Eye on Town Goverment
Project Money In, Project money out at board of finance
By Susan MacEachron
The Board of Finance (BoF) discussed the changing of the guard in the town clerk’s office at its Oct. 8 meeting and heard an update on several ongoing infrastructure projects, including the good news that the promised $500,000 grant from the Connecticut Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) had been received.
On numerous occasions First Selectman Matt Riiska has referenced the promised funding from a STEAP grant to help pay for the refurbishment of Maple Avenue. It was welcome news that the funds were now in a town account. Riiska again mentioned his efforts to submit a claim to Federated Insurance Company for over $750,000 for the extra work required on Maple Avenue because of the 2022 gas spill.
Riiska briefly discussed the upcoming meeting with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the installation of a temporary bridge on Smith Road. In a follow-up conversation, Riiska said he was additionally required to notify the State Historic Preservation Office and several Native American tribes. The Army Corps will have 60 days to review the responses.
Riiska said any funding for the temporary bridge, estimated to cost $150,000, would have to come from the town’s capital reserve account. Michael Sconyers, BoF chair, asked Susan Anderson and Jeff Torrant to work with Riiska. During public comment, Dan Green said he had been reading in Norfolk Now about the potential cost of the bridge and wanted to know why the culverts dislodged by the July 2023 flooding had not been recovered and put back in place. Sconyers said the question should be addressed to the selectmen and not the BoF. Green remained after the meeting and discussed the matter with Riiska and Torrant. Riiska said, “If I knew then what I know now, I would have tried to save the culverts.” In response to a question, he said they were sold for scrap.
Riiska reported that Norfolk Town Clerk Linda Perkins had resigned as of Oct. 1, and Sconyers said he had sworn in Deborah Nelson as acting town clerk. Nelson has been filling in full time since May 15, has passed the town clerk exam and was certified in June. Riiska noted that she has been managing the role well and proposed that she should be compensated for this period at the rate of the town clerk. He proposed making up the difference for the interim period between her hourly pay of $20.62 and the town clerk rate of $48 per hour. The BoF unanimously approved a payment to Nelson of $6,808.
Riiska mentioned the need to look for a new assistant town clerk and was questioned as to whether the position was necessary. He said there was no immediate need but noted that the office has been closed on Fridays and he would like to see it open five days a week. He also said that during the busy season for permit renewals in June and July it would be a good idea to have the office open on some Saturdays. He then suggested that the town should consider making the position appointed rather than elected. This would require approval at a town meeting, but Riiska said it would give the town more flexibility to establish office hours that would best suit residents’ needs and would allow the town to require that the town clerk be certified.
Solar Field, Changes at Town Hall
By Ruth Melville
The Annual Norfolk Pub 10-mile Road Race will be held on Dec. 14 (snow date, Jan. 4). At their Oct. 2 meeting, the Board of Selectman voted to again permit the race to use Town Hall as a staging area. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the race.
As part of an ongoing project to have job descriptions on file for everyone who works in Town Hall, First Selectman Matt Riiska presented to the board a packet containing descriptions for the town treasurer and the tax collector.
Pamela Pelletier will be taking over the position as tax collector, replacing Sarah Bruso. Riiska thanked Bruso for her help in finding her replacement and for her good work for the town over the years.
Town clerk Linda Perkins, who had been out with a medical issue since last spring, has resigned the position, effective Oct. 1. In her absence, Deborah Nelson, the assistant town clerk and a certified town clerk, had been filling in, and Riiska has appointed her acting town clerk. The required paperwork is being filed with the Secretary of the State’s office. Riiska said that he would also like to to hire an assistant town clerk, to keep the office open on Fridays and potentially even on Saturdays during the busier times of the year.
In the next month or so, a special town meeting will be called to formally make the position of town clerk an appointed, rather than elected, one. Two additional topics to be brought before the town meeting are: (1) an anti-blight ordinance and (2) an ordinance requiring town residents to keep the sidewalks in front of their houses clear.
Status of the Smith Road Bridge project: Riiska said that the town has preliminary drawings for a temporary bridge on Smith Road and that Cardinal Engineering has been asked to finish them. He has already received a wetlands report, a fisheries report and a National Diversified Database report from CHA Solutions and has submitted them to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers. He has asked State Senator Lisa Seminara and Representative Maria Horn for help in expediting the project. Riiska will talk with the Board of Finance about using some of the town’s capital funds to pay for the temporary bridge.
The temporary bridge will look very much like what was there before, with three culverts, capped with cement, and guard rails. When the permanent bridge is constructed, the town will have to buy the temporary culverts and either store or sell them.
