Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Clever Commute - video

I have posted previously about Clever Commute and what a good idea it is. Josh Crandall, the guy behind the idea, has this video to explain how Clever Commute works.




It is free and it works because you, and I, and others on the Franklin Line make it work.

Join Clever Commute here

Cafe Dolce - Updated slides

I had a slide show of photos taken before Cafe Dolce opened. I added some to the set from opening day.

Updated 4/13/09 - more pictures were added from the "grand opening" held on 4/13/09.



Enjoy!

BTW - you can visit their website here

Garnet Rogers - Circle of Friends Coffeehouse



Famed Canadian performer Garnet Rogers will be appearing at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse on Saturday, April 18th at 8:00 PM. Garnet has established himself as "one of the major talents of our time". Hailed by the Boston Globe as a "charismatic performer and singer", Garnet is a man with a powerful physical presence and a voice to match. With his "smooth. dark baritone" his incredible range, and thoughtful, dramatic phrasing, Garnet is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the finest singers anywhere. His music, like the man himself, is literate, passionate, highly sensitive, with a deep purpose. An optimist at heart, Garnet sings extraordinary songs about people who are not obvious heroes and of the small victories of the everyday. As memorable as his songs, his over the top humor and lightning-quick wit moves his audience from tears to laughter and back again. Garnet suggests that you bring a non-perishable food item as a donation to the Franklin Food Pantry.
The next show
Saturday,
April 18th, 8:00PM

GARNET ROGERS
with special guest
Marc Douglas Berardo $15


You can purchase tickets in advance through the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse website

Monday, April 6, 2009

"Consistency is the key"

Cafe Dolce is open and doing good business based upon time I spent there this morning.

“It'll take time. He'll do well. It is not easy to get established.” Dominic Narducci said.

Maggie Glassman and Xuen Wguven sat talking at one of the tall tables. Maggie is one of the English as a Second Language tutors from the Franklin Library. “I love it. We'll make this our regular coffee spot. We'll come by at least once a week.” She found an open parking spot across the street and fed it some change to cover their time talking over coffee.

Gary Razzonate is glad Cafe Dolce is open. He and his family had moved to Franklin from the Roslindale/Jamaica Plain section of Boston. Being a city person, he loved having the Zeotrope and MelDiva's within walking distance. Unfortunately, he only got to the movies a couple of times before it closed and then MelDiva's closed shortly after. “It was disheartening to see the downtown so empty. My daughter loved to go to MelDiva's. She was crushed when it closed. This is great! I'll walk here, allow a few minutes to get coffee before getting on the train.”

John P Murphy III and I talked for some time while he was connecting with a friend or two to stop down. “This town is full of real working people. The number of masons and landscapers per capita must be the highest in the state.” He looks forward to coming back to sit with his laptop like he used to across the street at MelDiva's. “This is a good place. I really hope they make it.”

Advice for making it here? “Consistency. I had a sandwich at a pizza place on Friday. It was good, a nice Italian. I go back on Sunday, get the same sandwich and it's not the same thing. What'd they do? Consistency is the key. You know what they're going to do, what it's going to be.”

CafeDolce: Leisa, Samantha


Best of luck to BJ, David, Leisa and Samantha!

Breakfast is being served!

Cafe Dolce is open for business downtown Franklin!

Financial Planning Committee - Focus Group - Part 2

These are the notes from the second session of the Focus Group held Thursday night by the Financial Planning Committee. The first session was spent reviewing the detailed 30-odd page report. This session covered the Executive Summary (approx. 10 pages). This session you won't read about in the Milford Daily News.

The same conventions mentioned for the first session are used here.

Second session – Focus Group

Financial Planning Committee - observers (Gwen Wilschek, Matt Kelly, Jim Roche, Rebecca Cameron)

Facilitator - Doug Hardesty

Focus Group participants (note, I tried to come close to spelling your name correctly based upon the round of introductions. If there are mis-spellings, please let me know and I will correct them.)

Tom Duval (?)

Ramsey Kurdy (?)

Kaitlyn Cronin

Sara Lawrence

Liz Kennedy

Louis Landry

Joe Cappels (?)

Jim Schliefke

Jean Silba (?)

Mark Scurella (?)


Doug's opening comments -

Good honest, unbiased information on where we are and outlook for next 5 years

Come to the table with the same set of facts.

How to digest all that we hear and come to a conclusion.


What are your 2 or 3 key takeaways or messages?

As we all know, the expenses of the Town have outpaced the aid from the state. We have to figure out a way to bring them closer together. That's the main gist of this.

I agree, then add that “gee we are getting an extraordinary value for what we are getting.”

I have to say I am shocked by the amount of state aid we get compared to our peers.

That is also disconcerting, it is a risk, what happens next year or year after? What is the strategy, what are our other options?

I can remember a long time ago, when my son was very young, Jim Vallee said this (the state revenue) is great but at some point we are going to have to pay our fair share. My son was 18 months old and Jim was saying this is going to be a problem, now my son is 17.

Five years ago, no one wanted to burst the bubble, we started taking from the stabilization instead of looking at the discrepancy.

We are efficient with what we do have, how do we increase, we are limited by prop 2.5.

What if we raised the commercial tax a buck? Doesn't that mean only that our residential tax goes down a buck? There isn't really an increase overall.

We have a single tax rate, not a split tax rate. We did comparisons carefully to ensure we were comparing apples to apples not apples to oranges.

When I look at some of these towns, Medfield, look at, Natick, Foxboro.

I can't imagine all of these towns have the same amount of corporate taxes as we have.

We picked towns with single tax rate, took into account the mix, tried to get clear peer comparisons.

Are towns with dual tax rates, in the same circumstances?

I think it might be good to point out you still get the same amount of revenue. It can't increase it more than 2.5%

There are people in this town that are facing a decision about staying here or not.

Consider the split tax, as one of the options? Exploring. The answer might be no. If we did that and lost EMC that would be a consideration.

Do the due diligence.

