Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Annual Report 2013: Fire Dept


The Franklin Fire Department is divided into two divisions: Operations and Maintenance, which is the largest and responsible for dispatch, emergency medical services, fire suppression and hazardous materials response. Administration and Support Services is responsible for personnel, budget and finance, training, code compliance and coordinating the Town’s emergency preparedness.

Our Mission

The mission of the Franklin Fire Department is to: Have a positive impact in the lives of citizens and visitors of Franklin in their time of crisis by providing compassionate, contemporary, community driven services.

Safeguard human life from the perils of fire, sudden illness, injury or other emergency medical condition, natural and man-made disasters as well as preserve the environment and property from ensuing destruction.

Be responsible for a safe, productive and pleasant work environment for our employees, and provide them opportunities to gain new skills and advance their personal career goals.

Operational Objectives

  • Initiating advanced life support to patients within 8 minutes of receiving the telephone call at our communications center.
  • To access, extricate, treat and transport and transport trauma patients to a level one trauma medical facility within one hour of the occurrence of the injury.
  • Interrupt the progression of fires in structures within 8 minutes of open flame ignition.
  • To insure response readiness remains greater than 70%.
  • Provide safety and survival skills for all school students in grade K through 5 consistent with the Student Awareness Fire Education (SAFE) initiative of the Commonwealth.
  • Provide educational opportunities for department members to insure optimal performance and safety.
  • To develop and maintain “best practice” to insure personnel and citizen safety.
  • Insure fire safety through timely, consistent code compliance services to all external customers.
  • Provide all department services in a manner that satisfies the needs of our customers.


Message from the Fire Chief

Fiscal Year 2013 has been a very difficult year in maintaining a high level of emergency services for the
community. Reductions in authorized staffing levels experienced in Fiscal Year 2009 have reached their
natural and predicted impact. During the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2013, the department suffered a number
of duty related injuries and extended injuries. (We believe there is a causal relationship between years of
diminished staffing levels and increases duty related injuries.) As a result, we were unable to sustain, either
financially or by staffing, sufficient minimum daily staffing levels (10 personnel) to provide the level of
emergency services the community had previously enjoyed. In November of 2012, we these conditions
forced the department to reduce minimum daily staffing to 9 personnel. The effect on service level has
been negative, with a decrease in response time in the King Street District by 5%, increase in on-scene times
by over 50% and an increase in overall time of incident, department-wide by 9%.

This challenged the safety level for our citizens and firefighter alike. In terms of positive outcomes for medical related emergencies, we know that a one minute increase in response time can increase patient morbidity by 13% one year after the incidents. Additionally, I believe the reduced staffing has had a negative impact on our employees. The department’s loss time accident rate has increased by 40% since down staffing occurred in 2009. In addition to the rate increase, loss time has increase 5 fold, to nearly 3,400 work hours lost in Fiscal Year 2013 due to duty related injury.

This year the department also marked a milestone with the retirement of Lieutenant Paul Beach. Lieutenant Beach began his employment with the department in 1983 as a Call Firefighter and was appointed as a Career Firefighter in 1985. During his nearly 27 years of service to the Town, Paul served in many capacities, serving his last 15 years as the Department’s Technology Officer, leading the department’s transition from paper to the digital age. We wish him and his wife Jean a long, happy and healthy retirement.

This year the department responded to more than 3,400 emergency responses – an overall increase of less than 1% from last year. This modest increase reflected no major increase in any call type category from Fiscal Year 2012.

In addition to emergency response, the department also continued to try to expand its fire prevention education activities, providing safety and survival education to the most vulnerable population to fire – our children and seniors. Through the dedicated efforts of SAFE Officer Robert Donovan, the department continued to educate over 100 children per month as well as attend various activities at the Senior Center. Lieutenant Tom Carlucci with Firefighter Keith Darling and Doug Perro provide dedicated assistance in completing this important service to our citizens.

Our employees continue to be the chief reason for maintaining our current the level of success and level of services we provide our citizens. They continue to work tirelessly to protect life and property within Franklin. In addition to their on-duty responses, our employees commit countless hours in continuing education and training targeted to maintain and improved upon their emergency skills.

Additionally, they continue to press forward in attempt to provide the highest level of service to the
community based upon advancement in the fire-rescue field and advancements in technology. These efforts
have yielded significant and broad insight into the requirements necessary to maintain and improve upon
the services we provide to the citizens of Franklin.

