Community News

As construction workers put the finishing touches on the new retaining wall on Route 44 west of town, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is preparing to adjust its traffic control at the site.

Starting Monday, September 28, at 6:00 a.m. and continuing for an estimated nine days, contractors be doing road work in front of the wall. During that time, crews will work from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and traffic will be controlled by flaggers 24 hours a day.  

The DOT expects to have both lanes of the road open this winter and will return next spring to complete the remaining work.

Within hours of posting that the Berkshire Country Store in Station Place will close at the end of October, owner Ryan Craig’s Facebook announcement had more than 33,000 views and more than 284 reactions.

The planned closing of the store, which has both a deli section and a small grocery, sent ripples through a town that recently lost its popular Pub restaurant, also located in Station Place. In the wake of the Pub’s closing Infinity Hall reopened its bistro from Wednesday through Sunday and is enjoying a lively nighttime trade.

The Berkshire Country Store was started 10 years ago in a building owned by the Norfolk Hub (formerly the Norfolk Foundation). Craig previously owned a business with the same name and business format on Route 4 in Cornwall. It closed in 2012. He later operated another outlet for 18 months in Canaan following Covid.

He said this week that all the sites suffered from the same difficulties: high operating costs and limited patronage. “I always made a profit,” he said, “but just barely. It was just successful enough that I hoped that I could expand.”

His original goal was to develop a chain of the stores in every Northwest Corner town but for each advance he made, he was stymied by rising costs. Looking forward to a winter with costs expected to soar, he made the painful decision to close.

“Everything that comes here comes by truck,” he said. “With fuel prices up, everything costs more and, if I pass the cost along, how do you do that without upsetting people? The minimum wage has skyrocketed—it’s going up again in January—so you hire fewer people and end up working more yourself.”

He has resorted to buying products at Walmart because he gets them there cheaper there than from vendors. But even then, the unpredictability of trade makes it hard to plan. “On a weekend, I might sell out of turkey in a few hours—or it may sit around until I have to throw it out. It doesn’t last any better in my fridge than it does in yours.”

Customers have fussed that he closes his store aet 2:00 p.m., but he said later hours, which he tried this summer, might yield only $40 an hour in sales, while his operating costs remain at $120 an hour.

Craig quietly tried to sell the business for six months before deciding to close when his lease ran out. A veteran of the corporate world, he is seeking new opportunities. In addition to the deli, he has another business, Merchant Service CT, which helps business clients reduce costs, simplify operations and improve performance by saving money on credit card processing. He also is a consultant for the National Iron Bank.

The ever-popular Bocce tournament scheduled for this weekend at 10 Station Place will be postponed until Sunday, October 18, because bad weather is predicted. At present, all team slots are filled with a waiting list.

First dibs will be given next year to anyone who wanted a register team but didn’t get to play this year. Organizer Lindsey Boucher urged all to stop by for pizza and to cheer on a team on October 18 at 3:00 p.m.

Botelle School principal Lauren Valentino is encouraging parents to become involved in their children’s school.

Among the opportunities to participate are working with the Parent-Teacher Organization planning events and organizing fundraisers, or serving on the Safe School Climate Team or the Safety and Security Team. 

Volunteers are also welcome to act as chaperones for class and field trips, and to share talents such as hobby, art and musical skills. Valentino said the school appreciates guest speakers and instructors who help enrich the curriculum.

Those interested in joining a committee, volunteering for upcoming events or sharing a talent should email administrative assistant Mary Pat Lasko, laskom@botelleschool.org, or call 860-542-5286.

The Corner Club after-school program resumes at the Norfolk Library on Wednesday, September 30, with a program on creative cartooning for children 6 to 12 years old. Led by Hilary Van Wright, the program is limited to 15 children. Parents should call the library’s circulation desk at 860-542-5075, ext. 2, to hold a spot.

All materials and a healthy snack will be provided. Children must have a note to take the school bus to the Norfolk Library. Parents pick up their children by 4:45 p.m.

The Norfolk Community Association will unveil the third installation of its growing sculpture trail Sunday, October 4, at 2:00 p.m. at a location between the Norfolk Library and the old train station.

The sculpture is the creation of the late Ann (Curtiss) Scoville, who died July 17, 2014, in Salisbury at age 95. She spent her childhood and adolescence at the Curtiss family’s ancestral homestead on Mountain Road, where her family created a literary and artistic environment. By age 14, she was studying with painter Guy Pène du Bois, who conducted an art school in town.[

“We are focusing on artists with a connection to Norfolk,” said Doreen Kelly, co-chairman of the community association. Anne Scoville focused a lot on ballet and, indeed, examples of her work grace the walls of the Warner Theater across from the Nutmeg Conservatory in Torrington.

