Community News

First Selectman Matt Riiska predicted this week that construction of a temporary bridge at Smith Road could start in two or three weeks if his plan to replace a washed-out span is not delayed by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

He told the Board of Finance Tuesday that he is working with the Department of Transportation to prioritize permanent replacement of the Old Goshen Road bridge over the one at Smith Road. A temporary structure can then be constructed on Smith Road to bring relief to South Norfolk residents. Both bridges were swept away by a flash flood in July 2023.

Because both bridges are federal bridges, the state has assumed all costs for the permanent replacements but there is a long lag time before construction. “Permitting won’t be complete until early next summer. It won’t go out to bid until late summer and won’t start until spring of 2026,” Riiska said, adding that the state will not participate in creating a temporary span.

He conferred with a local contractor and Public Works foreman Troy Lamere and concluded that the town can build a temporary bridge for between $55,000 and $65,000. To pay for it, he would delay some scheduled projects to cover $15,000 for culvert pipes, and tap $47,000 in state LoCIP [Local Capital Improvement Program] funding.

The cost for the permanent replacement of the Smith Road bridge has risen from $2.4 million to $4 million.

Costs for other bridges have increased as well. Between a redesign and increased construction costs, the price for replacing the River Place bridge has skyrocketed from about $3 million to $4,105,980. The town’s portion was to have been $600,600 and would now be $821,000. “The good news is that the DOT will pick up 100 percent of the overage,” Riiska said. The town took out a loan for its portion of the work in 2022 and may face increased interest rates now, however. 

Finally, he told finance members he hopes to recoup $752,827 in remediation costs for Maple Avenue following a massive gas spill in November 2022. He is working with the town’s attorneys to submit bills to the insurance company representing the trucking firm responsible for the spill. “I believe we will get a pretty good portion of it, but I don’t know when,” he said. 

Board of Finance Chairman Michael Sconyers praised the temporary bridge solution.

—Newsletter Editor

As summer heat begins to fade, it is time to think about popular events planned each fall. Sign-up has already begun for this year’s Norfolk Land Trust 11th annual Haystack Mountain Challenge planned for Sunday, October 6.

The day features a challenging half-marathon, with two runs up Haystack Mountain, a 10K race that includes a summit of Haystack, and a 5K race traversing Barbour Woods. 

Register at RunSignup.

Another sporting opportunity, the Rails to Trails Tour de Forest bike event, will take place Saturday, October 19. The Icebox Gravel route is a 29-mile ride along mostly gravel roads, while the Tour-de-Forest is a 13-mile ride with an even mix of gravel and paved roads. 

Register here. All proceeds support Norfolk Rails to Trails and Great Mountain Forest.

—Newsletter Editor

The Norfolk Library will continue celebrating its Library Associates’ 50th year with a Golden Jubilee cocktail party and auction under a tent at the library, Friday, Aug. 23, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails and wine will be served. 

An auctioneer will take the stage for a live auction. Up for the bidding are getaways to Prince Edward Island, Great Exuma in the Bahamas, Coastal Maine, Ireland and Provence. Funds raised support the Norfolk Library’s many free cultural events.

Tickets are $35 at the door.

The event will kick off the massive annual summer book sale, which opens Saturday, Aug. 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The sale will continue Sunday, Aug. 25, from 10:30 a.m. until dark. From 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday and again on Monday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., all books are free.

—Newsletter Editor

In another step toward a new firehouse, the town has identified a project manager, Downes Construction of New Britain, for construction of a new firehouse. The company was recommended to the town by the firehouse architectural team from Silver Petrucelli after the town advertised the position and got no response. 

Both firms met in a hybrid session with the Firehouse Building Committee Wednesday night. 

As project manager, Downes Construction will do a design review to see where further cuts can be made and provide a solid cost estimate to take to bid. The firm will oversee the project from bidding through completion and supply three onsite engineers to monitor construction and liaise with a subcommittee of the building committee.

While onsite the engineers will ensure that subcontractors adhere to the specifications in their contracts and test materials when necessary. “They will be our eyes and ears,” Riiska explained.

The Downes representatives gave the building committee “very good news,” Riiska said, when they estimated that the 10,500-square-foot building would cost from $650 to $750 per square foot to build ($6.8 million to $7.9 million). The firm will receive 2.25 percent of the total cost—a fee of $160,000 at the median cost. 

“That sounds like a lot, but it is a good price,” Riiska said, adding that Downes representatives were impressed with the amount of work the building committee has already done to hone the proposal. 

He hopes that state and federal grants will cover about $4 million of the needed sum and said significant donor pledges have already been received. A fundraising committee will continue to seek pledges, and the remainder will probably be bonded. The town has already spoken to bond counsel. 

“We’re really working at this,” Riiska said, adding that the committee wants to go out to bid this fall in preparation for construction next year.

