Saturday, January 24, 2015

FHS basketball teams top Attleboro

From Hockomock Sports we share the results of Franklin's basketball games on Friday.

Boys Basketball

Attleboro, 39 @ Franklin, 62 - Final - Senior Markus Bohmiller dropped a career-high 23 points for the Panthers while classmate Marcus Giese added 13 points.
Find all the results from Friday's Hockomock League action here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-schedule-scoreboard-012315

Jillian Spolidoro (20) scored a game-high 21 points and the Franklin defense limited Attleboro to just 39 points, despite 15 from Sarah Deyo (32). (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Josh Perry, HockomockSports.com Managing Editor, attended the girls game against Attleboro and provides a complete write up.

Girls Basketball

In the first meeting between Attleboro and Franklin this season, the Panthers matched up with man-to-man defense and pulled out an 11-point victory. On the road looking for the season sweep of its Kelley-Rex rivals, Franklin changed things up and went to a 1-2-2 zone. 
The Panthers used their speed and length to disrupt the Bombardiers offense, while constantly rotating to Attleboro’s two leading scorers Emily Houle and Sarah Deyo. In the first half, the duo was held to just nine combined points as Attleboro managed only 13 as a team. It was a hole from which the Bombardiers could not escape. 
Senior Jillian Spolidoro knocked down a handful of three-pointers on her way to a game-high 21 points and senior point guard Julianne Pisani had eight of the Panthers 14 steals, as Franklin, which never trailed, pulled out a 56-39 road victory.
Continue reading the remainder of the article here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/panthers-stifle-bombardiers-and-sweep-season-series

“more bites at the apple”

The Milford Daily News gets around to the Pond St zoning discussion from Wednesday's Town Council meeting:
Now that a controversial zoning change for a Pond Street parcel has passed, town officials can begin efforts to sell the land. 
The amendment to an existing zoning bylaw adds residential uses at the property, located off Interstate 495, in addition to the hotels and office buildings that were already allowed. 
One of the questions town officials will consider as they draft a request for proposals will be what style of housing – and how many units – to permit.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150124/NEWS/150127787/1994/NEWS#sthash.7W40vS4v.dpuf

Franklin Matters

Note: From the Franklin Matters soapbox, you can wait for the newspaper to cover the news or you can subscribe to recieve a free daily email with what matters in Franklin. Why wait for this on Saturday when you could have had it on Thursday (or Wednesday night as it happened!). 
You can subscribe here.   http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html
It is a two step process, enter your email address, and then respond to confirm your email address.  


Wednesday night's post
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/live-reporting-legislation.html

Wednesday night's summary
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/150-emmons-st-sold-pond-st-parcel-re.html




Snow, what snow? There's pancakes!

From BFCCPS:
The organizers of the Pancake Breakfast wants everyone to know that the event is still on tomorrow (Saturday) from 8am to noon. 
The cost is $5 per person with a $20 per family maximum. 
The event will be held at the Franklin Elks which is located at 1077 Pond Street.

Pancake Breakfast still on  today 8;00 to noon
Pancake Breakfast still on  today 8;00 to noon

This notice was shared from the BFCCPS page here
http://bfccps.org/event/pancake-breakfast-for-8th-grade-trip-to-washington-dc/

Peter Yarrow concert rescheduled to March 28

From the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse:


Due to the storm the
PETER YARROW
concert has been rescheduled to March 28


Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow

Note: If you haven't been to the Circle of Friends for a concert, you are missing a real opportunity. The hall is accoustically great for the music. The deserts are all 'diet friendly' (they are soo good, they can't count against calories) (not really, but as home made goods, they are delicious!)

For other concerts on the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse schedule check here
http://circlefolk.org/sched.html



Gas pains in Massachusetts- The Climate Minute Podcast

In this week's edition of the Climate Minute podcast, they focus on what is happening in MA

The town of Wilmington rejects the pipeline. 
A couple of heavyweights opine that Governor Baker should focus on wind.It turns out that gas pipelines in Boston are really, really leaky! 
But a company wants to put yet another one in West Roxbury near a quarry. What could go wrong? Go to the rally on Sunday.

