Author: kathrynwboughton@gmail.com

Great Mountain Forest (GMF) will launch a new series of hands-on outdoor science programs in the fall for students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 in Northwest Corner schools. 

They are designed to provide environmental education for students who might not otherwise experience forest-based learning.

Using Great Mountain Forest as a living classroom, the field-based programs include such offerings such as “Sap to Syrup: The Sweet Science of Maple Magic” and “Wildlife Explorers: Discovering Adaptations and Biodiversity in GMF.” Three additional modules will soon be available to local schools in the Northwest Corner.

“Our goal is to foster a meaningful connection between students and the natural world, empowering them to become informed environmental stewards,” said Mike Zarfos, executive director of GMF.

The programs are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and are funded by a grant from the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation’s Carlton D. Fyler and Jenny R. Fyler Fund. 

—Kathryn Boughton

The Planning and Zoning Commission received an application from Edward Hinman, 39 Schoolhouse Road, Tuesday night seeking a special permit to operate a container tree nursery in a rural residential zone. The nursery would occupy only a small portion of his 65.5-acre tract.

The P&Z scheduled the application for a public hearing on Tuesday, July 8.

According to Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik, Hinman, a licensed arborist who operates Tamarack Tree Company, already harvests trees from other locations and uses some pre-existing barns on his property to cure the wood he cuts. 

“He wants to expand into small container trees but doesn’t anticipate any other structures,” Sefcik said.

The commission was concerned that the property might be included on the Natural Diversity Database map, which indicates where there are species of concern. It appears that much of Schoolhouse Road is included on the map, but Sefcik noted that the generalized designation does not indicate precisely where a species might exist or what species is of concern. 

Hinman said he would seek more information before the July 8 meeting.

—Kathryn Boughton

Eleven Northwest Hills Council of Governments towns, including Norfolk, are trying to get money to buy a new municipal solid waste (MSW) distribution center.

At this week’s Board of Finance meeting, Matt Riiska briefly outlined the efforts being made by NWCHCOG to solve the looming problem of solid municipal waste disposal. The town currently contracts with the MIRA Dissolution Authority to take its MSW and recyclables. The town ships about 700 tons of MSW, including 170 tons of recyclables, at a cost of $136 a ton, for a total of about $95,000 a year.

The state has decommissioned the MIRA burn plant, and solid waste is shipped to the Midwest. MIRA has $55 million to $60 million designated for cleaning up its site and Riiska said the towns are trying to get some of that money to buy a new distribution center in Torrington.

Alternatively, the town could contract with another vendor to collect the materials, including continuing with its current hauler, USA Waste & Recycling. Riiska said the cost to contract with a hauler would initially be somewhat lower but would slowly creep up over two years to be “almost a wash.”

“The towns want to find another option,” he said. “At the end of five years, the cost for MSW would go up to $142 a ton, and an additional $75 a ton for recyclables, for a total of $120,000 annually. So, you can see it is a serious thing to look at. All the towns are in the same boat and trying to figure it out.”

—Kathryn Boughton

The town has again applied for Congressional discretionary funds to offset some of the expense of constructing a new $9.3 million firehouse.

First Selectman Matt Riiska told the Board of Finance Tuesday that $750,000 in previously approved Senate discretionary spending funds were axed during the continuing budget resolution process. A similar fate awaited a $500,000 grant he sought from the House of Representative’s discretionary funds.

He has since reapplied and been assured by Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman Jahanna Hayes that the requests have been forwarded to their respective appropriations committees. “Cross your fingers,” he told the finance members.

He said the Firehouse Committee is in the bidding process and it is hoped that the bids will be lower than previously estimated because contractors are looking for work in the current economy.

—Kathryn Boughton

Warmer winters are making it easier for invasive plants to thrive in Connecticut, even in notoriously cooler environments such as Norfolk’s. The Connecticut Invasive Plants Council has identified more than 90 invasive species in the state, carried here by carelessness in the plants we choose for our landscapes, by birds and even by the wind. 

Norfolk’s Conservation Commission is trying to eradicate these opportunistic invaders, who out-compete native plants and reduce biodiversity. It has taken aim at a variety of invasive species, issuing “Wanted” posters with pictures and descriptions, urging residents to eliminate them where they are found. On their list are plants such as barberry, burning bush and Norway maples, all sometimes sold by nurseries, as well as other baddies such as honeysuckle, Japanese knotweed, goutweed, oriental bittersweet and more.

Commission members will promote their message again June 27th during Friday Night on the Green when they will distribute plants to persons who have removed invasive plants from their land. 

Conservation Commission member Nash Pradhan says the commission has done this for more than a decade to encourage residents to eradicate invasives.

Unlike Colonial days, when settlers had to present the rattlesnake’s tail to earn their bounty, it is not necessary for property owners to bring the invasive plant with them to claim their reward.

—Kathryn Boughton

Nine young people completed their education at Botelle Elementary School Wednesday night, advancing to middle school at Northwestern Regional School #7.

The Class of 2025 included Parker Bracken, Wyatt Crawford, Brion Dillard, Luke Dubrule, Elana Hunt, Christian Jalbert, Andrew Porter, Blake Porter and Michael Prisco.

In a joyous ceremony, the students heard addresses from Board of Education Chairman Virginia Coleman-Prisco, Superintendent Mary Beth Iacobelli and Principal Lauren Valentino.

