Community News

Two residents turned out for the town meeting Tuesday night to approve the transfer of $100,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund into the general fund. Combined with $66,556 drawn from the Board of Education’s non-lapsing fund, the money will pay for two new oil burners at Botelle School.

The old burners are worn out and have been nursed along for years. Perotti’s Plumbing, the firm that services them, advised their immediate replacement more than a year ago when one or the other of the two burners failed on subsequent days.

The town received only one bid, from Perotti’s, to provide the new burners. 

The school board is allowed by state law to place surplus funds amounting to one percent of its budget in a non-lapsing fund each year.

—Newsletter Editor

A delegation from the Board of Education attended Wednesday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting and agreed that a public session should be held in February to discuss the desirability of a cooperative educational agreement between Colebrook and Norfolk. 

Last November, following months of talks between the two towns’ top officials, Colebrook held a meeting attended by both boards of selectmen, the Colebrook school board and some members of the Colebrook public. Notification of the meeting was spotty in Norfolk, however, and some school board members said they did not know of it.

Colebrook First Selectman Brad Bremer has called for volunteers from his town to sit on a two-town committee to discuss consolidation. The proposed committee would discuss the pros and cons of consolidation and would precede any formalized effort. 

But a public meeting should be held in Norfolk to give residents an opportunity to speak “before we even think of forming a committee,” Selectman Sandy Evans said Wednesday. 

Consolidation efforts have seen two previous defeats, most recently in 2015. Norfolk First Selectman Matt Riiska said past efforts focused on costs, but that he is focusing on educational and social opportunities for students.

Norfolk’s Botelle School has 59 students and Colebrook, 64. Botelle’s population is predicted to decline by 10 more students in coming years. 

Riiska noted that the town’s 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development predicts a decline in Norfolk’s general population (more than 1,700 in 2010) to about 1,300 by 2040. In addition, few young families can afford to live in Norfolk, so the current population is aging, with a median age of 54.1, and 13.8 percent of the population being 65 or older.

School Board Chairman Virginia Coleman-Prisco asked if tax incentives might draw younger families to town. Riiska said he would take the idea to the finance board but added that families today usually have only one or two children. 

“We would need to have 30 families with two children to bring the population of Botelle up to 120 kids,” he said. “It’s just not going to happen.”

—Newsletter Editor

The latest cost estimate for the new fire house is $200,000 higher than the first estimate of $9.3 million, despite reductions made to the original design.

At its Tuesday meeting with representatives of the architectural firm Silver Petrucelli and construction managers Newfield Construction, the Fire House Committee looked at removing even more big-ticket items to reduce the cost by a million or more dollars. 

Among the changes considered were changing bifold doors to overhead doors, changing flooring and roofing materials, and putting up only the shell of an ancillary building designed to hold ATVs and other supplementary vehicles. Lighting and heat would be added later, perhaps using local dollars to avoid prevailing wage requirements that come with governmental grants.

The committee questioned the $1.2 million in soft costs—non-tangibles such as design fees, permits, contingency funds and the like—but architect David Stein advised the committee not to adjust them now.

Instead, he said, the committee should seek alternate bids on the items it is considering changing. The committee asked for a list comparing the cost differences between the original and substitute materials.

First Selectman Matt Riiska spent Wednesday afternoon seeking information about USDA Rural Development grants and found that not much is available. At present, the town has been promised a total of $2.5 million in state grants and a local capital campaign, still ongoing, has garnered commitments of $2.2 million. Townspeople will have to approve bonding needed to cover remaining costs.

—Newsletter Editor

Edited 2/11/25 to reflect the facts that federal funding has not been promised and that the local capital campaign is ongoing.

The state Department of Transportation will hold an online public information meeting about the Old Goshen Road bridge replacement Tuesday, January 21, at 7:00 p.m.

Rights-of-way adjustments will be necessary, including permanent transfers, permanent slope easements and temporary construction easements on two properties.

The meeting, which will be livestreamed on CTDOT’s YouTube channel, will provide information and allow an open discussion about the proposed project. Comments and questions can also be directed to DOT-FLBP@ct.gov, 860-594-2020 or andrew.shields@ct.gov for two weeks following the meeting.

To register or to learn more, click here.  Townspeople can also request that information be mailed to them by contacting Andrew Shields andrew.shields@ct.gov; 860-594-2077. 

The former bridge was swept away by flash flooding in July 2023. Construction on the $3.46 million project is anticipated to begin in fall 2026 or spring 2027 and will be paid for by state and federal funds.

—Newsletter Editor

The Norfolk Farmers Market is considering a new idea: moving the market from Town Hall to Norbrook Brewery, where there would be more traffic generated by the brewery’s events. 

Market Committee Chair Liz Auclair and member April Carter, met with Norbrook’s John Auclair and reported back to the full committee. Members agreed that it seemed a promising proposal and Carter was asked to contact farmers and vendors for their input.

Meanwhile, Auclair has approached the selectmen to ask for the appointment of more members, First Selectman Matt Riiska said. At their Wednesday meeting he told his board that the committee proposes one market a month during the summer at Norbrook and one holiday event. 

“It’s not a bad idea,” Riiska said. “But we would have to consider our liability if we promote it on private property. I want to research it.”

—Newsletter Editor

The Norfolk Land Trust has created six new downloadable maps of the more than 20 miles of trails it maintains in the community. It is the first upgrade of the trail guides since 2009, according to Elizabeth Borden, president of the land trust.

“We have had a booklet with all the trails and maps in it that was published in 2009, but we have gotten new properties since then and it was time to bring it up to date,” she said. The new maps were made with the assistance of Stacey Deming, who does GIS and GPS mapping for the Housatonic Valley Authority.

