Selectman’s Corner

Speed Bumps and Trick or Treaters By Matt Riiska  In a recent Lakeville Journal article regarding the solar array at the Norfolk transfer station, the author, Jennifer Almquist, mentioned the SCEF or Eversource’s Shared Clean Energy Program. The program is designed to provide eligible electric customers with an opportunity to receive benefits from locally generated […]

Selectman’s Corner

Bridge Repairs move one slow step at a time By Matt Riiska The recent flooding in southern Litchfield County and northern Fairfield County was a reminder of how volatile mother nature can be. I feel sorry for the residents in that area. Seeing the news clips and talking to the agencies assisting in the cleanup […]

Selectman’s Corner

Considering the question of school consolidation… again By Matt Riiska For several years there have been discussions regarding the consolidation of school resources with our neighboring towns and member towns of Regional 7. In the early 1990s the member towns of Regional 7 studied and developed a plan to combine grades pre-K to 12 into […]

Selectman’s Corner

Summer Programs for Everyone By Matt Riiska People have often told me that I should write a book when I retire from this position, and they are probably right. With all the gossip and stories about some of the characters that live in Norfolk aside, the number of requests that come up are amazing—some good […]

Selectman’s Corner

Get Ready for Summer By Matt Riiska The budget process is over and received approval at the Annual Town Meeting on May 13. We all worked hard to keep the increase of 2.5 percent as low as we could but with our education spending increasing by $570,000, there was little we could do. With all […]

Selectman’s Corner

Volunteers Needed By Matt Riiska I have mentioned this before on a few occasions, but here we go again. We need volunteers to fill positions on many of our boards, commissions and committees, not to mention our ambulance and fire departments. We are currently looking for new members for the Inland Wetlands Agency and the […]

Selectman’s Corner

Rethinking the Waste Stream to Cut Costs and Reduce Landfills By Matt RiiskaOne topic that has always interested me, believe it or not, is the amount of municipal solid waste wegenerate, how we can reduce it and how we process what we cannot recycle. In recent posts I haveexpressed my concern that the cost for […]

Selectman’s Corner

2023 Was a Budget Breaking Year and the Projects Keep Coming By Matt Riiska The year 2023 was not a good one in Norfolk for our budget. Dealing with the issues created by the gas spill, the snowstorm in March and then the flooding in July, our budget was stretched to the breaking point. These […]

Selectman’s Corner

Let’s Be Careful Out There By Matt Riiska Mother Nature did not help to create a Currier and Ives Christmas in Norfolk, but West and Marie Lowe and their band of elves certainly made things festive. The Christmas trees with their white lights created a beautiful scene all through the town, especially once the snow […]

Selectman’s Corner

What a Year It Has Been By Matt Riiska To say that 2023 has been a long year is an understatement. It is hard to believe that one year ago a tanker truck completely disrupted Norfolk, spilling 8,200 gallons of gasoline. After months of clean-up, we are still trying to take care of all the […]