Norwood Board Votes to Close on Kofsky Farm, Forms Two Advisory Committees

NORWOOD — April 29, 2026 — Norwood Select Board authorizes Kofsky Farm closing and launches two citizen advisory committees. The board voted unanimously April 29 to authorize Town Manager Anthony Mazzucco to sign all documents necessary to close on the Kofsky Farm property, with closing expected within 30 days — more than 20 years after the site was first identified as the town's top open space priority. The board simultaneously established a nine-to-eleven-member Kofsky Farm Advisory Committee to develop a strategic plan for the land's future use, with Chair Ryan Lane to work alongside Mazzucco on recruitment; Mazzucco said roughly a dozen residents have already expressed interest before any formal posting. A separate Housing Advisory Committee, focused on designing a CPA-funded affordable home ownership program potentially routed through the town's Affordable Housing Corporation, was also approved unanimously. Fire Chief Tim Bailey reported the department's aerial ladder truck is out of service for three to four weeks awaiting parts, with Walpole lending a replacement; two state-grant-funded gear washers were being installed the following morning. Police Chief Christopher Patten briefed the board on World Cup preparations, a DEA task force seizure of 12 kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of fentanyl, and Norwood's hosting role for the Metro regional cyber crime lab.