By Susan MacEachron

At its meeting on Oct. 10, First Selectman Matt Riiska provided the Board of Finance (BoF) with an update on the significant expenses the town incurred from the July rainstorms and flash flooding. He stated the flooding cleanup and repair cost the town $566,291.

Riiska explained that the town’s application for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds was denied because the State of Connecticut did not meet the threshold for disaster relief. On a positive note, he said, the town has accumulated $209,000 under the Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP), and those funds could be used to defray a portion of the flood expense. That would leave a $357,000 deficit from flood repair work to date.

Additional infrastructure repairs in town are needed for two culverts, Riiska reported, one on Roughland Road and the other on Estey Road. The estimated cost is $151,000 and $70,000, respectively. Riiska said the culverts have been repaired well enough to get through the winter but that when they are rebuilt the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will need to be involved.

Riiska noted that the current year budget allocates $415,000 for road repairs and that approximately $143,000 of that amount remains. He said that all discretionary road work has been suspended, so the remaining funds could potentially be used to cover the flooding damage deficit. However, Riiska cautioned, there could be essential repairs required during the winter and spring, meaning the funds might not be available by the end of the fiscal year.

The combined estimated cost to replace the bridges that were washed out on Smith Road and Old Goshen Road is $5.8 million. Riiska said that although the state will cover the entire cost, it likely will take three to four years for the work to be completed. He also noted that residents impacted by the loss of the bridges have expressed concerns about the route emergency vehicles need to take to reach their homes.

A temporary bridge is a potential intermediate solution. Riiska described the installation as akin to an “erector set” and confirmed it could support the weight of a fire truck. He noted that the topography would make Smith Road the better choice for a temporary bridge. The bridge would cost $217,800, but with the engineering and excavation work required to put it in place, the full estimated cost is $440,000. Riiska said there could be an opportunity to resell the bridge once it is no longer needed. 

Riiska concluded by saying that a mill rate adjustment or supplemental tax might be required to cover the deficit incurred from repair work to date if a temporary bridge is constructed. Board of Finance Chair Michael Sconyers suggested that the town could borrow the money rather than raise taxes. Riiska responded that he would not be in favor of additional debt. He said it has been “an awful year” for Norfolk financially with the gas spill, the March snow and the July rainstorms, but emphasized that no one has been hurt.

In a follow-up conversation, Riiska said that a decision to build a temporary bridge would need to be approved by the BoF and then voted on at a town meeting. He also said he would search for other sources of funding to help the town.

Riiska next addressed the firehouse project. He reported that Maria Horn, Norfolk’s state representative, had asked for $3 million from the Connecticut State Bond Commission for a new firehouse for the town. The commission granted Norfolk $2.5 million. Riiska said that a private individual was working with the firehouse building committee on a capital campaign to raise additional funds. Current estimates for a new firehouse are at least $5 million.

Riiska then reported on the ongoing gas spill cleanup. He noted that the two claims he has submitted to Federated Insurance company of $168,000 and $99,000 have been paid. He will be submitting an additional claim in the next couple of weeks. He said that work is restarting at the epicenter of the spill, as test pits and wells have shown elevated readings. He noted that this location on Route 44 is where the homeowners initially would not allow work to be done on their property but that remediation is now underway.