Bridges and More

By Avice Meehan

The Board of Selectmen moved quickly through the agenda for the June 3 meeting, completing its work in 32 minutes. First Selectman Henry Tirrell and Selectman Leo F. Colwell Jr. were in attendance.

The big news came from the state Department of Transportation (DOT) which has informed the town that construction of a new bridge at Old Goshen Road would occur in 2027, beginning in April. Work on the Smith Road bridge would start a year later. Both projects will be fully reimbursed.

Meanwhile, Tirrell reported that construction of the new bridge on Mountain Road over Spaulding Brook is moving at a rapid pace and could be finished ahead of schedule. As of June 27, much of bridge deck had been poured, along with the side supports. A sleek American mink could be seen swimming across the brook.

The news on the smaller bridge on Mountain Road, located beyond the intersection with Westside Road, was less encouraging. The road is now open to two lanes of traffic, thanks to the addition of more steel plates. Tirrell said the culvert is too small to qualify for replacement by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and that he is investigating other funding options. Tirrell later said Cardinal Engineering will make recommendations and that he hopes to have a plan by winter, noting that it will involve “more than just putting a pipe under there.”

In other matters, the BOS voted to increase fees for building permits. Tirrell reported that delivery of the cab and chassis for the two new dump trucks will occur over the summer with the truck bodies arriving in the fall. He reviewed the ongoing meetings to organize the Northwest Regional Recovery Authority (see related story on page 13). Tirrell also noted that the town received a violation notice from DEEP for the tank that was removed from the Botelle School property in 2023. Tirrell said that it involved failure to file paperwork and is being addressed.

New Year, New Options

By Avice Meehan

When it comes to doing business with the Town of Norfolk, July 1 is the new January 1. That is, it’s the date that kicks off a new budget year. Residents need to purchase new stickers for the transfer station and Tobey Pond, re-register their pets and prepare for the arrival of tax bills.

This year will bring one significant new wrinkle: higher fees for building permits and a shift to an online permitting system. This is all part of a change in how Norfolk manages the duties of the town building official, a role that has proven difficult to fill.

As of July 1, Norfolk will charge a fee of $30 for the first $1,000 of the value of a project and $15 for every thousand after that. Un-til now, Norfolk has charged a flat $10.26 for every $1,000 with the 26 cents going to the state. The change was approved at the June 3 meeting of the Board of Selectmen and brings Norfolk’s fees in line with that of surrounding Litchfield County communities. It is the first time fees have been adjusted in 10 years.

First Selectmen Henry Tirrell said the fee structure, coupled with online filing, will enable Norfolk to work with a new building official who works with multiple communities as a contractor. He will be compensated and receive a percentage of the funds collected. John Papp, who recently started as the building official in Kent, will likely be in Norfolk one day a week and also have an assistant.

“I am really hoping this works well. There will definitely be a transition, but it will eventually make things a lot easier,” said Tirrell. The new system will also connect with the databases that support both the tax collector and the assessor. Anyone who accesses the assessor’s system will also find that it has a new look.

The exact date for rolling out the online system is still up in the air, but it is one used by other Litchfield County towns and was recommended by Bill Volvosky, the interim building inspector. Tirrell said the system will simplify permitting and route requests to the appropriate office, including that of Stacey Sefcik, the zoning enforcement officer.

Happily, the town’s mill rate will not be going up this year. It remains steady at 22.49 for every $1,000 of assessed valuation. Bills for real estate and personal property taxes will go out in early July and must be paid by Aug. 1 in order to avoid a penalty.

But don’t forget those stickers because anyone without them will risk being turned away from Tobey or the transfer station. They are available from Town Clerk Debbie Nelson, whose office will have extended hours on summer Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. The transfer station sticker will also come with new guidance on recycling options for gas cylinders and printer cartridges. ■

Firehouse Moves Along

By Avice Meehan

If a revised construction timeline holds, the all-important slab for Norfolk’s new firehouse will be poured in late July. Once that happens and the concrete is given time to cure, walls will begin to rise some time in August, according to Barry Roseman, chair of the Firehouse Building Committee.

That is the hope for a project that fell four to six weeks behind schedule when a key plumbing contractor suddenly went out of business earlier this year. The firehouse design calls for radiant floor heating, which put plumbing on a “critical path” early in the project. A second plumbing contractor is racing to complete that work so the slab can be poured and walls erected.

The town and Newfield Construction now have approval from Travelers, which holds the performance bond, to put the plumbing contract back out to bid. Performance Plumbing bid

$406,000 for the work, but Roseman said insurance will cover additional costs if the bids come in higher than that amount. They are due July 1. “The goal is to keep this on budget,” said Roseman and, he added, to get the new building fully enclosed before the end of the year. Thus far, it is remaining within the budget; little of the $1 million set aside for contingencies and soft costs has been touched.

