Saturday, November 16, 2013

Voices of Franklin: Kristen Parker - Tri-County teachers working without contract


Dear Parent(s), Contractors, Members and Friends,

I’m not sure if you are aware that Tri-County Tech Voc teachers are working without a contract right now. Our teachers’ association has historically always bargained in good faith with the school committee. Our negotiations team has been working since January to settle the contract and even with a mediator from the state, we are not making progress. We continue to do what is best for our students, and we want to settle the contract so that we can continue to do just that. We are asking for your support and to join us on either November 20th @ 5:30 in the lobby of TC, November 22nd from 3pm-5pm (Three different locations, Franklin, Wrentham or Millis) or December 3rd @ 5pm in Lobby of TC. Please feel free to ask others to join in our fight. Can we count on your support? 
Please email me at tgjparker@yahoo.com if you have any questions or if you would like to volunteer at any times mentioned above and I will get you in contact with someone from Tri-County. We could really use your support to show the school committee members that the public is behind us.

Thank You,
Kristen

"they are able to make a difference"


The Franklin Food Elves will make their return in December for the "12 Days of Donating" campaign in support of the Franklin Food Pantry. 
The High School and Middle School student-run group, which has more than 60 members, will collect food donations through the first 12 days of December. 
Residents simply place bags of goods at their mailboxes on the designated pickup day for the students to gather. Collection dates will be Saturday, Dec. 7, Sunday, Dec. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 14.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x825431789/Franklin-Food-Elves-return-this-holiday-season#ixzz2koMdF0Gz


Food Elves gathered at the Franklin Food Pantry in 2012

The Franklin Food Pantry can be found on the web at http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/
and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FranklinFoodPantry


Photo form the Franklin Downtown Partnership webpage here
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2013/10/fdp-food-elves-team-up-for-12-days-of.html

In the News: Chamber choices, Class of 1964, school custodian

MetroWest Chamber expands service area

The MetroWest Chamber of Commerce announced at its annual meeting Thursday night that it is more than doubling the number of towns it considers part of its coverage area in the region.


FHS Class of 1964 invited to graduation ceremonies
Members of Franklin High School, Class of 1964, are invited to celebrate their 50th anniversary at graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2014 on Friday, June 6.


Tip led to arrest of Franklin school custodian

A Taunton man, employed as a school custodian in Franklin and arraigned Wednesday for child-pornography possession, had previously uploaded hundreds of images of young girls, some of them pre-pubescent and some of whom were depicted engaging in sex with grown men, police said.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Weekend events in Franklin

There are shopping opportunities with two craft fairs and an art show this weekend.

Start Friday night with some wine tasting and fund raising for the Electric Youth at Pour Richard's
Details can be found here http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/electric-youth-fundraiser.html or on Facebook here  https://www.facebook.com/events/291075441031070/


Saturday

Craft Show and Franklin Art Association show
The craft show at the VFW will run from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Info on the Art Association show can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/franklin-art-association-nov-2013.html


Sunday

Craft Show and Franklin Art Association show
Info on the craft show at the Elks can be found here http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/change-of-seasons.html

The Franklin Art Association show closes on Sunday
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/franklin-art-association-fall-show-nov.html


Did I miss something? Please leave a comment or send me an email

FPAC announces new venue


The Franklin Performing Arts Company will open a roughly 250-seat theater at 15 West Central St. in the spring, providing a venue to host its productions, from musicals to well-known plays, and contributing to the growth of the town’s burgeoning arts community. 
And the theater, to be named "THE BLACK BOX," will play an important role in the ongoing effort to revitalize the downtown, the company’s executive director, Raye Lynn Mercer, said Thursday. 
"Our hopes are that we can provide many new opportunities for performers and not only produce our own shows, but also present music on a regular basis along with all types of live entertainment," Mercer said. "And with a vibrant calendar of events, we hope that both our theater and our organization will be an economic driver for downtown Franklin."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915444459/Downtown-Franklin-theater-no-longer-a-dream#ixzz2ki5ktsDm

One of the performing groups "Electric Youth" has a fund raiser Friday evening at Pour Richard's. Details on the event can be found here  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/electric-youth-fundraiser.html or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/291075441031070/


Six One Seven Studios: November Newsletter - Check Out Our New Website!




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November 2013

• Why Video is Important for Your Website
• Facts About Video


Check out our new website.

Click here!

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Video has always been a powerful form of communication. In recent years online videos have seen massive growth. In fact, in just one day, 89 million people in the United States are going to watch 4 billion videos on YouTube alone (Mashable).

