Author: kathrynwboughton@gmail.com

Construction bids for Norfolk’s new fire house could be let by late February. At a meeting Thursday night Silver Petrucelli architect David Stein said construction design is 60 to 70 percent ready and could be complete by January 20. The construction management firm would then need another month to prepare to go out to bid.

The fire house committee has been working to reduce the cost of a building that was originally estimated to cost $9.3 million dollars. Fire Chief Brian Hutchins  said earlier Thursday that significant cuts have been made, but the committee pressed for specifics about cheaper alternatives. 

According to Stein, alternatives such as a standing-seam metal roof as opposed to asphalt shingles would save significant amounts of money, but reducing the size of the “fairly compact” building would probably not help. It is going to be largely a choice of materials,” he said. 

Stein said 2024 has been “a rollercoaster” in terms of pricing, with costs inflated by 20 to 30 percent early in the year. Prices have stabilized now, however, and “the sooner we have numbers, the sooner you will know where you stand.”

Brian Grant of Newfield Construction, the management firm, agreed, saying the sooner the bid packages can go out, the better for the town. “Typically, we get two or three bids for every package,” he said. “The bidding market will tell us what it will actually be. It’s a dance right now, but it’s a simple enough project. I don’t think we will have to reduce it.”

—Newsletter Editor

To date, First Selectman Matt Riiska has no clearance to replace the Smith Road bridge with a temporary span, but he continues to meet with state officials to discuss the permanent replacement of two bridges in South Norfolk washed out in July 2023.

“I still need to fill out more forms,” he told his board Wednesday night. “Every day it is looking up something else and filling out another form.”

Residents of South Norfolk, who have petitioned for the temporary span to allow easier access to Route 272, were hopeful that progress was being made this week when a group of state Department of Transportation workers was seen near the washouts, but Riiska said they were discussing the permanent replacements.

An online public information meeting about the Old Goshen Road bridge will be held by the DOT on January 21. A similar meeting on Smith Road was held in August.

As for the temporary structure, Riiska was equivocal. He said construction—once he gets approval from DEEP and the Army Corps of Engineers—depends on winter weather and the will of townspeople. He does not have the authority to expend more than $100,000 on his own.

“I’ve talked to the Board of Finance,” he said. “If it says we can take the funds out of capital reserve, we would need a town meeting to approve it. I’m not the decision maker on it.”

—Newsletter Editor

Norfolk selectmen are considering a date in January for a public meeting to discuss the merger of Botelle Elementary School and Colebrook School. Colebrook held such a meeting on November 14, but many Norfolk residents, including some Board of Education members, did not know about it. 

The November meeting was called by Colebrook First Selectman Brad Bremer and the boards of selectmen from both communities were invited. Norfolk First Selectman Matt Riiska reported at this Wednesday’s meeting of his board that about 25 people, most of them parents of Colebrook children, attended. Only three Norfolk residents were there. 

“I was surprised to see all those people there and that they were able to speak,” said Norfolk selectman Sandy Evans. “I thought it was just going to be the selectmen.”

She said such a meeting is needed in Norfolk to promote open discussion. 

“With the parents, it’s all a personal thing,” she continued, “but there is a lot to consider—the facilities, the administration, the board. I couldn’t tell what anyone wanted, except they didn’t want to come to Norfolk.”

Riiska stressed that at present there is no consolidation committee. “Going forward, there would have to be an actual committee, similar to what we had in 2012,” he said. “But it needs more discussion before that.” 

The issue of consolidation or merger has been discussed and rejected for decades, even as enrollment figures have dropped precipitously in both towns. Colebrook currently has 64 elementary students and Norfolk has 59. 

—Newsletter Editor

After residents declined to even discuss a regulation requiring property owners to clear their sidewalks after a snowstorm, the town will continue to service the village center and add the newly constructed Maple Avenue walkway.

“We will see how we can maintain the walks through the public works department for now,” First Selectman Matt Riiska said. “That regulation was basically to see which way the wind was blowing.”

The town was sued last year for an accident that occurred when a pedestrian slipped and fell on a walk near the United Church of Christ, even though the walk did not belong to the town. Riiska has been advised by the town’s attorney that an ordinance can be crafted absolving the town of liability and placing the responsibility on property owners. “But we will see how we can maintain the walks through the public works department for now,” he said.

The town already clears sidewalks in Station Place, and along Route 44 and John Curtiss Road after it has finished maintaining its roads. Maple Avenue will have to be sealed every couple of years to protect it. 

Requests have been made to have the walks around the village green cleared, but Riiska fears damaging the granite sidewalks if the town plows them.

