Many Thanks from Norfolk Curling Club

On behalf of the Norfolk Curling Club (NCC), we would like to thank everyone in Norfolk and the surrounding towns for their support in making Wine on Ice V, our fifth annual wine tasting fundraiser, a huge success.

We are most appreciative of our lead sponsors, Ledgebrook Wine & Spirits of Winsted and Stateline Wine & Spirits of Canaan in addition to our supporting sponsors, Norbrook Brewery of Norfolk, Great Falls Brewery of Canaan and Full Moonshine of Canton.

A heartfelt thank you to our local restaurateurs who tirelessly support Norfolk fundraisers and who once again donated tasty hors d’oeuvres to Wine on Ice V: Wood Creek Bar & Grill; Infinity Hall & Bistro and Berkshire Country Store.

We are also grateful for the silent auction donations we received from local businesses Infinity Hall & Bistro, Domaney’s Liquors, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Salisbury Wines, Big Elm Brewery, Morsel Munk, and Critter’s Sitters as well as all of the donations we received from individuals.

Finally, we thank everyone who stopped in to taste some wine, watch some curling, shop at the silent auction, mingle with friends and support NCC. As a non-profit organization, NCC works hard to promote the sport of curling by offering educational opportunities for a wide variety of groups, such as schools, corporate retreats and the general public.

Thank you again and good curling.

Caryn Trager
Co-Chair, Wine on Ice V

Traffic Calming Project

We’d like to bring your readers up to date on the latest developments in our effort to address concerns about traffic flow through the center of Norfolk—mainly along Route 44. With First Selectman Matt Riiska as our primary contact with the state’s Department of Transportation (DOT), Norfolk’s Economic Development Commission is working on a multi-pronged plan that will include collaboration with other town organizations and committees.

Our first priority has been to secure the safety of children attending the Norfolk Early Learning Center and the Botelle School, as well young people participating in activities in the town playground adjacent to Botelle. Unfortunately, our interaction with DOT has proceeded more slowly than we had hoped, and working through the various layers of bureaucracy more laborious than it should be. With children’s well-being at stake, we would have expected to see a greater sense of urgency at DOT.

The moderately good news is that Matt’s persistence has resulted in an internal DOT recommendation memo proposing the removal of the crosswalk at Laurel Way Extension and the installation of “School Speed Limit 30 MPH When Flashing” signs (both east and westbound) to be operative during peak periods of the day. This is not everything we need to get done, but it’s a good start.

The internal DOT memo does not guarantee action, and additional pressure needs to be exerted to get us over the finish line. To that end, we’d appreciate the support of the Norfolk community at large, especially parents and students, in an email/phone campaign to encourage the approval of this plan—with one adjustment: given the intensity of vehicles accelerating down the hill in front of Botelle (particularly the tractor trailer traffic), we’d like the speed limit to be reduced further from DOT’s recommended 30 mph to 25 mph. Our citizens’ help in communicating this will get the attention at DOT that our children deserve.

We encourage your readers to contact David A. Sawicki, Executive Director, CT DOT, at David.sawicki@po.state.ct.us or at 860-594-3020.

We’ll be sure to keep Norfolk Now informed as this and our other traffic calming projects materialize.

Bill Brown
Economic Development Commission

Living Catalog of Events

Have you seen the beautifully re-designed Norfolk town website—at www.norfolkct.org? Managed by the Norfolk Economic Development Commission and funded by the Coalition for Sound Growth, the new site provides both a vital municipal resource as well as information on events and activities of interest to both residents and visitors.

One of our most important responsibilities is to ensure that our events calendar on the site’s home page is inclusive and up to date. To that end, we invite businesses, civic committees, and other NGO’s to keep us informed of organization and committee meetings open to the public, major town events such as celebrations and fundraisers, and activities of interest to out of town visitors such as concerts, fairs and tours. The best way to keep us updated is by email at info@norfolkct.org.

With all the many wonderful things Norfolk offers, it will be difficult—no, impossible– to keep up without your help. Our hope is to create a complete “living catalog” of Norfolk events, and in the future, we can develop many more ways to use Internet communications to benefit our community. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Libby Borden
Chairman, Economic Development Commission