On our website www.sixonesevenstudios.com we work to capture our visitors' attention as soon as they arrive at our page. We give our visitors' a choice of multiple videos to watch. Having video on our website has a positive impact on our website's search results.

According to several sources, a website with video is 50 times more likely to rank on the first page of Google search results. That can have a significant impact on your business.

Studies have shown that video not only makes it easier for people to find you online, it also helps you convert "browsing" customers to "buying" customers. Video provides visitors with an extra way of assessing the product. It allows them to see how it moves, sounds, or works and gives them the extra information they want when purchasing online or when learning about your service. It can show your potential clients what you do and how you can help them.

According to Internet Retailer, 90% of online shoppers find videos useful when deciding to make a purchase. Not only is it helpful, it actually makes visitors more comfortable purchasing. Ariat, a sport supplier experienced a 160% higher conversion rate when a product video was viewed and online .

The bottom line is that web video is not out of your reach, but it is moving at an amazingly fast rate. If there ever was the perfect time to get involved, that time is now. If video is not part of your online presence, you're missing out on an opportunity to stay on the top of your customers mind and staying ahead of your competition.

Six One Seven Studios can help you with all of your video and motion graphic projects, and get you where you want to be.

65% of people watch online videos to the very end (less than 10% will read a text-only site to the very end). And the longer you can keep people seeing your message, the better your message will stick.

The average length of time, per visitor, spent on text-only sites is 60 seconds for sites with video it's 6 minutes.

50% of people who watch a quality video will take whatever action that video asks them to do. It could be filing out a form, clicking on a link or simply reading the text below the video. For those of us with text-only web sites, we know that getting 50% of visitors to do anything…is nearly impossible.

You use video to grab the viewers attention, state your benefits, build credibility and urge them to take action.
Six One Seven Studios, provides complete video and motion graphic services to help get your project from start to finish. Although, if you asked us what we really do, we help people tell their story. We help them tell it well. We help them tell it powerfully. We help them be noticed. We capture the highest quality images and concepts to make your story stand out. We ensure that every project captures and communicates the right message and gets the right results.

Copyright © 2013 Six One Seven Studios, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you have contacted Six One Seven Studios in the past.

Our mailing address is:
Six One Seven Studios
430 Franklin Village Drive
Box 120
Franklin, MA 02038

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Franklin Library: Book Sale - Nov 23

The Library has announced another book sale for Nov 23.





In the News: proactive council, downtown project, town hall fate, custodian arrested

Vallee promises more proactive council in Franklin

They were remarks that brought to mind those immortalized in the 1982 film "48 Hrs."

Downtown Franklin work to start in spring

Construction will start in the spring on a long-awaited project designed to bring downtown back to life, the town's public works director told the Town Council Wednesday night.

The Town Council is planning to hold a public discussion in January to decide the fate of the former Town Hall on Emmons Street, though it has not scheduled a date.


Franklin custodian arrested on possession of child pornography

A custodian who has been an employee of the town and school system for roughly a decade was arrested Wednesday by Taunton police on a warrant charging possession of child pornography.


Thursday, November 14, 2013

New Town Council, new promises

The newly elected Franklin Town Council was sworn in on Wednesday evening. The Council was elected by the lowest percent voter turnout in recent history (11.5%).


TC_SwornIn2013
Town Clerk Deb Pellegri with the new Franklin Town Council; left to right - Feldman, Padula, Mercer, Kelly, Vallee, Pfeffer, Jones, Bissanti, Williams
After being sworn in by Town Clerk Deb Pellegri, they elected their officers with simple single nominations and no discussion. The officers were selected as
Chair - Bob Vallee
Vice-Chair - Matt Kelly
Clerk - Judy Pfeffer
The first order of business was to approve the prior meeting minutes. The three new members were not allowed to vote on the prior minutes as they had not been part at that time so all three votes for were 6-0.

The Council then recognized Ken Norman for his long history of volunteering for various committee roles with a Citizenship Award.

TC_KNorman_recognition
Council Chair Bob Vallee, Ken Norman, Council Vice-chair Matt Kelly

The major item on the agenda was a presentation updating the Council on the Downtown Project. The project which started discussion in 2002 is finally going to bid early next year with construction to begin in the spring of 2014. The project will be managed by the MassDOT although the Franklin DPW will be a liaison and assist with communications to the community and businesses downtown.

The presentation document is scheduled to be updated to the DPW webage on Thursday. The link will be added as soon as it is available.