MassClimate Action Network
Mass Climate Action Network


You can listen to it here or click through to the MCAN page and listen there


Friday, January 23, 2015

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 1/23/15 - THU 1/29/15

FRI 1/23   4-6pm   Open House at Franklin Children’s School
FRI 1/23   6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked at Franklin Art Center
FRI 1/23   7-10pm   Middle School Winter Dance for 5th-8th graders at Tri-County HS
FRI 1/23   8-9:50pm   Frozen Friday DJ Public Skate at Pirelli Arena

SAT 1/24   8am-12pm   Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser for BFCCPS
SAT 1/24   11am   FSPA Auditions for the Music Man (ages 8 and up)
SAT 1/24   3-5pm   Survivor Tails Adoption Event at Happy Tails Doggy Day Care

SUN 1/25   2-5pm   Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Fundraiser at Pour Richard’s
SUN 1/25   3:30pm   LiveARTS Concert: Kevin Owen, French horn with Asako Shibata, piano

MON 1/26   5:30-7:30pm   Community Walking: FREE Walk Track at FHS

TUE 1/27   5:30-7:30pm   Community Walking: FREE Walk Halls at FHS
TUE 1/27   6:30-8pm   Ken Gloss: Value of old and rare books, Franklin Public Library

WED 1/28   12pm-6pm   Workshop Wednesday at The Cake Bar: Hearts Cupcake
WED 1/28   3:30pm   iStories at the Franklin Public Library
WED 1/28   5:30-7:30pm   Community Walking: FREE Walk Track at Franklin High School

THU 1/29   1pm   Pre-School Open House at Franklin YMCA
THU 1/29   5:30-7:30pm   Community Walking: FREE Walk Track at Franklin High School
THU 1/29   6:30pm   Genealogy Club - First Meeting - Join the Club! at the Franklin Public Library
 
For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

150 Emmons St sold, Pond St parcel re-zoned

One building sold, another parcel moving along the sale process, more money was added to the Legal budget and Franklin agreed to join with Bellingham and Hopedale in a community building grant application.

Emmons St


After so much to do in the Town Council meeting around the proposal for the 150 Emmons St building, the actual pair of resolutions to make the land available and then to authorize the sale agreement were conducted with little fanfare and no audience participation. There was a substantial audience but they were awaiting the next action item, the re-zoning of the Pond St property.

Attorney Cornetta representing the purchaser was present and left the meeting after both resolutions passed by 8-0 votes with one Councilor recusing himself (Kelly). Members of the Franklin Downtown Partnership, which had lobbied extensively against a drive through, especially if it were to be food service related were not present.

The deal to complete the sale of the property will take approx. four months to complete. In the meantime, Franklin will be looking to relocate the Recreation Dept which is the primary occupant of the current facility. 

150 Emmons St - to be redone as a 'gateway' to Franklin
150 Emmons St - to be a 'gateway' to Franklin

Pond St


On the re-zoning of the Pond St property, members of the neighborhood were much better prepared than for their first exposure to this at the Jan 7th meeting. They spoke at length, in detail, and raised applause on many good points. 

Ultimately, the Council did not agree to a delay on the vote but did amend the resolution to change the 2,000 sq ft requirement to 3,000. This was clearly a compromise on their part to help provide some of the restrictions that the Pond St neighbors were asking for.

Note: As an observer of many of these meetings with public sessions, it was good that the Council apparently suspended their time keeping for each speaker. Given the poor behavior of some of the Council during the Jan 7th meeting where their inappropriate comments were broadcast and recorded, this was a good move.  
For reference the "Visitor's Orientation to Meetings" can be found herehttp://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Council/visitorsnotice.pdf 
Copies of this document are generally kept on the small table outside the door to the Council Chambers. 
Note: I also found it interesting that the Town Council did not acknowledge or apologize for their individual behavior and comments at the prior meeting. Had they done so, it could have changed the nature of the relationship. 
The Pond St propery discussion now moves to the Economic Development Committee (EDC) meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Jan 28th. It will be held in the 3rd floor training room of the Municipal Bldg beginning at 6:30 PM. With the parcel re-zoned, the RFP can be drafted to include this 'carrot' for potential developers. 

The RFP would come back to the Town Council for their approval before being advertised as available. The RFP usually would advertise for a 2-3 month period. any proposals submitted for it would first be reviewed at an EDC meeting and then brought with a recommendation to the Council for a decision. If a sale was recommended, it would follow similarly to the Emmons St property. 

The parcel would be declared surplus, an authorization for sale would be reached and eventually concluded. At such time, the developer would then begin the development process working with the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, and other bodies to obtain the necessary permits to begin.

Legal budget increased


Another $50,000 was added to the Legal budget. This line item started with about $45,000 was increased by $30,000 earlier this fiscal year. Most of this attributed to the protracted negotiations with the fire fighters union but not totally associated with it.

