First, frigid temperatures forced the relocation of Norfolk’s valiant Post Office staff to Winsted because of scheduled asbestos remediation, leaving box holders temporarily puzzled. Then, the big snow arrived on Jan. 25 and 26. Estimates vary widely: Russell Russ reported the official tally at the Great Mountain Forest weather station as 15.2 inches, but others estimated it was more like 20 inches—or more. Regardless, Norfolk’s road crew worked 36 hours straight and schools were closed. Homeowners like Patricia Coffey of John Curtis Road (pictured here) could at least take their time shoveling out. Then, just as Norfolk life returned to normal, a state plow truck hit a utility pole on Route 44 at about 9:45 a.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 27, resulting in a seven-hour road closure. In what must have felt like déjà vu, traffic was temporarily detoured onto Loon Meadow and Lovers Lane until the State Police shunted traffic to Routes 263 and 272. As one might expect, phones rang off the hook at Town Hall as the road crew scrambled to keep up. P.S. The Post Office staff expect to return in about a week.
Photo by Avice Meehan