There were two items of legislative business on the agenda. One to add a fee for limited use of the recycling facility. Currently a one time fee of $25 gets a pass for the full year.The proposal was for a $10 fee for 7 days and during the discussion amended to 10 days. The item was moved to a second reading and will come up again before becoming effective.

The second item on the agenda was the adoption of the Town Council Procedures Manual. This document was put together and revised by prior Councils and accepted at the beginning of each Council term. There was some hesitancy to accept this document as some of the new Council had not yet read or understood the document. As explained by Mark Cerel, the town attorney, this document effectively provides the detailed procedures on how the Council conducts business. Where matters are not expressly defined Roberts Rules of Order becomes the guide. The Town Bylaws and Charter support these procedures but are do not effectively provide the guidance needed. 

After some discussion, the measure was deferred to the next full meeting. During Council Comments later in the meeting the item came up again and after some discussion on whether it should be accepted at this meeting because it was already deferred, it will be added to the 'workshop' meeting agenda. The next meeting (Nov 20th) is apparently going to be more of a 'workshop meeting' than a regular Council agenda.

The Council Comments brought up a recurring theme that this council would be 'more proactive, less reactive' and provide more direction to what is going on in Franklin. 


The notes taken during the meeting can be found here



The DPW presentation on the Downtown Improvement Project was updated to share the document separately from the full agenda. You can find that doc here

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/downtown-improvement-project.html

Fallen Hero: Sergeant Alan Wayne Willard


Sergeant Alan Wayne Willard was born on July 1, 1947 the son of Mr. and Mrs. Warren A. Willard. Alan lived at 529 Pleasant St. with his parents, three brothers and one sister. Sergeant Willard lived most of his life here in Franklin. He was graduated from Franklin High School in 1965 and enlisted in the Air Force in August of that year. Sergeant Willard served for two years with his tour in Vietnam beginning on February 20, 1967. 
Sergeant Willard died on February 18, 1968 of ground causality wounds as a result of a hostile artillery attack when his barracks at Tan Son Nhut Air Base inGia Dihh province, South Vietnam, was struck by rocket or mortar shell fire. He was a member of the 6250th Combat Support Group serving as a radar specialist. 
Sergeant Alan Willard was 20 years old at the time of his death in Vietnam.


Sgt Alan Willard
Sergeant Alan Wayne Willard


Sgt Alan W Willard
Sergeant Alan Wayne Willard, street sign

Office Hours for November - Rep Jeffrey Roy


State Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) announced today that constituent office hours will be held in Medway and Franklin for the month of November on the following days:
  • Medway – Monday November 18th, 7:30-8:30AM, Galantes Restaurant– 320 Village Street, Medway, MA
  • Franklin – Tuesday November 26th, 3:30-4:30, Rick’s restaurant– 28 West Central Street, Franklin, MA
  • Franklin – Friday November 29th, 10:00-11:00AM, Franklin Housing Authority–45 Winter Street, Common Room, Franklin, MA
Christopher Yancich, his legislative aide, will be accompanying him. 
Representative Roy stated that all office hours are open to any residents of Franklin and Medway who may have questions or concerns that they wish to bring to his attention. Walk-ins are welcome; no appointment necessary. He looks forward to hearing from you. 
He also invites all constituents to call him at his State House office at (617) 722-2400, stop by Room 134 in the State House, or email him at Jeffrey.Roy@MAhouse.gov.

Youth Basketball League – A Tradition for Local Youth – Now Enrolling


This winter, the Hockomock Area YMCA will continue a tradition that roots back to the Y’s history. Youth basketball league (YBL) for ages 3 and up begins in the YMCA gyms on Saturday, December 7. With short, cold days inherent to the region, winter hoops is a great way to stay active and connected with others interested in healthy competition, reaching goals, and staying healthy.

“Things will heat up at the Y this winter,” says Branch Executive Director Dan Brennock, who anticipates the Hockomock Area YMCA will welcome 1,000 participants to its youth basketball league. With a focus on youth development, it is a hallmark YMCA organized sports programs that they be developmentally appropriate. “We focus on the fundamentals of dribbling, passing and shooting, as well as the basics of defense, while emphasizing team work, fair play and learning to love and play the game of basketball.” 
YMCA - Youth Basketball League
YMCA - Youth Basketball League

According to Brennock, basketball is the Y’s most popular league. Fostering a lifetime appreciation for basketball is important to the YMCA, who has a special connection to the origins of the game. In December, 1891, Physical education teacher James Naismith invented basketball at the International YMCA Training School. During that long winter, students wanted an activity unlike traditional indoor activities offered; the story goes that Naismith had two weeks to come up with something. He chose a game physically demanding but simple to understand. To prevent injuries, no contact would be allowed. The ball would be passed but not carried. Elevating the goals at each end of the court would add challenge. The height of the goals, 10 feet, was determined solely by the height of the Y’s elevated indoor running track.