Teacher Sarah Ward presented an Achievement Award to Wyatt Crawford and a Scholastic Award to Luke Dubrule. Achievement awards go to student who have shown the most improvement through hard work and determination, while scholastic awards are presented to a student who excels academically.

The ceremony ended with a slide presentation of student photographs from infancy through to today that was received with raucous cheers and laughter from the sixth graders.

—Kathryn Boughton

The long-awaited summer is finally making an appearance, with some sunny days and seasonal temperatures. It is no wonder that Norfolk residents’ thoughts are turning to warm-weather pleasures.

Tobey Pond, the town’s swimming hole, is slated to open Friday, June 13 (today). The pond is typically open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., but hours may vary if the weather is bad or if a lifeguard is not available.

Pond administrator Josh DeCerbo said this week that several lifeguards are being recertified over the next two weeks, but he feels that the current staff will be able to maintain the hours until then. 

He expects to offer swim lessons during the summer at times to be announced.

Residents can look for current information about hours and conditions on the pond’s Facebook page or go to its Instagram account.

The Tobey Pond beach area is rented from Great Mountain Forest for $1 a year and maintained by the Town for the benefit of Norfolk residents. Residents who use it must buy a yearly sticker from the Town Clerk’s office and place it permanently on their vehicle’s windshield. Guests accompanying residents who have stickers are admitted free of charge.

According to Town Clerk Deborah Nelson, persons staying in local hostelries may be able to obtain a day pass from their host. Each facility can purchase one laminated pass that can be used by the guest. DeCerbo said the staff starts checking stickers about July 1.

No entrance is allowed if the gate is closed, and no swimming is allowed unless a lifeguard is on duty.

To view Tobey Pond regulations, click here. For more information about yearly stickers, contact the Town Clerk’s office at 860-542-5679 or click here for a mail-in application.  

—Kathryn Boughton

Eight neighboring property owners have brought a complaint in the Litchfield Superior Court against Three Stewards Real Estate, owner of the Manor House on Maple Avenue, and the Norfolk Planning and Zoning Commission. They are appealing a May 13 decision by the commission to allow Three Stewards’ application to modify its existing special permit and associated site plan for the Manor House, which operates as a country inn.

All of the appellants’ properties either abut the Manor House’s five-acre lot or are within 100 feet of it. The complaint asserts they are “statutorily aggrieved” [have suffered a specific harm or adverse effect as defined by a particular statute or law] and are “further aggrieved” because the commission’s decision was “illegal, arbitrary, in abuse of its discretion and in violation of state law and its regulations.” 

The complaint asserts that the commission failed in 10 different ways to follow its own regulations and that its decision was “arbitrary and capricious and not supported by substantial evidence.” 

The decision, which can be viewed here [https://norfolkct.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PZ-Manor-House-Application-24-027-Decision.pdf], passed with conditions. Four commission members were in favor of approval and two were opposed. 

The plaintiffs ask the court to sustain the appeal and set aside the commission’s decision. It further asks the court to direct the Planning and Zoning Commission to deny the application and to grant such “further relief as to this Court may seem just and proper.”

For a page with links to the decision and other materials related to the Manor House application, click here. —Kathryn Boughton

Agreeing not to disagree, the Selectmen decided on the hours (12) and pay scale ($21 an hour) for an assistant town clerk during their meeting Wednesday afternoon.

First Selectman Matt Riiska had budgeted 16 hours a week for the position and an hourly rate of $25, but had encountered brisk opposition from Selectman Sandy Evans, who felt both the number of hours, and the pay were too much.

Additionally, Evans questioned whether the town should pay for classes for the assistant clerk to become certified, suggesting that, if the town paid, there should be a written agreement that the person would work for Norfolk for a given time following certification.

Riiska said he wanted the person to become certified and couldn’t demand that he or she take classes if not reimbursed. “How many times do people start and then decide they don’t like the job and drop out?” Evans asked. “It’s a waste of town money.” 

Certification for town clerks is not state-mandated but is desirable as the duties are becoming more complex. Even when employees complete certification, small municipalities often lose them to larger communities with deeper pockets. 

Riiska wants an assistant town clerk because the office is now closed on Fridays, which he sees as unfair to part-time residents who arrive for the weekend and cannot get stickers or permits for town services. He also wants to have a succession plan for when the current town clerk decides to retire.

Riiska and Evans eventually compromised on a schedule of two three-hour mornings or afternoons and a six-hour day on Friday. The town clerk currently works 24 hours a week, 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Riiska said the assistant’s hours should overlap to provide on-the-job training.

—Kathryn Boughton

Amy Hare, a transportation engineer with the DOT, reported Friday afternoon that the temporary signal at the construction site west of the village has been reported to be malfunctioning. Traffic is being flagged by the contractor until it can be fixed.

The Route 44 location, site of a multi-year construction project to install a new retaining wall and to slightly widen the passage, has been reduced to one lane and opposing traffic is controlled by lights that stop cars for up to two minutes at a time. Traffic frequently backs up for considerable distances in either direction.

The inconvenience and rough condition of the one-lane “chute,” as townspeople call it, was discussed at the Selectmen’s meeting Wednesday afternoon. Selectman Sandy Evans, a member of the town’s emergency services, complained about the uneven condition of the surface and the fact that the light’s cycle often catches drivers still in transit, causing traffic jams.

First Selectman Matt Riiska said he would confer with DOT engineers about the problems.

—Kathryn Boughton