Eye on Town Government

By Susan MacEachron

The Board of Finance (BoF), at its meeting on Aug. 16, reviewed and approved the distribution of the remaining funds the Town of Norfolk received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The single largest grant, $212,000, went to the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD) to pay for the new tanker truck.

The committee formed to make recommendations to the BoF sent out 172 letters to business owners and local nonprofits notifying them of the opportunity to apply for a grant. They received 17 responses from business owners and seven from nonprofits. In addition to the NVFD grant, two other nonprofits received a total of $15,000 in grants and 14 business owners received a total of $90,580.

In response to a question, Susan Anderson, BoF representative to the ARPA advisory committee, said the committee did not ask for financial records from the applicants but noted that committee members were familiar with the businesses applying for funding. Riiska said that the state has sent the town less than half of the monies promised for the 2022 payment, and he will not notify any individual business about funding until the town actually has the cash.

The Town of Norfolk received $482,399 in ARPA funds over the two-year period of 2021 and 2022. Funds previously distributed include $78,820 to replace the slide at Botelle School and $74,000 for a generator at the Sewer District. After the grants approved on Aug. 16, $11,999 remains. First Selectman Matt Riiska said the plan is to add to the town’s fund for fuel and utility assistance. Riiska noted that the fuel assistance program is primarily supported by contributions from the community.

Riiska said $1.3 million from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for the Haystack Woods affordable housing development had been received. Part of the grant, $350,000, will be used to purchase the land, and the remainder is for the site infrastructure, including the new road.

The two bridges being reconstructed are proceeding. Riiska said the River Place bridge completion date has been extended from November 2022 to July 2023. Coordination with the utility company has caused the delay. Riiska said the Mountain Road bridge should be finished in September. Additional work there is required to rebuild part of the stone wall on the Ellen Battelle Stoeckel Estate that was damaged by the bridge and sewer line work. Riiska estimated the cost of the wall repair at $56,000. He noted that 50 percent of that cost would be reimbursed by the state as part of the overall bridge work.

Riiska said the owners of Infinity Hall had approached the town about taking over the building and putting the business into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. BoF Chair Michael Sconyers interjected that the town will not own Infinity, and Riiska agreed, noting that the town is not in the entertainment or restaurant business. Riiska said a group is working on the planned conversion of the business to a nonprofit organization, including Infinity Hall owners Dave Rosenfeld and Tyler Grill, cofounders of Good Works Entertainment. Currently, Infinity pays about $25,000 per year in property taxes, and Riiska said he hoped the new nonprofit would make a similar payment in lieu of taxes to the town.