Although there are differences in the game today (it was originally played with a soccer ball and peach basket-goals), YBL participants have this in common with the students in Springfield: they love the game! And they stay engaged.

Coaches at the Y emphasize reaching goals together and stress abilities and teamwork over winning at any cost while infusing the YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility into every meeting.
Spots are available now for this 8 week season, with league costs going up after November 26. Stay warm this winter and register today:

  • Bernon Family Branch - 45 Forge Hill Rd, Franklin; 508.528.8708
  • Invensys Foxboro Branch – 67 Mechanic St, Foxboro; 508.543.2523
  • North Attleboro Branch - 300 Elmwood St, No. Attleboro; 508.695.7001

Online registration is offered to full members: hockymca.org. All are invited to participate, regardless of whether a Y member or not and confidential financial assistance is available.

For more information, contact YMCA Sports:
Kailynn Bateman, kailynnb@hockymca.org, 774.235.2720 (in Franklin); Shelly Jacobsen, shellyj@hockymca.org, 508.772.1354 (in Foxboro); Michelle Burke, michelleb@hockymca.org, 508.643.5215 (in North Attleboro)

About the Hockomock Area YMCA:
The Y is the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to strengthening communities in the areas of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. At the Hockomock Area YMCA, strengthening community is its cause. Every day, the Y works side-by-side with its neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income, or background, has the opportunity to learn and grow.

In the News: custodian arrested, office hours, fiscal policies

Franklin custodian arrested on possession of child pornography

A custodian employed by the town of Franklin was arrested yesterday by Taunton police on a warrant charging possession of child pornography.


State Rep. Roy announces office hours in Franklin, Medway

State Rep. Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) will hold office hours in Medway and Franklin during November.


Franklin FinCom to review new fiscal policies

Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting on Tuesday gave the Finance Committee an overview of newly drafted fiscal policies, which he hopes officials can use as a guide as they tackle, one by one, looming budget challenges.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Live reporting - Legislation for action, closing


J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 13-82 : Adoption of Town Council Procedures Manual
motion to move approval of this to the next full meeting, approved

2. Bylaw Amendment 13-724: Amendment to Chapter 82, Appendix A, List of Service Fee Rates- 1st Reading
move bylaw amendment to second reading, passed to 2nd reading
addition of a 7 days from the time of purchase to the fee listing

annual fee, not a dump it is a recycling center, for fiscal year, July to next June
would it be good to consider a punch card system, we did and it would create more issues
$10 for 7 days, what a bargain?

amendment to adjust to 10 days, motion passed

would consider adding days and hours, it will cost more money... I haven't gotten calls on this

Cerel - until you adopt this, you don't have procedures in place
procedural nuts and bolts stuff, may have to spend some time in a council session before understanding how it is used

you did move this already to the next full meeting
put this on the workshop for next week and approve then


K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
congratulations to the new council
working on a 5 year fiscal forecast, will be on agenda fro Jan 2014
starting capital budget process after the holidays
less free cash than usual

do need an executive session this evening


L. OLD BUSINESS
Bissanti - Bldg commissioner did chance the bldg owners down and I want to thank him for that

M. NEW BUSINESS
Bissanti - flag situation for veterans, discussion with the Elks, they would be honored to handle it
Nutting- happy to talk about it

Kelly - can we get an update on the parking office, get an overview on the report tickets, expenses
future agenda to get back to the parking meter conversation

Mercer - if you'd like an update on the high school, I can bring you up to speed

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Padula - thanks to the voters, I appreciate the opportunity for serving
we are second to none with the police dept we have here

Mercer - echo comments on re-election to the Council

Kelly - echo comments, congratulations to Ken Norman

Vallee - this is going to be a very aggressive council, with a lot of changes coming

Pfeffer - thanks to Bob Fahey for the veterans breakfast, Dean College for their Veterans, I want to thanks the nuns at St Mary's Abbey for winning a clean energy award

Jones - thanks to the voters for returning me to my third term

Bissanti - touched and honored by the out pouring of support at the election. This Council will react to what you say. We will be proactive not reactive and will give direction for the next two years

Williams - extremely humbled by the vote and confidence you have expressed in mean, I was disappointed in the turn out of 11.5%. Our solders veterans, gave their lives for us to vote, it is not just a right a privilege

Vallee - announced the committee assignments as follows. Chair for each of the committee will be announced later.

