Board of Education Hears from Former Consolidation Facilitator
By Avice Meehan Jonathan Costa had one piece of advice for Norfolk as a whole, and specifically for members of the Board of Education and the Board of Selectmen: speed is not your friend. Costa acted as a facilitator in the unsuccessful 2015 effort to bring Botelle Elementary School and the Colebrook Consolidated School into […]
Selectmen Discuss School Consolidation and Town Projects
By Ruth Melville The major topic of discussion at the Board of Selectmen’s first meeting of the year was the possible consolidation of the Botelle and Colebrook elementary schools. A previous plan to consolidate the two schools was rejected by Colebrook voters in 2015. Representing Botelle School at the Jan. 8 meeting were John DeShazo, […]
Cold Night – Brief Meeting for Wetlands Agency
By Susan MacEachron The Inland Wetlands Agency (Wetlands) meeting on Jan. 6 began inauspiciously with agency members standing in the frigid town parking lot, locked out of Town Hall. The only person with a key, Wetlands Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik, was on vacation. First Selectman Matt Riiska responded to a call for his assistance with […]
Board of Assessment Appeals Anticipates Busy Season
By Susan MacEachron Norfolk property owners who want to appeal the recent revaluation of their real estate, vehicle or personal property must file the completed application by 4p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Town Hall. No exceptions are made for applications filed after the deadline and the paperwork must include an original signature of the […]
Bridges Highlight Board of Finance Discussion
By Susan MacEachron At the Jan 14 Board of Finance (BoF) meeting, First Selectman Matt Riiska reported on the budget and the River Place financing. He noted that he also continues to follow-up with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Smith Road temporary bridge. Riiska […]
It’s Only Natural
Identifying Trees in Winter Can Be a Challenge By Jude Mead Identifying trees in winter can be a challenge, especially in places where snow covers the ground and deciduous trees stand bare. According to Dr. Mike Zarfos, the executive director of Great Mountain Forest (GMF), most people rely on looking at the leaves during the […]
Norfolk’s 2024 November and December Weather
The Weather Finally Changed By Russell Russ The weather during the first three weeks of November was an extension of the weather we had seen in September and October. Above-normal temperatures and very (very) little precipitation was the theme. The weather patterns finally changed on Nov. 22, when Norfolk finally said goodbye to the unusual […]
Measles Kills
By Richard Kessin Editor’s Note: Richard Kessin is Professor Emeritus of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. This column is adapted from one that appeared in The Lakeville Journal. In 1962, about 500,000 American kids got measles, with fever and spots made by the immune system reacting with the virus. […]
Learning Together At Botelle
Multi-age Classrooms Spans All Grades By Avice Meehan Picture this: First and second graders clustered in groups of three, working on identifying words to include in a glossary for reports about endangered animals. Their research topics range from bats to elephants, with a few amphibians thrown in for good measure. Primary school teacher Debra Tallon, […]
Norfolk Land Trust Partners to Create Forever-Wild Preserve
South Norfolk land will connect with Dennis Hill By Kelly Kandra Hughes Thanks to a new partnership between the Norfolk Land Trust (NLT) and Northeast Wilderness Trust, more of Norfolk’s woodlands will remain forever wild. Northeast Wilderness Trust, a Vermont-based conservation organization, has established a forever-wild conservation easement on a large block of NLT land […]
