Next step for firehouse: federal funding
town waits approval of $1.5 million By Joe Kelly Before a vote on the new firehouse gets scheduled, the town is waiting to ensure that a promised allocation of $1.5 million in federal funds actually becomes available. The funds are already included in the federal government’s 2025 spending plan for the 2025 fiscal year, which […]
Firehouse Cost Estimated at $9.35 Million
Preliminary report sees price tag of $788 a square foot By Joseph Kelly Norfolk could spend as much as $9.35 million on a new firehouse according to a preliminary budget projection, but First Selectman Matt Riiska is pushing back on the numbers, expressing confidence that the actual cost will be hundreds of thousands dollars less. […]
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 […]
Questions raised about the new firehouse
Could costs be cut by sharing with EMS? Other towns? By Joe Kelly While plans are being developed for Norfolk to replace its current firehouse on Sheperd Road with a new building, Norfolk Now has invited readers to submit questions about this very significant project. Questions that have come up have revolved around cost savings […]
Why Such a big Firehouse?
Plans call for a near tripling of space By Joe Kelly As plans for a new Norfolk firehouse advance through the design and budgeting phases—and ultimately a town vote—one question comes up repeatedly: Why is the proposed firehouse, at 10,700 square feet, so much larger than the current one, which is just 3,800 square feet? […]
Firehouse Plans Buffeted by High Construction Costs
By Joe Kelly As it undertakes one of the largest and most significant public works projects in the town’s history—a new firehouse—Norfolk is also battling historically high construction costs. Since the onset of the Covid epidemic in 2020, construction materials have undergone price increases averaging 19 percent across the board, according to a report from […]
With P&Z Approval, Firehouse Heads into Budget Review
By Joe Kelly After being scrutinized and approved by both Norfolk’s Wetlands and Planning & Zoning (P&Z)Commissions, the plans for a new Norfolk firehouse on Shepard Road are now undergoing a detailedbudget estimate. The architects of the firehouse, Silver Petrucelli and Associates of Hamden, are converting their sketchesinto detailed blueprints that can be used by […]
Proposed Firehouse Focus of P&Z Hearing
By Susan MacEachron Members of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD) filled the room on Jan. 9 for the continuation of the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) public hearing on the proposed new firehouse. First on the agenda was the application to transfer some City Meadow land for the new firehouse. City Meadow and the […]
Letters
Zoning Regulations and the New Firehouse Over the past months, there has been much discussion about the current status of the zoning application for our new Norfolk firehouse. Some of that discussion suggests an incomplete understanding of how zoning applications must be processed under state law. As the chair of the Norfolk Planning and Zoning […]
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 […]