BudgetMercer, Feldman, Bissanti, Padula 
CapitalPfeffer, Kelly, Williams, Vallee 
EconomicKelly, Bissanti , Jones, Vallee


O.EXECUTIVE SESSION
Real Property, Fire Negotiations

motion to go to Exec session, will not reconvene in open meeting
9-0, unanimous vote via roll call

Live reporting - Downtown Project

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Presentation by DPW on Downtown Project 

Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi, Director of the DPW

older presentation with some minor updates as the details were finalized
A copy of the presentation is contained in the document (PDF)
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2013/111313.pdf

Currently a left turn on Main St from West Central is allowed, it won't be when Main St goes two way

the water trough, sign and holiday tree can still fit on the island on the bridge

some of the trees maybe replaced but there will be trees located downtown

the crosswalk at Dean will be moved to the corner on W Central St (away from the position in the middle where it is today)

discussion began in 2002, MassDOT construction bids will open in Jan 2014
MassDOT will be running the job, DPW will be coordinating but not controlling the work

'it is going to be a pain, there will be some aggravation downtown until it is finished"

Q - will there be a place holder for the veterans flags?
A - you can use banners or flags as banners

Q - horrendous record of taking care of trees downtown
A - we do the best we can with the budget we have, the budget has been cut since I have been here. Eventually they will need maintenance. The most difficult thing is about urban trees is when they have to get taken down. Most street trees will fail due to the conditions downtown.

I want those trees to succeed downtown, that is the way we want to go. Some of those there are dense leaf trees are not good for that location. Looking at Pennsylvania Elm trees

Q - what do we do with the parking meters? The flags currently hang off the parking meters?
A - We have been meeting with the Downtown Partnership and will be coming back to the Council for a decision, we have time for that.

Q - a tree adoption program?
A - It is a great idea and works as long as the business owner, I don't wan't to be the tree police.

Lisa Piana - I can check with others where it has been done to see if this is something we can do here
We want the trees to grow and not block the signage. We should have a lot less headache with the trees planned

Q - What is the crosswalk going to do to the plows?
A - the first time through they'll learn, it shouldn't be a problem

Q - I was at Dean the other day and they are concerned about the construction
A - Actually I don't know when it will really switch, they have more engineers than we do. They would have to complete the crosswalks, sidewalks, etc.

Q - bike lane?
A - No, no room for it downtown. The roads downtown is too narrow

Q - can we put this on the web?
A - once we have a contractor and updates, we'll be sharing more. On the Franklin webpage
We could hold a pubic hear so we know dates and schedules. It will really be up to MassDOT

Q - We should have had a say in these details.
A - We need to know the answers, the residents are not going to want to go to DOT or to elsewhere

Lisa Piana - I just want to add a couple of comments. The Partnership is very excited for this project. now it is going to start, they are very nervous. It will be horrible during but after, it will be beautiful. Once we get the dates, it will be available on our website as well.







Live reporting - Appointments


F. CITIZEN COMMENTS
none

G. APPOINTMENTS
• Conservation Commission - Steven Younis, Mark Cataldo
motion to approve, seconded, approved 9-0

• Cultural Council - Craig Schwalb
motion to approve, seconded, approved 9-0

• Historical Commission - Minessa Konecky
motion to approve, seconded, approved 9-0

• Library Board of Directors - Linda Hardin
motion to approve, seconded, approved 9-0

• Franklin Community Garden Committee - Bonnie Kaiden
motion to approve, seconded, approved 9-0

F. HEARINGS
none

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
none

Live reporting: Town Council - 11/13/13

Present: Feldman, Padula, Mercer, Kelly, Vallee, Pfeffer, Jones, Bissanti, Williams
Absent: none


A. SWEARING IN OF NEW COUNCIL

TC_SwornIn2013
Town Clerk Deb Pellegri with the new Franklin Town Council


B. ORGANIZATION
Election of Officers
nomination of Chair - Bob Vallee - approved
nomination of Vice-Chair - Matt Kelly - approved
nomination of Clerk - Judy Pfeffer - approved


C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Sept. 11, 2013, Sept. 25, 2013,Oct. 2, 2013
motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

D. ANNOUNCEMENTS


E. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
Citizenship Award – Ken Norman