Respectfully Submitted,

Gary B. McCarraher, Fire Chief

Franklin Fire Dept - Tower 1 unit at the downtown fire station
Franklin Fire Dept - Tower 1 unit at the downtown fire station


The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Franklin Matters: Year in Review - December 2013

And December, the last month of 2013 completes the year in review

The monthly summaries
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review-january.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review-march.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review-april.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review-may-2013.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review-june.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review-july.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review-august.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review_30.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review-october.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-matters-year-in-review_31.html

Franklin Town Common
Franklin Town Common

We had some fun playing with "Where in Franklin?"
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2007/11/where-in-franklin-summary.html

A visit to the DelCarte playground was captured with a short video
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/delcarte-playground-december-update.html

A brief video of the snow on the Town Common was timed nicely to capture the bells of St Mary's as they rang  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/snow-and-bells-of-st-marys-video.html

The fiscal policy that Franklin operates by is undergoing a review and possible update, the working draft can be found here  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/franklin-fiscal-policy-draft-update.html



If you like what you read here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like what you read here, please tell me!



Franklin Matters: Year in Review - November 2013

Rapidly coming to the close of 2013 we don't have to go back too far in the archives to find November. Did you remember


The NY Times article mentioning the preservation of Franklin's gift from Ben
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/none-of-those-books-will-ever-be-read.html

Recent photos of the construction progress on the new high school
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/the-exterior-of-new-fhs-building-is.html

The DelCarte playground work is almost complete
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/delcarte-playground-construction.html



The Turkey Trot collected food good sand funds to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry


The new Town Council held a planning workshop to lay out the priority on topics to be addressed by the Council  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/live-reporting-town-council-workshop.html

"The bear' was installed at the Sculpture Park (video)
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/franklin-sculpture-park-bear-video.html

Construction downtown will create an opportunity for 2014
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/downtown-improvement-project.html

The Franklin election results were very disappointing as only 11.5% of the registered voters cast their ballot
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/precinct-totals-for-nov-5th-election.html


Monday, December 30, 2013

Franklin Matters: Year in Review - October 2013

not too long ago, the archives contained some good stuff from October:

The candidates in contested elections got together for a forum to share their views
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/candidates-forum-oct-23-2013.html

The foundation for the playground at DelCarte Open Space was laid down. It was a gorgeous fall day for photos  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/delcarte-open-space-photo-essay.html




The Town Council resolved the license suspension appeal from Ichigo Ichies as well as gave the final approval for the Cook's Farm approval
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/ichigo-ichie-cooks-farm-and-bunch-of.html

The Fire Dept held its annual Open House at the #2 Fire Station on King St
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/fire-dept-open-house-photo-essay.html

Find a pothole or street light out? Use the new smart phone app to report this!
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/yes-franklin-has-app-for-that.html

Franklin Matters: Year in Review - September 2013

The year in review continues to dig into the archives and now we find ourselves in September...

The Library Book Sale put on by the Friends of the Library was canceled by the Library Board of Directors
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/denied-request-without-further.html

The Cook's Farm proposal moved to a second reading after a divided council voted
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/divided-council-moves-zoning-bylaw.html

wrought iron fencing was added to Dean College
wrought iron fencing was added to Dean College

The lineup of candidates for the November Franklin election had few races
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/franklins-election-lineup-set.html

After much good work by the Master Plan Committee, the 'Master Plan' was updated and brought to the Town Council  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/live-reporting-master-plan.html


Sunday, December 29, 2013

Franklin Matters: Year in Review - August 2013

The end of summer came in August with the start of school before Labor Day and a flurry of news items

The allegation and suspension of a Franklin High School teacher
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/lets-note-that-this-is-all-about.html

A new drop off pattern for parents at the high school
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/high-school-traffic-pattern.html

New traffic speed signs were added to King St at the crossing to the Parmenter School
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/getting-ready-to-slow-down-on-king-st.html

The School Building Committee heard an update on the High School and the options proposed for Davis Thayer  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/school-committee-has-work-to-do.html

Warrant Officer David Bullukian, Jr.
Warrant Officer David Bullukian, Jr.

