![Major construction begins on Route 44 in Norfolk](https://lakevillejournal.com/media-library/slope-being-cleared-of-trees-at-the-junction-of-route-44-and-old-colony-road-in-norfolk-as-part-of-ct-dot-project-97-95.jpg?id=52025029&width=1200&height=900)
Slope being cleared of trees at the junction of Route 44 and Old Colony Road in Norfolk as part of CT DOT Project 97-95
Jennifer Almquist
Slope being cleared of trees at the junction of Route 44 and Old Colony Road in Norfolk as part of CT DOT Project 97-95
NORFOLK — For the next five years, travel on Route 44 will be reduced to one lane in Norfolk, also known as Greenwoods Road West, for the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) to replace existing retaining walls and stabilize the slope along the north side of the road for the safety of the highway.
Last week, DOT Project 97-95, as the extensive undertaking is called, was green lit to begin. Over time the stone retaining walls along the roadway have bulged from the pressure exerted by the angle of the slope and years of heavy rains. In 2010 a mudslide occurred in the affected section of highway which extends from just west of Memorial Green to east of Old Colony Road. In 2019 DOT installed temporary concrete bin blocks, or Mafia barriers (so-called because cement production of them used to be controlled by the mob), along the base of the existing walls due to their movement.
Amy Hare, head engineer for Project 97-95, emphasized the level of preliminary work necessary. Already one family has had to relocate, and their hillside home was just razed. Currently, the town’s water company, Aquarion, is analyzing and relocation of underground water pipes from that section of highway.
Next, Eversource will remove and reconfigure all affected utility poles. Many trees need to be cleared on the slope and on Old Colony Road. The entire site was surveyed. To stabilize the slope during excavation, timber lagging (involves wiring series of wooden slats together to form a blanket) followed by soil anchors will be driven into the hillside to create a supporting wall. Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) held by metal straps will also be used. Stones removed from the old walls will be available for use by the Town of Norfolk.
The Renkert family, who lost their home, said that they were approached 10 years ago by the state about the need for this construction project. They were sad to leave Norfolk after having raised their children in that home for 19 years and having put considerable work into its renovation.
Mrs. Renkert noted that “the guys from the state were compassionate — really terrific — businesslike, responsive and professional.” The Renkerts say that they were fairly compensated by the state and are comfortable in their new home.
While many adjacent areas will be affected by the construction, DOT is exercising caution to avoid disrupting the cemetery on Old Colony Road. Established in 1757, Norfolk’s historic Center Cemetery is located on the ridge above the unstable slope. Care has been taken to ensure that the integrity of the sacred space will not be violated. Working closely with cemetery officials, project planners established strict protocols to protect the graves and historic markers. Work vehicles entering the cemetery must fit between the two stone gate markers. Radar will be used to establish gravesites. Vulnerable areas will be clearly marked, and a temporary alternate access road will be built. All work will stop when there is a funeral. During the construction process, the public will continue to have access to all burial areas.
Traffic flow on Route 44 is already feeling the impact of the work. One lane will always be kept open wide enough for trucks to pass. An alternate 45-minute detour truck route was devised to move traffic south on 272 (near the Norfolk Library), to Route 4 to Goshen, to Route 63, then looping back up Route 7 to Canaan. Large interstate truckers can either use the suggested detour or go north to use the Mass Pike. For the smaller, local trucking companies the impact will be more severe. Delays that cut down the number of daily runs they can drive will affect their bottom line, according to the folks at George’s Garage in Norfolk. It is too early to fully predict the degree to which travel will be affected. Temporary illumination will be in place for night traffic.
When Project 97-95 is complete, the map area designated as Site #1 will have a retaining wall 1,030-feet-long, 30 to 42-feet-tall, with decorative fencing along the top. Site #2 will have a retaining wall approximately 490 feet long and will be 6-19 feet tall. The current steep slope of 1:1 (45 degrees) will be reduced to 2:1 (27 degrees). The multiple drainage systems along Route 44 that discharge directly into Blackberry River will be reconstructed and consolidated.
