2023 Was a Budget Breaking Year and the Projects Keep Coming

By Matt Riiska

The year 2023 was not a good one in Norfolk for our budget. Dealing with the issues created by the gas spill, the snowstorm in March and then the flooding in July, our budget was stretched to the breaking point. These incidents have been written about in Norfolk Now, but it is during budget preparation time that the real concerns became known. The insurer for the trucking company has been responsive to our submittals for our expenses related to the spill. On the other hand, our expenses related to the July flooding are an issue. We had $567,000 in road repairs including road washouts, culverts to be replaced, and roadside drainage that needed to be restored. There Is some goods news in that we have received $208,000 in Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP) funds from the State of Connecticut, but that still leaves a short fall of $359,000. In the past we have used LoCIP funds for items such as new parking area lighting at Town Hall, exterior lighting and security cameras at the ambulance building, and the removal of the old ambulance building and the old building at the Town Hall that was once part of Ann Storck’s Nursery. The $208,000  we received certainly helped, but there still is a deficit. In a letter to all the town departments asking for their 2024/25 fiscal year budget proposals, the selectmen have asked all to tighten their belts and control their spending through the remainder of the fiscal year. Knowing that we could still have another month of winter, we have our fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate with us to keep our winter maintenance costs as low as possible. Not to worry, thought, as we have no intention of not making our roads safe for travel if the weather decides not to cooperate.

The construction projects in Norfolk never end. The good news is that because the crew from Guerrera Construction has worked through the winter, the estimated completion for Maple Avenue is June 1. There will still be some landscaping work to do but it is going to be nice to have the construction equipment gone before the summer season kicks in. Unfortunately, let us not get too excited. The Route 44 wall project is underway and if we thought Maple Avenue was a disruption, buckle up. The first step will be the replacement of the water main, then there will be the moving of the power lines, then the sewer line replacement and then the major work on the wall. 

Just to make things more interesting, Aquarian will be replacing the water main from the five-way intersection at Shepard Road to Laurel Way this summer. 

Just one more thing, for now. The DOT is working on the plans for the replacement of the Mountain Road bridge at Westside Road. This will start next year. So that all of those who walk on Mountain Road can get through the construction zone safely, I have asked the DOT to provide a temporary pedestrian bridge over the stream.

On the bright side, the solar project at the transfer station is moving forward. The crew from CTEC Solar is completing the site work, with an estimated date for the installation of the solar panels in June. This will trigger our yearly payment from New Jersey Resources of $40,000 per year. 

We all realize that the disruptions have been many, but all these projects have all been overdue.

Take care and stay healthy.