Author: kathrynwboughton@gmail.com

In another step toward a new firehouse, the town has identified a project manager, Downes Construction of New Britain, for construction of a new firehouse. The company was recommended to the town by the firehouse architectural team from Silver Petrucelli after the town advertised the position and got no response. 

Both firms met in a hybrid session with the Firehouse Building Committee Wednesday night. 

As project manager, Downes Construction will do a design review to see where further cuts can be made and provide a solid cost estimate to take to bid. The firm will oversee the project from bidding through completion and supply three onsite engineers to monitor construction and liaise with a subcommittee of the building committee.

While onsite the engineers will ensure that subcontractors adhere to the specifications in their contracts and test materials when necessary. “They will be our eyes and ears,” Riiska explained.

The Downes representatives gave the building committee “very good news,” Riiska said, when they estimated that the 10,500-square-foot building would cost from $650 to $750 per square foot to build ($6.8 million to $7.9 million). The firm will receive 2.25 percent of the total cost—a fee of $160,000 at the median cost. 

“That sounds like a lot, but it is a good price,” Riiska said, adding that Downes representatives were impressed with the amount of work the building committee has already done to hone the proposal. 

He hopes that state and federal grants will cover about $4 million of the needed sum and said significant donor pledges have already been received. A fundraising committee will continue to seek pledges, and the remainder will probably be bonded. The town has already spoken to bond counsel. 

“We’re really working at this,” Riiska said, adding that the committee wants to go out to bid this fall in preparation for construction next year.

—Newsletter Editor

There was good news this week for South Norfolk residents frustrated by a year-long wait for direct access to Route 272 after two bridges in their neighborhood were washed out in a July 2023 flash flood. First Selectman Matt Riiska said Wednesday that he hopes to start installation of a temporary bridge on Smith Road by the end of August.

Riiska recently met with South Norfolk residents and the issue was again discussed in a DOT informational webinar Monday night. During all the meetings residents insisted that installing a temporary bridge is “imperative,” because the long, difficult detour to reach their homes prevents quick response in an emergency. 

The DOT had prioritized construction of a permanent replacement for Smith Road bridge, but that project could not be finished under the best of conditions until 2026.

The town originally said it would not install a temporary structure, having received an early estimate of $440,000. Riiska has since worked with two contractors to develop alternate plans but said he does not yet have a dollar figure. The temporary bridge will be on the Board of Finance agenda next Tuesday.

“I understand their concerns and am trying to resolve this,” he told his selectmen Wednesday. “It’s possible the bridge will be replaced with something similar to what was taken out in the flood. It will look like it, but it will still only be temporary.” 

Meanwhile, during its Zoom informational meeting, DOT engineers fielded questions from citizens and discussed the process of replacing the Smith Road and Old Goshen Road bridges. They are trying to pivot their plans to replace the Old Goshen Road bridge first, leaving Smith Road for the temporary structure as its terrain is better suited to that.

Project manager Marc Byrnes said the state has taken over design and construction of the permanent bridges and is expediting the project to reduce the inconvenience for residents. It is hoped the design phase can be shortened from 60 months to 24, with work to start in spring 2026 and be finished at the end of that construction season. The timeframe will be affected, however, by how soon rights-of-way changes can be negotiated and permits obtained.

Work also started on River Place bridge this week. Construction there has been stalled since November 2022 after it was discovered that one headwall did not rest on a firm foundation. Because of the necessary redesign and the prolonged delay there will be additional costs for the project and a town meeting may be needed to approve more funding. 

Work is complete on Maple Avenue except for touch-ups, according to Riiska, who said he is working with the town attorney to recover the “sizeable amount of money” expended to clean up the disastrous 8,200-gallon gas spill of November 2022. The long-planned municipal upgrade of the road had to be put on hold until after the cleanup.

—Newsletter Editor

The town has a new zoning enforcement officer. Stacey Sefcik, land use administrator for Thomaston, has agreed to work for the town on a part-time basis, starting next week. She will be in her office two days a week, on a schedule yet to be announced.

Former ZEO Karl Nilsen resigned in July after only a few months on the job and Department of Public Works foreman Troy Lamere acted as stand-in enforcement officer in the interim. He had previously been ZEO in Harwinton. While Nilsen was in the position, he had an assistant and spent few hours in Town Hall. First Selectman Matt Riiska said the assistant position will be dropped and Sefcik will be present longer hours.

She will be paid the same rate as Nilsen, $40 an hour.

With one position filled, Riiska is faced with another vacancy. Tax Collector Sarah Bruso is leaving September 5. A member of the Litchfield Hills Tax Collector’s Association, she is helping identify the names of potential replacements.

—Newsletter Editor

Aquarion Water Company, which has provided water to Norfolk for more than half a century, may soon become the property of the South Central Regional Water Authority. The Representative Policy Board of the water authority will hold public hearings Thursday, August 22, at 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday, August 27, at 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., about a possible purchase of Aquarion from its current owner, Eversource Energy. 

