By Ruth Melville

The major topic of discussion at the Board of Selectmen’s first meeting of the year was the possible consolidation of the Botelle and Colebrook elementary schools. A previous plan to consolidate the two schools was rejected by Colebrook voters in 2015.

Representing Botelle School at the Jan. 8 meeting were John DeShazo, Virginia Coleman-Prisco and Amy Bennett from the Board of Education, and teacher Holly Alexson. 

In response to a question from Selectman Sandy Evans, Coleman-Prisco said there were 61 students in the school now, of which 57 are Norfolk residents. 

The Colebrook school as a similarly small number of students, and Colebrook’s first selectman, Brad Bremer, has suggested that a committee be formed, comprising four members from each town, to reconsider the issue of consolidation. Evans urged that, before any kind of formal discussion gets underway, a public meeting be held in Norfolk to give residents a chance to ask questions and voice their opinions. All present agreed that this was an important first step. Norfolk First Selectman Matt Riiska said he would try to find a date for the meeting in February.

Riiska said that his focus during this process is to “make the educational system better, offering more opportunities to the students and more socialization.” He added that “this is going to be a long discussion.”

Riiska noted that Norfolk’s ongoing decline in population was predicted by the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development, and that this problem was not Norfolk’s alone but region-wide. Coleman-Prisco asked whether the town had considered offering incentives, such as tax breaks, to bring in young families. Riiska replied that he is willing to bring the idea up with the Board of Finance but people have smaller families now, so a lot of families would have to move here to substantially bring up the number of school-age kids, something that’s not likely to happen.

In closing the school discussion, Coleman-Prisco encouraged people to visit Botelle school, to tour the building or sit in on a class. Anyone interested should contact the principal, Lauren Valentino. 

Riiska started his selectman’s report by noting that budget season was coming up and that all departments in town have been asked come up with budgets by the end of January. Wage increases will have to be considered, and whether to hire a new assistant town clerk.

Lisa Auclair, the current chair of the Farmers Market Committee, has emailed Riiska to report that the committee is thinking of having a market just once a month during the summer, with an additional market during the winter holidays. The committee has also considered having the market at Norbrook Farm Brewery, perhaps in conjunction with the town of Colebrook. Since the brewery is not on town property, Riiska will need to check with the town’s insurer about potential liability issues.

Riiska also gave a few quick updates on town projects:

The town’s second loan for the River Place bridge has been approved, and the project is still on track to be done by April 30.

The Route 44 retaining wall project is now expected to take two and a half years, down from the originally projected four years.

The latest estimate for the new firehouse is $9.5 million. Riiska praised the firehouse committee members for working together to suggest modifications in the design that might trim about $1 million from that number. The town currently has a $2.5 million grant from the state and $1.25 million from the federal government; the capital campaign is also well underway.      

Selectman Henry Tirrell asked what the next steps would be, and Riiska responded that Newfield Construction and project architects Silver Petrucelli would be working to incorporate the suggested design changes to come up with a revised estimate, and that he himself would be looking for additional sources of funding. 

Also at the January meeting, the selectmen voted to reappoint Marie-Christine Perry, Richard Tomaselli, Mary Jo Tomaselli and George Vinick to the Farmers Market Committee and to appoint new members April Carter and Darby Legal. John Anderson was approved as a new member of the Rails to Trails Committee.