Community development grant


Franklin approved signing an agreement to join with Bellingham and Hopedale on this communty grant application. As reported from the Jan 7th meeting, Bellingham would be the lead community doing most of the work but Franklin would also benefit. 

What would this do for us? It would provide some grants or low interest loans for homeowners in the specified area (central Franklin) for those (if they met income requirements) to use for home improvements.

The agreement to join the application can be found on page 10 of the Council agenda here: 
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/012115.pdf




My full set of notes reported live during the meeting on Wednesday can be found here


Chad Larivee Fundraiser/Shawn Allen Boston Marathon

Greetings, 
As many of you know, my good friend and tennis buddy's husband, Chad Larivee, had a terrible accident this summer that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Chad was a firefighter and is the father of three beautiful children (ages 14, 12, 9). 
After spending nearly a month in the intensive care unit, Chad was transferred to Spaulding Rehab for two months and finally came home in November. The family is adjusting to their new life and they have gotten tremendous support from the firefighter community who retro-fitted their house with ramps, elevator, and an ADA bathroom. However, life is not easy. 
The physical therapy program that Chad and the family has chosen is called Journey Forward and costs $100/hr. It is not covered by insurance. So, my friend and running partner, Shawn Allen, is running this year's Boston Marathon in order to raise funds for Chad's physical therapy. 
Shawn is an ex-marine, who is known for doing a set of pushups in the middle and at the end of his runs. He is no slouch. Last year he ran Boston, his first marathon, in 3:17, just two minutes shy of his Boston qualifying standard. This year he hopes to break 3:15 and, more importantly, raise $50,000 for Chad's treatment. 
Here is a link to Shawn and Chad's gofundme site if you are compelled to support them. Any donation goes directly to the Larivee family. 
http://www.gofundme.com/k3fp0w
Thanks for any and all you can do to help out Chad and his family. 
Love,
Kathleen

screen grab of Larivee Fund Raising page
screen grab of Larivee Fund Raising page

MassBudget: FY 2016 Budget Preview



MassBudget  Information.
  Participation.
 Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center  Democracy.


A Preview of the FY 2016 Budget 

As the FY 2016 budget season begins, the Commonwealth continues to suffer from the effects of the three billion dollars of income tax cuts enacted over a decade ago. As a result of those tax cuts, the state has been forced to make deep cuts in funding for public higher education, local aid, public health protection, and other core state services. Even with those budget cuts, the state continues to face preliminary budget gaps at the start of each year's budget process. This year that gap is likely to be just over $1 billion - less than the gaps faced during the recent recession, but a serious challenge for budget writers. MassBudget's FY 2016 Budget Preview describes the state's fiscal condition as the budget season begins.

To present everyone with a clearer picture of the state's fiscal condition and the choices that get made through the state budget, the state could release more detailed information about the projected FY 2016 costs for maintaining current services--see Opening the Process: Releasing Maintenance Budgets to the Public. While budget writers generally prepare such a document ("a maintenance budget") as the first step of crafting a budget, it is generally not released publicly. Other states do publicly release a maintenance budget. Making this public would improve transparency and allow everyone to understand more accurately the choices we face. That would allow more meaningful participation, by more people across the state, in the important debates about the priorities pursued in our state budget.

budget cuts following 3 Billion dollar tax cuts  
The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER
15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700
BOSTON, MA 02108
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Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Food Elves Bring in Record Donations

The Franklin Food Elves are pleased to announce that the final donation numbers are in and the “12 Days of Donating” Campaign has collected more than three tons (or 6,400 pounds) of goods and $8,500 for the Franklin Food Pantry.
(L-R) Food Elf Ellie Teixeira, Co-founder Cameron Piana, Food Pantry Executive Director Erin Lynch at the Franklin Food Pantry in December 2014.
More than 90 Food Elves collected from over 30 Franklin neighborhoods, the most volunteers in the history of the Franklin Food Elves. They worked in conjunction with local businesses that set up collection bins at their locations around town.
“We’d like to thank all of residents of Franklin who donated to our campaign this year. We also would like to thank the elves who worked hard to bring the donations in, and the businesses that helped fill the donation bins at their locations,” says Cameron Piana, Food Elves co-founder.
The Franklin Food Elves was co-founded by Melissa and Cameron Piana 9 years ago and has grown each year.  Since the beginning the organization has brought in a total of 10 tons (20,380 pounds) of food donations and over $25,700 for the Franklin Food Pantry.
Local businesses were deeply involved in this year’s campaign. DCU gave a check for $5,000, and 15 other businesses pledged a $200 cash donation and donated time and bin space to the cause.
Those businesses included Auerr, Zajac & Associates, LLC, Berry Insurance, British Beer Company, Dean Bank, Dean College, Drama Kids of Metro West, Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, the Franklin Downtown Partnership, Jane’s Frames, Keefe Insurance Agency, Murphy Business, Printsmart Office Products, Pour Richard’s Wine & Spirits, RE/MAX Executive Realty, and Yellin & Hyman, P.C. 

