Spring is Here and the Projects Never Seem to End

One of the big projects for the town is the new fire house. The Fire House Committee has been working extremely hard to create a functional building that serves the needs of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD), while being aware of the costs. Since November, the committee has been engaged with Newfield Construction to review the design of Silver-Petrucelli Architects for cost and function. From a first estimate of $9.5 million to its current estimate at $8.5 million, the new fire house will serve the town for the next 50 to 75 years. Although this is still a considerable amount of money, the cost will be reduced by a grant from the State of Connecticut for $2.5 million, $500,000 from town reserves and another $3 million from a very productive and generous capital campaign. We will continue to look for other funding sources to further reduce the costs for the residents. This matter has been added to the call for the Annual Town Meeting, set for May 12, and I urge you all support this important facility.

The River Place bridge project is nearing completion with paving set for April 28. All the clean-up and landscaping work will follow. We will all be happy, especially those that live on River Place, to get this project behind us. The crew from New England Infrastructure and WMC Engineering stepped up the pace after a slow start and put in a concerted effort over the winter months to get this project completed by April 30.

Now that spring is here and summer is right around the corner, my favorite subject has once again reared its ugly head – speed bumps. We will be installing speed bumps in areas where we feel they are needed most, and we will move them periodically during the season. I urge all of you to please slow down. We can put in speed bumps on every road in town, but we will never stop speeding unless we get your help. Drive by example wherever you are and please obey the speed limits. With our kids out on their bikes our focus is to keep them safe. Thanks.

Enjoy the rest of spring and let’s get ready for a summer full of wonderful events.