Community News

The Economic Development Commission set a timeframe for sending out its survey of local businesses during its meeting Thursday evening. The survey is designed to determine what businesspeople need and what they would like to see happen in Norfolk.

Members briefly discussed creating one master list of names and addresses for distributing the survey and how to best get business owners to respond to it. “This survey is essential to find out which direction we should be going,” said former co-chair Libby Borden. 

“If we do this with enthusiasm, we could have some feedback in a couple of weeks,” said member Cheryl Heller, a professional advisor whose firm, Commonwise, helps businesses develop strategies. 

Heller said that in neighboring Winsted/Winchester, the EDC is approaching businesses for private discussions about their needs and vision. Norfolk EDC members agreed that this is labor intensive and perhaps beyond the scope of current membership. For now, all agreed to focus on completing the current survey.  

Patriots fans may still be in shock over the team’s lackluster performance in the Super Bowl, but they can take some solace in knowing that the Pats came from behind to win Botelle School’s Souper Bowl competition.

The competition challenged staff, students and families to donate non-perishable food items for the Food Pantry by placing them in boxes representing each team. It was a close battle, with the Seahawks winning each day by just a few items, but Patriot fans surged in the final two days, delivering a wave of donations to clinch the victory. 

The final score was Patriots, 283; Seahawks, 208. In all, 491 items will be delivered to the Food Pantry to help families in need.

The Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department paused this week to honor Richard Byrne as he moved to veteran status after serving the department for 58 years. 

Byrne will not sever his relationship with the department, however. “He just won’t be putting on air packs, driving trucks and doing the day-to-day stuff,” said department spokesman Jon Barbagallo.

During the ceremony at the firehouse, Byrne was presented with an official citation from the Connecticut General Assembly, sponsored by Senator Paul Honig and Representative Maria Horn, honoring his service to the fire department. 

Since Byrne joined the fire company in 1968, the department has been housed in two fire stations and is now preparing to move into a third. He has held every rank in the department except fire chief and helped write the department’s history, ensuring that the stories and people who have served since the department formed in 1902 are not forgotten. 

In addition to his 58 years with the fire department, for more than 25 years Byrne has been the town’s Emergency Management director and chairman of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, roles he will continue.

The ninth annual Weekend in Norfolk winter celebration returns Saturday, February 21, and Sunday, February 22, bringing a packed schedule of art, music, history and outdoor adventure and activities for children.

Highlighting the event this year will be a the pop-up exhibition, “The Romance of Worth: The Eldridge Sisters and the Centennial,” at the Norfolk Historical Society, featuring two bespoke gowns made by the legendary 19th-century Parisian fashion house; musical performances at the Hub and the Norfolk Library, and a chance to enjoy watching the ancient sport of curling at the Norfolk Curling Club. 

There will be art everywhere. A pop-up art show by the Norfolk Artists & Friends at Wildwood 1880, will start the weekend with an early bird reception on Friday evening. Wildwood 1880 is also hosting a pop-up bakery and bookshop.

Visit Ruthann Olsson’s and Cheryl Heller’s studios or chat with artists Katie Atkinson and Jeremiah Bickford during special Meet the Artist sessions. Visitors can also tour the stunning stained glass windows at Battell Chapel, Church of Christ Congregational and Immaculate Conception Church, viewing masterpieces by renowned artisans such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, D. Maitland Armstrong and Franz Mayer of Munich.

Nature lovers can look forward to balmier days at the Norfolk Conservation Committee’s native wildflower seed giveaway, where they can pick up some seeds and learn how to transform their backyards into a pollinator’s paradise. 

On Sunday afternoon, the Hub transforms into a downtown haven for kids, offering children’s films, hot chocolate and freshly made popcorn. And, in the morning, up at Botelle Elementary School, there’s a blizzard of fun things for kids and their parents to do.

For a full lineup and details of events and activities, be sure to visit weekendinnorfolk.org. The next Weekend in Norfolk is coming up this summer on July 31, August 1 and August 2.

