SELECTMAN’S CORNER
A Busy Norfolk Spring Has Arrived By Henry Tirrell Spring is officially here and so are the construction crews. The wall project along Route 44 has resumed activities, with temperatures providing better conditions for concrete. Excavation has begun at the site of the new firehouse to prepare for concrete foundation construction. In addition to those […]
School Budget, Truck Replacements Occupy Finance Board
By Susan MacEachron and Avice Meehan The Board of Finance held two meetings in March. On March 10, members heard presentations from the Botelle School Board of Education (BOE), the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD) and First Selectman Henry Tirrell. At a March 24 special meeting, Tirrell shared the draft town budget, sought BOF approval […]
Mountain Road Detour Set for April 6
Motorists, cyclists, runners and walkers who enjoy the view of Norfolk’s iconic snake fence on Mountain Road will soon need to find an alternate path to Westside Road or destinations accessed from further along Mountain Road, among them the Curling Club and the Norfolk Country Club. Starting in early April, crews from Dayton Construction will […]
Baffling Budget Move Needed
By Avice Meehan Norfolk voters will likely see an unusual item on the agenda for this year’s annual town meeting in May: A request to appropriate $58,366 for Botelle Elementary School for the current fiscal year. The action will ensure that Norfolk remains in compliance with a nearly 40-year-old state statute that sets out minimum […]
NORFOLK WEATHER
February 2026: Cold and Snowy By Russell Russ The strong winter of 2025-26 continued through February. Deep freeze conditions are defined by periods when the daily high temperature does not exceed 32 degrees for 10 consecutive days. Norfolk was under those conditions for 18 consecutive days between Jan. 23 and Feb. 9. A high of […]
Greening of Norfolk
Spicebush: A Four-Season Gem By Jill Chase As a gardener, bee keeper and amateur naturalist, I am always looking for those magical plants that check all the boxes. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is just such a plant. This undervalued shrub has much to offer. Spicebush starts the show early with a subtle display of bright green-yellow […]
BOOK TALK
Agility for the Win By Avice Meehan As Liz Tran worked on her first book, a conversation with a good friend made her realize that she needed to start over. If that wasn’t challenging enough, Tran found herself working inside a canvas camping tent during a hot Norfolk summer—just so that she could have decent […]
WORD TO THE WISE
Take Care to Avoid a Fall By Jude Mead After a long, icy winter that saw a spike in falls across town, residents are urged to look beyond seasonal hazards. While snow and ice can make conditions more dangerous, many serious falls occur daily during routine activities indoors, outdoors, or at work. The National Safety […]
Book Signing at the Library
Harriet Newman Cohen signs a copy of her newly-published book for Maura May after a riveting talk on March 21 at the Norfolk Library along with her coauthor David Feinberg. Their book, “Passion and Power: A Life in Three Worlds,” traces her ground-breaking career as a leading divorce attorney, from entering a male-dominated legal world […]
Work to Resume on Route 44 and New Firehouse
Warmer temps ensure concrete quality By Avice Meehan Two significant Norfolk projects that were put on hold because of below-zero temperatures this winter are expected to resume by mid-March: Reconstruction of two retaining walls along Route 44 and the construction of a new firehouse for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. Engineers for the state Department […]
