Selectmen Make Provisions for Next Winter and Repair Damages from the Last

By Robert Carter

The Norfolk Board of Selectmen held its first monthly meeting of the new fiscal year on July 1.

The Farmers Market has requested to use the upstairs at town hall twice a month from November through April. After considering a usage fee to cover the likely increase in power and water consumption by the town, the Board voted to allow the winter market to operate at town hall free of charge. It stipulated, however, that the Farmers Market must take responsibility for snow and ice removal from the driveway, parking lot and exterior stairs.

The Board then discussed the road paving scheduled in Norfolk for this summer. Chip sealing was to begin on July 15 on Ashpohtag, Winchester, West Side and Mountain roads. Schoolhouse Road will be added to the roster if there is enough funding. Crack sealing was to begin on July 7 on Sunset Ridge, Loon Meadow Drive and Upper Sheppard Road in addition to the roads already listed. First Selectman Sue Dyer predicted that all paving projects would be finished by the end of July.

The Winsted Water and Sewer Commission will be checking this summer for pollution in the Town of Winsted’s watershed, some of which lies in Norfolk. Inspectors will carry proper identification and a letter of explanation. They will confine their inspections to exterior spaces.

Of last year’s operating budget of $5.15 million, a total of $95,744 was left unspent, most of it designated for legal and other fees. The public works department did overspend, mainly because of the harsh winter and the increased road maintenance it has required.

The town’s high costs for phone service were also examined, and First Selectman Dyer is investigating fiber-optic technologies for town hall and the Botelle School, which may help reduce costs and increase Internet efficiency.

The year’s first meeting of the Norfolk Board of Selectmen was short and decisive. The next meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, August 5 at 4:15 p.m. in town hall.