A series of posts to share Franklin's Fallen Heroes from World War II
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/franklin-fallen-heroes-series.html


Franklin Matters: Year in Review - July 2013

Half way through the archives for 2013, we find ourselves in July

The Town Council, Planning Board and others held a special meeting to talk through the zoning issues for the proposed high density development at Cook's Farm
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/07/live-reporting-town-council-special.html

The Community Garden was in full bloom
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/07/community-gardens-photo-essay.html

Growing in the Franklin Community Garden
Growing in the Franklin Community Garden

The timeline for the local election to be held November 5th was announced
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/07/franklins-local-election-timeline.html

The school district conducted a survey on the school calendar and published the results
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/07/school-calendar-survey-results.html

With the school construction underway, there were no fireworks for the 4th of July. Whether there will be for 2014 or not remains to be seen. We did share a video of the 2012 fireworks.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/07/franklins-fireworks-2012-edition.html


Saturday, December 28, 2013

Annual Report 2013: Franklin TV

Continuing our series of sharing sections of the 2013 Annual Report of Franklin, MA we have Franklin TV

In November 2011 the town of Franklin incorporated Franklin Community Cable Access, Inc. (FCCA) d/b/a Franklin TV as an educational, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to run the community’s three local cable channels. In taking up the charter of the cable committee, we are submitting this report as a nongovernmental body that maintains a close working relationship with municipal agencies, other nonprofit organizations and civic groups.  
In February 2012 a seven member board of directors was elected to run the corporation. In March, 2012 the town funded FCCA through the licensing fees collected from Comcast and Verizon. No taxpayer dollars are used to maintain and operate the community cable access studios.  
In April 2012 the board hired Peter Fasciano as its executive director to run the day to day operations. The first order of business was to stabilize our technical operation and brand our three channels. 
Our channels are:
Franklin All Access TV,
Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26),
Franklin Pride,
Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28),
Franklin Town Hall TV,
Our Government Channel, (Comcast 11, Verizon 29). 
Throughout the past 16 months, Franklin TV has upgraded its equipment and broadcast signal. We continue to work with Comcast to have them carry our channels in a digital format. Our cameras are now recording programs in HD, waiting for Comcast and Verizon will provide HD channel support. 
Franklin.TV is our web site. Our weekly programming schedule is posted along with information about the station and contact information for posting messages to our Community Bulletin Board (CBB). 
In February 2013 we purchased the market building at 23 Hutchinson St to serve as our new home and broadcast studios. Construction will soon be underway to renovate the building and add a 1200 Sq Ft studio in the rear. The site will provide Franklin and its residents with a free, open access, state of the art Media and Arts Center. 
The Corporation is fully committed to serving the community. In April 2013 we entered into a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the town, becoming the first nonprofit organization to do so. We have also installed three small live TV facilities (video control systems and audio mixers with three cameras at each location) at two middle schools and at the high school. In June we awarded our $1,000 scholarship to Andrew Cyr, a deserving Franklin senior studying Communications. We are active members of the Downtown Partnership and Greater Attleboro Chamber of Commerce. We are working closely with other nonprofit and benevolent groups in Franklin to promote their mission goals and good works.  
We are very thankful to the cable committee and local officials for their prudent planning and foresight in managing the access studios in the years prior to our formation, thus insuring a bright future for both Franklin TV and the Franklin Community. 
Respectfully submitted, 
Ken Norman,
President, FCCA, Inc.
one of the three channels, Franklin Town Hall TV



The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at

Franklin Matters: Year in Review - June 2013

Strolling through the archives for 2013, we find ourselves in June

Tension did rise during the discussion about the Cook's Farm proposal
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/tensions-rise-over-cooks-farm-and.html




The Town Council put forward the question on whether we should have a mayor or not?
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/should-franklin-have-mayor.html

Construction on the new high school brought out the bricks!
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/yes-there-are-bricks.html

Across town there was construction on the solar farm at Mount St Mary's Abbey
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/mount-st-marys-solar-farm.html

BMAC's campaign to go down under caught a lot of attention
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/franklin-town-council-sends-bmac-down.html

An for the time being at least, anaerobic digestion was tabled
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/anaerobic-digestion-tabled-in-franklin.html

Franklin Matters: Year in Review - May 2013

Stepping back into the archives for Mary 2013 we find

Photos of the parade on Memorial Day
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/memorial-day-parade-photos.html

The new word added to our vocabulary was "anaerobic digestion"
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/anaerobic-digester-presentation-town-of.html

The Historical Museum had a good talk on the farming in Franklin
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/farming-in-franklin-then-and-now-photo.html

Construction on the new high school continued and the 'quality' wall was built
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/fhs-construction-update-and-quality.html



There were choices for road races to be run this month. The Elks 5K raised funds for the Franklin Food Pantry and the Wounded Warrior Project
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/franklin-elks-care-5k-road-race-results.html

Friday, December 27, 2013

Annual Report 2013: Building Inspection Department

Continuing our series sharing sections from the Annual Report 2013 of Franklin, MA  we have the Building Inspection Department.