For more information about the Food Elves and the “12 Days of Donating” campaign, please contact the Food Elves at franklinfoodelves@yahoo.com or visit their Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Food-Elves/714439188643292




Franklin Public Schools: Channel 5 - Wake up call schedule

From the Superintendent:

Back in Oct/Nov many of our schools were featured on Channel 5 - the rest of the schools were filmed in Dec and here is the schedule.

Channel 5 Morning Wake Up Calls:
Parmenter Elementary – Monday 1/26 
Helen Keller Elementary – Tuesday 1/27 
Annie Sullivan Middle –
Patriots version (Thursday 1/29) 
Normal version (Monday 2/9)
Franklin High School – Tuesday 2/10


--------

Note: as this is TV, they desire is to draw viewers so you won't get a specific time. The wake-up call is usually early in the morning. When the video clips are made available for replay, I'll share them here.

screen grab for wake up call for Oak St/Horace Mann
screen grab for wake up call for Oak St/Horace Mann

The wake up call for Oak St/Horace Mann can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/10/franklins-wake-up-call.html

Teen Volunteers wanted for Community Service Organization in Franklin

Thanks to Renata Gilarova and Allison Bernhardt for providing this info:

Lion’s Heart–Teens Giving Back, a national community service organization for teens in 6th through 12th grade, has opened a chapter in Franklin. Enrollment begins February 1 and runs through August 1, 2015. Started in 2004 in Southern California, Lion’s Heart has experience tremendous grown since it founding. It’s Members have served over 100,000 hours of community service! 
Lion’s Heart is open to teenagers in 6th through 12th grades. Members perform at least 30 hours of community service each year, and are grouped by grade level and gender. One parent acts as the Class Coordinator, and each group of up to 20 elects their own officers, lead their own meetings, and decide on group community service projects. 
There is no fundraising in Lion’s Heart; only serving the community in fun and meaningful ways. Parents are encouraged but not required to serve the community. Dues are $130 to join (but discounted or waived for hardship situations). 
Lion’s Heart is a qualifying organization for the national President’s Volunteer Service Award program; qualified Members receive these awards each June. Lion’s Heart Members can also earn the annual Torchbearer’s Award, presented to the Member in each group who went “above and beyond” for the community for that year. Members who are active for all six years will receive the Golden Lion award when they are seniors in high school. 
The idea of a teen community service organization came out of a long car ride in 2004 by Terry Corwin and her then 12-year-old son, Spencer. Since its modest beginning with twenty 6th grade boys in the Corwin’s living room in 2004, Lion’s Heart has grown to nearly 2,000 teenage girls and boys.




Lion's Heart - a teen service organization
Lion's Heart - a teen service organization

For additional info visit their webpage   http://www.lionsheartservice.org/


At last night's organizational meeting, a list of places that volunteers could work with was put together. If you know of an organization not on this listing, please add it in the comment section.

Franklin Food PantryLibrarySenior CenterSchools when they have events and need helping hands (reach out to individual PCC's)Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee (spring and fall clean ups, road race helpers - May 2, 2015)Downtown Partnership (beautification days)Assisted living facilities in Franklin (Benchmark Senior Living at Forge Hill, The Estate in Franklin)Recreation Department (Earth day in April for Franklin clean up)Community Gardens?Franklin Garden Club (Common Garden Clean Up)4th of July CoalitionFranklin Education FoundationNeighbor BrigadeHistorical MuseumSanta FoundationProject Smile (Hopedale)Random Smile Project Franklin

Senator Spilka: News from the Senate

As Karen is one of the two Senators who serve Franklin, this is good news!




Dear Steve,

Today, Senate President Stan Rosenberg announced his leadership team and Committee chairmanship assignments for the new legislative session. I am honored to share the news that I have been named the new Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, which oversees the budget and finances of the Commonwealth.