Page 2 - Spending levels are low. Look at the debt and when it will be paid off, compare the debt service. I'd like to see that compared to the other towns. Is that part and parcel to the debt. We have built the Senior ctr, two fire stations, schools, when is that being paid off, will that free up some cash for future use?

Did you have a reaction as you went through this? What was it?

The projections for 2014, that more than anything drives home that something needs to be done

The one that jumped out at me was the 31 percent contribution, that is a concern.

When we see the school deficit at 3.5 million, is there a town side, why don't we see that?

Teacher population relatively young, income rises quicker. Teachers required to get masters within five years. State wide, nation wide teacher salaries will increase at a faster rate.

Can we clarify pension costs esp. on the teacher side? What surprised me was the lack of surprises, kudos to those who have been saying this for years, to me, it is nothing new.

The pensions for the teachers are self funding, the town does not pay towards teacher pensions. I know that last year some town leaders said otherwise and that is not true.

Well then, why did the article last week talk about the teacher who would be retiring and complaining about not getting 2,000?

You get your pension determined by the last three years of your salary, and then you get 80% of that. So if she took the freeze for one year, she would lose that amount for the rest of her life.

That article was not well reported, you can't only read the newspaper.

I had to read the article three times to understand it.

For many years I only lived and slept here, never read the Gazette, checked out the pictures to see if there was someone I knew, never recognized anyone. I read the Globe but there is very little coverage in the Globe. I just started reading the Gazette to find out if they are going to take away full day kindergarten. Talk to another reporter at the Globe, maybe you will pick up a different set of people in the Globe to spread the word.

Do you feel this is accurate and unbiased?

I think you can. Nothing here surprises me, I have been waiting for this for 20 years. This is an excellent document. I don't know how to get people to read it, or to just ask one more question. They seem set, angry about some one thing. I don't know how to get passed that.

As an example. Jefferson/Remington, when it was opening, we sent out 1000 letters to pre-school parents, one person came. We tried to get the Globe, they wouldn't come. How do you get people to have the conversation?

That is a problem, I don't know where people are getting their information. My perspective is relatively uninformed. The “found money” is coming back to bite us, the numbers appear to conflict.

Where has this document been? Should it not be mailed to every home every week? I'll take it myself, forget giving it to the post office. I think it is really important to get this.

Should we have their mother sign off?

They should!

What are the next steps?

The goal of the exec summary is to not have to read the 30 page report. The goal is to get the right information into the hands of the citizens. We have a community forum planned for April 27th. It is not realistic that even if we get in it to every hand, that they will read it understand.

I would really consider mailing it to every home. There is a certain segment of the population that are not given the facts.

And understanding what the implications are of this, we say it at a high level, but what are the specifics?

We are up to the part of solving the problem. We haven't done that. It is clear that we need to take action. The last page gets into these are the some of the levers we have at our disposal. Does it appear that we are advocating or downplaying?

You are downplaying the override. That is fine. It is the last item on the page, we need to explore it.

We always seem to go through the steps before we have the override. The steps don't get us to where we need to be, so the override comes up. It seems like we go through the steps,

I had a good assessment, it increased and the taxes went up, override raised more (I voted for it), and the taxes went up again. Then you cried wolf again for another override. I didn't vote for that one. I wanted to see how it played out. I don't have kids in the schools. We give the impression that this is what it is.

The high school seemed it was like a huge debacle, you couldn't get a decent contractor, or you got the highest priced one. The library is falling apart, they are trying to fix it but it is fallen down. Every year here, you have asked for more money.

Never gets done, keeps sucking the tax payers dry.

That is the perception. In the area of Franklin that I live, there are houses going up every where, McMansions everywhere with families, there are houses that weren't here 9 years ago, how are you not getting more money? A lot of people in those homes don't have eight kids, they have one child, maybe.

I actually wrote that down, has the infrastructure has been surpassed by the growth of the Town?

They haven't increased to support those new neighborhoods. There are more roads to plow, more trash to pick up, don't need police to go there, no gangs there. I could be naive.

There is gap between what we see and what we are being told related to finances. What are the What are the horror stories you hear and see.

Everything in the schools has been getting cut three years in a row, the town side of the budget is mismanaged. It seems like the town has made the choice to invest in the town, not the schools.

The town gets to set the budget and they have made the choice to invest in the capital and not in the schools, that is a choice. People see the new buildings and don't understand the difference between the capital and operations.

The newspaper doesn't help. We are loosing 60 teachers and then the paper says we have a million dollars of “free cash”. Doesn't make sense. Using stabilization funds for re-curring cost before set precedent. Perception is that the town is always finding money. It is very hard to understand, extremely complicated for the average person to understand the process, very hard.

We are below everyone, those are real numbers, they are not made up.

A few years ago, there was an override and it all went down in flames. Yet they went ahead to buy a special ed van to provide the support for the kids. It was cheaper than going out for the service. We get a great bang for our buck but the rubber band is going to snap. I don't know how we are going to do it without raising tax. This has been happening since 2000. While other towns are cutting fat, we are cutting hearts and lungs.

In bigger numbers we have to come out and ask questions. Then if you vote, no that is your right. I just don't know how we get the folks to understand and ask the questions.

I think this is a good first step, look at the tax base, we are going to have to consider this

Everyone in the room has a question. Do you think given what is in the executive summary, people are going to be able to make a decision?

You need to explain capital versus operations.

The dual tax would come up, capital versus operations will come up.

I look in the Gazette and see this listing of great things for the Seniors to do. Seniors going by bus to Foxwoods for 4 bucks. How does that happen? Rather than spending town money to have my kid in a class with less than 30 kids? And my mother told me that most senior centers get grants to fund that, so I shouldn't pick on the seniors. Duh, grants and not Town spending. So you need to explain the grants. It's a perception thing.

I have young children coming into the school system. You can't set 'us versus them', those with kids vs without, these are two of the more vocal camps.

I was at a kindergarten registration session. A mother came in with six kids and said 'I am not giving this town another red cent'. I don't know how she comes to that.

I have a question: on Page 5, when I add 31 and 45, what makes up the other percents? Where is the rest of the money?