The Building Inspection Department is a multifunction office responsible for the construction, demolition, alteration, repair and occupancy of all residential, commercial, business and industrial uses for both existing and new construction in accordance with the Massachusetts Building Code. The department is responsible for the administration, interpretation and enforcement of the following codes:
  • Massachusetts State Building Code - 780CMR
  • Town of Franklin Code - Zoning – CH 185
  • Mass. Electrical Code – 527 CMR
  • Mass. Plumbing and Gas Code – 248 CMR
  • National Fuel Gas Code – NFPA 54-2002
  • Sealer of Weights and Measure – G.L. CH 98
  • Architectural Access Board – 521 CMR

Hours of OperationThe Building Inspection Department’s hours are
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 8:00a.m.-4:00p.m.,
Wednesday 8:00a.m.-6:00p.m. and Friday 8:00a.m.- 1:00p.m. 
For your convenience, you may visit our website: at www.franklin.ma.us/inspections. This site contains a series of forms easily accessible and available to download. The website provides permit applications, sample plot plans, sign regulations, swimming pool instruction manuals. Shed/barn instruction manuals, zoning criteria and other information necessary to process a permit or to simply provide information to the public.  
Building Department Staff
Building Commissioner/Zoning Officer: Lloyd Brown
Inspectors:
Inspector of Wires: Bernard Mullaney
Asst Wiring Inspector: James Laughlin
Plumbing/Gas Inspector: Richard Cornetta
Asst Plumb/Gas Inspector: Richard McCormick
Local Building Inspector: Stephen O’Neill
Sealer of Weights & Measurers
Comm. of Mass. /Div. of Standards
Staff Assistants
Barbara J. Curran
Nancy Danello/Zoning
Judy Demers 
Lloyd Brown, Commissioner of Buildings, is responsible for all construction trade inspectors, municipal maintenance and supervision of all construction, zoning interpretation and determination, pre-planning and review of all subdivisions and proposed construction and improvements and general input for all other municipal departments and construction-related inquiries.  
Fiscal Year 2013 brought many changes to the department. In August Stephen O’Neill was hired to the fill the Local Building Inspector position and Nancy Danello became the Zoning Board Administration Secretary and Building Department staff assistant in September.  
Building Permits
Fiscal year 2013 was a continuation of strong permit activity, with the new high school being at the top of large projects that we oversee. Agastini Construction is the contractor building the new high school and they are on schedule. New home construction was up by 10 units and alterations of homes and businesses also increased.  
This year the Building Department issued a total of 1257 building permits and the revenues collected were $449,987.00  
The following is a breakdown of the past years building permit activity:
Single Family Residence 35
Attached Town Houses 7
Apts. Or Stacked Condos 24
New Building Commercial 6
Building Misc. $671.00
Accessory Dwelling Units 5
Addition(s) 30
Alteration(s) 672
Amended Permit(s) 1
Deck 64
Swimming Pool(s) 23
Garage(s) 3
Shed(s) 13
Foundation(s) Only 2
Demolition(s) 11
Tent(s) 17
Sign(s) 55
Woodstove(s) 32
Carnival(s) 2
Fence 3
Earth Removal 2
Repair(s) Rehab 107

Certificates of Inspection
Inspection and certification of specified use groups shall be inspected annually in accordance with Table 110 of the Massachusetts State Building Code. This year the staff issued 82 certificates of inspection and the fees collected for the certifications amounted to $18,240.00. 
Certificates are issued for all public and private schools, churches, day care centers, nursing homes, funeral homes, bleachers, restaurants, alcoholic beverage establishments, multi-family dwellings (3or more units), movie theaters and other places of assembly. The Fire Department has assisted our department in assuring compliance with the Fire Prevention Code. The purpose of these inspections are to ensure the public safety and well being of the general public. 
Certificates of Occupancy
The Building Inspection Department issues a certificate of occupancy in accordance with the Massachusetts State Building Code. All buildings/structures shall not be used or occupied in whole or part until a certificate of occupancy is issued.  
This department has issued a total of 118 certificates of occupancy and the total fees collected amounted to $8,250.00
Electrical Permits
The total number of electrical permits issued was 963, the total fees collected and deposited amounted to $103,640.00. 
Plumbing Permits
The total number of plumbing permits issued was 859, the total fees collected and deposited
amounted to $109,439.00. 
Gas Permits
The total number of gas permits issued was 874 and the total fees collected and deposited amounted to $34,767.00 
Division of Weights and Standards
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations, Division of Standards provides this service on behalf of the Town of Franklin. The Department of Weights and Measures is responsible for providing the services of testing, adjusting, sealing and handling all complaints regarding commercial weighing and measuring devices within the Town of Franklin. The department investigates consumer complaints regarding unit pricing laws; spot-checking prepackaged items for compliance with all weights and measures laws.  
Inspections were conducted by the State and the total fees collected and deposited amounted to $8,393.00 Total Revenues Collected: $733,387.00  
This past fiscal year was my first as a building commissioner and the help from my staff, citizens and town workers made the transition a great experience. I look forward to continuing to serve the Town of Franklin. 
Respectfully, 
Lloyd Brown
Commissioner of Buildings
Franklin Municipal Building
Franklin Municipal Building