I would first like to thank Senate President Stan Rosenberg for this honor. I am grateful and humbled that he would place his confidence, faith and trust in me. This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly.

I will work hard every day to help President Rosenberg achieve his ambitious, bold agenda to empower the members, increase transparency and reduce public skepticism about government.

I will work hard every day with my colleagues to assist our communities and help raise up all of the residents of Massachusetts.

Now, we have a lot of work to do.

As always, if you would like additional information or have any concerns or comments, please call my office at (617) 722-1640 or email me at Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov.


Warm Regards,


Senator Karen E. Spilka
2nd Middlesex and Norfolk
http://www.karenspilka.com
Office of State Senator Karen E. Spilka
Room 320, State House
Boston, Massachusetts  02133


Senator Karen Spilka | Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov | Office of Karen Spilka | Office of State Senator Karen E. Spilka, Room 511-C, State House | Boston, MA 02133
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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Live reporting: Closing


K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

Joe Barbarei - promoted to Capt
Jason Reily prompted to Sargent

anonymous letter don't work; don't hesitate to include email or phone, if yuo want to keep it confidential, come to my office

The MBTA owes us a response this week
if they don't get back to us, I'll send another email

L. OLD BUSINESS

are we going to discuss zone 6?
we're going to schedule a workshop

M. NEW BUSINESS
none

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

Pfeffer - wants to acknowledge the passing of Tony Depasquale
Tony worked for 6 years as the greeter at the transfer station

Kelly - can we take the decorations down?

Padula - give us input Wedensday for the EDC meeting


P. ADJOURN
motion to adjourn


Live reporting: Legislation


J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 15-02: Authorization to join Bellingham for the FY 2015 CDBG Program Application
motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0

2. Resolution 15-03: Declaration of Town-Owned Land at 150 Emmons Street (Old Municipal Bldg. Property) as Surplus and Available for Disposition
Kelly recused himself for this and next item

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/resolution-15-03-declaration-of-town.html

requires 2/3 vote, via roll call
motion to approve, seconded, passed 8-0 (Kelly recused)

3. Resolution 15-04:Authorization for Disposition (Sale) of Town Owned Land @ 150 Emmons Street(Old Municipal Bldg. Property)

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/resolution-15-04-authorization-for.html

dependent upon the prior resolution
motion to approve, seconded, passed 8-0 (Kelly recused)


4. Resolution 15-05: Appropriation: Town Administration: Legal Expenses
Kelly returns to meeting
motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0

initially had about 45-48,000 added ~30,000, now adding $50,000
primarily for negotiation but also for other legal matters


5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 15-745: Amendment to Chapter 185, Attachment 7, Part VI, Use Regulation Schedule, Residential Uses, Office Zoning District – 2ND Reading

motion to approve, seconded

Nutting reads the listing of current allowable uses, the proposal would add one more potential use to the land that the town owns, the town would issue a request for proposal

Kelly - is there another way to permit condos
Taberner - no, other than going through 40B, this would be the only way

Nutting- this is the only place in town where this exists

If we get an RFP would get a response
Meeting of EDC next Weds at 6:30 for drafting the RFP
doesn't necessarily mean a residential component will be part of the RFP
doesn't also mean that the RFP will get a response including residential


If by adding the residential component, we should get more interest
we'll get some input at the EDC meeting next

John Edson, 242 Pond St
not in my backyard, would be easy to say
the road is already, won't make the situation any better
there is big difference between high end condos, and multilevel apartment buildings, when it the time to limit
one reason I bought the house is it a very residential area

Kelly - next week is the EDC meeting, input being looked for as to what would be in the RFP; similar to the Emmons St building

Nutting - after crafted next week, it still comes back to this Council for it before it goes out to the street

Paul Sagar - 225 Pond St
there is a lot of traffic and everyone is complaining about it
I'd rather not have it built on at all
From the Starbucks will add 500 cars a day, 
the left turn lane isn't big enough today and now you are talking about adding something else; most every one appreciates the wildlife that is there
you can drive down i495 and see trees on both sides of the road
we came here to get away of the city
there is also government owned land and that is only accessible via this land
refers to the Alan Earls article posted in Franklin Matters
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/this-land-must-be-preserved-in.html

You just sold some land in the middle of town, doesn't seem to be necessary right at this point; a 20% increase in traffic; 20% of 500 is another 100 cars, if you don't have pets, I have lost pets to traffic; vote no