TC_KNorman_recognition
Council Chair Bob Vallee, Ken Norman, Council Vice-chair Matt Kelly

Fallen Hero: Airman 1C Russell W. Shaw


Airman 1C Russell W. Shaw was born on June 30, 1952, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Shaw. Russell lived with his parents and four sisters at 561 Lincoln St. A 1970 graduate of Franklin High School Russell enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in July of that year. 
Airman Shaw graduated with honors from a technical training course at Sheppard AFB, Texas. He learned to maintain and service turbo-propeller aircraft and was assigned to Clark AFB for duty with a unit of the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service. 
Airman Shaw was killed in a motoring accident while serving at Clark Air Force Base, the Philippines on April 9, 1971. 
Airman 1C Russell W. Shaw was 18 years old at the time of his death while serving during the Vietnam War.


Airman 1C Russell Shaw
Airman 1C Russell W. Shaw


AM1C Russell W. Shaw
Airman 1C Russell W. Shaw, street sign

Franklin girls soccer season ends 2-1 to Newton North


Franklin opened the scoring early in the second half but Newton North was able to quickly respond and scoring the game winner with under 10 minutes to play as the Tigers ended the Panther's season, 2-1.
Read the full story on the HockomockSport.com webpage here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2013/11/franklin-girls-soccer-falls-in-d1-state-semifinals.html

"Treasured Chests" Vendor Fair


Please support the "Treasured Chests" Avon 2 Day Breast Cancer Walk Team by attending their upcoming Vendor Fair which is being held at the Franklin Country Club Thursday, November 21, from 7-10 PM. 
All funds raised will help support "The Treasured Chests" team which is made up of 38 amazing women, some breast cancer survivors, who have committed to walking the 39 mile walk in Boston. 
There will be over 20 vendors represented. Bring a friend and get an early start on your Christmas shopping while supporting a good cause.
"Treasured Chests"
"Treasured Chests"

YPO partnering with Project Smile


The United Regional Young Professionals Organization (YPO) is partnering with Project Smile during November and December to benefit the non-profit with it is fundraising and donation efforts. 
Project Smile is a federally tax exempt non-profit organization which donates new and previously owned stuffed animals, coloring books/crayons, small toys and children's reading books for police officers, fire fighters and paramedics to give to children. The goal of Project Smile is to provide all emergency responders throughout New England and eventually throughout the nation, with a continual supply of comfort items to help ease the pain and fear of traumatized children. 
Young Professional Organization
The partnership will kick off with a night of networking at Twenty8 Food and Spirits located in the Renaissance Boston Patriot Place Hotel and Spa at Patriot Place, in Foxboro on Wednesday, November 20th, 2013. The cover charge is $5.00 with pre-registration on the YPO website or $10 at the door. Half of the event proceeds will be donated directly to Project Smile. The YPO will also be collecting donations of stuffed animals and coloring books the night of the event. 
Networking will be from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. and light appetizers will be provided. Don’t miss the
opportunity to make connections, build relationships and support a great local charity! 
The United Regional YPO consists of a diverse group of young professionals who have an interest in social and business networking, community involvement and professional development. 
You may register for this event on the YPO’s website unitedregionalypo.org or by contacting 508-488-YPO1 (9761).

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

live reporting - Finance Committee - Nov 12, 2013

Present: Dowd, Fleming, Smith, Aparo, Dewsnap, Dufour,
Nutting, Dacey

Absent:: (TBD)

Recognition of former Chair Jim Roche by Rep Jeff Roy for his long and valued service to Franklin

Jim Roche (left), Jeff Roy (right)

Motion to accept minutes of prior meetings, seconded and approved 6-0

Copy of the agenda doc can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/franklin-ma-finance-committee-agenda.html


Nutting provides overview on the fiscal policies, purpose of the stabilization funds, debt planning to avoid debt exclusions; capital planning just starting

use of free cash to manage the capital plan

enterprise accounts for water, sewer, trash... maintained by the fees set by the Town Council and managed within those fee limits

150 miles of water pipe to maintain, need to address regularly, cant do all at once
I&I - inflow and infiltration taken out of the sewer system, not charged to treat it and the water stays within the aquifer

snow and ice budget set on a five year rolling average; previously had dipped deep into free cash to provide enough, currently now not an issue

OPEB - another actuarial study underway, 10% of free cash intent to put aside and then try to keep aside to address the future requirements
put $500K last year, looking to put aside $600K this year, then $700K

how to manage the roads, without an override which is not on the radar, how do we manage, it requires money

EPA, storm water fee hanging out there, no known impact yet.

