A Summer of Fun and Distruptions

By Matt Riiska

It is hard to believe that summer in Norfolk is coming to a close. It has been eventful to say the least, in so many ways. 

Weekend in Norfolk was another great success, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival provided another year of outstanding performances, Friday Nights on the Green gave us the opportunity to unwind after a long week and helped to get us in the mood for a relaxing weekend. But, although summer is over, there are still plenty of events to come. 

As great as the summer has been, we have also had our share of disruption. The gas spill and the July flooding have certainly kept us busy. The Maple Avenue project of remediation from the gas spill and the rebuilding of Maple Avenue after many years of neglect, has certainly put many residents on edge. I apologize for the disruption, but we are working on this as quickly as possible. The team of people working on Maple Avenue – Verdantas Environmental Service; Environmental Services, Inc; the Connecticut DEEP; Guerrera Construction; the Norfolk Sewer District; Aquarion Water; JJ Brennon Construction; Cardinal Engineering and Troy LaMere, Supervisor of the Norfolk Public Works, have been meeting almost every other Thursday since the spill event in November. This group of individuals is dedicated to addressing this unfortunate situation in the most professional way.

Not trying to be outdone by the gas spill calamity, Mother Nature did not help, with the flooding and heavy rains in July. Our Public Works Department, along with a great effort by a group of outside contractors, picked up the pieces to get Norfolk back to something that resembles normal. There are still two bridges in South Norfolk that need to be completely rebuilt and we are working with FEMA and the Connecticut DOT to expedite their repair. I apologize to the Smith and Old Goshen Road residents for the inconvenience this has caused, but we are working to address this. We have met with FEMA representatives and have completed our preliminary paperwork for funding. Our current figure for damages is approximately $4.4 million. Our discussions with the CT-DOT have been productive and we are hoping to put plans in place soon for building both bridges which will allow for a more efficient detour when the culvert on Route 272 gets replaced.

Take care and stay healthy.