The solar field at the landfill is almost completed and has been checked by Eversource, the town fire marshals and the building inspector. All that remains is to finish the connection with Eversource. The facility should be up and running very soon. For leasing the land, the Town of Norfolk will receive about $40-42,000 per year plus interest for 20 years. Through Connecticut’s Shared Clean Energy Facility program, both the town and individuals with lower incomes are eligible to receive a reduced electric bill. Information on how to apply for this program will be available on the town website and in Norfolk Now.
In response to questions, Riiska said that the old solar panels that came off the roof of Botelle School can be recycled or sold and that the speed bumps on the roads will be removed soon, before it snows.
Dam Repair Approved at Wetlands
By Susan MacEachron
At its meeting on Oct. 7, the Inland Wetlands Agency (Wetlands) accepted three applications for work near wetlands and approved the repair of a dam at Spaulding Pond. The applications included: a new single-family dwelling at 493 Winchester Road; expansion of a pond at 440 Bald Mountain Road; and installation of drainage to extend a patio at 31 Pettibone Lane.
The plan to repair and stabilize a dam on the western outlet of Spaulding Pond off of
Litchfield Road was presented by attorney Evan Seeman from Robinson & Cole, representing Spaulding Pond LLC, the entity paying for the repairs. The property is owned by the Connecticut River Watershed Council, and Aton Forest holds a conservation easement on the land. It was noted that the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) had declassified the dam, thereby shifting jurisdiction from DEEP to the Town of Norfolk.
Seeman introduced a report from Dr. Michael Klemens, a conservation biologist who had studied the site. It recommended a limited repair versus a complete repair or eliminating the dam altogether. The limited repair was presented as the best option to protect the habitat of the Jefferson salamander. Seeman then introduced Adam Undsted from SumCo Eco Contracting who explained that all work would be done without machinery. Undsted said that after erosion controls were in place they would lower the pond water to expose the cracked concrete. He estimated the work would take a month and said some work might be accomplished before winter. Wetlands approved the application.
David Battista, senior project engineer with Haley Ward in Winsted, represented All the Tired Horses Farm LLC’s application to expand a pond on its Bald Mountain Road property. The pond is on a 31-acre lot that is surrounded by other properties owned by the applicant. Battista described the construction sequence, noting that the first step will be to dig a new pond as a stand-alone hole. It will only be connected to the existing pond once it has been dredged and the phragmites removed. The enlarged pond will include electric service to allow for aeration, a small sandy beach, a dry hydrant for fire protection and a gravel pull-off area for fire trucks. The application was accepted and will be addressed at the meeting on Nov. 4.
Property owner Elizabeth Bailey of 31 Pettibone Lane presented her proposal to install drainage to extend a patio and landscape an upland review area that is close to wetlands. She noted that the property is very wet, and she wants more drainage in place before doing additional landscaping. Bailey said there are three existing drains, and she hopes this will be the final one needed. Hartley Mead, Wetlands chair, asked to see the size of the proposed pipes and the exact location. The application was accepted and will be considered at the Nov. 4 meeting.
Jason Dismukes, a consulting engineer from Goshen, represented the applicant planning to build a single-family dwelling at 493 Winchester Road. Dismukes described the potential site as uphill of a wetlands area and noted that they have Torrington Area Health approval for the septic system. He did not know when construction might begin. The application was accepted for consideration at the Nov. 4 meeting.
Public Hearings Ahead for P&Z
By Susan MacEachron
At its meeting on Oct. 8, the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) accepted applications and scheduled two public hearings for Nov. 12: a request to increase the size of an existing maple sugar house at 542 Greenwoods Road East and a change to the use of the Norfolk Construction building at 16 Maple Avenue. The scheduled public hearing for ground-mounted solar panels at 400 North Street was postponed.
Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik informed P&Z members that while the legal notice regarding the solar panel installation had been published, the required letters to the adjoining landowners had not been sent, and therefore the public hearing could not take place. It was rescheduled for Nov. 12.
Terry Anstett, owner of 542 Greenwoods Road East, presented an application to enlarge his existing maple sugar building. He said that he wants to modernize the operation and has reconfigured the plans several times but does not have a final design yet. He anticipates doing most of the construction himself and said the enlarged building will be no taller than the existing building, which is 16 feet. The public hearing was scheduled for Nov. 12.
The third public hearing scheduled for Nov. 12 is an application to change the non-conforming use of the Norfolk Construction building at 16 Maple Avenue. Sefcik said the owners want to change the interior activity from a construction office to a wood shop, art studio and office space. The current business is considered a preexisting non-conforming use, and the question is whether the proposed change would make it more non-conforming or less. Sefcik noted there are no plans to change the exterior of the building. Sefcik next described what she had learned about the structures on the Loon Meadow property where significant logging has been underway. There is a tiny house on wheels on the property and two small A-frame buildings. Sefcik said the owner told her they are trying out different locations on the property with the house on wheels and that his family stays in the other small buildings from time to time. She said he will get the required permits.
