some land from City Meadow. Some of the conditions for this application mirrored those imposed on the construction plan. They are that the Shepard Road parking space be reserved for City Meadow, that appropriate signage designate the City Meadow parking lot, that the transformer and generator be located at the rear of the firehouse lot, that there shall be a handicap parking space and that a map clearly show the boundaries of the lot lines be filed with the land records.

Commission members debated at some length four conditions member Jordan Stern suggested: that two light poles earmarked for the front of the property be removed, that the brightness of the pole lights be lowered from 7,000 to 5,000 lumens, that the number of lights along the boardwalk be cut in half and that the Kelvin rating of exterior lights be set at 4,000.

Stern contended that the lighting plan as presented exceeded best practices standards cited by both the town’s consulting engineer and the engineers who created the plan. He suggested that the level of lighting could prove detrimental to neighboring property owners.

Commission member Christopher Schaut put forward another solution. He suggested that the fire department be given six months after completion of the building to live with the lot and to determine how much light is needed and when. The department would then have to present a lighting plan with times when lights could be dimmed or turned off.

Member Wiley Wood agreed. “It’s the use they make of them,” he said. “If they are used when necessary and toned down when not needed, I don’t see a problem.”

P&Z Chairman Tom Fahsbender cautioned that the commission was approving a firehouse, “not a residence or retail store.” 

“We should take the recommendations from the people who design firehouses and the people who use them,” he said. “It’s important that the conditions we put down don’t get in the way of safe operation.”  He said he liked Schaut’s proposal because it allowed flexibility. “The situation on the ground will determine what is helpful,” he concluded.

In the end, the commission incorporated two of Stern’s conditions, but rejected removing two light poles and limiting lumens to 5,000.

—Newsletter Editor

First Selectman Matt Riiska is taking a conservative stance on municipal spending for the coming year despite some good financial news in the third quarter of the fiscal year.

He told the Board of Finance Tuesday that his proposed 2024-25 budget would rise 2.5 to 3 percent if nothing is changed, but “I am working on getting it as close to no increase as I can.”

He said the town would forego some things this year, like budgeting $60,000 for tree removal, and he will use the town crew for work such as putting in a new sidewalk between Berkshire Country Store and the Post Office rather than contracting for the work.

But there is nothing he can do about the 19.2 percent ($345,000) increase in the town’s assessment for Region 7, which he termed “a killer.” The increase is based on the proportion of students sent to the school by the four member towns. Norfolk is sending six more students while the other towns are sending fewer.

Representatives of Region 7 will come to Norfolk March 27 at 6:30 p.m. for a budget presentation at Botelle School.

Norfolk endured an annus horribilis in 2023, with multiple financial disasters draining the town’s coffers, but there seems to be a turn in its fortunes as the new fiscal year approaches. It was reported during the meeting that a decision to close out the town’s defined pension plan and provide the pensioners with annuities should bring a residual $1.2 million to the town.

“To end up with $1.2 million will be very, very important in the coming year,” said Board of Finance Chairman Michael Sconyers. “It’s only March and we have already spent 84 percent of this year’s budget. It’s been a tough year.”

Riiska said he would recommend using some of the money to retire the debt on the windows and doors installed at the ambulance building. The town still has three payments to make for a total $392,692. “It would be wise for us to pay it off completely” he said. “We can’t take on debt until we pay off the debt we have.”

He said he is looking at refinancing the loan taken out last year for upgrades to Maple Avenue. Interest rates were not favorable at that time. “We have been talking to bond counsel and it was indicated we could save about $50,000 a year,” he reported. 

He said the Grand List went up about $4 million dollars this year, a modest amount, but that the town is going into a revaluation that could significantly increase property valuations. 

“Assessments have increased as much as 35 to 40 percent in some towns,” said Sconyers. “I think the Grand List will increase significantly.” He added that an increase in valuations does not mean taxes will go up significantly.

—Newsletter Editor

Details are being worked out for resuming work on River Place Bridge. The construction project was stopped in November 2022 when it was discovered that one headwall was not sitting on a firm foundation.

The project went back to the drawing boards and then had to reapproved by the state Department of Transportation, causing considerable delay. First Selectman Matt Riiska has been working with the engineers and construction company for a month to get the project up and running again. 

“I feel we have everything worked out now,” he said during the March 6 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. “We plan to get back on site by the middle of April.”

He said the additional work has added $1.1 million to the project, of which the town will be responsible for 20 percent. He is discussing the issue with the state. “I have been working with the state a lot,” he said during the Selectmen’s meeting, adding that the state has agreed to pay 100 percent of the cost on other bridges.

In other business, he reported that a new City Meadow Committee has been appointed consisting of Elizabeth Borden and Michael Selleck from the Economic Development Commission, George Cronin, Molly Ackerly, Doreen Kelly from the Community Association, Lisa Atkin from the Norfolk Foundation and Martyn Banks from the fire department. “I tried to get a diverse group,” Riiska reported. 

He said the committee will “push things along” with the needed removal of invasives and planning better ways to use the meadow for passive recreation. He reported that there was $7,000 left over from the work of a previous committee and that a donor has provided another $110,000 to accomplish the needed work. “We’ll be very careful about how we spend it,” he said.

Since City Meadow was first created as a recreational area, invasive plants have overrun it. Proposed work includes removing them and planting native plants.

The selectmen approved a resolution authorizing Riiska to formally apply for a $2.5 million Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection grant to help pay for the new firehouse. State Representative Maria Horn secured the loan for the town. 

The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plans for the firehouse Tuesday night. 

—Newsletter Editor