On Page 6, the school spending per pupil by town and the state average. The Globe did this, with the 31 towns in comparison to the other towns. I still have it and should have brought it.

On the next page, Page 7, does it or does it not include state subsidies? (in the state minimum spending).

I don't believe it is looking to the source, it is simply looking at the total spend.

On Page 8, I am not a big fan of rankings anyway, it says, our ranking is likely to fall, well other towns are in the same situation, so it may not really change a whole lot.

Is there a perspective that we are missing?

It always comes to the bottom line, schools, you're not going to change anybody's mind. There is more accuracy in the annual Town report than this. There is a copy on the desk down by the door. Pick one up. It is good reading.

Make due with what you have, you got to spend within your means. Franklin should be run like a business, they never did and never will, so it is cut, cut, cut. They have had enough of taxes, enough of spending, they have had it. If the job is hundred thousand, take a cut, if they don't like it, have them go elsewhere. Can't take a 15% cut in pay, go elsewhere, businesses are doing that out there.

They should look at salary structure in Franklin vs other towns. You know that Franklin is much more higher than some of these other towns. I am just saying from what you hear out there. From what you hear, get the town report and see how ridiculous it is

One of the first things that struck me was one of the last things you say on Page 9; “our forecasts excludes certain future costs” I understand why you need to say that but will anyone of those blow up and destroy what we have done in this report? By 2014 with projected expenses, by 2014 with the high school something should have been done, what does that do to the numbers? It is concerning.

There were somethings we couldn't do the forecast for when it would hit. We do need to look at the precision in the numbers. Even if we take draconian measures and cut, cut, cut, there is still a structural issue. The basic economic of 2.5% revenue and inflation without waste, it doesn't work. Does it matter?

We already pay enough taxes, it doesn't matter, you can't ask, people can't afford it. The way the economy is.

Franklin probably will change then: how? Where? When?

I really like living here. It is a nice place, I hope as a community we can figure it out.

People that are working for the town and schools are killing themselves. They are giving a lot. That is a part I wish was recognized more. I just wish it was.

I understand but every community is in the same boat.

I know, our plane is a little lower than the other's. You can only do so much with what you have.

You should be very thankful you don't live in NY. It is so much more expensive there. My father pours over the Town report, “How do you do it with that?” he asks.

I know someone with a little garrison, $6,000 in taxes. Yet they come in to take the trash out of the garage and put the barrels back.

You mentioned what we can do? The last six bullet points. You said the committee hadn't been charged with figuring those out. Do you know if there is a phase that would figure it out before asking for an override?

Town council meeting is on April 15th

The community forum is on April 27th

Could you provide a short summary of your final comments?

I think we are all in this together, we have to approach it from that stand point.

I agree, everyone needs to be open minded and ask one more question.

I think our town needs to look at this at the community as a whole, I think there are parts of the town that look at one department or the other, there is a perception of that, starting from the top,

You mentioned leadership, from the School Committee, to the Town Council, they need to get this information as widely dispersed as possible so people can make an informed decision, whether it is an override or not, get the information out there so people can make an informed decision.

Communication is key, I have had my head in the sand for a long time, once you begin to look at it, it is really bad. You can't see any other way other than to chip it. I hear that there is a Calculus class with 35 kids. I can't fathom how anyone can learn Calculus in a class that size.

I would just hope people come to this with an open mind. There are some huge divisions in this town. I have lived elsewhere and this is segregated, us and them, not seen elsewhere, not a good feeling, we picked here out of every town surrounding.

With all the issues that Franklin has, it does come down to school, it is a big part of town,we are talking of the future of this town, it drives the property values, if we don't come together now and fix it, we are talking of the future of the town.

They said it all!

Doug thanked all for their participation and feedback!


Sunday, April 5, 2009

"you get a sense of things over time"

GHS
Posted Apr 04, 2009 @ 11:55 PM

FRANKLIN —

Town officials are raving about Franklin resident Alan R. Earls' new book, "Franklin Then and Now."

Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting and Councilor Judith Pond Pfeffer, both of whom recently read Earls' latest photographic history book, urge residents to check it out. Rep. James Vallee, D-Franklin, wrote the foreword to the 96-page book, which came out on Feb. 16.

"I loved it," Nutting said.

"First, I'm a history buff, and I was around for some of these changes - I remember when there was no Franklin Village Mall, and the old swimming hole. Just to see the comparisons of now and then, it's a fantastic job he's done," said Nutting.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here


Financial Planning Committee - Focus group - Part 1

Observing: Gwen Wilschek, Jim Roche, Deb Bartlett, Rebecca Cameron

First focus group: (long section of the report)

Vincent Dibaggis

Bob McLaughlin

Mike Taylor

Elise Nulton

Caren Lee

Cindy Kozil

Eric Polito

Judy Teixeria

Bill O'Neil

John O'Neill

Facilitator: Doug Hardesty

The session opened with a round of introductions. There is a mix of long timers and some “newbies” to Franklin. Doug explained the committee's purpose to take a longer term look at financial matters, separate what is true from not true, start with same set of facts, and make sure they have provided a chance for citizens to react to the product as it comes together.

Note: Doug's questions and comments as the facilitator will be in bold. All other focus group comments will be in normal type.

Can you understand it in the written form?

This is information never really seen together, the facts are good, also left with a lot of questions.

It's scary that this hasn't been done before.

There was fear in reading this, we moved here because of the school system was good, now that it appears to be going down hill, what will it be like when my kids get there?

We actually have done this years back. This is good info, how are you going to disseminate it? We have a chronic structural problem. What are the next steps?

I am shocked to see how much disproportionately we are dependent upon the state compared to other towns. This raises some concerns that we can do what we think is right but that the state can change and we don't have control.

I think you are on the right track. Franklin had a very low tax base when Prop 2.5 came in. I applaud the committee.

The forecasted deficits are shocking, more than scary it is unbelievable.

I think you have to an override, that is one of your only solutions. The town has been well run. People are going to have to come up with more money.

I don't disagree, without a year long campaign you won't get it passed.

Is there anything in the report that was biased? Or suggestive?

