Wetlands Plans New Bridges Over Troubled Waters
By Susan MacEachron CHA Consulting and Garg Engineering presented plans for replacing the bridges over Hall Meadow Brook on Old Goshen Road and Smith Road at the Inland Wetlands Agency meeting on April 6. The work on Old Goshen Road is expected to begin in April 2027 and should be completed by the fall. The […]
P&Z Considers Compounds, Junk
By Susan MacEachron At the April 14 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting discussion of various regulations continued where it left off at the March meeting. The definition of a family compound was debated, as were aspects of regulations addressing junk and blight. Discussion of changes to the existing regulations for accessory dwelling units was postponed […]
Board of Finance Sends Budget to Town Vote
By Susan MacEachron First Selectman Henry Tirrell reviewed the proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27 with the Board of Finance at a meeting on April 14. The total cost to run the town and fund the schools is $9.4 million, a 2.05 percent increase over the current year. With a reduction in the capital reserve […]
Education With a Wink: Norfolk Sewer’s Posts Find Their Audience
Crew crafts cinematic wastewater must-reads By the Norfolk Sewer District Every town has its traditions. Some have parades. Some have festivals. Here in Norfolk, we have … wastewater updates on Facebook. This is not a typo or glitch. This is a fully committed, once-a-week situation. If you’ve ever opened the Norfolk Sewer District Facebook page […]
Cultivars, Nativars and Natives: The Lowdown
by Susannah Wood It’s May and gardening is in full swing. At nurseries and on gardening sites, beginners and enthusiasts often encounter plants labelled “cultivar” or “nativar,” as well as “native.” What is the difference between a cultivar and a nativar? If someone wants to support local ecosystems and biological diversity, are nativars a good […]
Noteworthy Natives: Arrowwood Viburnum
By Jill Chase For some, a mass of viburnums in bloom on the woodlands edge rivals the beauty of any formal garden around. The fresh white flowers on green foliage let you know that the spring garden season is well and truly on. There are several good varieties of viburnum—some produce blooms like snowballs, while […]
A Gathering
Poetry and Prose Bloom on the Porch By Nels White In 2015, a group from the United Church of Christ and the Norfolk community started getting together regularly to practice their writing skills and to share their inspirations. They called themselves the “Writer’s Group.” The late Eve Thew was an originator of the group, and […]
A Town Hall Treat for Pollinators
The Norfolk Nature Alliance sponsored a student native plant garden project at Town Hall. The Northwestern Regional 7 Agricultural Education Program/FFA arrived on a sunny Sunday to install the donated native shrubs and perennials.
Birds Now
A view on the prose and poetry of spring By Cheryl Heller As I write, the red-winged blackbirds are partying outside my window. Goldfinches, in their bright almost-summer feathers, make yellow polkadots in the dogwood that will flower any day. The phoebe (or her daughter) who has nested on our hanging porch light for the […]
Passing the Torch
Volunteers Key to Festival Connections By Jen Pfaltz Volunteers at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival will see a new face in a key role this season. After seven years as the Norfolk Local Coordinator of Volunteers, Tom Hodgkin is stepping aside and passing the torch to your correspondent, Jen Pfaltz. During his tenure, Hodgkin focused […]