Norfolk residents needing emergency medical care will be even safer because of a paramedic “flycar”—an expanded service being provided through Hartford Healthcare.

A flycar is a rapid-response emergency vehicle, typically an SUV, driven by a paramedic. The Winsted area flycar will now carry whole blood products, allowing paramedics to administer transfusions in the field.

Pre-hospital transfusions require specialized equipment as well as the ability to manage a critical patient’s other needs while establishing a successful transfusion. Previously, the response vehicles carried only saline and other fluids.

“Hartford Healthcare provides our paramedic service, and it had the opportunity to increase its level of service,” said Jon Barbagallo, point-of-information officer for emergency services in Norfolk. “It allows for quicker and better treatments, especially for trauma patients. This is a considerable step forward.” 

Barbagallo said there will be no increase in costs because of the new treatment.

The brutal cold that has blanketed the area since before Christmas has delayed construction at the new firehouse to the extent that financial analysis shows it could cost the town less money to stop work and wait until the weather improves.

For example, with shorter days and cold nights, it takes longer to get equipment warmed up, which reduces productivity and raises costs.

But the larger problem has to do with pouring cement for footings and foundations. When poured, cement is largely water and prone to freezing before it fully hardens, causing defects that are not noticeable now but can lead to cracked foundations and costly repairs later.

Construction manager Newfield Construction and the Fire House Building Committee had hoped work could continue through the cold by using insulated blankets and additives that make cement harden faster. But when extreme cold set in December and did not moderate, followed by a huge snowstorm on January 26th, Newfield concluded that it would be better financially to stop work.

“We are looking at the numbers, and it seems like it makes sense to hold off until the worst of the winter passes,” said First Selectman Henry Tirrell. “We believe it makes more sense to stop now and resume in mid-March.”

Tirrell said that the bond anticipation note for the project is in a short-term investment fund and is earning interest. The first interest payment on it will be due in September and town officials will then decide whether to renew it or bond the project.

Looking at the state’s project to replace the wall along Route 44 west of town, Tirrell said that also has been halted because of the snow and cold and its effect on pouring cement. He said he does not expect the state to push construction back past the promised September finish date.

Any good championship game is decided in the final minutes and the Seahawks and the
Patriots, this year’s Super Bowl opponents, have been battling it out at Botelle School for days
now.
Each year, the school holds its “Souper Bowl,” during which the student council sets up boxes
for each team and students are invited to bring non-perishable food items such as soup, pasta,
tuna, mac ‘n’ cheese, peanut butter, coffee and juice boxes to fill their favorite team’s box.
The food will be donated to the Norfolk Food Pantry as soon as a delivery time can be decided.
The competition ends today (Friday) and school secretary Mary Pat Lasko said it has been nip-
and-tuck as to which team will win. “The Seahawks have been slightly ahead,” she revealed,
“but this morning there was more food brought in for the Patriot’s box.”
Each morning, Student Council members count the donations and announce the results to the
student body. As of Wednesday, students and staff had donated 361 items for the Food Pantry
and the Seahawks enjoyed only a five-item advantage.

The Rails to Trails Committee hopes to have word in February whether it will be issued a general permit by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for the construction of the North Brook Trail.

The town submitted its design to construct the trail to DEEP in 2024 but a change in direction at the state level drastically slowed things down. “This is on state land,” committee chairman Robert Gilchrest explained. “It is being revised internally to come from the state and not the town.”

The trails committee, which was formed in 2015, has “yet to build a trail,” said Gilchrest, who confessed to being “extremely frustrated.” 

The committee received a $399,000 grant in 2023 for construction of the trail but so much time had elapsed by June 2025 that beaver activity had raised the water level and the 150-foot boardwalk designed to span the pools had to be increased to 275 feet in length. Portions of the bridge and the trail also had to be raised.

Gilchrest drafted revised plans and resubmitted them last summer. 

