Norfolk in Brief

In the Bag?

Selectmen are again discuss­ing whether to require residents who use the town’s transfer sta­tion to use special trash bags. The cost would be the same — it’s $2.50 to put a required sticker on a trash bag now, and if the town goes with special trash bags the cost would also be $2.50. But Remo “Butch” Vito, the town’s director of public works, said it would be much easier for transfer station employees to enforce the bags system, since the bags would be easy to iden­tify from a distance by color and shape. “I think the real issue is the oversight, the management,” Vito said.

About 40 percent of Norfolk residents are using trash bags larger than the 33-gallon bags the town says they’re supposed to use, said Bob McGhee, super­intendent

of the Department of Public Works.

Selectmen were skeptical. “Are we really losing a lot of money over this? I mean, this sounds like Big Brother to me,” said Selectman Jim Tomasze­wski. Stickers cost the town only 2 cents apiece, while the bags would cost 20 cents apiece.

“We’re basically buying their bags for them,” said Town Ad­ministrator Jack Hathaway. “Exactly. But I don’t want to lose 18 cents unless I’m making it up somewhere else,” said Se­lectman Jim Lehan. Selectman Rob Garrity, board chairman, noted that some towns in the area are re­quiring special trash bags. “It seems the trend is toward bags, and away from stickers,” Garrity said. Hathaway suggested it would be best if the trash bags aren’t easily breakable. “It would be nice if we have a good-quality bag,” Hathaway said.

Vito said the move to spe­cial bags might allow the pub­lic works department to lean more on part-time employees than full-time employees, which would save the town money. If the town goes ahead with the change, it wouldn’t take ef­fect until July 1, 2011, Vito said.

Norfolk, Franklin Could Share Water Superintendent

Norfolk and Franklin officials plan to discuss possibly sharing a water superintendent. Norfolk doesn’t have one but the town’s Department of Public Works has gotten the go-ahead from selectmen to hire one in the new fiscal year that starts July 1.

Meanwhile, neighboring Franklin is also looking for a wa­ter superintendent. Tough budget years have municipal officials interested in sharing services. King Philip and Norfolk elementary school officials, for instance, have dis­cussed the possibility of shar­ing a superintendent some time in the future, and the police departments of Norfolk, Wren­tham, and Plainville are discuss­ing combining into one adminis­trative structure.

Norfolk’s public works di­rector, Remo “Butch” Vito, said a Franklin official approached him about sharing a water su­perintendent. Vito said the savings could allow Norfolk to provide more staff to work on the town’s water system.

“When I first heard it I liked it, because now maybe we take some of that money and put somebody on the ground here,” Vito said.

Selectmen seemed enthusi­astic.

“What harm is there in talk­ing about it?” Selectman Jim Le­han said during the board meet­ing this past Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a great idea, I think,” said Selectman Jim Tomasze­wski. While talks are in the early stages, Vito said Norfolk’s pro­portion of the salary would like­ly be proportionate to the num­ber of town water customers. Norfolk’s system serves roughly one-quarter of the number of customers Franklin’s serves.