Town Meeting Moves Quickly

By Avice Meehan

With about two dozen residents in attendance, Norfolk’s proposed $9.074 million budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year was approved without discussion and only one dissenting vote at the May 13 annual town meeting held at the Botelle School Hall of Flags.

Immediately after the 15-minute meeting, the Board of Finance voted to set the mill rate at 28.4, an increase of 2.5 percent over the current year. The mill rate represents the amount of tax a homeowner pays for every $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The lone dissenting vote came from Bart Wenrich, who expressed concern about the size of Norfolk’s education budget, which will be $4,795,573 for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Budgets for both Botelle and Regional School District 7 have been impacted by increased special education expenses.

Voters at the town meeting also approved several resolutions. These were: requiring the Board of Finance to maintain a positive fund balance of at least 15 percent of the town budget; authorizing the Selectmen to spend $7,500 from the Moore Bailey Trust to maintain plantings in the town center and City Meadow; authorizing the Board of Selectman to apply for federal and state grants, as well as to seek tax anticipation notes of up to $500,000. The town meeting also approved the nomination of Kim Crone to continue as one of the town’s representatives on the Regional 7 Board of Education.

Friends of the Meadow Take Charge

By Avice Meehan

The Friends of the Meadow Committee voted at a May 22 special meeting to seek a new project manager for work at the town-owned preserve and to end Norfolk’s relationship with Michael Nadeau, a landscape consultant based in Litchfield County.

Chair Libby Borden said she and committee member George Cronin made the recommendation because Nadeau has been unresponsive and that efforts to begin taming the plethora of invasive plants are once again delayed. In a memo shared with the committee, Borden and Cronin said, “there is no clear plan, nor clear schedule.”

The vote was unanimous. Lisa Atkin and Molly Ackerly, a long-time advocate for City Meadow, were not present. At the meeting’s conclusion, Michael Selleck resigned, saying he was pleased with the progress made by the committee, but had too many other commitments to continue.

Dead and dying trees were removed in May by KDF Tree Services, the application of herbicides to phragmites and non-native cattails by Native Habitat Restoration (NHR) may not occur until August or September, instead of June. The latest delay occurred when NHR asked for marked property lines before applying herbicide.

“He slows down the process by not being organized,” said Borden, adding that she was concerned another year would pass without meaningful work occurring. “Mike accepts no responsibility for making sure what is supposed to happen happens.”

First Selectman Matt Riiska expressed his own frustrations with Nadeau. Riiska said he was effectively working as the project manager because he was expected to meet contractors, such as KDF Tree Services; identify trees for cutting and, most recently, to mark the boundaries of City Meadow. Moreover, Riiska said Nadeau has been unwilling to share a more detailed plan, to consider how to incorporate sculpture in City Meadow or photographs of prior projects.

“If he is the manager, he can’t call me and ask me to do things,” said Riiska, saying at another point “it’s very frustrating for me.”

Nadeau, who did not respond for comment, has had an on-again, off-again connection to the City Meadow restoration project. Work was expected to start in 2023 and did not. He participated in a briefing for town residents held several months ago at the Hub, along with representatives from Matts Landscaping and Native Habitat Restoration. Nadeau outlined what plants and shrubs might be suitable for City Meadow but offered no plans.

Another complicating factor discussed at the meeting involved financial management and the fact that subcontractors were being paid through Nadeau rather than directly by the town. Matt reviewed monies that had been spent, but said additional clarity was needed about whether Nadeau had placed orders for plant material. KDF has been paid roughly $12,000. A check for $10,000 to NHR has not been cashed, pending resolution of their work for the town. The committee expressed a desire to pay Nadeau for all work to date but said direct relationships with the vendors were preferable.