Selectman’s Corner

By Matt Riiska

As I am writing this, the preparations are being done for Norfolk Clean-Up Day. The clean-up event will be over when you read this, but there are still plenty of areas around town that need our attention. The next time you are out for a walk, bring a trash bag along and help keep our roadsides clean. Thanks.

The annual Town Meeting is on Monday, May 8th. With a lot of belt tightening and a few concessions, the mill rate for next fiscal year will be slightly reduced. This is due to paying off some debt early and not needing to set funds aside, as in previous budgets, for projects like the new fire house and the purchase of new trucks for the Public Works Department. We do have a few large project that will require the town to borrow funds.

The refurbishment of Maple Avenue has been planned for many years. In 2008, plans were drawn up only to have the project tabled. We can no longer ignore getting one of our main streets back in shape. The cost for the project is $2.3 million. Our plan was to do the entire street this summer, but with delays related to the gas spill, we will need do the remediation at the Maple Avenue and Pettibone Lane intersection first and then hopefully do the sections of Maple Avenue that utilize the same drainage system as Pettibone Lane. This would include Laurel Way to Pettibone Lane and Terrace View to Pettibone Lane. The plan will be to do the remainder of Maple Avenue next spring. It’s not ideal, but you have to keep moving forward. 

Another project is the Botelle School roof. As we all know, if you don’t perform regular maintenance, the cost of repairs only increases. The standing seam metal roof will cost $1.8 million, a lot of money, but it will serve the building for many years. The roof is also engineered to allow for the mounting of solar panels, which we are looking into. 

Many will question why we are putting money into a building when there has been discussion about the school’s future. As a town, we all need to put our best efforts forward to support the Board of Education and Botelle School in providing a quality and stimulating education. The school’s enrollment is a far more concerning issue to the town as a whole than the number of students alone. Fewer students is in direct relationship to the number of families moving to Norfolk. The lack of families means fewer volunteers for our ambulance and fire departments and fewer people to volunteer in general. Norfolk functions so well because we have a dedicated group of volunteers. Let’s all focus on how we can support our school, whether that is through programs that draw students from other towns or by offering education services that other towns do not offer. Put your thinking caps on; there will be a test.

Take care and stay healthy.