—Newsletter Editor

There was good news this week for South Norfolk residents frustrated by a year-long wait for direct access to Route 272 after two bridges in their neighborhood were washed out in a July 2023 flash flood. First Selectman Matt Riiska said Wednesday that he hopes to start installation of a temporary bridge on Smith Road by the end of August.

Riiska recently met with South Norfolk residents and the issue was again discussed in a DOT informational webinar Monday night. During all the meetings residents insisted that installing a temporary bridge is “imperative,” because the long, difficult detour to reach their homes prevents quick response in an emergency. 

The DOT had prioritized construction of a permanent replacement for Smith Road bridge, but that project could not be finished under the best of conditions until 2026.

The town originally said it would not install a temporary structure, having received an early estimate of $440,000. Riiska has since worked with two contractors to develop alternate plans but said he does not yet have a dollar figure. The temporary bridge will be on the Board of Finance agenda next Tuesday.

“I understand their concerns and am trying to resolve this,” he told his selectmen Wednesday. “It’s possible the bridge will be replaced with something similar to what was taken out in the flood. It will look like it, but it will still only be temporary.” 

Meanwhile, during its Zoom informational meeting, DOT engineers fielded questions from citizens and discussed the process of replacing the Smith Road and Old Goshen Road bridges. They are trying to pivot their plans to replace the Old Goshen Road bridge first, leaving Smith Road for the temporary structure as its terrain is better suited to that.

Project manager Marc Byrnes said the state has taken over design and construction of the permanent bridges and is expediting the project to reduce the inconvenience for residents. It is hoped the design phase can be shortened from 60 months to 24, with work to start in spring 2026 and be finished at the end of that construction season. The timeframe will be affected, however, by how soon rights-of-way changes can be negotiated and permits obtained.

Work also started on River Place bridge this week. Construction there has been stalled since November 2022 after it was discovered that one headwall did not rest on a firm foundation. Because of the necessary redesign and the prolonged delay there will be additional costs for the project and a town meeting may be needed to approve more funding. 

Work is complete on Maple Avenue except for touch-ups, according to Riiska, who said he is working with the town attorney to recover the “sizeable amount of money” expended to clean up the disastrous 8,200-gallon gas spill of November 2022. The long-planned municipal upgrade of the road had to be put on hold until after the cleanup.

—Newsletter Editor

The town has a new zoning enforcement officer. Stacey Sefcik, land use administrator for Thomaston, has agreed to work for the town on a part-time basis, starting next week. She will be in her office two days a week, on a schedule yet to be announced.

Former ZEO Karl Nilsen resigned in July after only a few months on the job and Department of Public Works foreman Troy Lamere acted as stand-in enforcement officer in the interim. He had previously been ZEO in Harwinton. While Nilsen was in the position, he had an assistant and spent few hours in Town Hall. First Selectman Matt Riiska said the assistant position will be dropped and Sefcik will be present longer hours.

She will be paid the same rate as Nilsen, $40 an hour.

With one position filled, Riiska is faced with another vacancy. Tax Collector Sarah Bruso is leaving September 5. A member of the Litchfield Hills Tax Collector’s Association, she is helping identify the names of potential replacements.

—Newsletter Editor

Aquarion Water Company, which has provided water to Norfolk for more than half a century, may soon become the property of the South Central Regional Water Authority. The Representative Policy Board of the water authority will hold public hearings Thursday, August 22, at 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday, August 27, at 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., about a possible purchase of Aquarion from its current owner, Eversource Energy. 

The in-person hearings will be held at the Hotel Marcel, 500 Sargent Drive, New Haven. All users of the RWA and Aquarion Water Company, owners of property served or to be served, and other interested persons can be heard. Submit questions by emailing jslubowski@rwater.com or calling 203-401-2515. 

Parts of the hearings dealing with confidential matters will be conducted in executive session.

Aquarion, an outgrowth of the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company, began supplying water to Norfolk in the early 1960s, when the parent company acquired five Litchfield County water companies, has since expanded to provide drinking water in 59 towns and cities in Connecticut. It was acquired by Eversource in 2017 for $1.675 billion.

Earlier this year, Eversource announced plans to divest itself of Aquarion to offset heavy losses from investments in clean energy. Aquarion is reported to be an asset that can be sold without affecting Eversource’s core business of energy transmission.

The South Central Regional Water Authority was created in 1977 by a special act of the state General Assembly to meet a crisis created by passage of the federal Clean Drinking Water Act in 1974. The New Haven Water Company had to build water filtration plants to meet the requirements of the act and was faced with selling off real estate or raising water rates. The company opted to sell land. Surrounding communities protested and the state legislature created a commission that recommended formation of a publicly owned regional water company. 

