By Avice Meehan

Norfolk’s City Meadow has a new set of “friends” under the interim leadership of Libby Borden and will
start meeting monthly as an official town committee beginning Tuesday, April 2.

The first order of business for Friends of the Meadow will be to work with First Selectman Matt Riiska on
establishing a firm schedule for maintenance and landscape work. “There has to be a plan that’s
adhered to,” said Borden. “Without that, we will be in limbo.”

It helps that an anonymous donor has provided a grant of $112,000 that will cover the substantial cost
of treating phragmites and nonnative cattails and addressing erosion caused by problems with the
current culvert, planting and maintenance.

“We are working on a start date for the work,” said Riiska, noting that the first task will be removal of
any trees that are “obviously dead” and compromised ash trees, Norway maples and other invasive
trees. He said mowing the phragmites and cattails would be the likely next step, with hand application
of herbicides occurring before mid-June.

Friends of the Meadow replaces an earlier group that advised the selectman on City Meadow and was
disbanded in late 2022. In addition to Borden, who chairs the Economic Development Commission and is
a member of the Conservation Commission, the members are Molly Ackerly, a local attorney and
member of the prior committee; Doreen Kelly, Norfolk Community Association; Martyn Banks, Norfolk
Volunteer Fire Department; Michael Selleck, Economic Development Commission; Lisa Atkin, co-
president of the Norfolk Foundation (now Norfolk Hub) and local resident George Cronin.

Borden said she is hoping to identify Norfolk residents with additional expertise to round out the group.
These include someone with expertise in fundraising and/or grant writing and someone with a
background in landscape architecture.