Community News

The Planning and Zoning Commission has instructed its attorney to craft a resolution to approve with conditions the Manor House’s application for modification of its special permit.

The commission will continue its deliberations about the application at its May 13 meeting.

The Manor House, first approved for operation as a country inn in 1996, is seeking a modification of its special use permit to allow additional amenities, including a recreational building at the rear of the inn and enhanced meal service. The proposal for the five-acre property, located in a residential area, has prompted considerable public interest and resulted in more than nine hours of public hearing testimony.

Last Tuesday night, P&Z members sat down to consider the merits of the proposal. One member opposed the application because, in his interpretation, it goes beyond the zoning regulations’ definition of a country inn and “is out of scale” for the neighborhood. Other members of the commission found the application acceptable with the stipulations already made by the applicant, or said they could support it with additional conditions.

Several points need to be discussed further before the commissioners reach a decision, including the position of the new storage garage and the total number of guests to be allowed on the property at any one time.

The May 13 meeting will be hybrid with the commission meeting in person at Town Hall. Residents who are unable to be there can watch the deliberations via Zoom if they choose. The agenda and Zoom link will be posted on the town website.

Despite close questioning by board member Jeffrey Torrant Tuesday evening, the Board of Finance moved to approve as presented an $8,427,157 budget for 2025-26. It will be sent to a public hearing April 29 at 7:00 p.m. at Botelle School.

The budget includes $4,467,294 for educational spending at Botelle Elementary and Northwestern Regional School #7, as well as a $3,959,863 budget for town government. When reduced by $150,000 from the town’s surplus funds, the amount to be raised through taxes is $8,277,157, an increase of $260,848 (3.15 percent) over current spending. 

If townspeople vote to approve the budget at the town meeting in May, the mill rate will be 22.59, down from 28.40 this year, largely because of an increase in property values following last year’s revaluation. 

Torrant questioned the pay increases for Town Hall employees and wondered if a position could be cut in the Department of Public Works. 

He particularly objected to the $40,000 allocated toward City Meadow, saying townspeople had been assured that tax monies would never be asked for its maintenance despite its being town land.

First Selectman Matt Riiska assured him that significant funds have been donated over the years by people who envision City Meadow as a pleasant addition to the town center. “This is the first year the town has been asked to put money into it,” he said. “You have to maintain what has been done.”

In other business finance chairman Michael Sconyers asked the board members their feelings about asking tax exempt entities such as the churches and Yale to make contributions in lieu of taxes. “They may be tax exempt, but they still use our services,” he said.

Additionally, he suggested the formation of a fire district that could tax its citizens directly to offset some of the expenses of emergency services. 

For their annual theatre production, which opens Friday, 18 students at Botelle Elementary School have prepared a lively rendition of “The Jungle Book Kids!,” the Disney musical based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless tale.

They have been rehearsing since January under the guidance of parent volunteers Becky Keyes and Megan Schneider and the production features lively musical numbers, energetic performances and colorful costumes.

Featured performers are Elana Hunt, Adilyn Keyes, Nate Schneider, Abigail Bennett, Fiona Padua, Landree Sharack, Seth Dubecky, Shelby Kroehle, Ian Weaving, Lyko Whitaker, Moshe Santiesteban, Dalton Jeannin, Gage Padua, Ya’akov Saniesteban, Brayden Schneider, Julianna Brown, Amelia DeBecky and Lilyah Kochman.

The production opens Friday night at 5:30 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium. A second performance will be Saturday afternoon at 2:00. Admission is free.

An information session to explain the details of why the existing 50-year-old fire house needs to be replaced has been set for Thursday, April 24, at 6:00 p.m. at Botelle School. The meeting will also cover what’s included in the new firehouse and how much it will cost.

Members of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, the architect, First Selectman Matt Riiska and representatives from the fire house building committee will all be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

A vote to approve the fire house, including the plan for funding it, will take place in conjunction with the annual Town Meeting in May.

An information booklet about the new fire house is going out in the mail to everyone in town.To get the latest updates online, visit the town website at norfolkct.org and click on “New Fire House Updates” at the top of the home page.

—Webmaster

A Zoom information session on how to apply to become a homeowner of one of nine homes currently in process as part of the Litchfield County Affordable Homeownership Program will be held on April 10 at 7:30 p.m. Homes are being built in Cornwall, Norfolk and Washington, Conn. The first two new three-bedroom homes will be for sale on Perry Street in Lakeville. Click HERE to register for the Zoom meeting.

Click HERE to read more about the Litchfield County Affordable Homeownership Program.

—Webmaster

First Selectman Matt Riiska said Friday that a meeting to explain funding for the new fire house slated for April 19 at the Hub has been cancelled. A later meeting, tentatively scheduled for April 24 at Botelle School, is still planned.

