Norfolk’s Weather puts John Allyn to the Test

By Dorothy Pam

When he started work in Norfolk on December 10, John Allyn did not know that the next day he would be tested by a mighty ice storm. Ice encased every twig and branch, turning the roads into a crystal palace of glittering trees. Power lines tangled in branches snapped under the weight. Naturally, they needed to be cleared before the road crew could do their job. “CT Light and Power had their hands full with outages all over the state,” Allyn explained, “but once they got here they worked like gangbusters.” Taking only the most needed breaks and sleeping on cots, the Norfolk crew of Bob Chicoine, Tom Gorski, Jay Bottass, Sean Muzzulin, and Steve Drumm worked for six days tackling every town road. When the Doolittle area and Wheeler Road were finally opened up they could look forward to a deserved day of rest. Allyn was very impressed with Norfolk’s patience and courtesy. “At one point a woman came outside to offer me a cup of coffee,” he said. No sooner had the ice storm been dealt with, when Norfolk was blanketed with 12 inches of snow. John Allyn has eight years of experience as an Assistant Road Foreman in Falls Village, and was the Road Foreman in Morris for over 21 years. Concurrently, he has been taking courses from UConn towards the 1000 hours of instruction required for the Associate Road Masters certificate, which covers all aspects of road repair and construction. Mr. Allyn finds being part of a network of people with similar problems and goals helpful. He can always contact his fellow members of the Litchfield Hills County Road Foremen Association or the Technical Institute at UConn for advice and information on new products. For example, we use Magic Salt on the roads, a salt treated with agricultural byproducts to enhance its effectiveness, especially in below zero weather. It is good for 200-300 pounds per mile versus regular salt and sand which require1200–1400 pounds, as well as being longer lasting and safe for vegetation. We will most likely use 1000 tons this winter. Mr. Allyn’s crew of five men at the town garage and one at the transfer station handle the huge machinery you see on the roads. They are monstrous machines cheerfully painted in lively colors. The yellow pay loader that loads trucks; the blue ten-wheeler with snow plow on the front and box for sand and de-icer in the back; the pale yellow John Deere road grader for maintaining roads, and the one ton dump truck. The backhoe is used by Tom Clark at the Transfer Station. With all of that equipment, people wonder why pot holes aren’t filled sooner. Allyn explains that “We have to wait until O&G, the company in Torrington that makes the hot patches, determines that it’s warm enough to be able transport the hot material to the site. We can wait a long time for warm weather around here.” When spring comes in April, after the damaging winter months of February and March, the town crew will survey the roads to prioritize repair and reconstruction. Tasks include cleaning up the sand, regrading the dirt roads, cutting trees, patching pot holes, repairing ditches and drainage, clearing waterways under roads, and maintenance. Budget constraints will be a necessary part of the decision making. His 21 years as a Tree Warden in Morris serves Allyn in good stead when he has to make difficult decisions about which trees present a danger and must be cut down. A smile breaks out on Mr. Allyn’s face when talking about his four children. The otherwise reserved man will proudly tell you about Megan and Jonothan in college, Sarah at Housatonic (Allyn’s alma mater) and seventh grader, Christy. John Allyn lives on Music Mountain in Falls Village with his wife of 22 years, Dawn, a special education teacher at the East School in Torrington John Allyn has been a volunteer fireman in Falls Village for 34 years, serves on the Board of Finance and loves golf.