Sandy Verhagen, hilltop road
thanks for the help to folks who have provided help since the last meeting
voting to rezone leaves us unprotected unless restricted while in your control
at the last meeting, one of my questions may not have been heard correctly
there is a way to restrict the zoning, by calculating the space and buildings allowed; I am asking you to protect the residents
I also went back to the tape to hear the residents that would be happy to restrict the zoning, I understand that it is late in the process, why not consider it?
Many are not against development, we understand the need to revenue, I would love to hear some guarantees to allow the residents to participate in the writing of the RFP, not just listening; that the town will build something that is truly needed, that won't depreciate the houses already there.
That if there are going to be offices, they be needed, there are a lot already empty

Lea Botta-Whiting, Pond St
gardens in front of her house
noticed the increase in traffic
I go inside when Tri-County gets out

has an alternative idea, Exit 23, parcel of land
solar farm there, but at least it is green and has far less impact
and the lady slippers which are endangered by the way

if you widen the street, all my gardens are gone
if the land gets developed, the sewer beds will get disturbed and who knows what they'll bring up
energy from the solar power and provides revenue
multiple solar arrays, including
maybe we have a few council members who are real estate, maybe it is a coincidence, maybe they are looking for the business

Bissanti referenced for comments and specifically quoted at times
the answer to the town growing too quickly is not to help it grow more quickly, it would only add 1% to the town's revenue

my husband and I have discussed this on end, the town is rushing to see, certain council members need to recuse themselves from this discussion
remember we elected you, you are supposed to work for us
we do not want rezoning

Gail Ward - Hilltop Rd
I will ask you all to do us a favor, I am thinking 
remember what it was like when you bought you first home, 
when your kids grew up, played in the yard
we don't want our neighbor hood to change, I want my grandchildren to have what my children had, please remember that when you vote

Hager, Pond St


Nutting - the proposed bylaw would allow for 1 unit per 2000 sq ft, it is similar to what we have in other areas of town, applies to several zoning districts around the downtown

yes, it would apply

an acre is 44,000 sq ft and about 22 units per acre

This community is density, it has continued to grow, it has snow balled, there is apathy, it is affecting our entire community

Oak St was a glorious farm when I grew up,we had the space to be able to do that; maybe some of you made that decision to allow the property development

we can talk about the stop light and impacted the life, I can walk to the grocery store, I have drunk driver issues trying to get home at night, it is dangerous for me and for the children, consider our density, building is not a bad thing, we do need blank space

Gail Irwin - Hilltop Road

I know this is a zoning process, and not an RFP process
two week ago, I asked about due diligence, you say look to the RFP and I am asking you to do the job we are asking of you, do that fact finding for the people and more communications than to the 62 people who are abutters, if you allow this continue to move forward, you have failed in delivery to the constituents in the town of Franklin

McKenna
I know the sewer beds are there, I will not walk my children on Pond St because I am afraid for our safety
why are you selling the building, why not putting in parking, two restaurants have closed because of parking, I don't understand what you are doing. My kids are here, we love the town, I hope someone is going to take care of the new school better than the last one

Stephanie Pazniokas, hilltop road
I understand the motivation behind the sale, revenue from the property, while talking amongst yourself, it may have seemed a no-brainer, I have walked over a hundred houses in the last two weeks, my point is that there are many important points that should not be ignored

In 2010, primarily wet lands and prime forest land of local importance, it should not be imposed upon, well head protection area on the property, only 9.7 acreage available, 5 acres minimal, we are not downtown level and should not be zone for downtown where we are. if residential, it should be restricted.

This is not prime residential for high end condos, the EPA has not tested, but has been tested by other private, is it possible to have the EPA proper EPA investigation; back when the people put everything down their toilets, we have no idea what is there

we were on our way tonight, someone beeped their horn at us when they were in excess speed, and we were in the right; the only time it is light is late at night and very early in the morning

we want any zoning change to be restricted to protect us
we can add specific density there, referring to Cambridge zoning

I would like some clarification from Mr Nutting, some of the road, setbacks, etc would come from the acreage

Nutting - the five acres is the minimum they could use to put in housing, we don't have a proposal to give you a good answer

Let's not assume that the condos won't bring children, I live in one where we have three kids, the prior place had fourteen units and fourteen kids

The RFP is only applicable for the development, if a few years done the road, we would be not protected, please don't run with your intentions

I really truly hope that is not the case, look at alternative sources of revenue

Nutting - EPA paid for our environmental investigation in 2002 and 2009, the paid for the study

access, every RFP would require access to Mine Brook and it would still be part of; 

we did get solar investigated there and it would not be as beneficial as what we have with the Upper Union St solar Farm where we get 80% of our electricity

