The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By Matt Riiska

The Good

I would like to thank Ben Crone and his team of Regional 7 classmates, Nicole Dynak, Dylan Farr and Makayla Ensminger, for their work cleaning up at Dennis Hill State Park and Haystack Mountain State Park. Working with the “Kindness in Motion” program at Regional 7, the students purchased cleaning supplies through a grant. “Kindness in Motion” empowers students to serve others through acts of kindness. Started four years ago by Regional 7 superintendent Judy Palmer, the program has taught countless young people the importance of and the gratification they will receive from helping others. Over a few weekends Ben and his team scrubbed graffiti and picked up trash at the two state parks. Ben said, “There was not much trash yet, so we were planning to go back this summer for more trash pickup.” Thanks Ben, Nicole, Dylan and Makayla.

The Bad

With the nice weather, we are spending more time outside working in our yards or enjoying a walk. Perhaps we are more aware of traffic in the summer, but again this year I have fielded numerous calls regarding people speeding. I have been asked for speed bumps to be placed at many locations, and we are working on this, but I want to let you know that one set of speed bumps is $3,800. Although this does not sound like a lot, considering that we will have eight sets spread around town, we could certainly use $30,000 for road maintenance as opposed to reminding people to slow down. Please set an example and do your part: slow down and enjoy the ride.

The Ugly

In early May the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the construction of a dog park. It appears that there are some who cannot wait for the new dog park to be built and feel that since it is a fenced-in area, the Little League field makes the perfect spot. The ballfield is not a dog park. There have been signs posting this for years. I would certainly not want to be fielding a ground ball and have the ball roll though a pile of dog poop. We have many walking trails and some beautiful roads to walk our dogs. Please stay off the ballfield. And remember, while you are out for your walk with your canine companion, bring your poop bags.

And Another Thing

The Selectman’s Office is increasingly hearing more complaints about noise in Norfolk. Almost all of us have a lawn to be mowed, trees to be pruned and gardens to be tilled. Instead of rakes and other manual hand tools, we now use noisy leaf blowers. If neighbor A mows his lawn and neighbor B tills her garden while neighbor C is cutting wood, things can get pretty noisy for neighbor D. 

Talk of an ordinance restricting noise has come up in the past and may well again in the future. But do we need an ordinance when some basic neighborliness could help? You know you are generating too much noise if

• Your activity doesn’t just last for an hour or two but extends for several hours, all day or multiple days. 
• You are doing it for hours on a Saturday, Sunday or a holiday when your neighbors may be entertaining guests or just trying to relax.
• You are starting before 9 a.m. and continuing after 5 p.m.

There is no simple solution to this problem, but being respectful of your neighbors is a great place to start. If you find yourself facing a project that will require more than an hour or so of intense noise, such as chain sawing, or can only be done on a weekend, go talk to them about how the job could be completed in a way that works for both of you. 

A little neighborliness can go a long way and make even the loudest noise seem a bit quieter.

Take care, stay healthy and enjoy the summer.