Community News

Senior Exercise will resume at Meadowbrook on Tuesday, September 22 at 11:15 a.m. with Wendy Larsen. Many thanks to Robyn Centrella for her years of service.

As part of its dam safety program the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection recently ordered a routine inspection of Tobey Pond dam. The earthen dam, built in the nineteenth century on the west end of Tobey Pond, sits on land owned by Great Mountain Forest and other private landowners.

The inspection report included two items of note.  First, the presence of trees along the embankment and cracks in the dam’s concrete spillway require further engineering studies, which are estimated to take around 12-18 months, to determine the scope of any needed remediation. Second, the report indicated that the dam’s current condition posed no risk to either people or buildings.

Educators at the Region #7 high and middle schools and the four elementary schools that feed students into them are meeting this fall to discuss a decades-old topic, a regional coordination of curricula. 

“This is not our [Norfolk’s] initiative,” said Botelle School Superintendent Kevin Case. “Last fall Region 7 developed a five-year strategic plan, and these meetings are to explore the possibility of having someone coordinate the curricula at all four feeder schools to ensure they are aligned.”

He said there is no formal recommendation yet and more meetings will be held to “clarify how to proceed.” If a regional coordinator position is not created, the group will look at how teaching at each school can be aligned with the other communities.

At present, there is a regional curriculum council spearheaded that is focusing on math. Several years ago, it was noted that math preparation for students entering the middle school was uneven and the region moved to purchase a single math program for the four elementary schools. Now the council is looking at how to ensure that each school is teaching to the same level of state standards.

“Representatives from each school are looking at how to improve our curriculum and allow teachers to collaborate,” Case said. 

However, Case said it is complicated to bring four schools together. “Each school is different,” he said. “New Hartford has a curriculum person; Barkhamsted has a part-time superintendent who is also its curriculum coordinator and here we have no formal coordinator, so our principal does it.”

This is the third in a series that looks at the various departments, boards and committees that make the town function, offering thumbnail sketches of their duties and responsibilities. This week: The Building Official.

Want to build a new home, a home office or perhaps create an apartment for aging family members? Before you do, you must consult the town building official

With a wave of building upgrades sweeping the Northwest Corner towns, local communities have suffered from a dearth of building inspectors to handle the brisk pace of business. Norfolk was lucky enough this summer to name not one, but two new building officials, John Papp and his assistant, Jonathan Abbott.

Papp and Abbott took over their roles in July when they replaced James Clarke, who retired in April after serving the town for nearly nine years.

“I became a building official after spending many years in the building industry,” Papp said this week. “I enjoyed the technical side of construction and saw becoming a building official as an opportunity to use that experience to serve the community, help people navigate the building process and ensure that projects are completed safely and in accordance with the code.”

To accomplish this goal, he must review building applications and construction plans before issuing permits and work with property owners, contractors, architects, engineers and other town departments to help residents and contractors understand code and permitting requirements.

As projects progress, he visits the sites to perform required inspections and enforce the Connecticut State Building Code to certify that foundations, framing, electrical wiring, plumbing and the like match the approved plans. He also inspects old or damaged buildings to determine that they are safe.

If necessary, he investigates unsafe conditions and work performed without permits, addressing code violations and taking enforcement action when necessary.

When projects are deemed complete, he issues certificates of occupancy and certificates of approval, allowing the applicants to use their properties.

The building official also maintains building and permit records.

Papp and his assistant collaborate in covering the office on Thursdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and doing inspections. Appointments for inspections can be scheduled during those and other hours. 

To ease the crunch for contractors and homeowners, online permitting and payments can now be made through Permitlink, an online service that houses all Norfolk’s relevant forms.

To ask questions or for assistance with ongoing building permits or inspections contact Papp at 860-846-5506, 860-542-6986 or via email at buildingofficial@norfolkct.org. His office is located in Town Hall, 19 Maple Avenue.

Two-way traffic on Route 44 west of town is expected to be restored by the end of this year. First Selectmen Henry Tirrell said that he received an update from the state Department of Transportation this week that major work on the retaining wall will be done in a matter of months.

“They will have some work to do on the infrastructure under the road and there will be a period of a week or more where they will turn off the traffic lights and have flaggers 24/7,” he said. “There may be some overnight work to try to recapture some of the time they lost to cold weather and heat this year.”

He said the project will be fully complete next spring after paving and landscaping is done but that the road will be open both ways through the winter.

The project, which replaced a length of retaining wall that was bulging and unsafe, cost $37,546,399 and has gone on for more than two years. Eighty percent of the funding came from federal sources and 20 percent from the state. 

A less costly project—$1.86 million—is also nearing its end on Mountain Road where the state is replacing a bridge near the road’s intersection with Westside Road. “We hope to have it fully open in October,” Tirrell said. The cost is being borne by the federal government through funds handled by the state.

The culvert under another Mountain Road bridge collapsed this year and is currently spanned with steel plates. Tirrell hopes the town can get a TRIP (Transportation Rural Improvement Program) grant to offset some of the cost replacing it. 

“The third bridge is less than six feet long—the minimum length to be eligible for a state grant—but the DEEP has said we need to make it wider,” he explained. “So, I am hoping that we can do the engineering and then apply for a TRIP grant next spring.”

TRIP grants provide state funds to municipalities for infrastructure and safety improvements. Grants range from $300,000 to $2 million with a 20 percent local match. 

When it met Wednesday afternoon, the Board of Selectmen discussed a variety of new committees that could look into issues of concern to residents.

