Community News

The Norfolk Nature Alliance is sponsoring a year-long initiative focused on creating habitat for pollinators.

On April 4 at 4:00 p.m., Margery Winters, Roaring Brook environmental scientist and master gardener, will present “Native Woody Plants in a Pollinator Garden” at the Hub. The talk will highlight native shrubs and explain how each supports pollinators and other backyard wildlife.

Later in the month, on April 25, Bridghe McCracken, founder of Helia Landscape Design in Alford, Mass., will share practical strategies for converting lawns—or even parts of them—into meadows of native flowers, grasses and sedges.

On May 29, look for the Norfolk Conservation Commission’s plant swap during Friday Night on the Green, where nature alliance organizations will also host a table. In June, there is Moth Night (many moths are pollinators), co-sponsored by the Conservation Commission and Great Mountain Forest. 

More events are being planned for the summer and fall.

The Norfolk Nature Alliance is a loosely organized group representing the town’s conservation-minded organizations, including the Norfolk Land Trust, Conservation Commission, the Church of Christ’s Green Team, Great Mountain Forest, Aton Forest and Doolittle Lake Company, a 2,300-acre and forested owners association.

Those who missed its first presentation, a talk on the importance of healthy forests as pollinator habitat, can view it here.

Special education costs have gone down in the proposed 2026/27 budget, Botelle Superintendent Kevin Case told Board of Finance members during the board’s monthly meeting Tuesday.

Even though the number of special education students (11) is the same, “the needs of the students have decreased,” he explained. “Most of the time, those numbers increase.”

Overall, special education for 2026-2027 is estimated at a total of $532,397, down $10,059 or 1.85 percent.

Despite that good news, the budget would rise $113,665, or 4.47 percent, school board Chairman John DeShazo told the finance members. The largest increases are found under contractual obligations to teachers, up about $25,000. The total increase for general education costs is $36,182, up 5.41 percent.

Library/media and computer services would rise $9,358, nearly 9 percent, to $104,499. The amount allocated for legal services is up $7,000 in anticipation of teacher contract negotiations, but consultant fees shrink by $4,000.

DeShazo said that the town’s portion of the $25 million Region 7 budget will increase by $81,170.

Case said he had gone “through every single line” of the budget looking for places to reduce it.

Proposed text amendments governing family campgrounds and accessory dwelling units, as well as a draft regulation addressing blight in the community, absorbed the attention of the Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night. 

The impetus behind the accessory dwelling units (ADUs) discussion came from a proposed amendment put forward by member Jordan Stern, who said that the current regulation confines the size of an ADU to either 1,400 square feet or 40 percent of the living space of the principal building, whichever is smaller.

He said the P&Z has to adhere to this formula even if the ADU is created in an existing structure such as a barn or large accessory building. He recommended that a more flexible solution can be found in Kent’s zoning regulations, which dictate, “An accessory dwelling or guest house shall not exceed 33 percent of the floor area of the principal dwelling unless otherwise approved by the commission due to a logical configuration of interior space.”

Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik said the commission had a “very initial discussion” of the issue and will revisit it at future meetings.

Likewise, no conclusions were drawn about the proposed blight regulation or the existing family campgrounds regulation. Both will be discussed further. 

The commission members discussed such basic concepts as what constitutes a family campground (i.e., should a family be defined by blood and marriage), how many units designed for sleeping might be allowed and whether owners should be allowed to rent the units.

For the blight ordinance, Sefcik provided definitions and a proposed regulation that would limit the number of unregistered cars that can be parked on a property, how long they can stay there, what constitutes blight conditions (such as how long construction debris can remain on a property) and provisions for junkyards.

She said she had gathered the draft regulation from various communities and remarked that she was open to discussion about different provisions. 

The impetus for a regulation controlling blight arises from instances of unregistered vehicles on properties. Indeed, Sefcik’s enforcement report included four complaints about properties on Shepard Road and Greenwoods Road West.

Northwest Connecticut sugarhouses may see a short season this year, according to Russell Russ, forester for Great Mountain Forest (GMF).

Sap began to flow late this year as the deep freeze of winter hung on into early March. “It’s been a very strange season so far,” said Russ. “After a cold and snowy December, January and February—all three colder and snowier than average—you might have thought it would be a great sap year. But it stayed cold until early March, then turned very warm in a hurry.”

That kind of heat so early in the season is not good for maple syrup production. Sap flows when nighttime temperatures drop into the 20s and the daytime hours heat up into the 40s.

