Financial Woes Discussed at Board of Finance Meeting
By Susan MacEachron The budget deficit facing the town from the July flooding clean-up, ongoing costs from the gas spill, and recent trouble with the Botelle School boilers were discussed at the Board of Finance (BoF) meeting on Nov. 14. First Selectman Matt Riiska said he is working with the state to get Local Capital […]
Agenda at Selectmen’s Meeting Includes Storm Damage, Road Work, Firehouse
By Ruth Melville At its Nov. 1 meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted to extend Joe Stannard’s term on the Historic District Commission to Nov. 30, 2028. First Selectman Matt Riiska reported that Michael Halloran is retiring as Norfolk’s zoning enforcement officer. Colebrook’s zoning enforcement officer has expressed an interest in the position. Riiska said […]
P&Z Discuss Re-Subdivision and The Firehouse
By Susan MacEachron Two Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) public hearings were held on Nov. 14. The re-subdivision of a lot on Sunset Ridge Road was approved. P&Z heard from the architect and engineer about the design of the proposed new firehouse. The firehouse public hearing was continued to the Dec. 12 meeting. See article […]
Winter Solstice Occurs Dec. 21
The Celestial Sphere By Mathew Johnson The word “solstice” comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to not move). Thus “Winter solstice” means “Sun stands still in Winter.” During the Earth’s revolution around the sun, two solstices occur, the summer one in June and the winter one in December. This year, the winter solstice […]
Cook! For Goodness Sake!
A Peace Meal for the New Year By Linda Garrettson I think it was Einstein who said that true intelligence is the ability to see the similarities not the differences. If so, what could be a better metaphor for smarts than a good meal of regional foods shared among regional people, despite religious, cultural, or […]
Norfolk’s October 2023 Weather
Warm Autumn Weather By Russell Russ October this year was a pleasant weather month. Temperatures were well above average and there were few days with any precipitation. There were just two days with frost at most Norfolk locations (Oct. 24 and 31) and there was no snowfall during the month. October firmly held onto autumn […]
Out and About: Mining a Family’s History in the Hills of North Canaan
By Jude Mead Limestone quarries have played an essential role in the economic history of the Northwest Corner. Tim Hitchcock, a local resident, and his ancestors have been an important part of that history since the 1800s. Six generations of his family have lived and watched the town of North Canaan grow and change over […]
Around the Green
Gather Ye Poets at the Norfolk Library By Bina Thomson “That time of year thou mayst in me behold/ When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang/ Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,/ Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.” The words of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 rang out through the […]
P&Z Sets Public Hearings for Firehouse, Sunset Ridge Land
By Susan MacEachron At the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) meeting on Oct. 10, Lisa Reed was approved to become an alternate member of the commission, replacing Wiley Wood, who became a regular member of P&Z. Applications for the proposed new firehouse and a subdivision on Sunset Ridge Road were accepted. Public hearings on the two […]
July Rainstorms Leave Town Underwater Financially
By Susan MacEachron At its meeting on Oct. 10, First Selectman Matt Riiska provided the Board of Finance (BoF) with an update on the significant expenses the town incurred from the July rainstorms and flash flooding. He stated the flooding cleanup and repair cost the town $566,291. Riiska explained that the town’s application for Federal […]