I found it informative. I got halfway through and had to leave to get here. The town has done 5 year plans before, by the time we got to three it was already out of date, not maintained. This needs to be updated each year, for the five years out.

Page 11 – very good looking chart, but some of the bars are not labeled so I am not sure what they are telling me. I found it confusing.

I wasn't quite clear. In terms of State Aid, how is the decision made at the state level, I didn't get it from the report. I have 2 students in the high school, we hear we spend less, we see the testing scores, do we feel that the kids still getting a quality education?

You expect that state aid will go down, as a practical matter with Jim Vallee and his new role, we may not have much of a decrease, time will tell.

We have gotten a lot of state aid with the lottery money and that is down.

What will happen with the stimulus money? We should get a piece of that too.

What is the formula that determines the state aid? Chap 70 is complicated, not a stable figure.

I don't think there is any bias here. I know there will be an executive summary, that we don't have yet. There is a lot of info here, almost too much. The exec summary is separate, would be good to see what that is.

Was there a reaction on what you were reading? One or two pages that jumped out.

The 1.4% for Tri-County should be explained, what do we actually pay 5K or 16K per student to Tri-County?

That line item in the budget deserves more of an explanation.

Page 13 can see the dramatic difference, below the state average.

Page 14 caught my attention, there is a very bad trend going on.

There is nothing in here comparing our tax rate to other towns around. That might be a helpful figure. There is still some internal capacity for an override based upon what we have vs. comparable towns.

What is an example of what the NA category would include?

These numbers are from the State DOE chart. This row is not included in their chart, so this was added to make the numbers total.

Page 5 -What % of the school vs fire, police, etc. relative to the other communities.

Page 4 -Tax levy is from property taxes only.

Page 7 -School salaries are 38% of the total. It looks like the schools are taking more than the 38% of the cuts. It appears that the town put the schools at the bottom. It concerns me that it is an underlying theme that is not visible but it's there.

Also on Page 7, what about the consolidation efforts? There have been efforts to do so. You will hear about the fat issue, where in the report is the town taking credit for that?

It would be helpful to see where those fiscal responsibilities are put into place. We are doing it in small business but how is the town doing. We are all being asked to make sacrifices, it would be good to know what is being done all around.

How has the town done?

For a bunch of volunteers, they have done an excellent job. there will always be a tension between needs and wants, given what we have, we have done well. Would I like to see better, yes, but we have done well.

I think that joint budget committee is positive. You can sit down and look overall at the town, to decide a path to pursue without being too contentious hopefully.

As a point of reference, for the last time there was an override, the entire group Town Council, Administrator, School Committee, everyone was out, working as a unit to spread the word, willingness to cooperate will help. The level of trust goes up when there is agreement amongst the town leaders. When there is agreement amongst the town leaders, then this is in our best interests.

Transparency is a wonderful thing.

I don't think the average resident see that, there is a lot of distrust out there. The override was written for the schools, what will the Town Council do with it? They don't know, so they make assumptions

They don't think Franklin has done much cutting except for the schools because that s all that is seen and heard. What the Town has done is not heard about.

Reading this has been very helpful, not visible to the average resident

What I see are cuts in schools, don't see the town cuts, you see construction, capital being used but you don't see the town being shut down in the center with buildings that can't be finished, services are being cut that are vital, we're paying for the infrastructure.

Several years ago, they repaved Lincoln St, 3-4 months later dug up to put in some sewer lines. Why? Is there anybody watching out for things like that. It was a waste of money.

The other thing that has been talked about, capital money can't be used for operational. But capital for a larger building does require additional operational expenses. Is there a long range, five year plan for capital and roads as well.

In 1989, there were 8-9,000 parcels in town with 3 assessors, and 3 clerks. Now there about 11,000 parcels, 3 professional assessors and one clerk (versus three clerks before) due to automation, other departments have done the same.

The average citizen is feeling the effects, schools are doing more fund raisers, these are tough times. The bus fees are up, athletic fees are up, everyone is paying more for everything, and I've already given the town more in behind the scenes ways.

The more information you give, they can make a decision on that. If they don't have the information, they can hear the rumors, or whatever.

It has to be done in a clear and concise way, there is a short attention span, we are a sound bit society today, trying to convey all the good coupled with all the facts.

Give them the summary, tell him again, in the military way, they won't read it all but they should get it.

The executive summary for those who want the short version, the full report for those who want all the details.

One message, one voice is needed, knocking on doors was effective, that education plan is critical. You have to find various paths to get into the household. The education plan will be critical.

This is MA. Maybe I'm being cynical. The assumption is someone to out to take our money. What do you think of your rep; good guy. What do think of the legislature; pack of thieves.

Get the word out there, concisely available, the easier it is to see, the better they will be able to get it.

That is the watch word, get it out there, get to the various organizations here; sports, school PCCs, senior center. The avg person doesn't have time to come to the open meetings.

If we assume that the Town is fairly well managed, is there an easy way to figure out how we got here?

Is there a more concise way to show that?

It is a structural issue, revenue is capped, expenses even just rising from inflation, 10 years from now it will be worse, one percent is higher than the other. How do you communicate that reality?

Page 4, 5, 17 should be graphs or pie charts to make it easier to read.

Page 21, it says “what can we do about it?”

There is not enough detail here to make a decision, improving process efficiency what does it mean? Other than the library and recreation departments that were in the paper, what else is there?

The committee charge was not to develop the full plan. These are some of the levers that the Town can use to develop the plan. Do we lose credibility when we don't have all the answers?

I read this and went back to the charge two times, to see what it read. This is a transition to the next steps. The plan needs to include us, title – the next step.

I think you did identify the areas. Some of them are going to require some hurdles. Consolidating operations, benefits, public vs private sector, can they come into alignment? That will require negotiations. Someone will say we can't go there. Well, maybe we should.

Is this an action oriented document?

If I were presenting this, I would do the summary, four,/five key slides provide the general understanding, at least those pieces get across before they start tuning out.

You could convey this in a five minute discussion? 90% of the issues

Yes, I would ask more questions, talk to others about this, with people that had opinions.

