By Joe Kelly

After being scrutinized and approved by both Norfolk’s Wetlands and Planning & Zoning (P&Z)
Commissions, the plans for a new Norfolk firehouse on Shepard Road are now undergoing a detailed
budget estimate.

The architects of the firehouse, Silver Petrucelli and Associates of Hamden, are converting their sketches
into detailed blueprints that can be used by an estimator to generate a comprehensive budget for
construction, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, safety systems, materials, etc.

Town Vote Next Year
First Selectman Matt Riiska believes the estimates will be ready this summer, allowing the town to firm
up a financing plan and obtain construction estimates in the fall. If that schedule holds up, a town
meeting would be held on the project in early 2025. If the town votes yes, construction could begin next
spring.

The current plans call for a 10,000-square-foot building to be constructed adjacent to the existing
firehouse. The fire department needs more space, and the current building, which cannot be cost-
effectively expanded or brought up to the latest safety and environmental codes, will eventually be torn
down.

While a preliminary estimate of $5 million was mentioned when the plans were first introduced last
year, both Riiska and the architects have acknowledged that costs could easily range 20 to 60 percent
higher than that—for a total budget in the range of $6 million to $8 million. The state has already
promised $2.5 million, and a capital campaign that is just getting underway has netted $500,000. Riiska
was adamant that the town will either produce the money or trim the construction budget to make the
firehouse happen.

Conditions Address Lighting Concerns
With approval by P&Z at its March 12 meeting, following discussions and public hearings that stretched
over several months, the firehouse cleared its final regulatory hurdle.

At the meeting, which lasted over two hours, P&Z approved a needed lot line change with the nearby
City Meadow, as well as the plan for the firehouse itself. To both approvals, P&Z attached a range of
conditions calling for measures to shield the firehouse’s transformer/generator from view and ensure
unfettered access to City Meadow.

By far, the greatest amount of discussion addressed concerns over lighting. The P&Z commissioners took
a deep dive into the lumen output and Kelvin ratings that will prevail at the firehouse—a fresh topic for
some, as the previous week there had been a talk on light pollution at the Norfolk Hub hosted by the
Conservation Commission. P&Z imposed measures to limit the spread of light (such as angling fixtures
downward) but steered away from dictating specific light levels. However, it did impose a condition
requiring the fire department to come back within six months of the building’s completion and submit a
plan showing more precisely what light levels will be used and when.

Numerous firefighters were in the audience, patiently awaiting the final vote. In the midst of the
deliberations, however, cell phones buzzed with emergency alerts, the firehouse siren sounded and the
firefighters raced out of the room amid much shuffling and scraping of chairs. On Route 44 near the oil
tanks east of town, a car with engine failure was emitting smoke. The incident was resolved without
mishap, but only a few firefighters made it back to hear the final vote of approval, which was met with
applause and cheers