GMF first collected sap on Sunday, March 8, boiling it in its sugarhouse on Monday, March 9, and Tuesday, March 10, but had to cease production when temperatures skyrocketed. 

“I think most local sugar makers have had a slow start this season,” Russ said. “It must have been quite a shock to the trees to go from so cold to so warm in a relatively short period. The trees have definitely come out of their winter dormancy now.”

He said temperatures are predicted to be more seasonable through the rest of March and he hopes for predictable flows and a season that will be at least average.

“It had better happen in the coming two or three weeks,” he said, “because the season won’t last much beyond late March or very early April.”

Temperature predictions indicate the next boiling at GMF may not be until Monday, March 16. An Open Sugarhouse is scheduled for Sunday, March 22, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the GMF Sugar House, 201 Windrow Road in Norfolk.

A “healthy number” of businesses have submitted responses to the survey sent out recently by the Economic Development Commission, according to Cheryl Heller, the commission member who designed it.

This week she provided some early findings from the survey and encouraged other business owners to weigh in on what they would like to see in Norfolk in the future.

The survey revealed that the age of businesses in Norfolk ranges from 13 months to 80 years, with one response of “Forever, it seems.”  

Of the topics business owners would most like to have advice or mentoring on,

publicity and communications has generated the most interest to date, followed by marketing, loans and grant proposals, financial management and new technologies for small businesses.

Forty percent of respondents said they would join an active community of business owners, and another 40 percent said they could be convinced.

Norfolk business leaders expressed interest in receiving communications from the EDC at levels ranging from “the more the better,” to “two times a year.”

Heller encouraged business owners to keep communicating with the EDC and provided a link to the survey for those who have yet to respond. To take the survey, click here.

Another open house for prospective buyers will be held at Haystack Woods houses, a group of 10 affordable homes, are designed for first-time home buyers and are being developed under the auspices of the Foundation for Norfolk Living (FNL).

Construction at the site was expected to be completed this winter, but weather and illness slowed the crews. The houses are now expected to be ready for occupancy in May, although site work may continue after that.

As the winter wanes, the houses are beginning to take shape. Crews are finishing the buildings’ interiors and installing plumbing. Ruthann Olsson, a member of the FNL board and an interior designer, has worked closely with architect Kate Briggs Johnson and contractor David Jones of Revival Homes to select interior finishes, including kitchen countertops and cabinets.

“We are basically pretty pleased with where we are,” said Avice Meehan, a member of the foundation’s board of directors. “Five homes have committed buyers and that’s a great start. It’s a matter of reaching the right people at the right point in their lives and that takes time, as well as committed outreach.” 

Applications for the five remaining houses are being accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. 

NFL has created a virtual open house video posted on the FNL website. In addition, prospective buyers can view a recorded information session that outlines eligibility requirements and details about the homes by clicking here.

The Norfolk Board of Education approved Superintendent Kevin Case’s proposed $2,658,868 budget for 2026-2027 during a 10-minute meeting Wednesday night. The budget would increase spending by $113,665 or 4.47 percent.

Case presented the spending package to the school board last week for review. Board members made no changes other than a couple of small math adjustments.

“I do want to point out that we are looking at an increase of $113,000 just to open the doors of Botelle School at the end of August without making any changes,” Case said before the board’s vote. “We are expecting the enrollment to be about the same, but it will cost us another $100,000. I have reduced it where I could without affecting the students.”

Case said, however, that value will be added to school programs through the addition of a part-time paraeducator who will provide support services to the students. “We will move the school forward where we can,” he concluded.

The budget will be presented to the Board of Finance on Tuesday for potential acceptance and inclusion in the final municipal budget package.

Norfolk taxpayers can expect to pay $2,056,665 for their share of the Northwestern Regional School District #7 budget in the 2026-2027 school year if the proposed budget is accepted. That sum is $81,130 more than the current year.

The proposed $25,345,724 budget for Northwestern Regional School District #7 reflects an increase of 2.10 percent, or $520,995. After revenues are factored in, taxpayers would pay $23,108,592 for the 2026-2027 school year. Norfolk, which is expected to send 61 students to the school next year and would be assessed at 4.41 percent of the budget. 