The revised maps include additional information about the history of each area, where to park, popular trails and tips about distance and difficulty. The land trust has been working on the project for a year, Borden said. 

There are maps for Barbour Woods, Pine Mountain Reserve, Ells Crane, Tait Trail, North Swamp and South Norfolk Woodlands. The maps can be viewed and downloaded from the land trust website, norfolklandtrust.org/mapandtrailguide. 

—Newsletter Editor

The Fire House Committee will meet Tuesday, January 7, via Zoom with state Representative Maria Horn to discuss funding for the new firehouse, First Selectman Matt Riiska reported this week.

An estimate of the final cost for the project is expected the next day. 

The new fire house, to be located on the department’s current lot on Shepard Road, was originally estimated to cost $9.3 million, but the committee members have since trimmed many amenities. The effect of that work will be reflected in the coming estimate.

“I don’t think there are too many more things we can trim out,” said Riiska. “We’ve cut back quite a bit.” 

Eliminating a planned three-bay building in which trailers and ATVs would be stored could save about $400,000 but that structure is needed to shelter the vehicles. No decision will be made until the committee sees the final estimate, Riiska said.

Riiska reported that the replacement of the retaining wall west of town on Rute 44 is moving along. The project, originally projected to take five construction seasons, has now been shortened by having crews work through the winter.

“They are somewhere in the area of 15 to 20 percent done, which is very good, he said. 

Crews are also working on the long-delayed replacement of River Place bridge and have completed work on one lane, which has now been opened to traffic. Completion is expected in April.

And Riiska expects to meet with engineers next week about a temporary structure to allow South Norfolk residents more direct access to Route 272. Those residents have been forced to make an arduous detour from their homes since a flash flood washed out the Smith Road and Old Goshen Road bridges in July 2023.

Riiska said he bought culverts for the temporary span even though he has yet to receive approval for the work from DEEP or the Army Corps of Engineers. “We didn’t spend much for them and, if we don’t get approval, I can use them for another bridge or sell them,” he said. 

The temporary bridge is estimated to cost $150,000 and would require town meeting approval.

—Newsletter Editor

The Norfolk Curling Club has put out the welcome mat for folks who would like to learn the ancient art of curling, a game imported from Scotland that resembles shuttle board on ice. Seeking to boost its membership the club is reaching out to both youth and mature players.

The curling club originated in the early 1950s when Elizabeth and Ted Childs were joined by a small group of friends to curl on Tamarack and Tobey ponds. Today, the club numbers 110 members and is housed in a state-of-the-art clubhouse located on Golf Drive. It attracts teams from across the U.S. and Canada to its bonspiels, tournaments between opposing curling clubs. 

The club has developed an active “Learn to Curl” program, with 90-minute sessions offered each month. Four sessions—on January 18, February 15 and 22, and March 8—still have openings. 

During the sessions, would-be curlers are given a brief overview of the game, review rules and terminology, and are taught how to deliver the stone and to sweep ahead of it. If time permits, ad hoc teams are formed to play a couple of games.

There is also a six-week introductory league for people with little or no curling experience. The club provides the necessary equipment and instruction. Sessions are about two hours in length on Sundays, February 16, 23, March 2, 16, 23 and 30. 

Information about the programs and fees can be found on the club’s website, norfolkcurlingclub.org.

Veteran players will take to the ice for the Icebox Open Bonspiel, January 23 to 26 with the Grand National Curling Club Senior Men’s Championship following on March 6 to 9. The Ice Box Junior Bonspiel and the Junior GNCC Championship are January 31 to February 2. Those curious about the sport are welcome to watch the competitions. 

—Newsletter Editor

A Special Town Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. to consider and act upon a resolution regarding a transfer of funds.  Read more

The Planning and Zoning Commission last week accepted an application for a special permit and site plan modification for the Manor House Inn on Maple Avenue and set a public hearing for January 14. It also asked for additional documentation to be submitted.

The application seeks to modernize and enhance services at the inn, mainly by adding recreational facilities at the rear of the main building, constructing a new garage and two Nordic-style guest cabins, and upgrading the parking area.

In accepting the application, the commission listed seven additional documents it wants, including confirmation that there will be no problems with sewer and water services; existing documents pertaining to the 1996 special permit; a letter from P&Z’s counsel explaining the special permit; a letter from the Fire Marshal about indoor seating capacity; information about wetlands; a letter from the Public Works Department about the new driveway and parking plan, and a Class 3 License from the Torrington Health District.

The Manor House has been operated as a country inn since 1996 when the late Henry Tremblay received a special permit for it. A site plan is not available; it is unclear whether one was never submitted or whether it has been lost. The evidence for what the Planning and Zoning Commission approved 29 years ago is Tremblay’s December 12, 1995, letter to the commission requesting a permit for a country inn with both overnight and daytime guests “of no more than 150 people” on-site, up to 25 guest rooms, a restaurant, conference facilities, recreational facilities and “similar uses contributing to the comfort, convenience or necessity of the guests.”

The current owners have a valid permit, according to Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik, who says the application concerns only a site plan modification.

The hearing will be held at 6:45 p.m. at Botelle School. To view the application package of December 3, 2024, click here. For links to additional documents, click here and select from the options in the right-hand column.

A story that appeared last week included misstatements of fact. We regret the errors.

Note from the Zoning Enforcement Officer, 12/24/24: The property was officially approved as a Country Inn in January 1996.  A site plan does not appear to have been submitted as a part of the 1996 application; however, a very basic plan was submitted as a part of an earlier (1985) zoning application.

—Newsletter Editor