use the individual stabilization accounts to continue to put some money aside for future
Senior Center, turf fields, Fire truck, etc.

the stabilization accounts are interest bearing accounts, although not generating a whole lot of interest now

Looking to do a trust fund at some point, would provide more options for investments and potential return increase over current; once in a trust it is forever, the stabilization funds are more flexible

water system maintenance is not a day to day expense, it is capital
water meters replaced every 15 years too to keep up with technology

this is more of a brain storming item, think about it, if any questions or feedback, let us know

Chairperson Dewsnap looking for feedback from Committee for next meeting, want to get before the Council before the next budget cycle

enterprise account - a self supporting entity - supported by fees
revolving accounts - these come and go, fees enter and get withdrawn; school facilities use fee is the largest
stabilization accounts - requires 2/3 vote to go in and take out from; used to be only for bond-able items, no longer

Capital plan - staff owes the drafts in next couple of weeks, will review
free cash only $2M this time around, less than previous years
will need to keep aside some for snow just in case
capital subcommittee will be meeting to review the department requests

DPW, Police Fire, Facilities, usually have capital requests

Long Range Plan
5 year fiscal forecast required every year, due this Jan
good timing
the further out the estimate goes, the poorer the accuracy is
local receipts hard to forecast in a bad economy
state aid, state charges can change year to year, get more in election years, less in off years
formula changed for Chap 70, school population also declining

county pension is going up 10% every year for the next 5 years

health insurance very volatile, employees have been very flexible and responsive
the second biggest budget in Franklin

collective bargaining agreements in place
expenses such a small part of overall budget, increases don't plan a great roll overall

there are a whole lot of variables, the trend is easy -expenses go up faster than revenues

Master Plan calls for additional sidewalks, how do we do that?
 for example would love to build a sidewalk along Pleasant St to get to DelCarte

feedback from Oklahoma City example for what they prioritized aesthetics over some other practical stuff, but once it was done, folks felt more like investing to take care of the other stuff

County investments did'not do too well in 09 and 10, now that difference needs to be made up
avg person in Norfolk County gets $20K, input by employees is 10%
get the unfunded portion paid off, and the annual cost is reasonable

real issue is the calculated return is costed at 8%, when was that real?

public safety employees can retire earlier (hence can draw a pension longer)

it would cost Franklin to get out of the pension system and go to Social Security

actuarial tables changes with regard to life expectancy, living longer cost more

old business - nothing to add

meeting at Tri-County, good feedback, informative meeting

new business -
Nutting - park being put up at DelCarte.
another sculpture added after my video was done
DPW very busy next year, downtown project, etc.

Brutus going to School Committee on the 19th to update the snow plan

winter is coming, it is a pain
I would always leave the last foot and a half until the last plow went by
The DPW does an awesome job

high school building is 60% complete, still on time and on budget
likely to come in under budget
building to be closed in in the next month and then the interior work will be done
after the asbestos tiles are removed from the old school, then the old school will come down, and the fields will be laid out
a week spent on the keys and setting up proper access

motion to adjourn, approved











Fallen Hero: Sergeant Joseph Ronald Paulette


Sergeant Joseph Ronald Paulette was born on October 13, 1948, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Preston Daggett, who lived in Franklin before moving their family to New Bedford. As a young man Joseph spent his summers in Franklin with his uncle and aunt, Mr. And Mrs. Roger Villiard of Brook St. Sgt. Paulette had requested that if anything happened to him while in the service, that his funeral and burial take place in Franklin. 
Sergeant Paulette enlisted late in 1965 and became a member of the 101st·Airborne Battalion. Sergeant Paulette served two years in the Army with his Vietnam tour beginning on December 13,1967. Sgt. Paulette was killed along with five other casualties by hostile small arms fire on April 9, 1968 leading a combat mission in Quang Tri province, South Vietnam. 
Sergeant Joseph R. Paulette was 19 years old at the time of his death in Vietnam.


Sgt Joseph Paulette
Sergeant Joseph Ronald Paulette


Sgt Joseph R. Paulette
Sergeant Joseph Ronald Paulette, street sign


Precinct totals for Nov 5th election results

Finally getting around to sharing the complete results with the election totals for each race by precinct.

I still find this staggering on how few of us bothered to get out to vote!




Other posts and updated on the Nov 5th election can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/franklin-election-2013.html

Rail Trail Committee Meeting - Nov 12th - 7:30 PM

The Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee will have a meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at the YMCA in Franklin at 7:30 pm. Some of the items we will be discussing include the value of membership in FBRTC, future meeting locations, and the 2014 calendar of events.