My colleagues will be able to go with you and answer additional questions.

I think it is great info needs to get out.

I agree, not sure if it is a call to action, this is the problem, not a call in and of itself.

Call to action needs to include the residents.

Need to get this out, some people don't believe us. I still say we will need an override.

Great doc, great info, needs to be consolidated, not everyone will understand, the call to action will be to learn more. This is a good first step.

Great info, requires a longer discussion, would love to go through with a fine tooth comb to really get it clarified, how we got there, dependent upon state aid, people will have some good ideas

I have questions and will be happy to stay after

Having two young kids, the school are a concern, dependency upon the state is an issue. I am not from the area so just coming in not heavily aware of what's going on.

You got to take care of your own, info, concise, get it out, got to look for info other web sites, I am sure you're thinking of that.

I think a lot of work went into this, instead of getting this all at once, do it as a series of articles in the Gazette.

Very eye opening, it will be surprising how many people are not fully aware of the situation that we are in, it is very necessary.


Saturday, April 4, 2009

big day Monday, Cafe Dolce opens in downtown Franklin

Yes, I can't wait.

I plan on being there for the opening to take pictures and seek reactions. If you stop down, please say hi.


Note: unless things change, it should be opening about 9:00 - 9:30 AM.

A rose is a rose is a wage increase

Gertrude Stein would roll over if she heard that a wage freeze is not really a wage freeze. Yes, Gertrude is the one who wrote the oft quoted lines:
"Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose"
There are at least four key terms that we should all be aware of and agree on how they are to be used; freeze, increase, step, lane.

Freeze as I want to use it is defined as "a halt of a regular operation"

Step is the increase associated with moving from one salary step to another, usually associated with years of service.

Lane is the increase associated with moving from one classification on a step to another.

Increase is an amount more in one period than in the comparable period.

For example, the salary table may look like this for one year.

Step Bachelor B +15 B+36/M
1 38,010 39,501 41,759
2 39,935 41,813 44,071
3 42,688 44,130 46,387

Someone would get hired with a bachelors degree and start on Step 1 for their first year.

In year 2, they would move to Step 2. (Step as defined above results in an increase from 38,010 to 39,935.)

If they completed 15 credits towards their next degree, in Year 3 they could make a Lane change and move to the B+15 column. So instead of earning 42,688 with a Step change, they would earn 44,130 with a Lane change.

The entire salary table would change from one year to the next based upon contract negotiation. If the union was successful in negotiating a 2.5% increase, then each number in the table would be increased by 2.5% for the next year. The second year table would look like this:

Step Bachelor B +15 B+36/M
1 38,960 40,489 42,803
2 40,933 42,858 45,173
3 43,755 45,233 47,547

Calculate the difference between Bachelor Step 1 in the first table (38,010) and the second table (38,960) the difference is 950 or 2.499% which rounds to 2.5%.

Why do this?
Well according to the information I have received, the wage freezes announced by the town only include the increase from year to year, they do not include the step or lane changes.

So if this is true, don't be too surprised when the budget comes out and the total salary lines are actually higher than last year.

Where did the wage freeze go?

No wonder Shakespeare said "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

"exploring all options"

GHS
Posted Apr 03, 2009 @ 08:56 PM

FRANKLIN —

Superintendent of Schools Wayne Ogden was one of two finalists for a superintendent job in Windsor, Vt., but turned down the opportunity earlier this week.

Ogden, whose resignation from Franklin schools goes into effect June 30, had lived there years ago, he said, and was recruited to apply for superintendent of Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union by an old friend who works for the district.

Read the full story in the Milford Daily News here


"roads that need reconstruction"

Milford Daily News
Posted Apr 03, 2009 @ 08:57 PM

Rep. James E. Vallee, D-Franklin, ended the week with some good news for Franklin and Medway: both towns will get a nice chunk of money for road repairs, despite the massive state deficit.

Franklin will receive just under $700,000 in Chapter 90 road repair grants, and Medway is slated to receive $307,000, Vallee said.

Though Franklin's allotment is about the same as last year, Vallee said, "the real silver lining is (just) that, because last year was a good year."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here


Friday, April 3, 2009

Plan and revise

Long range planning efforts
Don’t do much good if you
Don’t keep the plan up to date


What is a sherku?


Note: I learned from the focus group meeting to review the current long range plan that there have been similar efforts before but by the third year of the five year plan, they were out dated and dropped, hence no confidence in the plan. Of course, a plan needs to be revisited regularly!

This was originally posted at quiet poet as part of my effort to celebrate National Poetry Month by creating a daily sherku.

5 Fun, Interesting, and Educational Things on Twitter

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via Free Technology for Teachers by rbyrnetech@hotmail.com (Mr. Byrne) on 4/2/09
This is now the fifth day of posting my five favorite Twitter finds of the day and I've now decided on a format these posts. In each post in the "5 Fun, Interesting, and Educational Things on Twitter" series I will try to share a tip for improving and building your Twitter network.

A simple thing that can help you build your Twitter network is to occasionally retweet something that you find interesting or useful. In your retweet include the original tweeter's name. The person who's tweet you retweet will appreciate it, it helps that person get noticed, and in turn that person may reciprocate down the road. Even if the other person doesn't reciprocate, it's still a good thing to do as it shows others that you're willing to contibute to a learning network.

Here are 5 fun, interesting, and educational things I found on Twitter today.
1. Internet Safety Videos for Teens from @nycrican2
2. Find Your Teachmate from @angelamaiers
3. What 4th Graders Know About Money from @HaydenTompkins
4. Global Best Practices in Financial Education from @chollingsworth
5. Connectivism Education Ning from @Darcy1968

Things you can do from here:

"the stings would be forthcoming"

GateHouse News Service
Posted Apr 03, 2009 @ 12:23 AM

FRANKLIN —

With the Franklin Mobil owner taking full responsibility for one of his clerks selling to a minor in a police sting, he accepted a license suspension today.

A clerk at the store at 660 West Central St. (Rte. 140) sold a six-pack of Bud Lite to a 20-year-old without asking for identification during an undercover compliance check on March 13, said Lt. Thomas Lynch.