The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at


Franklin Matters: Year in Review - April 2013

Continuing our look back into the archives we step into April 2013 and find:


The tour of Franklin High School was the best attended of all the school tours thus far
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/04/franklin-high-school-tour-photo-essay.html

DPW Director Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi provided an update to the Town Council on work that would be occurring in and around Franklin being done or coordinated by the DPW
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/04/franklin-public-works-upcoming-projects.html




One of the DPW projects was work on in and around East, West and Nason Sts
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/04/franklin-street-construction-photo-essay.html

Work on the Sculpture Park was also one of the DPW projects
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/04/franklin-sculpture-park-imagine-future.html

April also was the running of the annual the Boston Marathon. Many Franklin runners, friends and relatives had anxious moments due to the plans that were disrupted that day. Our world was changed.


Franklin Matters: Year in Review - March 2013

Continuing to close out the calendar year, we step back into the archives to recall what happened in March 2013.


The sculpture park was announced
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/new-sculpture-park-opening-in-franklin.html

The Franklin Education Foundation (FEF) held its annual Trivia Bee
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/trivia-bee-photo-slide-show.html

The Community Garden prepared for its new planting season
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/spring-gardening-photo-essay.html

The Finance Committee got a preview of the proposal for the improvements to DelCarte
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/delcarte-recreation-proposal.html

Steel girders rose to start shaping the new Franklin High School building
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/fhs-construction-progress-photos.html





Thursday, December 26, 2013

Annual Report 2013: Zoning Board of Appeals

Continuing our series of sections from the Annual Report of 2013 for Franklin, MA we have the Zoning Board of Appeals


The Zoning Board of Appeals currently consists of three (3) members and two (2) associate members appointed by the Town Administrator, subject to the confirmation by the Town Council, for terms of such length and so arranged that the term of one member shall expire each year. There is currently one (1) opening for an associate member. The members would like to take this opportunity to thank Barbara Curran for her 13+ years of dedicated service and also welcome Sean Slater as an Associate Member to the Zoning Board of Appeals. 
The Board of Appeals holds Public Hearings, as advertised, for Variance(s), Special Permits (including gravel removal), Findings and Chapter 40B applications. The Board also renders determinations on land use and zoning issues. All necessary forms and applications may be obtained through the Building Inspection Department and via Board of Appeals website at http://www.franklin.ma.us
The Zoning Board of Appeals meets in Town Council Chambers at the Franklin Municipal Building on Thursday evenings usually twice a month, at 7:30pm. The calendar may be viewed via website at http://www.franklin.ma.us
All meetings are open to the public. The Board has been very active this fiscal year and the following agenda is a list of all applications filed, indexed and recorded with the Town Clerk.  
Respectfully submitted,
Franklin Zoning Board of Appeals 
Member Since
Bruce Hunchard, Chairman 1991
Robert Acevedo, Vice Chairman 2003
Timothy Twardowski, Clerk 2010
Philip Brunelli, Associate Member 2009
Sean Slater, Associate Member 2012
Nancy Danello, Administrative Secretary

Franklin (MA) Municipal Building
Franklin, MA Municipal Building



The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/


Franklin Matters: Year in Review -> February 2013

What happened in February?

On the business front, Pour Richard's relocated their liquor license to open at 14 Grove St
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/02/pour-richards-wine-and-spirits-photo.html

The Historical Museum hosted a talk on Franklin's rail history
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/02/franklin-junction-photo-essay.html

Nemo buried Franklin in lots of snow
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/02/after-nemo-photo-essay.html






Franklin Matters: Year In Review -> January 2013

What happened in January?

