A Time of Change and Challenge

By Samuel A. (Pete) Anderson

In this Thanksgiving season, it’s timely to read Selectman Josh DeCerbo’s comments (in NN’s November issue) reminding us of the abundance of good things we Norfolkians have to be thankful for. Like Josh, and for all of the reasons he lists and many more besides, I’m a happy transplant. I can truly say that I wouldn’t trade living here for anywhere else I’ve ever lived.

But to love Norfolk is not to be blind to the increasingly complex issues of growth and change facing all of us who live here in Connecticut’s Northwest Corner. We are getting older, we have fewer schoolchildren, we have a smaller pool of young first responders, our tax base is to a large degree supported by our many part-time householders, our traditional neighborhood shopping patterns are undergoing sharp change, giving way to regional and on-line providers.

Each of these in its own way has contributed to the gradual erosion of what we’ve grown up thinking of as the classical New England town center. The recent quiet demise of our Corner Store is a poignant reminder that we are at a bridge time now in Norfolk, a time of change and challenge.

This is not new territory for Norfolk: Who could have imagined, in 1871, what immense changes were in store for Norfolk after the first passenger train pulled to a stop at the new platform at the head of the old Battell sheep meadow?

Of course we’ll disagree—sometimes vigorously—about the manner in which we will come to terms with our perceptions about the future. That’s neither sad nor perplexing—it’s history, it’s who we are, and it’s a much healthier state of being than passive indifference.

It’s clear to me that the essence of Norfolk’s future lies within the extraordinary depth and breadth of our wise and caring—and sometimes vociferous—body of citizenry. There’s certainly no lack of interest here.

Our own dear Norfolk, Icebox of Connecticut—cold hands, warm hearts, tough love! With a clear focus on our evident strengths, I’d say the odds for a successful transition into whatever it may be that lies ahead of us are decidedly in our favor.