An ordinance is already on the books prohibiting homeowners from pushing snow out into roads or clogging sidewalks that the town has cleared.

—Newsletter Editor

Welcome rain has been falling in Connecticut this past week, but the pronounced drought of late summer and fall may have a lingering effect for years. Fruit crops and prized ornamentals may suffer from the historic lack of rain since September. 

Total September and October precipitation measured only 1.85 inches and was the lowest measured in 93 years in Norfolk. Russell Russ, record keeper at the National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Station in Great Mountain Forest, said the second driest September-October period was 76 years ago, when rain measured 2.83 inches. The normal total for both months combined is 9 inches.

Russ reported that through Thanksgiving morning 2.48 inches of precipitation (rain and melted snow) had fallen in November, 2.10 inches below average. All told, precipitation at the weather station was 9.28 inches below average for the last three months.

The average annual precipitation for Norfolk is 53.12 inch. Because the summer brought an excess of rain—7 inches more than usual through August—Russ said the year’s total will probably be only a little below normal.

So, what effect will the topsy-turvy weather have on the region’s plant life? “It usually takes two years or so for major drought to show up in trees,” Russ said. “Fortunately, this dry spell happened during a time when trees are shutting down for the winter, so the recent dry conditions probably won’t be a major concern.” 

Horticulturalist Nash Pradhan of Ginger Creek Nursery was not so sanguine. “It’s been a pretty weird year,” he said. “It started with so much rain that ornamentals were being affected by fungal issues. Plants that were in the wrong place were getting too much water and then someone turned the faucet off.”

Drought interrupts the cycle by which water moves through trees from the roots to the leaves. First finer, hair-like, roots, typically located close to the surface, die back. Eventually larger roots can die back as well. Drought-weakened trees are more susceptible to threats from insects and disease, the effects of which may show up months or even years after the drought. 

Pradhan stopped transplanting anything as the ground dried out, and, although he had not done drip irrigation in years, he reverted to it this fall.

“I don’t know what will happen next spring as a result of the drought,” he said. “A lot of trees were impacted by pests and fungal issues when we had all the rain and then there was no rain for months at a time. Did the trees put all their energy into surviving? Buds were compromised by the drought and just dried out. Marginal trees probably won’t make it.”

—Newsletter Editor

Residents of Connecticut’s Icebox do not want to shovel snow.

The upstairs meeting room in Town Hall filled beyond capacity Wednesday night and townspeople stood on the stairs to protest a proposed regulation that would have required them to clear their walkways of snow and ice within 24 hours of a storm.

The selectmen proposed the regulation after the town was sued last year by a pedestrian who fell on a sidewalk near the Church of Christ Congregational. The town settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

The item never came to a vote, however, as no motion to approve it was proffered.

“If no one makes a motion to approve it, it’s dropped,” said moderator Richard Byrne. “It’s been voted down before. Hearing no motion, we go to the next item on the agenda.”

The crowd broke out in applause. 

The second item—refinancing a loan for River Place bridge—passed handily after a brief discussion. 

The town has a revolving line of credit with NBT (formerly Salisbury Bank) at 2.25 percent. Because of the long delay caused by a two-year project shutdown, NBT wants the town to close it out and take a new one at 4.25 percent. 

After all state reimbursements have been received, town can pay off an estimated $285,000 remaining loan over 10 years, or the Board of Finance can retire it immediately using money it received when it closed its defined benefit plan.

—Newsletter Editor

The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s replacement of retaining walls, slope stabilization and reconstruction of Route 44 just west of the village is scheduled to begin Monday, December 2, and be completed on September 16, 2026.

Work on relocation of utilities began last spring. Flaggers have directed traffic during the summer and fall, but now a temporary signal will be installed to coordinate one-way alternating traffic from December 2 through Nov. 14, 2025. Traffic control signs, temporary signal lights and messaging will guide motorists through the work zone.

The project was originally to be completed by September 15, 2028, but two years have been cut out of the schedule by extending construction through the winter season. Weather delays or other unforeseen conditions could change the schedule. 

The $37,207,147 contract was awarded to K2 Infrastructure Group, Inc., last April.

—Newsletter Editor

Botelle Elementary School has been named one of 151 Schools of Distinction by the Connecticut State Department of Education for its great improvement. Overall, its accountability index rose to 72.9, up from 47.6 last year.

Only the top 10 percent of schools showing improvement are named Schools of DistinctionPrincipal Lauren Valentino said annual accountability ratings are based on 12 metrics determined by the state education department. “They look at a variety of factors for the ratings,” which measure student achievement, growth and improvement, she said.