The in-person hearings will be held at the Hotel Marcel, 500 Sargent Drive, New Haven. All users of the RWA and Aquarion Water Company, owners of property served or to be served, and other interested persons can be heard. Submit questions by emailing jslubowski@rwater.com or calling 203-401-2515. 

Parts of the hearings dealing with confidential matters will be conducted in executive session.

Aquarion, an outgrowth of the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company, began supplying water to Norfolk in the early 1960s, when the parent company acquired five Litchfield County water companies, has since expanded to provide drinking water in 59 towns and cities in Connecticut. It was acquired by Eversource in 2017 for $1.675 billion.

Earlier this year, Eversource announced plans to divest itself of Aquarion to offset heavy losses from investments in clean energy. Aquarion is reported to be an asset that can be sold without affecting Eversource’s core business of energy transmission.

The South Central Regional Water Authority was created in 1977 by a special act of the state General Assembly to meet a crisis created by passage of the federal Clean Drinking Water Act in 1974. The New Haven Water Company had to build water filtration plants to meet the requirements of the act and was faced with selling off real estate or raising water rates. The company opted to sell land. Surrounding communities protested and the state legislature created a commission that recommended formation of a publicly owned regional water company. 

—Newsletter Editor

It’s the beginning of August and that means it is time for the ninth annual Weekend in Norfolk celebration, a three-day festival that encompasses the entire town.

WIN kicked off last night (Thursday) for early birds with a sneak peek at the Norfolk Artists and Friends exhibition and an Emerging Artists Showcase, and continues through Sunday afternoon. Many future events—such as fly-fishing seminars, the Hike the Peaks Challenge, self-guided history tours, art shows, music on Robertson Plaza and stained-glass window tours, can be enjoyed on all three days.

Other events, including concerts in the Music Shed on the Battell-Stoeckel Estate and at Infinity Hall, are individual events offered only once. Visitors and residents alike may enjoy sun-gazing at Dennis Hill Park, an open house at the Little Red Schoolhouse, a garden tour featuring woodland pathways, tours of the impressive Whitehouse on the Stoeckel Estate, an ice cream social, weddings or vow renewals on the Village Green and more.

A full schedule of events, times and places can be found here.  

—Newsletter Editor

The Department of Transportation will hold a Zoom webinar Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. to describe plans for Smith Road bridge, which was washed out last year in a flash flood. The DOT planned to replace Smith Road bridge before the nearby Old Goshen Road bridge, but is now reevaluating its plan because Smith Road would better accommodate a temporary span.

Marc Byrnes, program manager for the DOT’s Local Bridge Program, said this week that the Smith Road breach would be easier to span with a temporary structure. “Our intent is to accelerate the process,” he said.

Construction of a temporary bridge would fall under the purview of the town and not the state, however, and no decision has yet been reached about whether it will be done.

Old Goshen Road was also destroyed during the flood and South Norfolk residents have grown impatient after a year of detouring around the breaches. They are demanding a temporary bridge to provide direct access to Route 272.

Design work for Smith Road began last fall and the DOT has been working its way through procuring documentation, preliminary surveys, soil analyses and the like. Byrnes said the biggest scheduling delays include negotiating relocation right-of-way purchases, procuring a federal flood management permit and an Army Corps of Engineers permit. “Those are long-lead items,” he said. 

The design for the first bridge to be replaced will not be complete until next year with construction slated for the first quarter of 2026. At best, if 2025 produces a mild winter, work could start then. “We could investigate winter construction, but it would depend on temperature-reliant materials like cement. We want to make sure the town is not inconvenienced for a long period,” Byrnes said.   

“The ultimate goal is not to have the same problem in 20 years,” he continued. “These are 75-year designs.” The bridges will be designed to handle the flow produced by the more intense storms resulting from climate change.

Ironically, the 68-year-old Old Goshen bridge, built in 1956 following the disastrous Flood of ’55, was a slapdash affair built with recycled boiler pipes. “It was a very economical design,” Byrnes observed.

The Smith Road bridge was built in 1999, probably as the result of a washout. 

Byrnes said both bridges will be replaced through a program funded by the 2021 federal infrastructure bill. The money is channeled through the state, which pays 100 percent of permanent replacement costs. A temporary bridge would have to be purchased by the town, however.

Any permanent local bridge with a 20-foot span is part of the National Bridge Inventory even if owned by a town. This makes it eligible for federal funds. 

The DOT website page for the project can be viewed here. To register for the webinar, click here.

—Newsletter Editor

Ever wondered about the “castle” on Westside Road? Who built such an extravagant estate amid a New England village? The Norfolk Historical Society’s 2024 exhibit delves into the history of the property and celebrates one of its most distinguished early summer residents, Mihajlo Idvorski (Michael) Pupin.

