Norfolk’s Weather: August

Not the Best Summer Weather By Russell Russ  This August felt like a wet month. On paper, it was near average for both temperatures and rainfall, but with 21 of 31 days recording some amount of rainfall, it just seemed wet all month. Humid and cloudy days were common. There were no record high temperatures. […]

Eye on Town Government: Fire Marshall Gives Botelle a Positive Report

By Avice Meehan The Board of Education met Sept. 3 at Botelle Elementary School to review the most recent inspection by Fire Marshall Keith Byrne and receive an update on the first day of school.  In his presentation, Byrne reported that results of the annual walk through were largely positive, noting that old outlets need […]

Eye on Town Government: Smooth Ride on Maple, Slow Progress on bridges

By Susan MacEachron The status of town infrastructure projects was the primary topic at the Board of Finance meeting on Sept. 10.  First Selectman Matt Riiska reported on the reconstruction of Maple Avenue and the River Place bridge project.  It was noted that Norfolk’s Tax Collector, Sarah Bruso, had intended for her last day to […]

Eye on Town Government: Dog Parks Approved by Planning & Zoning

By Susan MacEachron At its meeting on Sept. 10 the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) approved dog park regulations, formed a subcommittee to address dark sky lighting concerns and scheduled a public hearing at 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 7 to review an application to install ground mounted solar panels. The Friends of the Norfolk Community […]

Eye on Town Government: Selectman to review new job descriptions

By Ruth Melville Since Sarah Bruso will shortly be resigning as the town tax collector, Town Hall has drafted a job description for the position, which First Selectman Matt Riiska presented at the Sept. 4 Board of Selectmen meeting. The draft will be voted on at next month’s meeting. Pam Pelletier, an experienced, certified tax […]

Notes from a French Kitchen

Preserving your garden bounty By Marie-Christine Perry Mushroom foraging, a beloved activity in France, is starting as autumn is turning woods into a rich tapestry. This to me usually means I need to bring my dehydrator from its basement storage, and indeed some friends recently took me to some of their chicken of the woods […]

Dog park, subdivision hearings held by p&z

By Susan MacEachron The Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) held two public hearings on Aug. 13. The first on a proposal to reduce the acreage required for a dog park from 20 acres to two and the second on a proposed re-subdivision of land on Sandisfield Road. Norfolk’s new Zoning Enforcement Officer (ZEO), Stacey Sefcik, […]

Riiska updates BOF on bridge repair costs

By Susan MacEachron The Board of Finance (BoF) heard about the increased cost of replacing the River Place bridge at its meeting on Aug. 13. The bridge reconstruction that began in the spring of 2022 was halted in the fall of 2022 and has recently recommenced. The cost has increased from the original estimate of […]

Updates on town projects at board of finance

By Ruth Melville First Selectman Matt Riiska proposed two appointments at the Aug. 7 meeting of the Board of Selectman: Rebecca Easton as an alternate on the Conservation Commission, and Philip Carr-Harris as an alternate to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Both appointments were approved by the board. In his monthly Selectman’s Report, Riiska first […]

town vote on firehouse likely in early november

Norfolk’s First Selectman Matt Riiska is planning a town vote on the new firehouse for early November. If approved, the town would then immediately solicit bids from construction companies with the hope of breaking ground in the Spring of 2025. “The earlier we can get on their schedules the better off we will be,” said […]