MA Senate passes bill to address wheelchair repairs that can drag on for months

"Wheelchair users took a victory lap at the State House on Thursday after the state Senate passed legislation to address a national crisis, chronic delays of months or longer for even the most basic repairs to chairs.

The bill, passed with a vote of 39-0, would extend warranties on new chairs from one year to two, a period during which chair owners could avoid cumbersome insurance authorization for fixes, advocates said. Chairs with expired warranties would not need insurance approval for repairs less than $1,000.

“We’ve been fighting so hard just to get here,” said Pamela Daly, of Charlestown, after the Senate vote. “They’re simple mechanical problems or they’re simple parts that need to be ordered. This is not rocket science.”

Daly noted she was late for Thursday’s vote because her wheelchair’s brakes, installed about a month ago, failed earlier that morning, and she fell while trying to get into her chair. Though uninjured, she had to call paramedics to help her get into her chair."

Continue reading this Boston Globe article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/04/metro/wheelchair-repairs-massachusetts-senate/

MA Senate passes bill to address wheelchair repairs that can drag on for months

Town of Franklin: Open for bid - "Irrigation System - Maintenance, Repair and Installation"

Irrigation System - Maintenance, Repair and Installation

In accordance with MGL c. 30 section 39m, it is the intention of the Town of Franklin to retain the services of an irrigation firm to perform maintenance/repair of existing Town and School irrigation systems and installation of new irrigation systems at various locations within the Town of Franklin.

Additional Information:  Irrigation System - Maintenance, Repair and Installation

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/purchasing/bids/irrigation-system-maintenance-repair-and-installation

Town of Franklin: Open for bid - "Irrigation System - Maintenance, Repair and Installation"

Town of Franklin: Irrigation System - Maintenance, Repair and Installation

Irrigation System - Maintenance, Repair and Installation

In accordance with MGL c. 30 section 39m, it is the intention of the Town of Franklin to retain the services of an irrigation firm to perform maintenance/repair of existing Town and School irrigation systems and installation of new irrigation systems at various locations within the Town of Franklin.

Additional Information:  Irrigation System - Maintenance, Repair and Installation

Read more

Town of Franklin: Irrigation System - Maintenance, Repair and Installation

Franklin Residents: Water Treatment Plant Update - Oct 10, 2019

via the Franklin DPW Facebook page:

"WATER TREATMENT PLANT UPDATE:

As you are aware, the Water & Sewer Department staff has been working to restore the Hayward Street Water Treatment Plant to full capacity since the fire on July 6, 2019. A full cleaning and damage assessment was performed to determine which equipment had to be replaced or repaired. Analysis was done to ensure all new components would meet or exceed new standards. New technology was evaluated and installed to improve control, lower operating costs and increase efficiency where allowed. All repairs were evaluated to determine which tasks would be best completed in house or outsourced to contractors in order to quickly repair the system and maximize cost savings. Much of this work has been completed on weekends by our dedicated staff.

Final replacement parts that were directly damaged by the fire, including the tank heater that caused the fire and had to be custom built, arrived last week. The crews worked quickly to install the parts so that the plant could be fully started up and “test run” for a complete evaluation. It was our hope to restore full operation by the end of last week. However, during this start up, it became apparent that the ultra-filtration filters, which were running intermittently since late July, had sustained damage and required additional repair. All start up procedures and testing has been under the direction of the filter manufacturer and the damage to the filters was not anticipated.

Our crews worked for five straight days in an attempt to repair the filters to a usable level. This is a very tedious process that requires placing a “pin” in each filter that is damaged. There are a total of 40 filter membrane cartridges, in some cartridges there were over 600 holes! Even with all the repairs, water quality was not acceptable, i.e. too much iron and manganese was making it through the filters. We immediately placed the order for all new filters.

Although the manufacturer has rush prioritized our order, these specialized filters require several weeks to manufacture. Therefore, we are currently expecting delivery of new filters in approximately three weeks. In the meantime, we have brought in our consulting engineering firm to see if they have any recommendations to make the old filters more effective until the new filters are installed.

We understand the difficulty the water ban has caused many residents and citizens. We truly appreciate everyone’s patience, understanding, and continued commitment to water conservation. Please understand, we do not recommend a water ban lightly. We need to ensure that there is enough water for drinking and sanitary needs as well as to maintain proper storage levels for fire suppression.

Once again, thank you for your support, feel free to contact us with any further questions."


This is available from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/hayward_street_water_treatment_plant_update_0.pdf

photo via Franklin DPW Facebook page

In the News: Red Cross stops mobile blood drives; right to repair proposal coming to ballot in 2020

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Red Cross is tentatively stopping its mobile blood drive operations in central and western Massachusetts, potentially affecting 68 jobs.

“As challenging economic conditions continue in the blood industry, the American Red Cross has made the difficult, tentative decision to discontinue its mobile blood drive operations in central and western Massachusetts,” Kelly Isenor, spokesperson of Red Cross Blood Services Region in Massachusetts, said in a statement. “To ensure long-term sustainability, the Red Cross needs to consolidate its operations in this market to generate greater efficiencies that will deliver cost-effective and reliable products and services for patients in need.”

