Cook for Goodness Sake!
“Back To The Womb” Lentil Loaf By Linda Garrettson I don’t know about anybody else, but going back to the womb—or childhood, at the very least—sounds like a good idea. Day dreams aside, memories of my post-war childhood in America are the next best thing. Back then, my biggest problem was the fact that our […]
Sidewalks Be Gone!
Town employees pulled up old sidewalk slates outside Norfolk’s United Church of Christ Congregational at the end of March and began filling the gap with topsoil trucked in for the purpose. Public Works Foreman Troy LaMere smoothed the way with a rake as colleague Tom Gorski graded the path, preparing it for grass seed. The […]
Maple Syrup Season Faced Weather Challenges
By Jude Mead Boiling sap for maple syrup, a beloved natural sweetener produced in Norfolk, is a seasonal ritual this time of year and has a longstanding cultural tradition throughout New England. This year, the treasured tradition was under threat because unfavorable weather conditions posed significant challenges to maple syrup producers. Russell Russ, property manager […]
Tariffs Pose Risks for Maple Syrup
Matt Gallagher, director of programs and operations at Great Mountain Forest, stokes a gleaming sap evaporator—emblem of potential challenges ahead for maple syrup producers. A possible tariff war between the United States and Canada could affect the maple business since most equipment used to make the product comes from Canada. Peter Gregg, publisher of The […]
Finance Board Gets First Budget Look
By Avice Meehan The Board of Finance (BoF) held two meetings on March 11: the first to hear a formal presentation of the budget for Botelle Elementary School and the second for a discussion with First Selectman Matt Riiska focused on the town’s preliminary budget. Chairman Michael Sconyers indicated that no final decisions on the […]
Norfolk Starts Superintendent Search
By Avice Meehan The Board of Education took three major actions at the March 11 meeting held at Botelle Elementary School: opened the search for a new school superintendent, approved the 2025-26 school budget and adopted a policy for managing unspent funds. Virginia Coleman-Prisco, board chair, opened the discussion about searching for a successor School […]
Appeals Board Grants Relief
By Susan MacEachron The Board of Assessment Appeals held three sessions in March for Norfolk residents seeking to dispute the assessed value of their personal property or real estate. The three-member board lowered assessed values for 23 homeowners for a total reduction in the Grand List of approximately $750,000. Chair Walter Godlewski said 33 people […]
Selectmen Consider Motor Vehicle Valuations, Draft Budget
By Avice Meehan A new method for valuing motor vehicles for tax purposes, a first look at the budget for fiscal 2025-26 and the challenges of dealing with multiple bridge projects were all on the agenda for the March 5 meeting of the Board of Selectmen. See related stories in this issue about meetings of […]
Norfolk’s Regional School Assessment to Drop
By Avice Meehan Norfolk’s Board of Finance and other residents had a first-hand opportunity to dive into the details of the proposed Northwestern Regional 7 budget for 2025-26 during March 26 workshop presentation held in the Botelle Elementary School cafeteria. The proposed budget for the regional middle and high school is $22,629,264, an overall increase […]
No Wetlands Permit Needed For Manor House Project
By Susan MacEachron The Inland Wetlands Agency addressed the question of whether a wetlands permit was required for the work proposed for 69 Maple Ave., known as The Manor House, at two successive meetings, a regular meeting on March 3 and a special meeting on March 10. The delay allowed Wetlands Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik […]