Pupin, a brilliant physicist, professor and inventor, held 34 patents that brought him world-wide fame. He came to Norfolk at the suggestion of Dr. Frederic Dennis, a Columbia University colleague, who thought the climate and beauty of Northwest Connecticut would be a tonic for the bereaved Pupin, who was mourning the untimely death of his wife.

Pupin, who had already revolutionized medical science with his inventions, found Norfolk to be his “Haven of Happiness,” and soon considered it to be his home. 

He built two significant residences here: The Knolls on Westside Road, which became the talk of the town in 1898; followed a decade later by Hemlock Farm, the European-style “castle” reminiscent of his Serbian homeland (today used by the Connecticut-Asia Society).

Hemlock Farm was a far cry from the circumstances that confronted the 16-year-old peasant boy when he disembarked in America in 1874. With five cents in his pocket and no knowledge of English, he started his hard scrabble toward world renown. He worked days in fields and factories while studying at night. So successful was he, that he earned a scholarship to Columbia, later studying at Cambridge University and receiving his doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1889. 

Pupin cared deeply about Norfolk and contributed financially to several important projects, including the construction of the Royal Arcanum building in 1903 and the Center School in 1915. 

The exhibit is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., through October 13.

—Newsletter Editor

A contingent of concerned South Norfolk citizens met with First Selectman Matt Riiska July 19 to urge construction of a temporary bridge across Hall Meadow Brook. The neighborhood has been cut off from direct access to Route 272 since a flash flood last July swept away bridges on Smith Road and Old Goshen Road.

Since then, the state DOT has promised to replace the bridges at a cost of $5.8 million dollars, but the timeframe for the work could extend into 2028, according to Riiska.

Residents attending the meeting expressed frustration that no progress had been made in a year to provide convenient access to their homes by emergency and other services. They were adamant that their isolation is a safety issue and that moves should be made to provide a temporary bridge to their community. They suggested several options that could provide temporary access in two weeks for as little as $20,000.

Riiska said he has held discussions with Guerrera Construction about how a temporary connection could be established. “I understand how nauseatingly slow it is for the DOT to make a decision,” he said. “I pleaded with them to stop work on Mountain Road and to put their efforts into Smith Road, but it has fallen on deaf ears.”

But he added there is no a clear-cut answer to the problem. “Herein lies the problem,” he said. “Once you get within so many feet of the stream, everyone wants you to go by their rules and regulations. All we really need is a one-lane that can handle 50,000 pounds, but you have to get back away from the river. You can’t just put a pad in, level it off and say good enough.”

He looked at temporary bridges in Scotland, Conn., and received information that that town paid $440,000 for a temporary bridge. “Realistically, we are looking at $125,000 to $150,000,” he said. “We have to build to specifications that satisfy the insurance company and the DOT. Those organizations, in this day and age, are not going to let you put in something they don’t approve. They will shut you down.”

Thursday, Riiska said he understands the residents’ frustration. He has looked at options this week, but added, “It’s not as simplistic as people think it is.”

He bemoaned the bureaucracy of the DOT, saying a meeting about Smith Road the day before included 38 people. During the meeting, he expressed concern about why it was taking so long to restore the area.

Meanwhile, he is seeking quotes for a temporary bridge and has set an Aug. 2 date to again meet with the residents of the area. There is money in the town’s surplus funds, but before it can be tapped, he needs approval from the Board of Finance and a town meeting.

—Newsletter Editor

The ninth annual summer Weekend in Norfolk, a three-day town-wide festival, returns August 2 through August 4 with activities for all ages and interests.

There will be familiar events—concerts, art shows, open studios and art lessons; a historical society exhibit on one of Norfolk most important summer residents; a historical walking tour; stained glass window tours; hiking opportunities and even a chance to be married or renew your vows on the village green.

And there will also be some new additions to attract visitors, such as a chance to visit the historic one-room schoolhouse on Ashpohtag Road, a yarn sale at the HUB, and a sound installation in Barbour Woods that is looped to play every 10 minutes.

Click here for a full schedule of events and times.

—Newsletter Editor

The town has launched a search for a new Zoning Enforcement Officer following the resignation this week of Karl Nilsen. 

Nilsen had held the position since early winter and was the second ZEO appointed since Michael Halloran resigned December 30.

When Halloran resigned, the position was briefly offered to a younger, inexperienced man who never actually took over the office. 

The position is part-time and Nilsen attended Planning and Zoning Commission and Inland Wetlands Agency meetings and had brief office hours at Town Hall twice a week. He was paid $40 an hour.

First Selectman Matt Riiska said the town is looking for someone with experience “who will work with the town.”

Finding candidates for positions such as the ZEO, assessor, treasurer and the like is becoming more difficult for small towns as the training and demands of the positions become more intensive. Many small towns have trouble attracting candidates because larger communities can pay more.

“We have couple of people currently looking for us and one that might be interested,” Riiska reported. “We’ll get through this.”

—Newsletter Editor