Condos produce half the traffic that an office would, it is more of an advantage to minimize the impact to the neighbor, far less intrusive than what is allowed by right

the Council has to address 34,000 people
they have to balance the budget and the development with the needs and wishes of the neighbors, the RFP is the vetting process. it has already gone out twice, I appreciate that no one wants change, someday we'll have 40,000 people, I remember well the little pond on oak St and it was private property and there was nothing the town could have done about that.
we are the largest land owner in the town with the green space we have

Steve Quinlin - Pond St
what is the end game? when does it end, how much larger is Franklin going to be in the future?
this is one little small piece, are we going to say we got these bills and do more?
Norfolk and Wrentham, drive downtown there, people don't know where it is, there is nothing there

On the number of units, art 2,000 sq ft, you got 20 units?
400 hundred people

Nutting- our projections say the town will continue to grow, there is a lot of vacant land that is privately owned

Quinlin - about 45,000? you get my general drift, thank you

Paul Sagar - (returning)
you have a one acre lot, 

Nutting - most of the zoning is a 1/4 acre

Sagar - you might put a hundred units there? it doesn't seem possible, the Council has a right to restrict what ever goes there, they control the destiny; you can put in the RFP how much it should be

Nutting- you can put it for 20 years initially

Sutty? - 89 Pond St
I think we are putting more burden on the depts in Town. I am trying to weigh the pros and cons and I don't see pros. Every dept you are going to put a burden on. I started smelling the sewers, and you put in the day care and office building so I can hear the train; if you put something else in, Ill be able to hear the traffic on 495, with all the traffic going in there, how are we going to do it. I haven't found too much good, how much you get from selling this, you going to spend more to support it. I am against the whole thing. I think it is perfect.

? - Oxford Dr
last meeting, when the developer does have empty space, he is still on the hook for the taxes, 

Nutting - we have an 8-10 percent vacancy rate at any point it town, no one will make a proposal thinking it will be empty space

Nutting - I thnk someone is going to invest and propose, you not goign to spec out a $10M office building without a tenant, you wouldn't get financing

Lea Botta-Whiting, retuning
Bissanti would you sell my house

The gentleman is making our case, green space is important, the natural habit animals do better with open space than with office space

John Edson - returning
the govenment should not be part of the growth problem, we don't have control over the private space, over population is a problem, you need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem

Stephanie Pazniokas, returning
economic development opportunity, Franklin largest property owner of green space, if we are continuning to grow, then we should protect what we do have; it is not a large area but a special area

I am not sure it is in the towns best interest to fill up the space when what we don't have control over

Sandy - 
reiterating, you can restrict the density, you have heard it tonight, you can do so in the zoning bylaws

Sherry Lynch, 6 walker road
when you take all those trees down, what is the buffer to be there? what are they going to do to protect them from the highway noise, almost didn't buy with the highway noise as it was; 

Nutting- from years ago the minimum was going to be 75 ft, the brook that runs through the property helps to protect as well as it makes it undevelopable

Lynch - I am thinking of selling and can't do so as everyhting is up in the air
are they goinp to tap into that old sewer line?

Nutting - one along Walker and the other goes under 495 and services pretty much the rest of the town, the structure couldn't be built on; they can't do anything without the town's permission.

Lynch - what are we going to get as a privacy barrier, is there anything else you guys can do to protect those who are living there; what you are going to propose could help the values but could also kill us. My thing was the privacy factor. Realtors don't always tell the truth

Nutting - the topo(graphy) of the area is a dramatic drop off, there is a small section of evergreen, there has been no discussion or decision of the buffer on Pond St

Can you answer an individual each question?
Vallee - You can't ask that
Kelly - She can ask, we don't have to respond

If you were the woman would you vote?
Pfeffer - yes, I would. The income would be 600,000 which the town absolutely needs
Kelly- yes, as an abutter I can have a say now rather than some other alternative

Padula- I'd probably abstain if I was an abutter, this project was almost developed with a hotel potentially begger than what we may get
Do you tink it is in the Town's best interest to not develop this? No, I think we need to

Bissanti - I'd like to remind you that the prior proposal was for the anaerobic digester, and we stopped it. I didn't want 80 garbage trucks taking trash here. We stopped it. I hate to say it, there is a misunderstanding of the RFP process. The developer who did reply wanted apartments, we didn't want that. We all got together and did what was right for Franklin.

