This internet radio show or podcast is number 184 in the series for Franklin Matters.
This recording shares Town Administrator Report segment from the Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019.
Updates on:
- New Board of Health Director, Cathy Liberty replacing David McKearnery who is retiring
- Cindy Souza, of Animal Control is also retiring sometime in January
- Update the turf field issue now that the DEP letter has arrived
- Open Meeting Law special session on Dec 11
- Thanks to the DPW and others for the look of the Town Common
- Thanks to the DPW for their work on the first and long snow fall this week
- Update on the Spring St issue raised by the Cochran’s in the Citizen Comments section
Maybe I am getting lazy, maybe it is just worth a try, Jamie’s update from each Town Council meeting is not covered in detail by my notes (and yes, I strive to get better on that) so I thought it important to share the audio of his report to the Town Council in a timely manner. The Town generally publishes an “Actions Taken” doc to highlight the recorded votes. So rather than wait for the full minutes to be approved and available, I’ll share the audio segment of the TA Report.
The statement runs approx 9 minutes.
Link to DEP letter as mentioned
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15WMp_zZiMXs_7MfpUQJd5hgtaVbrlkY_/view?usp=sharing
https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/Hc0j5J4X
What we know about the "turf issue":
- The prior conversations around the field replacements (completed in 2017) were centered around the crumb rubber infill. The Town spent more for an acrylic coated infill (which apparently was installed), the issue now is not with the infill but the with chemicals used to treat the carpet itself.
- A third party filed a complaint with DEP about the old turf stored at the Beaver St fields
- Article in TheIntercept about PFAS found in the turf itself https://theintercept.com/2019/10/08/pfas-chemicals-artificial-turf-soccer/
- Article in the Boston Globe alleging potential issues with the water supply and shared via Franklin Matters https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/we-will-work-with-dep-to-resolve-matter.html
- The Franklin community on Facebook reacts in the conversation around the article and issue
- Town Administrator Jamie Hellen makes statement at Town Council meeting 10/16/19 https://drive.google.com/open?id=14VSvuZvTifTbeHO4bWFtIy2YxVdjRF4O
- Updated 12/5/19 - Town Administrator Jamie Hellen makes statement at Town Council meeting 12/4/19 referring to the DEP letter https://drive.google.com/file/d/15WMp_zZiMXs_7MfpUQJd5hgtaVbrlkY_/view?usp=sharing
- Updated 12/5/19 - While PFAS in the water supply was tested by Town of Franklin once in 2018, is PFAS still being tested by ToF now? No, nor are they required to do so.
- Updated 12/5/19 - What will the State do with PFAS and the recent revelations (if anything)? The DEP is doing nothing now.
What we don’t know:
- What happened to the Conservation Commission mitigation measures from when the field was first installed (in 2004?)?
- Where was the old carpet and bags of unused infill taken?
- What will the State and/or Federal agencies do with PFAS and the recent revelations (if anything)?
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This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can always use your help.
How can you help?
Overall:
- If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors.
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Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements.
Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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The prior statement by Jamie Hellen can be found online
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