The largest increase, $418,954, is for salaries and benefits, which consume 67 percent of the total budget. Superintendent of Schools Steve LePage said salaries increased only $50,856 (.40 percent) because the district offered retirement incentives to senior teachers. Four teachers took advantage of the incentive package and only one new teacher was hired at a lower rate. LePage said the salary increases would have been about $500,000 without the retirement plan.

The school district has been reducing faculty through attrition for several years as student enrollments have declined. The school has 685 students in middle and high school this year, down from more than 1,000 in 2019-2020. Administrators believe the declining population will remain relatively constant at the current enrollment for the foreseeable future. 

Benefits increased 9.42 percent ($388,098) with medical benefits alone rising by 12 percent, continuing a three-year upward trend.

Another large increase is found in professional/technical services, up 9.83 percent ($226,813). This area includes, among other items, special education technical services, up 10.74 percent, or $95,466, and technical services, up $80,000 to purchase new technology to handle business operations, payroll and attendance tracking.

Other purchased services decreased by $203,334 decrease because special education transportation dropped 17.61 percent ($99,570) and special education tuition, which is paid for outplacement of special needs students, dropped by 16.83 percent ($198,492). 

The four member towns of the district—Norfolk, Colebrook, Barkhamsted and New Hartford—are assessed their portion of costs based on shifts in student populations as they relate to the other towns. 

The amount the Norfolk will pay has been corrected from the amount listed in the newsletter.

The Norfolk Library has received a grant from the Aldo Leopold Foundation to host a community reading of selections from “A Sand County Almanac” on March 8 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.  The reading will be followed by a moderated discussion. 

Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) was an American author, philosopher, scientist and forester recognized as the father of wildlife ecology and a founder of modern environmental ethics. He is best known for his influential book, “A Sand County Almanac,” and for championing his “land ethic,” which advocates for a moral, caring relationship between people and nature.

Community readings take place in various locations across the country during the first weekend of Leopold Week (the first full week of March). Norfolk’s grant has paid for many copies of “A Sand County Almanac” to distribute during the event. Readers will receive a copy in advance. 

Aldo Leopold Week celebrations began in 2000, in Lodi, Wisc., the brainchild of resident Tom Heberlein, who wanted to encourage the community to connect with Leopold’s environmental philosophy.

Lodi’s event led to a 2004 proclamation by then-Governor James Doyle, officially designating the first weekend in March each year as Aldo Leopold Weekend in Wisconsin. Iowa followed suit in 2014.  

Some community reading events have read the entire book (10 hours) or the entire almanac portion (three hours). Norfolk’s two-hour event calls for members of the community to read selections from “A Sand County Almanac.” 

“Norfolk has always had a strong sense of place,” says library director Ann Havemeyer. “This is in part because of the town’s unique moniker ‘Icebox of Connecticut’; in part because of the families who have lived here for generations and invested in the natural and cultural resources of the town, and in no small part to the town’s abundance of conserved land. Norfolk Reads Leopold will enhance the town’s awareness of the land ethic and the transformative power a community has in living with and caring for the land.”

The Board of Education got its first look at a proposed $2,658,868 budget for 2026-2027 when Superintendent Kevin Chase reviewed it with them Tuesday night. The board is expected to act on the budget next Wednesday before its formal presentation to the Board of Finance on March 10.

The budget reflects a 4.47 percent increase, or $113,665, over current spending to educate an anticipated student body of 58 children, three more than current enrollment. 

The funds will pay for special education services for 11 students, curriculum materials and resources, building maintenance, and contractual agreements with faculty and staff. Non-negotiable contractual increases total $119,643—up $48,440 for teachers, $3,000 for teacher substitutes, $7,000 for legal fees, $8,242 for utilities and $2,800 for professional services.

These increases are offset by a $2,800 reduction for textbook and workbooks, a $2,250 reduction for the hours worked by the office clerk and a $15,000 reduction in special education transportation costs, for a total of $32,627.

New items are a half-time intervention paraeducator to support students at $5,471, development for staff at $4,000, new shelving for the library at $1,746 and new progress reports/student data support at $3,541, for a total of $14,758.

Even though the 2026-2027 budget is higher than the current budget, thus meeting the state’s Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR), it will not settle the town’s current dispute with the state Board of Education. The MBR requires school districts to spend as much or more than the previous year’s budget. Special education costs dropped for the current year in Norfolk, resulting in a $58,000 reduction in spending. This violated the MBR, according to the state Board of Education.

“That’s a separate issue,” said Case, who is still seeking a meeting with state officials. “We wouldn’t repay that until next year.”