The firehouse project has encountered a number of hurdles, including the cold winter, and the Firehouse Building Committee is trying to get out ahead of other potential issues. Those include the potential default of a building contractor working on several other Newfield projects. ■

Farm Stand Receives P&Z Nod

By Avice Meehan

It was a close call, but the Planning & Zoning Commission achieved a quorum at a special meeting held on June 16 and approved a special permit application for a farmstand at 71 Bruey Road. The commission also scheduled a public hearing for July 14 for an application for an accessory dwelling unit and approved a minor modification to a special permit to allow new front windows at 24 Greenwoods Road. Discussion of possible new zoning regulations was postponed.

The farmstand application, submitted by Bart Weinrich and Bonnie Simmons of Oak Hill Farm, was relatively straightforward and the public hearing ahead of the vote elicited no comment. The permit was necessary because the stand will be larger than 64 square feet. The couple explained that they will install a 12-by-16-foot preconstructed shed on a stone pad with Jeff Torrant completing the site work and creating parking for two to three cars.

In a subsequent email exchange, Weinrich said the farmstand will not be fully up and running until later in the year. It will operate on the honor system. Eventually, the couple hope to erect a pole barn to store hay that’s currently cut from an 11-acre field they also own. Norfolk residents who wish to keep up with Oak Hill Farm, which has supplied greens to local eateries such as the IceBox Café, can follow the Instagram account @oakhillarmct. Deb and Bill Couch of 132 Mountain Rd. submitted the application for an accessory dwelling unit, which would be located above an existing garage. They propose to create a 768-square foot apartment for use by family and friends.It represents 20 percent of the square footage of the main house.

Jack Holihan, who spoke for Ben Schiff and Love Simply LLC, the owner of the Greenwoods Road property, presented a plan to replace the two plate-glass windows at the front of the building with the same type of divided-light windows that had been approved for the rest of the structure. The request was approved with Commission Chair Christopher Schaut and other members praising the recent upgrades, including repainting and the addition of a cedar shake roof.

Holihan asked the commission’s guidance on the design of a wooden cover for electrical boxes on one side of the building and noted he would be returning with a formal proposal for that change and for the design of new front doors. This represents a marked change from past interactions, which was noted by the P&Z. Commission member Ned Barron sought to raise a number of matters not on the agenda, including P&Z discussions at the May meeting involving the Royal Arcanum and the move by Les Renards into the building owned by the Norfolk Hub. Schaut limited debate because of the rules involving special meetings and referred the matters to Stacey Sefcik, the zoning enforcement officer. Schaut agreed, however, to look into Barron’s concerns about exterior lighting added to the Royal Arcanum. Marinell Crippen, who serves as the commission’s secretary and owns a business in the village center, said the lights were added at several locations at the request of the Norfolk Hub to create afestive atmosphere during the holidays.

BOE Ends Year

By Avice Meehan

For those who like to plan ahead, the Board of Education will return to meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. with two exceptions. It will meet Aug. 18 for a workshop and short business meeting ahead of the start of the school year and on Nov. 10 to avoid a conflict with Election Day.

The BOE does not meet in July and, at the June 9 meeting, voted to empower Superintendent Kevin Case to manage budgetary transfers and other matters related to closing out the 2025-26 budget. Case said he expected the year to end “without any surprises” and estimated that approximately $50,000 of the budget may be transferred into the district’s non-lapsing account. The board also approved transfers that included the addition of $5,557 into the superintendent’s account to cover extra days that Case worked. His con-tract allows for up to 10 extra days.

The board discussed policies that will be reviewed for adoption in the fall. These include a health and wellness policy drafted under the leadership of Principal Lauren Valentino and a draft policy on the use of artificial intelligence software developed with the assistance of Erin Dubecky, Botelle’s library and media specialist. The board also accepted the resignation of Kathy Dravis, who had joined the staff last year as a music teacher. The resignation was for personal reasons and recruitment of a successor is underway.

Valentino reported that all students in Grades 3 through 6 completed assessments in math and English language arts. She also shared a list of activities that engaged students at the end of the year, including the “Celebration of Learning” and a full-scale evacuation of the school under the direction of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department.

Case updated the full board on the community conversations held during spring to develop a new mission statement for Botelle. He elicited their comments and suggestions and will incorporate those before seeking feedback from the staff. Finally, Case noted that every student at Botelle will receive free breakfast in the upcoming school year. Students who now qualify for reduced-price lunches will now receive those free of charge. The meeting ended with an executive session to discuss Case’s performance as superintendent