The meeting is open to everyone interested in helping with the rail trail effort in Franklin and Bellingham.

The full published agenda is shown here:



Additional information on the Rail Trail Committee can be found on their webpage
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/

or on Facebook  

Electric Youth Fundraiser


Pour Richard’s Wine and Spirits

  is holding a wine tasting fundraiser for

Electric Youth

Friday, November 15th, from 7-9 PM
At 14 Grove Street, Franklin

Electric Youth is an international touring ensemble of young triple threat performers, trained exclusively at the Franklin School for Performing Arts. They are currently preparing for a summer 2014 tour of Italy, Germany, and Austria. Among many other performances, EY will be entertaining the troops at the US Air Force Base in Aviano, Italy on July 4th. The Defense Dept budget currently does not include Independence Day festivities. Please help these young performers support our troops and continue to serve as youth ambassadors. 
Pour Richard’s is Franklin’s newest source for interesting wine, craft beers, and spirits. They have a strong belief in connecting with their community, and are excited to host this event.
Come taste an extensive selection of wine and beer appropriate for holiday entertaining. Tickets are just $10, with 100% of proceeds to Electric Youth. Pour Richard’s will also donate 20% of their profits from this evening. We hope to see you there!

5th Annual Handbell Concert at Franklin Federated Nov. 30th

FRANKLIN - Franklin Federated Church will host its 5th Annual Handbell Concert, "Joy in Bronze" by the New England Ringers, on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 PM at the church at 171 Main Street, Franklin, MA. A reception will follow the concert. 
New England Ringers Bell Concert
Join New England's premier community handbell ensemble in its 12th year. Under the direction of Edward G. Henderson, Jr., fourteen highly energetic performers showcase their talents in a uniquely varied program playing with sensitivity, discipline and skill to achieve their signature artistry on a handbell instrument.

The 2013 winter program will delight audiences with a selection of pieces which showcase the wide range of music this unique instrument produces. Each ringer uses bells, chimes, mallets and methods which combine to form a symphony of music, where mysterious and ethereal sections give way to  majestic chords and lively portrayals of familiar carols and tunes. The program opens with the pulsing tempo and insistent rhythmic figures of the traditional Bohemian carol "Come, All Ye Shepherds".  Excitement and anticipation build to the enchanting "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence". Listeners will be drawn into the mystery and drama of this arrangement as the haunting melody and unusual chords build to a fiery and joyful climax, followed by the gentle and ethereal finale. The audience will be spellbound at its close. Many familiar Christmas pieces are included in this prelude to the holidays. An energetic and sparkling "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," a shimmering "Silent Night" and a joyful "Tidings of Comfort and Joy" add to the variety of program offerings. Fittingly, the Joy in Bronze concert closes with a joyous and rousing arrangement titled "The Joy of Christmas."  
Proceeds from the concert will benefit the mission and ministry of Franklin Federated Church, where no matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome. 
Admission is $15 per person. Call the church office for tickets -508-528-3803.  For information, visit www.newenglandringers.org or franklinfederated.org.


In the News: green energy award, Veterans Day, avoiding scams

Franklin: Abbey's nuns win green energy award

The cloistered sisters of Mount St. Mary’s Abbey liken themselves to stewards of nature, and as part of that commitment, they live a pastoral lifestyle.

Franklin's Dean College, Joe Kennedy pay tribute to veterans
U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III on Monday joined students, faculty, staff and alumni of Dean College for an afternoon ceremony to recognize Veterans Day.

Avoid scams when donating to typhoon relief
The Better Business Bureau issued tips today to avoid making donations to scamming solicitors or poorly managed relief organizations in the wake of the devastating typhoon that hit the Philippines over the weekend.


Monday, November 11, 2013

Stink bugs and other natural creatures

The Mass Great Outdoors blog is a recent discovery of mine that you might be interested in following. Two years ago the stink bug made its appearance well known in my house. Winter moths appeared in droves last year. This recent posting covers the natural order of the creatures at this time of year.

image from Mass Great Outdoors blog
It’s that time of year again: temperatures outside are dropping, and to some insects, this is an open invitation to enter your home and hunker down for the winter. Here are the three you may likely see around Massachusetts this fall:  1)    Western Conifer Seed   ...Continue Reading The Scoop on Stink Bugs and Other Home Invaders




You can visit the Mass Great Outdoors Blog here  http://blog.mass.gov/greatoutdoors/