—Newsletter Editor

It’s the beginning of August and that means it is time for the ninth annual Weekend in Norfolk celebration, a three-day festival that encompasses the entire town.

WIN kicked off last night (Thursday) for early birds with a sneak peek at the Norfolk Artists and Friends exhibition and an Emerging Artists Showcase, and continues through Sunday afternoon. Many future events—such as fly-fishing seminars, the Hike the Peaks Challenge, self-guided history tours, art shows, music on Robertson Plaza and stained-glass window tours, can be enjoyed on all three days.

Other events, including concerts in the Music Shed on the Battell-Stoeckel Estate and at Infinity Hall, are individual events offered only once. Visitors and residents alike may enjoy sun-gazing at Dennis Hill Park, an open house at the Little Red Schoolhouse, a garden tour featuring woodland pathways, tours of the impressive Whitehouse on the Stoeckel Estate, an ice cream social, weddings or vow renewals on the Village Green and more.

A full schedule of events, times and places can be found here.  

—Newsletter Editor

The Department of Transportation will hold a Zoom webinar Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. to describe plans for Smith Road bridge, which was washed out last year in a flash flood. The DOT planned to replace Smith Road bridge before the nearby Old Goshen Road bridge, but is now reevaluating its plan because Smith Road would better accommodate a temporary span.

Marc Byrnes, program manager for the DOT’s Local Bridge Program, said this week that the Smith Road breach would be easier to span with a temporary structure. “Our intent is to accelerate the process,” he said.

Construction of a temporary bridge would fall under the purview of the town and not the state, however, and no decision has yet been reached about whether it will be done.

Old Goshen Road was also destroyed during the flood and South Norfolk residents have grown impatient after a year of detouring around the breaches. They are demanding a temporary bridge to provide direct access to Route 272.

Design work for Smith Road began last fall and the DOT has been working its way through procuring documentation, preliminary surveys, soil analyses and the like. Byrnes said the biggest scheduling delays include negotiating relocation right-of-way purchases, procuring a federal flood management permit and an Army Corps of Engineers permit. “Those are long-lead items,” he said. 

The design for the first bridge to be replaced will not be complete until next year with construction slated for the first quarter of 2026. At best, if 2025 produces a mild winter, work could start then. “We could investigate winter construction, but it would depend on temperature-reliant materials like cement. We want to make sure the town is not inconvenienced for a long period,” Byrnes said.   

“The ultimate goal is not to have the same problem in 20 years,” he continued. “These are 75-year designs.” The bridges will be designed to handle the flow produced by the more intense storms resulting from climate change.

Ironically, the 68-year-old Old Goshen bridge, built in 1956 following the disastrous Flood of ’55, was a slapdash affair built with recycled boiler pipes. “It was a very economical design,” Byrnes observed.

The Smith Road bridge was built in 1999, probably as the result of a washout. 

Byrnes said both bridges will be replaced through a program funded by the 2021 federal infrastructure bill. The money is channeled through the state, which pays 100 percent of permanent replacement costs. A temporary bridge would have to be purchased by the town, however.

Any permanent local bridge with a 20-foot span is part of the National Bridge Inventory even if owned by a town. This makes it eligible for federal funds. 

The DOT website page for the project can be viewed here. To register for the webinar, click here.

—Newsletter Editor

Ever wondered about the “castle” on Westside Road? Who built such an extravagant estate amid a New England village? The Norfolk Historical Society’s 2024 exhibit delves into the history of the property and celebrates one of its most distinguished early summer residents, Mihajlo Idvorski (Michael) Pupin.

Pupin, a brilliant physicist, professor and inventor, held 34 patents that brought him world-wide fame. He came to Norfolk at the suggestion of Dr. Frederic Dennis, a Columbia University colleague, who thought the climate and beauty of Northwest Connecticut would be a tonic for the bereaved Pupin, who was mourning the untimely death of his wife.

Pupin, who had already revolutionized medical science with his inventions, found Norfolk to be his “Haven of Happiness,” and soon considered it to be his home. 

He built two significant residences here: The Knolls on Westside Road, which became the talk of the town in 1898; followed a decade later by Hemlock Farm, the European-style “castle” reminiscent of his Serbian homeland (today used by the Connecticut-Asia Society).

Hemlock Farm was a far cry from the circumstances that confronted the 16-year-old peasant boy when he disembarked in America in 1874. With five cents in his pocket and no knowledge of English, he started his hard scrabble toward world renown. He worked days in fields and factories while studying at night. So successful was he, that he earned a scholarship to Columbia, later studying at Cambridge University and receiving his doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1889. 

Pupin cared deeply about Norfolk and contributed financially to several important projects, including the construction of the Royal Arcanum building in 1903 and the Center School in 1915. 

The exhibit is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., through October 13.

—Newsletter Editor