In Norfolk, the sculptures will be installed in front of a backdrop created by sculptor Jon Riedeman and mason Karl Munson. “Because it is close to the train station, Karl used stone that matches the building,” said Kelly.

Scoville’s daughter-in-law Helen Scoville is donating the sculpture. “The Scoville family has been very supportive,” Kelly said.

The first installation of the trail was an owl created by Riedeman and placed on Robertson Plaza in the village center. The second, a lotus flower, a collaborative work by Norfolk sculptor Elizabeth Knowles and Eric David Laxman of Valley Cottage, N.Y., was temporarily installed on the village green in 2024 and recently was moved to a location on Route 44 overlooking City Meadow.

“The lotus was never permanently positioned on the green,” said Kelly. “We wanted to clean up the area where it is now, which is one of the trailheads for City Meadow.”

Kelly explained earlier that the purpose of the trail is to create connectivity between the different sections of town because it is largely divided by Route 44. Eventually, there will be a map to guide walkers, but for the moment each new sculpture will be placed in a location that enhances it. 

The Economic Development Commission will launch a series of conversations with business leaders on Thursday, October 22, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., at the Norfolk Library when representatives of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) will describe operations. 

BTCF president and Norfolk resident Kara Mikulich, BTCF vice president of programs, Maeve O’Dea, and community engagement officer Aileen Meehan will present an overview of what the foundation does, how it works and how local nonprofits can seek funding. 

The BTCF has strengthened communities through philanthropy and leadership since 1987, channeling resources under its stewardship to where they are needed most. Today, BTCF manages more than 650 funds and awards more than $18 million annually in grants and scholarships that support nonprofit organizations in northwest Litchfield County, Berkshire County, Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County.  

Refreshments will be served. RSVP here. [https://norfolklibrary.org/events/the-norfolk-economic-development-commission-conversation-series-berkshire-taconic-community-foundation/]

The Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department recently held its annual elections, choosing Martyn Banks as its new president. Outgoing president Paul Padua, who held the post for 10 years, will now assume the role of vice president.

Other officers are Brian Hutchins, chief; Matthew Ludwig, first assistant chief; Steven Hutchins, second assistant chief; Justin Zarzycki, captain; Mike Listorti, first lieutenant; Karl Janak, second lieutenant; Ted Hinman, exterior officer, and Ashley Allyn, EMS captain.

Judy Ludwig is secretary and Angela Hutchins is treasurer. John Hutchins and Gary Bottom will be mechanics.

Serving on the Board of Trustees are Richard Byrne, Ken Ludwig and Todd Miller.

The Economic Development Commission (EDC) looked forward Thursday night to initiatives it might undertake to promote Norfolk’s economic vitality.

Among them are collaboration with the Planning & Zoning Commission to forward tasks outlined for it in the current Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), issued in 2019. The plan, which is renewed every 10 years, assigns tasks to different organizations in the town. The EDC has accomplished some of its goals but considers others and is working on others.

Chairman Cheryl Heller said the group should talk to the Planning & Zoning Commission about where it stands with the tasks assigned to it. Among the things it was expected to achieve are promoting additional retail, entertainment, hospitality and community uses of downtown Norfolk and encouraging business and economic development. Members noted that there are few spaces open for business use downtown, making the goals difficult to achieve. 

Heller said she would like to engage in collaborative efforts with the Planning & Zoning Commission, which oversees the POCD, to determine how best to forward the remaining goals.

Turning to other issues, members discussed various options for a pre-Christmas event, such as one or more pop-up spaces where local artists and others could market their wares.

The group briefly discussed the possibility that Norfolk could become a “dark sky” community.  Dark Sky communities dedicate themselves to reducing light pollution. Heller said the effort would require a three-year process that requires auditing the amount of light released at night, creating a town lighting ordinance and, finally, applying to DarkSky International for certification. 

“It’s a lovely thing, it’s environmental,” she said, explaining that the effect of excessive night lighting is “devastating for animals.”

If the effort were to be undertaken, it would require collaboration with the Norfolk Nature Alliance, the Board of Selectmen and the Planning & Zoning Commission.

The commission is also contemplating a series of speakers on topics of interest to business people. The first in the proposed series will be by the Berkshire-Taconic Foundation on Thursday, October 22, from 5 :00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Hub.

The meeting ended with a discussion about the possibility of creating an EDC subcommittee for working on getting a cultural district designation for the town.

The state has gone out to bid for the two South Norfolk bridges that were washed out by flash floods in July 2023. The bid opening is set for October 7. 

The two spans are being bid together and will be awarded to the same contractor. Work on the bridges will run sequentially from spring to fall in 2027 for the Old Goshen Road bridge and 2028 for Smith Road. 

Smith Road is currently served by a temporary bridge installed by the town summer 2025. That structure will be torn out when work begins on the permanent bridge.

Both permanent bridges will be paid for by the state.