Community News

A garden party celebration of the life of former town clerk Linda Perkins will be held Saturday, August 8, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at her home at 7 Mountain Road. Perkins, an avid gardener, died February 28th at the age of 79.

Her daughter Barbara said she is choosing to “celebrate her now because she was such an advocate for Norfolk.” She wants everyone to feel free to attend the event. “This is the house where she lived since 1972. These are her gardens and her legacy. It was always a place where people could come and feel welcome.”

Perkins was town clerk for 14 years before resigning in 2024 after a long absence for medical reasons. It was the last of the several careers she had pursued, including being a dorm parent at Laurel School in Norfolk, teaching in Canton, being a legal secretary and then working as a travel agent. 

First Selectman Henry Tirrell this week offered updates on several infrastructure projects underway or to be undertaken in Norfolk.

He said the Mountain Road bridge replacement is nearing an end. “They are waiting for the brackets for the Aquarion water main line, which will be suspended from the side of the bridge,” Tirrell said. “The brackets need to be cleared by the project engineer. If weren’t for the brackets, the bridge would be complete this month, but now we expect to finish by October.”

He reported that the town will package bids on the two bridges in South Norfolk that were wiped out in flash floods in 2023 as one project. The bids will be let this fall. 

The Old Goshen Road bridge restoration will begin April 1, 2027, with the Smith Road bridge to follow on April 1, 2028. “We will have one contractor for two years of consistent work,” he explained. “The town will issue the bid, but the project will be managed and paid for by the state and federal governments.”

The town crew has cleared the blockage at the Wood Creek flood control dam that has been backed up since winter, Tirrell said. “We finally got it cleared. There’s been a bunch of water in the Blackberry River and a definite odor, but the water level is down dramatically now and the smell should decrease.”

Finally, the public works department is getting ready to work on Laurel Way Extension and the sidewalk between the Berkshire Country Store and the post office. The sidewalk work will probably start on August 17. 

The ill-fated Big Green Slide at Botelle School has been successfully repaired and is again open to the public, according to Troy Lamere, foreman of the public works department. 

The 60-foot slide, a favorite with the town’s children, has been replaced once and now has been repaired twice since 2019. Most recently, it developed cracks at its top, so the supplier added extra support to the top piece and extra rings to the structure as it goes down to prevent more problems in the future.

“How to Love a Forest,” a talk by Ethan Tapper, an internationally recognized forester, will be held at Church of Christ Congregational on Friday, August 14, at 4:30 p.m.

Tapper’s work has challenged long-held assumptions about conservation and land management. His talk will draw on his experience with Bear Island, the Vermont forest he has worked to restore. Beset by invasive plants, exotic pests, overabundant deer and poor logging practices, the land had reached a critical point. Tapper intervened with management actions that seemed counterintuitive at first, bringing in loggers, using chemicals where necessary and intentionally disrupting parts of the forest to support its long-term recovery. The result is a study in modern stewardship.

Tapper’s book, “How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World,” received the 2025 New England Book Award for nonfiction.

To register for this free program, click here. 

Despite the turmoil caused by weather and labor issues, the new building is expected to be ready for occupancy by January, according to the Fire House Building Committee secretary Matt Ludwig. “We were originally slated to move in on December 21st,” Ludwig said, “but because of the issue with the plumber it will now be at some point in January.”

Work continues on Saturdays to try to recoup some of the lost time and a new plumbing contractor was selected on July 10, according to Newfield Construction project manager Rich Breitenbach. 

Construction of the new firehouse has faced challenges since work began last December. Intense cold shut the project down for six weeks in February and March. That delay was compounded in mid-May when the original plumbing contractor abruptly went out of business, slowing progress even further as contractors juggled the construction schedule to minimize the delay.

Travelers, the bond company, has now authorized the project to proceed with L&R Mechanical as the plumbing contractor. That firm’s contract is about $100,000 higher than the original, but Travelers will reimburse the difference between the original contract and the bid bond coverage. Newfield is also documenting project delays and associated costs to present to Travelers as part of ongoing negotiations for reimbursement.

Weather continues to present challenges with spells of stifling heat and a deluge of rain this week, but Ludwig said construction has continued despite it all. “They worked right through the heat waves,” he said. “The health of the workers is number one, but they have an air-conditioned trailer, and the workers had to come in and cool off and take proper hydration breaks. This week they worked right through the rain. They have poured the bay floor for the apparatus room and are working on the mezzanine right now.”

Carpentry in the training room was scheduled to begin this week, and the roof trusses are to be delivered August 4, allowing framing of the building and the exterior envelope to begin.

Demolition of the existing fire house is expected to occur during the winter with final project completion in June. 

A GoFundMe page has been established to help Norfolk firefighter Brad Funk with expenses stemming from a medical emergency.