George Julakis, of Ouzo Corp., said he watched a videotape of the transaction, and there was nothing to appeal.

He reprimanded the clerk by suspending him for a day without pay, which helped demonstrate to other employees the seriousness of selling to minors, Julakis told the council.

"It never should have happened, and it will never happen again," he said.

read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

Read all that occurred during the Town Council meeting on Wednesday here


"people are really hungry for information and facts"

GHS
Posted Apr 03, 2009 @ 12:36 AM

FRANKLIN —

A focus group of 10 residents last night called a report on municipal finances produced by the long-range fiscal planning unbiased, "scary," and an "eye-opener."

Fiscal Planning Committee members invited a cross-section of the public to give feedback on their report to ensure it is accessible, relevant, and provided all the elements residents want examined. The group included several seniors, a teacher, a small-business owner, and parents.

They all said they found the report informative, and told committee Vice Chairman Doug Hardesty, who ran the meeting, that the report made them want to go out and clear up some misconceptions among friends and others who believe the town is spending its money unwisely.

People need to read the report to get a true picture, the group told Hardesty.

"It's very eye-opening," said Eric Polito, who owns EcoSystems Pest Management in Franklin and Hanover.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here


Thursday, April 2, 2009

Focus Group Collection

Part 1- Financial Planning Committee - Focus group - Part ...

Part 2 - Financial Planning Committee - Focus Group - Part ...

Insights -Inside the Focus Groups

Financial Planning Committee 4/2/09

FYI - Tonight's meeting will not be covered by my "live reporting". This session is specifically for a focus group to provide some feedback on the report. I have been asked by the committee to take notes and record the conversation. Not all the committee members will be present. My notes and the recording will enable them to review what transpired during the session.

I will publish my notes when I send them to the committee so that you will all be able to review what happened. The publishing will be delayed and not "live reported" so that I can concentrate on taking good notes. I don't want to be distracted by publishing at the same time.

"community that comes together with the fundamental objective of agreeing with itself"

.. As you may know, there is a conductor of staggering talent who has been hailed as the next Leonard Bernstein. His name is Gustavo Dudamel and he has toured the United States and Europe with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra to ecstatic reviews. He joins the Los Angeles Philharmonic as their Music Director in the fall. Here’s what matters to us today: this young conductor has a passion for music education because he knows its true power to alter the course of young lives. He was brought up in Venezuela in the extraordinary music education system that I mentioned earlier called El Sistema.

Imagine what can be accomplished if we support the arts, engage ‘at risk’ youth and help them succeed in school and in their lives. For ‘underserved’ families, indeed for all families, participation in music and the arts can help people reclaim and achieve the American Dream.

From the TED Blog

And the performance:






Enjoy!

"the committee has raised more than half"

GHS
Posted Apr 01, 2009 @ 10:16 PM

FRANKLIN —

For the past six weeks, three Franklin High School seniors have spent their lunchtime walking from table to table with a poster board showing Franklin's fallen soldiers, and a big bucket to collect cash to build a monument to honor them.

Thanks to their efforts, and a whole bunch of quarters and dollar bills from their peers, the trio has collected $700 to put toward a new veterans monument honoring fallen heroes from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Veterans Agent Robert Fahey, who is chairman of the Monument Committee.

"It restores your faith in the American youth. The spirit of patriotism at Franklin High is alive and well - it absolutely is," said Fahey, a World War II veteran.

Read the article in the Milford Daily News here

"We are doing the best we can"

GHS
Posted Apr 01, 2009 @ 11:42 PM

FRANKLIN —

With two members absent, Town Council postponed a decision on spending $1 million in free cash on capital projects, though councilors expressed support for the plan.

Council Vice Chairwoman Deborah Bartlett asked Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting whether the council could use the money on something else, and what would happen if it did so.

Nutting said departments would fall behind in repairing or replacing old and unsafe equipment, and the backlog of needed items would grow.

For example, he said, emergency workers need reliable defibrillators - one of the items on the capital plan - to save lives, and the School Department needs to replace two 9-year-old vans to safely transport students with special needs.

Read the article in the Milford Daily News here


Town Council Mtg Smry 04/01/09

The summary of the posts live reported from the Town Council meeting on April 1 are as follows:

350 on October 24th!

This is an invitation to help build a movement--to take one day and use it to stop the climate crisis.

On October 24, we will stand together as one planet and call for a fair global climate treaty. United by a common call to action, we'll make it clear: the world needs an international plan that meets the latest science and gets us back to safety.

This movement has just begun, and it needs your help.

Here's the plan: we're asking you, and people in every country on earth, to organize an action in your community on October 24.

http://www.350.org/oct24

There are no limits here--imagine bike rides, rallies, concerts, hikes, festivals, tree-plantings, protests, and more. Imagine your action linking up with thousands of others around the globe. Imagine the world waking up.

If we can pull it off, we'll send a powerful message on October 24: the world needs the climate solutions that science and justice demand.

It's often said that the only thing preventing us from tackling the climate crisis quickly and equitably is a lack of political will. Well, the only thing that can create that political will is a unified global movement--and no one is going to build that movement for us. It's up to regular people all over the world. That's you.

So register an event in your community for October 24, and then enlist the help of your friends. Get together with your co-workers or your local environmental group or human rights campaign, your church or synagogue or mosque or temple; enlist bike riders and local farmers and young people. All over the planet we'll start to organize ourselves.

With your help, there will be an event at every iconic place on the planet on October 24-from America's Great Lakes to Australia's Great Barrier Reef--and also in all the places that matter to you in your daily lives: a beach or park or village green or town hall.

If there was ever a time for you to get involved, it's right now.

There are two reasons this year is so crucial.

The first reason is that the science of climate change is getting darker by the day. The Arctic is melting away with astonishing speed, decades ahead of schedule. Everything on the planet seems to be melting or burning, rising or parched.

And we now now have a number to express our peril: 350.