Because Botelle is a single-school district with only 59 students in grades pre-K through six, many of the criteria do not apply. Botelle’s accountability ratings were largely based on student performance in English language arts (ELA) and math. 

“They look at growth for students in those areas and set targets,” Valentino said. Botelle students performed at 82 percent of their growth target in ELA and at 77 percent for math. 

Valentino said the school has a large high-needs population in grades 3 through 6, the grades tested. “When a child has an Individualized Education Plan and is working at a third-grade level, obviously he can’t meet sixth-grade testing expectations, so the state looks at growth,” she explained. “Our students have demonstrated growth.”

She attributed the improvement to two new teachers now working with students in the grades that were tested. “In addition, we have a new literacy specialist and special education team, and everyone has collaborated to make sure the kids are getting what they need,” Valentino said. “There’s been lots of collaboration, looking at how the students are performing and changing instructional strategies. This recognition reflects their efforts and dedication.”

She also gave credit to families and the wider Norfolk community for their support of the school.

—Newsletter Editor

The Planning and Zoning Commission informally considered the issue of short-term rentals at the end of its meeting Tuesday night. Such rentals have proved problematic in some towns and can be tricky to define and control.

The issue arose when new Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik asked for guidance from commission members. She said she had received a complaint from a resident about the amount of use a pergola was receiving on a neighboring property. The structure had rarely been used until the property owner started renting the house on the property on a short-term basis. 

Commission members noted that Norfolk’s zoning does not specifically address short-term rentals, but that in several places the regulations allow rentals of all or part of a house. For instance, a homeowner can rent up to two bedrooms in their house if they also reside in the building. In another provision, residents are given the right to rent entire their houses without being there. Nowhere do the rules specify a time limit for the rentals.

P&Z chairman Tom Fahsbender said the problem is in defining “short-term.” He pointed out that the commission “can’t just specify Airbnb or Vrbo,” adding that enforcing regulations for short-term rentals is difficult.

He also noted that for some residents the rentals are a needed source of income.

Member Edward Barron noted that the commission had discussed the issue before and “my recollection is that it was determined we were not going to do anything about it right now. But if you do want to think about it, it will be a pretty big issue.”

For example, he pointed to investors in Great Barrington, who have started buying up housing stock specifically to use for short-term rentals on Vbro and Airbnb. “This forces ordinary residents out of the housing market and out of the community,” he said.

As of August 2023, Great Barrington had an estimated 234 active short-term rentals listed on Airbnb and Vrbo. That town regulates short-term rentals, requiring owners to register annually, to rent no more than one structure in Great Barrington, and to limit the rentals to no more than 150 days a year. Short-term rentals are prohibited for corporations, owners of affordable or income-restricted units, and owners of properties with outstanding violations.

There are currently 10 to 12 short-term rentals in Norfolk, Sefcik said, which can range from a day to a more prolonged visit.

In other business, the commission granted special permits for the construction of a large solar array at 400 North Street and for an accessory building (barn) larger than the primary building at 542 Greenwoods Road East. 

At the end of the meeting, Fahsbender announced he will leave the commission following the December meeting. Vice Chairman Christopher Schaut said he would assume the chairmanship if the commission so desires.

Updated November 14

—Newsletter Editor

The Office of the Secretary of the State has released the following official results for Norfolk’s voting during the recent presidential election.

President/Vice President

Democratic, Harris/ Walz, 642; Republican, Trump/Vance, 375; Green Party Stein/Ware, 11; Libertarian, Oliver/ter Maat, 5; Petitioning, Kennedy/Shanahan, 4

U.S. Senator

Democratic, Christopher Murphy, 623; Republican, Matthew Corey, 346; Working Families, Christopher Murphy, 25; Green Party, Justin Paglino, 10; Cheaper Gas Groceries, Robert Hyde, 12

U.S. Congressional Representatives

Democratic, Jahana Hayes, 620; Republican, George Logan, 364; Working Families, Jahana Hayes, 26

State Senator, 8th Senatorial District

Democratic, Paul Honig, 579; Republican, Lisa Seminara, 378; Working Families, Paul Honig, 23; Independent, Lisa Seminara, 12

State Representative, 64th General Assembly District

Democratic, Maria Horn, 614; Republican, Barbara L. Breor, 333; Working Families, Maria Horn, 26; Independent, Maria Horn, 10

Registrar of Voters

Democratic, Danese Perron, 681

There were 60 absentee ballots submitted (of which three were rejected) and 423 electors voted early (three rejected). Overseas residents cast 19 votes, and 22 persons availed themselves of same-day registration.

—Newsletter Editor