“Since we started materiel costs have gone up,” he said, “and the status of the beaver activity has changed the scope to the point where the [original] grant won’t cover the cost. It was recommended by the state that we put in for another grant to cover the additional costs.”

An application for an additional $226,000 was submitted last fall to be included in the latest round of grants to accommodate the increases. The state will make an announcement sometime in March and the committee is feeling very positive about receiving the additional funding.

“Our goal is to go out to bid this summer,” Gilchrest said. “Once a general permit is released, we’re ready to pull the trigger.” 

If the committee goes out to bid this summer, the work is expected to consume about four months.

The multi-use, handicap-accessible trail would eventually follow portions of the abandoned CNE railroad bed to connect Canaan, Norfolk center and Winchester.

Gilchrest said he has reached out to Norfolk’s representatives for help in moving the application forward. “I’m sure it is on someone’s desk,” he said. “I have cc’d all the [DEEP] departments, and I have an email thread 30 pages long.”

When the committee finally completes the North Brook Trail, it plans to move on to the proposed Woodcreek Trail, which will run from North Brook Trail south towards Shepard Road and the town center.

With the preservation of its historic steeple successfully completed, Church of Christ Congregational has resumed its effort to restore and preserve the stained glass windows in Battell Chapel and behind the meetinghouse sanctuary. Its goal is to raise $300,000.

The windows, notable for their beauty and the artists who created them—Maitland Armstrong and Louis Comfort Tiffany—have been the subject of a restoration process that started in 2017. Work was paused when attention was drawn to the perilous condition of the 1813 steeple, which needed immediate and costly repairs.

Although all five Tiffany windows have been repaired and protected, as well as three of the Armstrong windows, work remains to be done on the remaining side altar windows in the chapel and the altar window at the west end of the meetinghouse.

Checks may be made payable to Church of Christ Stained Glass Window Campaign and sent to PO Box 582, Norfolk CT 06058. [https://norfolkucc.org/giving/] Gifts may also be made online. 

Questions about the windows or the fundraising effort can be directed to Marie Civco at Marie.Civco@gmail.com.

Rumors have circulated in recent months that the Norfolk Post Office could be closed, but the current closure, which occurred Monday, January 26, is only temporary.

“We should be back next week,” said postal clerk Kathy Bascetta. 

The office is closed because workers are replacing flooring for asbestos abatement. “The flooring has been ripped up, they’ve ground everything down and now all they have to do is lay the new floors,” Bascetta reported. 

At present, Norfolk residents must use the Winsted Post Office, 328 Main Street, where Norfolk postal workers Bascetta and Jenna Brown have been provided quarters. Window service hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“Everyone is handling it fine,” said Bascetta. “They have created a nice little corner for us, and it won’t be for long.”

Barbara Gomez at Town Hall said that employees there are cooperating by having one worker pick up deliveries to all three town mailboxes. “It’s inconvenient, but we’re making it work,” she said.

Residents picking up mail in Winsted must present proper photo identification. 

Initially, it was believed that a temporary office would be established in Norfolk, but last weekend’s massive snowstorm and space considerations made that impossible.

Whether the local post office’s future is actually in peril remains an unanswered question. 

The decreased volume of mail and plummeting revenues resulting from email and social media caused the USPS to create its 10-year Delivering for America Plan in 2021. Its goal is 95 percent on-time, six-day mail delivery and seven-day package delivery, consolidation of hundreds of local processing centers into 60 regional distribution centers, and reduction of part-time workers by 50 percent, replacing them with full-time career workers. 

As it attempts to consolidate and streamline, rural post offices are often targeted. 

In Norfolk, the Economic Development Commission has worked to boost usage of the town’s post office.. Volume is a factor considered by the USPS in deciding which post offices to close.

Delivery goals dropped from 93 percent for two-day delivery to 87 percent in 2025 and three-to-five-day delivery targets for mail fell from 90 percent to 80 percent.