The Red Cross will continue to collect blood and platelet donations at donation centers in Springfield and Worcester, according to the statement. The organization will also continue to collect blood at donation centers, as well as at community blood drives in the eastern part of the state."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190810/red-cross-suspends-mobile-blood-drives-in-region-68-jobs-may-be-affected

Red Cross stops mobile blood drives

"Standing in an open bay of his auto repair shop off Beaver Street on Wednesday, Nice Car Care co-owner Jim Norris pointed to just some of the technology necessary to stay afloat in his industry.

There’s the $3,000 “brick” – a tablet-like scanner with a cord that plugs into the beige sedan on which he needed to run diagnostics that morning. The device will look for general problems, but needs a $1,500 upgrade every year.

And if he wants to get more in-depth, Norris turns to vehicle maker-specific software that he subscribes to for about $200 per month.

“We lay out a lot of money just to stay in business,” he said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190810/right-to-repair-group-wants-to-give-mass-drivers-access-to-their-cars-real-time-data

https://nicecarcare.com/

Recycling Center: Closed Tuesday, re-opens Friday

Unfortunately due to the continued repairs at the Recycling Center, the facility will be closed until Friday, November 30, 2018. 

The Recycling Center will reopen for regular business hours on Friday.

Recycling Center Closed until Friday, November 30

Franklin Residents: The Town Hall Elevator is currently shut down until further notice for repairs

The Town Hall Elevator is currently shut down until further notice for repairs. 

 If you need accommodations please contact the Town Administrator at 508-520-4949

Franklin Municipal Building, 355 East Central St

This was shared from the Town of Franklin page

http://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/town-hall-elevator-currently-shut-down

Riding-mower tuneup promotion

Hello Steve,

Below is a late-summer incentive for you to keep your riding mower in top shape. If you don't own a riding mower, please ignore and sorry for the trouble. 

The rates below are for routine preventive maintenance for a fully operational machine with no known problems. Repairs extra.

Riding mower or commercial walk-behind up to 42": $30 off = $169 ($199)

Riding mower or commercial walk-behind over 42": $40 off= $199 ($239)

Extended area charge (where applicable): $10 off = $19 ($29)

Must be booked on-line by September 8, 2014.

Book now (Use promo code (RM914)

See what's included

Mower n More

http://www.mowernmore.com/

This message is sent to you as a customer of Mower n More. We believe the content to be beneficial to you, but if you would like to be removed from future mailings, you can unsubscribe Mower n More, P.O. Box 201, Hopedale MA, 01747. (508) 478-2004

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Franklin, MA: Summer St

Let's see how much we can glean from this picture:

The utility poles are in the street.
The sidewalk is breaking up.
The sidewalk doesn't go all the way.
The sidewalk doesn't have a curb.
The road has potholes.

Oh, and Franklin doesn't have a capital budget to have a regular repair program for its almost 200 miles of roads. We are dependent upon the graciousness of State Aid and grants.

Your road may be in worse shape than this.
You can continue to wait and be patient for someday getting to the top of the priority listing of roads to be repaired.
Or you can start advocating for a capital budget for roads and be willing to vote some money towards it.


Franklin voters have a choice. We can do more than complain about the road conditions. We can ask the Town Council to create a capital budget for road repairs.

Your choice.


Photo taken on Summer St heading towards King St from East Central here in Franklin, MA.

In the News: repair shops, 2010 budget, space heaters

Car shops and parts places are among the few businesses experiencing growth in the recession, as consumers try to save money by keeping their cars longer, said Jon Hurst, president of the Massachusetts Retailers Association.

"I will vouch for that!" said Adam Dauley, assistant manager at AutoZone on Rte. 140 in Franklin.

"We've had a good 50 percent increase in sales in the last few months. Sales have been unbelievable," he said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

"If it doesn't go up, never mind being cut, we're in trouble," Nutting said.

Franklin gets 37.5 percent of its revenue from state aid; this year, that is $33 million of the town's general fund, he said.

"We're vulnerable to fluctuations in state aid. Other communities are too, but not nearly (as much)," Nutting said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

"They can be very innocuous, but as we saw Dec. 12, it can be fatal," said Franklin Fire Chief Gary McCarraher.

On Dec. 12, Franklin resident Bruce Barck, 62, was killed in a fire ignited in his kitchen by a space heater placed too close to "tons of combustible materials," McCarraher said.

Keeping combustible materials away from space heaters is "vastly important," he said.

The number one recommendation from McCarraher and fire officials in Milford and Bellingham: read, follow and keep the manufacturer's instructions. "Like everything, you've got to read the instructions and use (space heaters) judiciously," said McCarraher.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

What would Ben say?

What would Ben say?, originally uploaded by shersteve.

"Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today."

Benjamin Franklin

Hence, having missed prior opportunities for regular maintenance on the library, the scaffolding is up now for repairs before the situation gets any worse.