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 […]
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 […]