First Selectman Henry Tirrell reported that he wants to take the next month to seek possible members for both tree and speed camera committees.

“Automated ticketing seems like a good idea,” he said, “and I would like to have an ad hoc committee to review it and make a recommendation and perhaps we can pass an ordinance.”

He said he has been supplied with sample ordinances from other communities and that Norfolk has had a traffic study by SiteStream, a traffic control company that worked with Winsted before its successful application to the state to install the cameras. 

Norfolk’s study showed a large majority of drivers exceed the speed limit in the village center by 10 mph or more. 

Turning his attention to trees, Tirrell commented on the interest that was expressed when the town discussed removal of a tree next to the post office. “There seems to be interest in [the care of] trees in the high-traffic areas of town,” he said. He eventually envisions forming a commission to supervise their care and replacements as they age out.

In the future he would like to add another committee to consider a capital plan. “A capital plan exists in some form or other,” he said, “but this committee would meet a few times a year to look at the town’s assetsand review a plan for the next five, 10 or even more years.”

Selectman Leo Colwell suggested the capital plan committee should include members drawn from the various town offices and departments as well as the school board.

Fire safety was on the mind of the Board of Education this week as it heard a safety inspection report from Fire Marshal Keith Byrne and a reminder that the local fire department will come to school on October 7 for Fire Prevention Week to educate the children in how to respond to a fire in their homes.

Byrne told the board that he and Deputy Marshal John DeShazo have conducted annual Fire Safety Code inspections over the past four years and have cleared up a number of code violations.

Byrne noted they even look at the ceilings, and this time they found that a couple of sprinkler heads were actually buried inside the ceiling tiles—a problem that the sprinkler company will be asked to correct.

Continuing education of staff members is also needed, Byrne said. Many teachers are enthusiastic about decorating their rooms, but some items are highly flammable. “We ask for those things to be removed,” he said. 

Of equal or greater concern are the lithium-ion batteries that power so many devices used in modern education because over-heated batteries can break into flames. An estimated 80 devices are used in the school and need to be recharged frequently. 

Teachers were asked to supervise charging, if possible, and not to leave devices charging overnight. 

“Obviously, we don’t want any issue in the school, whether it’s occupied or unoccupied,” Byrne concluded. “I think we’re doing an okay job, but we can get better. We can always get better.”

Fifteen minutes—that’s all it took for townspeople at Wednesday night’s town meeting to unanimously approve the purchase of a fire truck, foundational work for a three-bay garage and a new fee schedule for Inland Wetlands permits.

First Selectman Henry Tirrell started off by telling the lightly attended meeting that the down payment on the $1.2 million pumper truck will be drawn from $260,000 already set aside for the purchase. 

He reminded townspeople that Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy have recommended $875,000 in congressionally directed funding to assist with the purchase, acknowledging that the funding might not be approved by Congress. But, he said, the lag time between ordering the truck and taking delivery of it would allow the town to apply for congressional funds twice more. 

In the discussion about the garage, Susan MacEachron wanted to make it clear that the $125,000 was for a separate building. “The motion gives the impression it is for the fire house when it’s actually for a garage,” she said. 

Firefighters and Board of Finance Chairman Michael Sconyers both pointed out that the garage was part of the original project and was cut to reduce the unexpectedly high cost of the undertaking. With fundraising stronger than anticipated, however, preparation for the construction of the storage building could be returned to the project without boosting the borrowing limit.

Addressing the permit fee changes, Hartley Mead, chairman of the Inland Wetlands Agency, explained that they would recover town expenses for state fees and mandatory legal notices. “The current fee schedules don’t even pay for public notices,” he said. “We’re not trying to make money on this endeavor.” 

The proposal introduces a base fee of $60 with additional fees for substantial activities. Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik said, “There are places where costs will be going up. On any given application, if the activity is directly in the wetlands, applicants will pay more” than for activities outside wetlands.

IWC members hope the higher pricing for sensitive zones will discourage projects in protected areas.

Last weekend buyers from throughout New England, New York and New Jersey queued up along Route 44 and around the corner once again, waiting to be admitted to the 49th annual book sale sponsored by the Library Associates.

Nearly 100 volunteers, led by Bridget Taylor and Trish Deans, helped to facilitate the sale—sorting, researching, pricing and boxing some 23,000 books that were displayed under a tent next to the library. 

Deans researched and priced the rare and vintage books for sale. Some of those of better value that did not sell are now for sale in Dean’s bookstore, Les Renards, with the proceeds to benefit the library. Liz Hilpman organized the many volunteers and dealt with logistics over the five days that the volunteers worked.

Proceeds from the sale help underwrite the library’s many special events, films, concerts, book discussions, children’s programs and more. 

Every book will find a home. Those under the tent that did not sell or were not given away for free (a very small number), were picked up on Tuesday by Bay State Books, whose mission is to redistribute them to support literacy efforts.

Town Clerk Deborah Nelson told the selectmen during their regular meeting Wednesday afternoon that having her office open on Friday mornings was a popular move in the early summer months.

“We would get 23 people on a Friday,” she said. “It’s obvious there was a need.”

June and July were busy, but later in the summer Friday visits dipped to three or four a day. She theorized that second homeowners, who often arrive on Fridays for the weekend, had taken advantage of the extended hours to obtain all their needed permits. “Maybe next year we should limit the Friday hours to June and July,” she said.

During the summer she issued 298 permits for Tobey Pond, 671 for the town’s transfer station and 225 dog licenses. People also took advantage of her notary services.

Nelson’s posted hours are currently 9:00 a.m. to noon, and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.