By Susan MacEachron

At the Board of Finance (BoF) meeting on Aug. 8, First Selectman Matt Riiska described the multiple road and bridge projects, including those underway before the heavy rains and the work required to repair roads and bridges after the rain.  Riiska highlighted the fact that he had been promised that the new Botelle slide would be installed by the end of the week.

Riiska said the town has received reimbursement of approximately $600,000 for the Mountain Road bridge reconstruction.  The town financed its share of the expense.  The $500,000 10-year loan is with Salisbury Bank at a rate of 2.25 per cent.  He said the work to date on Maple Avenue has incurred only minor costs.  

The gas spill cleanup is ongoing. Riiska said the town has been reimbursed $168,700 of its expenditures to date of $288,250.  Riiska said he had submitted a reimbursement request for an additional $100,000.  This covers expenses for emergency service crews from Norfolk and surrounding towns, temporary housing for several of the residents at the spill site and lawyers’ fees.  Riiska said the town is being reimbursed “fairly regularly” as he submits spreadsheets and invoices to the insurance company.

Riiska explained that weather delays and other work prevented the project to replace the Botelle School roof from getting started in time to be completed by the beginning of the school year.  The project is on hold until next year.  At the Annual Town Meeting in May, the first selectman and treasurer were authorized to borrow $1.91 million to pay for the new school roof.  The borrowed funds have been deposited with National Iron Bank for the interim period.  In a follow-up conversation Riiska said the difference between the debt service expense and the interest being earned is costing the town approximately one percent.  

The ongoing work to recover from the storm damage to Norfolk’s roads and bridges was the next infrastructure project Riiska addressed.  He noted that two bridges in South Norfolk, one on Smith Road and the other on Old Goshen Road are beyond repair and must be replaced.  The cost estimates are in the $1.8 million range for each bridge.  Riiska said he had applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for funding and would be meeting FEMA representatives on Aug. 9.  

The town engaged Cardinal Engineering to review the conditions and submit a report to the State Department of Transportation to determine if the two bridges qualify for state or federal funding.  If they meet the requirement for federal funding 80 percent of the cost will be covered and the town will have to find the funding for 20 percent.  Designation as a state project would limit reimbursement to 50 percent.  Riiska said the cost to date was approximately $613,000.  In a follow-up conversation, Riiska said he was confident the town would recover all its storm related cost of repairs from either the state or the federal government.  

Chelsea DeWitt, town treasurer, reported that the town concluded its fiscal year ending June 30 approximately $183,000 under budget. She said those funds will be moved to the town’s positive fund balance. 

The Botelle teachers’ contract is up for renewal this year.  The first meeting is scheduled for Aug. 22.  The BoF nominated chair Michael Sconyers as its representative to attend the negotiations.