Norfolk Then…

Members of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department are pictured in 1946 in front of their first home, the Royal Arcanum building on Station Place. The intertwined initials NVFD can still be found on either side of the arched opening where the Seagraves hose trucks were kept. A fire bell hung in the brick tower that […]

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 […]

Focus on New Firehouse shifts to funding

Costs likely to rise beyond initial $5 million estimate By Joe Kelly After months of sometimes contentious public hearings, plans for a new Norfolk firehouse are nearing the end of the wetlands/zoning part of the approval process and heading into a decisive new phase: finding the money to pay for it all. The Planning & […]

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 […]

Changes Around Town: Norfolk Businesses and Organizations are looking ahead to 2024

By Jude Mead and Patricia Platt For local business owners and other organizations, this is the time to start planning for 2024. It looks to be an exciting year for the community, with upcoming events, new trends and fun activities. Here are some things to look forward to in the months ahead. The Mountain Spirit […]

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 […]

A New Kind of Recycling

Fire Department Gets New Truck, Gives Old One to Public Works Department By Ruth Melville The Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department has recently purchased a new 2023 Ford F-350 brush truck, with a 225-gallon water tank and a 6-gallon fire-fighting foam cell. This smaller truck is good for handling brush fires and accessing difficult to reach […]

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 […]

New Firehouse Design Gets Scrutiny at P&Z Meeting

Public hearing to continue on Dec. 12 By Joe Kelly How do you blend a modern, utilitarian, 21st century building into a community that consists primarily of small, wood frame homes that are 100 to 200-plus years old? If the initial hearing on Norfolk’s new firehouse that took place before the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) […]

Fire Destroys Home on Route 272

On the afternoon of Nov. 23, the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department responded to a mutual aidcall at 3885 Hall Meadow Road (Route 272) just south of the Norfolk town line. When theyarrived, they found the house engulfed. Fire crews from Goshen, Drakeville, Winsted,Winchester Center and Colebrook assisted in fighting the fire. Two dogs were rescued, […]