NASA's James Hansen and a team of other scientists recently published a series of papers showing that we need to cut the amount of carbon in the atmosphere from its current 387 parts per million to below 350 if we wish to "maintain a planet similar to that on which civilization developed."

No one knew that number a year ago-but now it's clear that 350 might well be the most important number for the future of the planet, a north star to guide our efforts as we remake the world. If we can swiftly get the planet on track to get back below 350, we can still avert the worst effects of climate change.

The second reason 2009 is so important is that the political opportunity to influence our governments has never been greater. The world's leaders will meet in Copenhagen this December to craft a new global treaty on cutting carbon emissions.

If that meeting were held now, it would produce a treaty would be woefully inadequate. In fact, it would lock us into a future where we'd never get back to 350 parts per million-where the rise of the sea would accelerate, where rainfall patterns would start to shift and deserts to grow. A future where first the poorest people, and then all of us, and then all the people that come after us, would find the only planet we have damaged and degraded.

October 24 comes six weeks before those crucial UN meetings in Copenhagen. If we all do our job, every nation will know the question they'll be asked when they put forth a plan: will this get the planet back on the path below 350?

This will only work with the help of a global movement-and it's starting to bubble up everywhere. Farmers in Cameroon, students in China, even World Cup skiers have already helped spread the word about 350. Churches have rung their bells 350 times; Buddhist monks have formed a huge 350 with their bodies against the backdrop of Himalayas. 350 translates across every boundary of language and culture. It's clear and direct, cutting through the static and it lays down a firm scientific line.

On October 24, we'll all stand behind 350--a universal symbol of climate safety and of the world we need to create. And at the end of the day, we'll all upload photos from our events to the 350.org website and send these pictures around the world. This cascade of images will drive climate change into the public debate--and hold our leaders accountable to a unified global citizenry.

We need your help-the world is a big place and our team is small. Our crew at 350.org will do everything we can to support you, providing templates for banners and press releases, resources to spread the word, and tools to help you build a strong local climate action group. And our core team is always just a phone call or e-mail away if you need some support.

This is like a final exam for human beings. Can we muster the courage, the commitment, and the creativity to set this earth on a steady course before it's too late? October 24 will be the joyful, powerful day when we prove it's possible.

Please join us and register your local event today.

Onwards,

Bill McKibben - Author and Activist- USA
Vandana Shiva - Physicist, Activist, Author - India
David Suzuki - Scientist, Author, Activist - Canada
Bianca Jagger - Chair of the World Future Council - UK
Tim Flannery - Scientist, Author, Explorer -Australia
Bittu Sahgal - Co-convener, Climate Challenge India - India
Andrew Simmons - Environmental Advocate, St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Christine Loh - Environmental Advocate and Legislator - Hong Kong

This is the full text of the letter received via email from Bill McKibben.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Live reporting - Town Admin report, and closing

Be alert on new law, Jackies Law, permit required for any trench deeper than 3 feet.

Trail head can be down with a grant of $12,000

Councilor Comments

Zollo - Head's up on the Financial Planning Committee report, coming to the Town Council on April 15th. Horace Mann open forum for the town on April 27th. We will look for your input and interaction on the report.

Bartlett - to add to Zollo's comment, watch on the 15th, then come on the 27th armed with any questions.

Feeley - thanks to the unions who have voted to take a wage freeze

Live reporting - Action items

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
  1. Resolution 09-06: Appropriation – 2009 Capital Plan (see note below)
  2. Resolution 09-19: Franklin Village Mall, 1000 Franklin Village Drive Acceptance of Covenant with Property Owner Approved 7-0 (the property was originally one parcel, it has technically been split into two, this is to ensure that they still maintain the access road and drainage)
  3. Resolution 09-20: Authorization for Grant of Access Easement over Town-Owned Land Located off Cross Street Approved 7-0 (cleans up the title and access to the property so that Jeff could sign an easement at the closing of the property sale to Walgreens)
  4. Bylaw Amendment 09-630:Amendment to Chapter 37, Town Properties- 2nd Reading (allows Town Administrator to set rules and regulations for the use of Town Buildings) Approved 7-0 (by roll call)
------------------

Capital discussion

Motion to move #1 Capital Plan to the April 15th meeting
Approved 7-0

Q - Bartlett - if we didn't spend this money what would happen?
A - Nutting - if we did not buy these vehicles now, we would need to buy more later. The problems don't go away. We spend between a million and 1.5 million to maintain the town operations. If we don't do it, we will get further behind. It would be a major mistake to not spend this capital budget.

Q - Batlett - what was the total request?
A - Nutting - The Fire Dept had more, the schools had more, some were left aside because of decisions by the Building Committee
A - Sabolinksi - Text books are a priority, some history books go back, other books we need additional copies of, the wifi at the high school would enable to students to bring their own systems in for instructional technology

Q - Vallee - is this for the lawnmower?
A - Nutting - this is for a used bucket truck, the used price is considerably less than the new bucket truck would cost.

Live reporting - budget update

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

Chris Feeley - Budget Subcommittee

Budget update:
  • Revenue estimated to be $225,000 less than current year
  • lots of items in flux
  • hotel/meals tax at State undecided
  • Federal stimulus money to arrive but not sure about any restrictions on it
Started with a 4.9 million dollar hole to file with additional items happening, we are getting closer, may not be as bad as when we started

The projected deficit is now between $500,000 and $3 Million depending upon what happens

Live reporting - Fire Dept Update

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS –
  • Update – Gary McCarraher, Fire Department
Dual purpose (1) to provide an update of how they operate with technology
Street listing updated and synchronized with Town Clerk and Town surveys, maps

(2) Community outreach is starting, if anyone has information that the Fire Dept should know about, please contact them so the database can be updated.

Q - Why do trucks go out on all calls?
A - 44% of the second calls occur before the first one is complete, instead of coming back to the fire station to get the vehicle, they already have it with them.

As a call comes to the dispatch, the information is printed and grabbed by a fireman on the way to ride out with the truck

Lnger term, they want to install laptops in the trucks so additional information can be accessed on the way to the call or at the call

Drill down details available in the dispatch system. For example, the Hazardous material info provides all the details that used to be contained in large books that were hard to flip through in a hurry.