—Newsletter Editor

NOTE: A new meeting has been set for Thursday, April 24, at 6:00 p.m. at Bottelle School.

A balloon float will be conducted Thursday, April 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the 78 Goshen East Street site proposed for the location for a new cell tower. The balloon, typically a red weather balloon three feet in diameter, will be floated weather permitting.

If the weather is not conducive for the float on April 17, it will be rescheduled for Friday, April 18. Failing that, it will be Saturday, April 19.

The balloon will float at approximately the same height as the proposed 186-foot-tall wireless telecommunications tower so residents can assess its potential visual impact from various locations around Norfolk.

The land, part of a 40-acre parcel owned by Paul Chapinsky, Sr., would be accessed by a 940-foot gravel road off Estey Road. A 73-foot-by-73-foot fence would surround equipment including battery cabinets, a propane-fueled generator and a 1,000-gallon propane tank.

Neighbors abutting the site will be notified by mail of the balloon float date(s). Should a cancellation occur, the construction firm, Tarpon Towers, will work with the Land Use Office to reschedule and notify abutting neighbors of the new date.

A set of documents describing the project is available here.

For further information, contact Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik at zeo@norfolkct.org; 860-542-6804.

—Newsletter Editor

The Board of Finance will be presented with a $8,427,157 budget proposal for 2025-26 when it convenes next Tuesday. That includes $4,467,294 for educational spending at Botelle Elementary and Northwestern Regional School #7, as well as a $3,959,863 budget for town government.

If the Board of Finance chooses to apply $150,000 from the town’s surplus funds, the amount to be raised through taxes would be reduced to $8,277,157, an increase of $260,848 (3.15 percent) over current spending.

The Board of Selectmen reviewed the budget Wednesday night, making last-minute adjustments. First Selectman Matt Riiska stressed that these are preliminary figures and still face a review by the Board of Finance and a public hearing before being sent to a town meeting vote in May.

If approved as presented, the mill rate would be set at 22.59, down from 28.40 this year. The mill rate represents how much tax is levied on a property for every $1,000 of assessed value. If the mill rate is 30, for instance, $30 of property tax will be charged for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

The mill rate is determined by calculating the number that, when combined with the Grand List and other sources of revenue, produces enough taxes to pay the town’s expenses. Thus, when the Grand List goes up, the mill rate usually goes down.

Norfolk’s Grand List totaled $366,458,625 on October 1, up $84,205,327 (29.83 percent) following the recent property revaluation.

For a list of past mill rates, going back to 1989/90, click here.

—Newsletter Editor

Two meetings to explain financing for the new fire house to Norfolk residents will be held before the Board of Finance holds its annual budget hearing at the end of April. The first meeting will be held Saturday, April 19, at 11:00 a.m. at the Hub and the second is tentatively slated for Tuesday night, April 24, at Botelle School.

The firefighters have cut about a million dollars out of the plan, reducing the expected cost to $8.5 million. Riiska expects when all funds are amassed from private donors and governmental sources, the town will have to borrow between $2.5 and $3.5 million. “We’re trying to get it down to $2.5 million, which would be excellent,” he said.

—Newsletter Editor

Bonnie, a certified labradoodle therapy dog, can’t wait to interact with the students at the Botelle and Colebrook elementary schools, which she visits each week. “She gets excited when I get out her red therapy dog kerchief,” said owner Kate Nelligan of Winsted.

Nelligan brings the dog to Colebrook on Tuesdays, where students read to her, encouraging literacy. That is important to Nelligan, a former reading instructor herself. At Botelle on Thursdays, the pup specializes in kisses and cuddles.

Bonnie has become a great favorite with both Botelle’s students and staff, who all of whom succumb to her soft brown eyes and friendly disposition. She has been coming to Botelle for the past year after completing eight weeks of training through Canine Link Therapy Dogs, a volunteer organization based in Sheffield, Mass. Canine Links prepares therapy dog teams to visit nursing homes, schools, libraries and hospice care centers throughout the tri-state area.

Nelligan said she got the dog because she has an older Labradoodle that “is just so wonderful.”

“I said I wanted another dog from that breeder,” she said, “so, we got Bonnie, and it turns out she is his full sister, although from a different litter, and she is just as wonderful.”

Nelligan said that to be a therapy dog, an animal has to look forward to meeting people and be unflappable in temperament.

Nelligan brings Bonnie to Botelle each week and children are allowed to interact with her for 15 minutes at a time, either singly or in pairs. “She makes me feel calm,” said Elana as she stroked the dog’s head. Soon, Elana was curled up on a bean bag beside Bonnie, staring into her face as she petted the pretty little dog. 

Abby was equally engaged with the pup on her other side, gently stroking her fur.

—Newsletter Editor