I do appreciate that it didn't go in.

Dellorco - I was with Bissanti to support stopping the anaerobic digester. I am against the project

Feldman - we built three beautiful parks in town last year. It affected alot of people and I'll take this case on its merits

Irwin - we did not understand process the last time, we did our homework. What concerns me is that you think we don't understand, we think you have an oppportunity to take some traffic studies, to get an updated EPA study, is it going to be that determental to take a little more time

Bissanti - that will be coming down the road, that comes under the site plan, the RFP has to describe something, I have been asking for an unrestricted RFP, so we could get more, get their different ideas. some you might love, some you might hate. According to our attorney that is what we follow. I don't blame you people that is the way we have to do it

?? - 44 Pond St
why are we rushing to do this? let's take a step back, each one of use represents others who could not be here
we want to trust you that you are going to do what is in our best interest. If you really want to do so, you'll postpone this

Nutting  - the zoning could be changed by the next council, it can not be restricted in perpetuity

Pfeffer - minium of 5 acres for residential, when it goes to the EDC for the RFP crafting they could stipulate some number of units
this isn't over, next week you can come to get some restrictions

Nutting- the RFP drafting will be an open process, 

Sandy - so you could change the bumber 2,000 in the zoning to help restrict

?? - (returning)
with more growth, you need some lands for more fields for the recreation

Feldman - there is ability to restrict the current motion?

Nutting - that would be an amendment to the proposal

Feldman - I am not saying I would oppose it, could we consider delaying
I appreciate your solar efforts but the town is already doing a tremendous job, it is an amazing effort going to a hundred houses, every town would like this effort
1% may not sound like a lot but it can make a difference.

Padula - as members we sit on the horns of this dilema, it almost happened with the last RFP if it had come back with a hotel, you may not have known.
it is okay to compassionate, that is good. If we had sold this property we'd probably have $10M in our coffers. Is it logical to think that we'd never develop that property? It is not realistic.  We're asking to slow this piece, the RFP process is next week but it may also be more than enxt week to complete the process. I would not be in favor of the Emmons St property if it were other than a bank drive through, if I am not comfortable with it. If a hotel goes in, I don't want that to get converted. I want to make sure, is there something we can do to protect us down the road. We want to control that piece. 

Nutting - a zoning change could be done in 2 weeks time
Cerel - there are mechanisms to ensure that you get the development you want, but there are not guarntees due to ecnomic conditions, we have seen in the recent downturn many items

Mercer - I appreciate everyone coming forward tonight. I think everyone has heard and appreciate your concerns, we need to vote on what is in the best interest of the town. It doesn't mean we will do it, the RFP for Emmons st shows that the process does work. When the RFP comes back to the Council, if it comes back without addressing your concerns, I wouldn't support it.

Pfeffer - we are looking at this 2,000, what if we changed that to 3,000.
Nutting- there is no magic number there

Pfeffer - amend motion to change the motion to allow 3,000 sq ft instead of 2,000

Feldman - Why 3,000?

Pfeffer - I was going to go with 4,000 but that would only be ten units, and we want to get a response

vote - 8-1 to approve amendment (Dellorco - no)

Bissanti - I'd like to point out when the traffic studies and trip analysis come back, the development residential is not going to screw up Pond St traffic, we don't want to cut the legs out of the RFP. And that is why we got rid of the anaerobic digester. Some one may ask to put in a sports complex and we'll need to review that. I'd like to see what can be done.

Forster - 
the traffic study won;t get screwed up, it is already that way, I asked to see if you would drive that, not sure if you did. Any addition will screw it up more. 

Bissanti - the Planning Board will hold the developers feet to the fire

Did any of you do the drive on Pond St?

Irwin - while I appreciate, Ms Pfefer's attempt to accomodate us? I would like you consider Mr Feldman's mention of a request to delay to come up with a thoughtout process. I get something will go there, I want a thoughtful consideration and thoughtful compromise

Pazniokas - 
it is not just about the traffic, a lower density would be more attractive to some of the residents, and impact to the other resources of the town, make it more attractive to live there

Difficulty in changing the zoning, I appreciate your efforts. It is not just the traffic but hwo might be living there.

Lea - (returning)
if the traffic is a problem, then why haven't you done something. Story of the truck parked delivering to Starbucks, cars all parked on the side street

Pfeffer - motion to close the discussion
vote to close the question, 9-0

vote on bylaw via roll call
8-1 (Dellorco no)

two minute recess