They are mapping in the flow systems on the hydrants from the DPW.
They have access to site plans for commercial and industrial properties.

Anecdote of a woman who lives on one side of Town, her father lives on the other side. If he has a problem, Lifeline is called, she gets called, the Fire Dept is also on the call list. The information of where the key is located in the system so the Fire Dept can assist her father as soon as they arrive.

The dispatch system is about to be wired into the Enhanced 911 system so the call information will be able to pre-populate the information when the call arrives.

Live reporting - License transactions

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
  • Request for Modification of Hours – 3
No objections to moving the time to serve alcohol beginning at 11:00 AM on Sunday to accommodate Sunday Brunch

Approved 7-0

Live reporting - Hearing

F. HEARINGS
Ouzo Corporation(Franklin Mobil)
for Failure to Pass Compliance Check -7:10 PM

Chief Williams describes the compliance check of the 31 establishments on Friday evening, March 13th. Requesting to handle as a first time offense. Proposed a three day penalty, to serve one day with two days held in abeyance (for 2 years).

The one day was agreed to be served on April 3rd.

Motion approved 7-0

Live reporting - Town Council 4/1/09

Attending: Whalen, Vallee, Bartlett, Feeley, Pfeffer, Doak, Zollo
Missing: Mason, McGann


A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS – Putnam Investments

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

"nothing in here is frivolous"

Town Council will consider spending just over $1 million from free cash on capital items at tonight's meeting.

The 2009 capital plan came before the council a month ago, but councilors delayed making a decision until the winter and its costly snowstorms were finished.

Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting and Councilor Judith Pond Pfeffer, who is on the Capital Planning Improvement Subcommittee, say now is the time to approve the $1,074,600 plan.

"The Capital Improvement Subcommittee blessed it, the Finance Committee blessed it...At this point, I think we should approve the capital items and focus on the 2010 budget," Nutting said.

Read the full article about the decision on the agenda tonight to approve the capital plan in the Milford Daily News here.

Note: The capital dollars can not be used for operational expenses. Using these dollars for these items is in the Town's best interest to continue their sound fiscal management practices.


"isn't it time we came out of the basement and into the light"

GHS
Posted Apr 01, 2009 @ 01:08 AM

FRANKLIN —

In the past month, Franklin Food Pantry directors have been flooded with offers of help from the public to keep the pantry in town, pantry Executive Linda Pouliot said yesterday.

After learning the food pantry, located in the basement of the new town museum, will be displaced to make way for museum storage, private residents and business owners have offered space in their properties, two realty companies are searching among their vacant properties, and others said they're on the lookout for a home, Pouliot said, a big smile on her face.

Nothing is solid at the moment, Pouliot said, but she said she is optimistic about getting a new home in town because she is confident in people's generosity.

Read the full article about the Franklin Food Pantry in the Milford Daily News here


State Education Mandates - Part 11

From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 11 and the final entry in the series.



Unexpended Education Funds

Massachusetts local school districts are required, unlike as in many other states, to return, at the termination of each fiscal year, unexpended/unencumbered funds to the municipality’s general fund. This requirement is counter to stimulating incentives for school districts to find creative ways to generate savings throughout the fiscal year. Municipalities often conclude that funds, which are returned at the end of the fiscal year, is misinterpreted as evidence that the school district did not really need said funds. School districts are not permitted to establish rainy day funds.

Technology

Each year, the district must have a technology plan. An annual report must be sent to the state indicating how the district is using technology to teach, how much is being spent and what the district plans to spend in the future. There are technology benchmarks that must be met by students at each grade and all students must meet state-defined technology proficiency by the end of grade 8. The development of technology plans (incorporating professional, administrative, and community personnel), the recommended student to technology (computer) ratio, and the ratio of technology personnel recommended for districts, directly affect school budget development.

Building Maintenance

Districts have a requirement to spend a minimum amount to maintain buildings and are required to pay “union scale” otherwise know as “prevailing wage,” on projects for repairs and maintenance when done by an outside contractor. This mandate results in higher costs for many skilled trade services.

The following is a list of annual inspections and tests required by the state for maintenance of buildings:

• boiler inspections;
• air tank inspections;
• fire alarm tests;
• fire suppression tests (kitchens);
• fire extinguisher tests;
• elevator & chair lift inspections;
• under-ground tank inspections/replacements,
• drainage back-flow controls,
• stage rigging inspections;
• Integrated Pest Management Plans (use of pesticides) including community notifications;
• fire sprinkler tests; and
• Asbestos inspections.
The full listing is available here (DOC)

Franklin's Earth Day Celebration

Franklin's Earth Day Celebration
Saturday April 18th, 2009
Beaver Pond
Starts at 9:00 AM


Volunteer to clean up targeted areas and assist with planting flowers and shrubs around Franklin.

- Please bring your own water bottle.

- Please bring your own gloves and rakes.

- Community service certificates will be issued.

- T-shirts to the first 200 volunteers.

- Clean up goes to 1:00 PM


Get some Eco-Info at Beaver Pond:

- Water conservation kits and rain barrel display.

- Mercury thermometer exchange for digital thermometers.

- Recycling tips and composting information.

- Energy conservation tips.

- Much more ! ! !


You can register on the Town website here

"the potential of these tools is pretty visionary"


What’s most compelling to me here is not necessarily the tool set, however, as much as the vision that brought this to fruition. While most all of this work is done locally on an internal network, the concepts are preparing kids at Concord for the very global network they’ll inhabit once they leave the system. And here is the best part: Concord is a special needs school, a place where kids with all sorts of disabilities attend. The work that these kids do in these contexts is very rewarding on a number of levels.

The larger point here is that this isn’t too far out of the reach of most schools provided they have the courage and the leadership to make it happen. Aside from the photo-sharing tool, the rest is freely available. There’s nothing really too difficult about it aside, perhaps, from creating good teaching around the tools. Makes you wonder what so many other schools are waiting for.

Read the full article by Wil Richardson and find out more about Concord, a school in Australia.