The improved highway will have 12-foot-wide lanes. Carving back the banks for the walls will create a wider roadway. Existing narrow shoulders will be widened to five feet allowing for a safer bicycle route. Route 44 is part of the statewide bicycling network.
The retaining walls will be made of segmented pre-cast concrete panels with an architectural “natural stone” finish to be selected by the town of Norfolk. Turf replacement using conservation grass seeds, and small plantings (to retain sightlines) will be established, following environmental and native-species guidelines.
The estimated cost of Project 97-95 is $24 million, with 80% coming from federal funds, and 20% from state funds. While Norfolk will not have to pay directly for the project, the indirect cost and inconvenience will be significant.
Norfolk First Selectman Matt Riiska acknowledged both the cost and the need, “This project has been discussed for a long time. The amount of planning and coordination has been the Department of Transportation’s focus for many years. We have neglected our infrastructure for far too long. Unfortunately, it is going to be another disruptive project for the residents in Norfolk, but these things must be done.”
Salvatore Aresco is the Project Manager for CT DOT Project 97-95.
Abstract art display in Wassaic for Upstate Art Weekend, July 18-21.
WASSAIC — Art enthusiasts from all over the country flocked to the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley to participate in Upstate Art Weekend, which ran from July 18 to July 21.
The event, which “celebrates the cultural vibrancy of Upstate New York”, included 145 different locations where visitors could enjoy and interact with art.
On Saturday, July 20, The Wassaic Project hosted numerous community events. Will Hutnick, the director of artistic programming, said “We’ve been a part of it since the beginning, this is the fifth year of UPAW.”
Most of the action was based at Maxon Mills, the seven-floor grain mill located in the heart of Wassaic. On exhibit was work from 30 artists, 18 of whom were past residents of The Wassaic Project. “Artists can come and do a residency here, meaning they live and work with one another for a couple months at a time,” Hutnick stated.
The first floor held work by Petra Szilagyi, who uses dirt and linseed oil to construct images of paranormal concepts, most of which include bats. They reflected that a recent trip to a fifth sense competition in Vietnam was the influence behind the exhibit.
Across the floor was Tiffany Smith’s interactive installation which incorporated plants and wicker chairs, all of which were objects associated with her Carribean upbringing. “The room being filled with plants is symbolic of hurricane prep which often included bringing the plants from outside into the house,” Smith said.
As visitors made their way up the narrow wooden stairs, music could be heard from behind the walls. The echoing music was Daniel Shieh’s installation, entitled Mother’s Anthem, which played a recording of the American Anthem in 30 languages. The languages ranged from Spanish and Italian to Navajo and Bengali.
Each floor was filled with artwork of all mediums, including painting, fibers, collage and photography. Rachel Bussières, who switched her concentration after watching the 2017 solar eclipse, uses varying light sources to produce lumen prints. During the wildfires, she recounted that she “made a new exposure each day to capture the changing air quality”.
Luciana Abait also incorporates the natural world into her pieces, instead using maps. An environmental activist originally from Argentina, Abait’s work highlights “environmental fragility, specifically the impacts it has on immigrants.” Her installation that is currently on display at Maxon Mills, takes the form of a mountain range built solely from maps of the US and Argentina.
Throughout the day, visitors could “Arm Wrestle 4 A Popsicle”. Winners had the choice of 3 playfully flavored trout-inspired popsicles - Nightcrawler, Power Bait, and Salmon Roe. Artist Katie Peck, who spent the day in costume as a rainbow trout, encouraged guests to step up and try their hand at an arm wrestle.
Shibori Indigo dyeing, group meditation, and dance workshops were open for community members of all ages as well.
While the daytime activities fostered appreciation of fixed art, a dance party until midnight at The Lantern Inn offered guests a space for performative art.
When describing the environment of The Wassaic Project, Smith emphasized, “It’s all community, it’s all love.”
