On Saturday, Dec. 6, under sunny skies and seasonable temperatures in the mid-30s, a crowd gathered on Shepard Road to witness the official start of a project that has been years in the making—a new Norfolk firehouse. Members of the firehouse building committee and fire-men—as well as State Rep. Maria Horn and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes—wielded shiny shovels painted gold to ceremonially break ground for the new 10,100-square-foot facility. Afterwards, everyone gathered in the old firehouse (slated to be torn down) for speeches. If all goes well, construction is expected to take about a year. Site preparation began right away, and the area is now marked off by blue construction fencing. In the photo, from left, are Firehouse Committee Chair Barry Roseman, First Selectman Henry Tirrell, Horn, Hayes, Fire Chief Matt Ludwig, Tony Kiser, Grant Mudge, Ron Zanobi, Selectman Sandy Evans, former First Selectman Matt Riiska and Lou Barbagallo.