Eighteen months ago, Funk, who has served with the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department for nearly 11 years and currently serves as one of its lieutenants, underwent a cervical neck fusion after suffering a spinal fluid leak. The leak caused severe neurological symptoms, including episodes of partial paralysis. He recently had a second surgery that developed complications, confining him to his bed. 

This has created financial hardships for the family of five through mounting medical expenses, everyday household bills, transportation to medical appointments and the loss of income.

The GoFundMe page has a goal of $9,000. To date, $6885 has been pledged. Those who wish to make a donation can do so by clicking here.

Serving on a cemetery committee might seem like a dead issue, but there is plenty happening in Norfolk’s burial grounds.

In a pet-loving nation, some residents want the ashes of their animals interred with them. First Selectman Henry Tirrell reported at a recent meeting of the Norfolk Cemetery Committee that he investigated the matter and learned that there is no law that prohibits or specifically allows pet ashes to be added to a human burial. 

The members agreed that pet ashes can be included at the time of burial if they fit in an urn that does not exceed the size of the 18-inches-square plot.

Tirrell also reported that the driveway serving the rear portion of South Norfolk Cemetery has been staked out in preparation for construction of a drive using millings from road work done by the town crew. The work is expected to be done in the fall.

The committee discussed at length whether to use packed dirt and gravel for the drive or the millings. Members thought a gravel drive would have looked more natural but might present problems with mud and grass growing through it. 

Other improvements at the South Norfolk Cemetery call for installation of 11 granite posts and connecting chains, and the repair of broken and leaning stones in it and the Pond Town and Grantville cemeteries. 

Tirrell has reached out to State Senator Paul Honig seeking funding to help with repairing veterans’ headstones. Discussion touched on how to locate unmarked graves. Honoring veterans was on the committee members’ mind as they talked about developing a list of their graves so they can be marked with flags and grave markers. Sand Evans said she developed a list last Christmas when the Lions Club undertook a Wreaths Across America effort, eventually decorating 250 graves.

A last reminder—tax bills are payable without interest until Monday, August 3. You can look up what you owe or pay your taxes online here. 

Payments must be postmarked by August 1; to ensure this, have envelopes hand cancelled in the post office. Postage meter cancellations are not accepted as proof of mailing date. The tax collector’s office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

Only a week remains before the return of the annual Summer Weekend in Norfolk, which will be ushered in next Friday, July 31, with an early morning plant and bird walk at City Meadow, an evening concert on the Village Green, a chamber music concert at the Music Shed and live music at Infinity Music Hall’s Bistro. 

Art and music will be dominant themes throughout the weekend, with the Norfolk Artists and Friends offering a sneak preview of its exhibition at an opening reception on Thursday, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Art Barn. The show will continue throughout the weekend.

Other art opportunities include an exhibition by multimedia artist JanaLee Cherniski at the Norfolk Library and an open studio by Hilary VanWright. The exquisite stained-glass windows at Battell Chapel and Immaculate Conception Church will be on view all three days, and the Church of the Transfiguration will be open Saturday and Sunday.

Music fills the weekend with many free performances. Infinity Music Hall’s Bistro will host music on all three days, and the weekend features several chamber concerts at the Music Shed. There will be live performances on Robertson Plaza Saturday and Sunday, and a children’s concert and ice cream social at the Music Shed on Sunday.

A weekend highlight is the expanded Sidewalk Sunday on August 2, from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Station Place. With the street closed to traffic, it becomes a pedestrian space where visitors can shop handmade goods, meet local makers and enjoy the music.

Sunday’s garden tours open four exquisite private gardens and visitors can also explore Norfolk’s community garden, learn composting tricks from a master composter and pick up a free herb seedling. 

Outdoor opportunities include yoga on the Green, a guided gravel bike ride with the Rails to Trails Committee, a bounce house and firefighter’s obstacle course for kids, a town-wide tag sale, bubble games, a bring-your-own picnic lunch at the Manor House Inn, hiking Norfolk’s scenic trails and free fly-fishing workshops at Wood Creek Pond. 

The Norfolk Historical Society’s exhibit brings the Revolutionary War era to life, and visitors can tour Whitehouse, the elegant mansion built in 1799 by wealthy merchant Joseph Battell. For something truly global, head to the Connecticut-Asia Cultural Center, which offers exhibits, complimentary Asian lunch boxes, Dragon Boat racing, bonsai demonstrations and tea ceremonies.

Explore the full, updated schedule at Weekend in Norfolk.

The selectmen have called a special town meeting for Monday, August 3, at 6:00 p.m. at town hall. Only one item will be on the agenda, acceptance of the $399,750 grant awarded in 2023 by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for the construction of the North Brook Trail.

In Connecticut, a town meeting vote is required to accept an awarded grant to legally authorize the municipality to receive public funds, create matching fund obligations and empower officials to execute contracts. 

After years of delay, construction of the trail has finally been approved by DEEP, and work is expected to begin in August. The $399,750 grant will not cover the entire cost of the project and the Rails to Trails Committee is awaiting confirmation of a second grant in late summer.