A serene scene from the Amenia garden tour.
AMENIA — The much-anticipated annual Amenia Garden Tour drew a steady stream of visitors to admire five local gardens on Saturday, July 13, each one demonstrative of what a green thumb can do. An added advantage was the sense of community as neighbors and friends met along the way.
Each garden selected for the tour presented a different garden vibe. Phantom’s Rock, the garden of Wendy Goidel, offered a rocky terrain and a deep rock pool offering peaceful seclusion and anytime swims. Goidel graciously welcomed visitors and answered questions about the breathtaking setting.
Amenia Finance Director Charlie Miller welcomed visitors to his Bog Hollow Road garden in Wassaic, a manicured expansive yard with well-placed garden beds framing a far-reaching view. He said he plans carefully each winter for the next spring’s improvement.
The organic, environmentally responsible Maitri Farm was next, a lesson in coordinating agriculture with natural balance. The farm stand and a walk among the greenhouses brought visitors together.
Near the center of Amenia was the garden of Polly Pitts-Garvin, offering a chance to visit a robust vegetable garden with raised beds to be envious of and a remarkable absence of any insects or usual vegetable garden problems.
At Chez Cheese, the vast garden acreage surrounding the 1850s historic home of Joan Feeney and Bruce Phillips in Millerton, visitors could begin at refreshment stations where walking tour maps of the 15-acre property were available. There were streams and ponds with docks, and a dozen bridges arranged around the landscape. In the 19th-century, the property had been the home of the Wilson Cheese Factory, inspiring the name of the estate.
The Amenia Garden Tour was supported this year by Paley’s Garden Center in Sharon.
Gary Dodson working a tricky pool on the Schoharie Creek, hoping to lure something other than a rock bass from the depths.
PRATTSVILLE, N.Y. — The Schoharie Creek, a fabled Catskill trout stream, has suffered mightily in recent decades.
Between pressure from human development around the busy and popular Hunter Mountain ski area, serious flooding, and the fact that the stream’s east-west configuration means it gets the maximum amount of sunlight, the cool water required for trout habitat is simply not as available as in the old days.
This is not a new phenomenon. It does seem to be getting worse, though.
Gary Dodson and I convened where the creek makes its final run into the Schoharie reservoir, part of the New York City water supply system, on a semi-broiling Thursday afternoon, July 11.
The goal was simple. Catch smallmouth bass, which abound in the lower section of the river.
This was hot stuff — as in an 80-degree water temperature.
The air temperature was actually slightly less at 77.
After negotiating the intensely slippery rocks, festooned with treacherous algae, the first major pool presented several difficulties, with a back eddy competing with a main flow and several large trees draped about the whole thing.
I hit on the simplest strategy, which was to flip a weighted attractor fly called a Tequilley into the start of the eddy so it would proceed slowly but steadily into the maelstrom, sinking all the while.
This worked. A proper adult smallmouth, with bronze coloring and vertical stripes, took the thing.
The point-and-shoot camera finally died, however, and I was not going to try to fumble my phone out for a nice but routine fish photo.
Why not?
Because I guarantee the fish would have made a sudden, last-moment bolt for freedom, causing me to drop the device into the drink.
Gary moved downstream while I continued trying to annoy the residents of the pool, succeeding a couple of times with different colored Wooly Buggers.
Then we all got bored and I moved off, where Gary was catching rock bass and cussing them out for not being something else.
I have to admit, they are not the most compelling critters. Something about the red eyes.
This latest trip was dominated by extremely tedious and distasteful Harry Homeowner activities, but on both Wednesday and Thursday mornings I prowled Woodland Valley Creek. By “morning” I mean “dawn,” because that was when the water temps were down to a barely acceptable 64.
I made the acquaintance of several stocked browns and of a handful of their wild cousins. The wild fish are smaller and nimbler.
The successful ploy was an Adams wet fly, size 16, drifted behind something big, like a Parachute Adams or Stimulator.