The argument for the Treasurer/Collector to make another try to go from elected to appointed was re-introduced.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/town-council-012313.html

Vera Meyer returned to the Franklin Historical Museum to help celebrates Benjamin Franklin's birthday
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/the-glass-harmonica.html





creation of a bylaw to allow medical marijuana zoning is going to the Economic Development Committee before coming back to the Council and the Planning Board process.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/town-council-010913.html

The road condition report was published listing the roads from "worst to first" by condition ranking
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/franklin-road-conditions-from-worst-to.html

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Annual Report 2013: Town Administrator

Continuing the series from Franklin's Annual Report for 2013, we have the Town Administrator

Each year we try to improve the quality of life for our citizens. We are committed to providing great customer service and high ethical standards. We continue to live within our means. There will be challenges in coming years, but we will continue to meet those challenges the only way we know how, head on and with our goal of providing the best service we can. 
So, what have we done this year? 
On the Budget front, we had a very good year. We balanced the budget with no use of reserves or any layoffs. We maintained a single tax rate and we established an operating stabilization account. We settled all but one bargaining agreement. We authorized a Solar project that will provide the town with about 75% of its electricity use. 
Our day-to-day activities include: the continuation of the water main replacement program where we replace a defective water main and then replace the road and sidewalk. We accepted Lady Slipper, Pasture, Symmes, Ruby, Opal, Jade, Garnet, Tanglewood, Sierra, Mary Jane, Anna, Summer Heights, Autumn, Fall, and Dutchess Roads. We updated the flood plan district. The Council authorized the purchase of land at 37 Beaver Street to be used for additional parking at the Senior Center. The Council also transferred town owned land on Beaver Court to the Housing Trust to be used for affordable housing. We continued the
development of the Sculpture Park at the site of the old town pool on Panther Way. We worked on a Ballot question on whether to appoint the treasurer/collector. We adopted a Tax workoff program for Veterans similar to the senior tax workoff program. 
We also sought to spur economic activity with zoning changes. We rezoned land off of Exit 16 from Residential to Commercial. We initiated a zoning change to streamline the site plan process as well as a zoning change to improve the impervious coverage bylaw. We also adopted zoning for medical marijuana. 
We continued the review of our Town Bylaws to ensure they are fair and reasonable while protecting the interest of all of our citizens. This year we updated the Council on Aging, Dogs, and Transient Vendors bylaws. 
With Dams 3 and 4 nearly complete, The Town Council voted funds for the Recreation Park at the DelCarte Property. The property will include a recreation park and a boardwalk to enhance the existing trails. 
The Town Council voted to transfer the responsibility of Public Access Cable TV to a Cable Access Corporation. Franklin TV has entered into a PILOT tax agreement with the Town of Franklin. 
Probably most important of all, the new model high school project approved in March of 2012 by the voters is right on schedule. Construction that began in the fall of 2012 is on schedule to be completed in September of 2014. 
As always, I want to thank the employees of the Town of Franklin. It is my pleasure to come to work every day with such dedicated and hard working people who do their best for the citizens of Franklin. 
It is my pleasure to submit my annual report for your review, and please feel free to write, e-mail, or stop by with any questions, concerns, or comments.  
Respectfully submitted, 
Jeff Nutting
Town Administrator
Franklin Municipal Building
Franklin's Municipal Building

The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/



Monday, December 23, 2013

2013 - Where in Franklin?


When:
As you have seen, I have posted pictures of the local scenes in and around Franklin. As we close out the 2013 calendar year, I'll post a picture and ask for your help to identify where it is in Franklin.

Who can play:
Anyone can play but realistically, I understand that this will limit participation to those readers who are Franklin area residents (or at least local neighbors).

What kind of picture:
The picture will be of something seen from the sidewalk, trail, or road while walking, or riding a bike or car. All pictures will be found within the confines of geographical Franklin. The picture should be something of beauty, specialness, architectural, natural or the like that is found within Franklin.

How to play:
If you recognize the picture, send me an email or leave a comment on the post identifying where the picture is or what it is of. Cross streets, street addresses, or significant defining descriptions accepted. In case of a tie in identification, the time stamp on the entry (to indicate the first correct answer) will determine the winner.

Prize:
The glory and honor for identification of the picture. I'll publish as much of your name or identification as you will allow me to.

Why am I doing this?
To help us all explore the real beauty of what we have here. Sure there are great sites to see when we travel but "there is no place like home". If this effort does just a little to help us better see, understand, and appreciate our own Franklin area, then it will have succeeded. This will unite my desire for "life long learning", my passion for the good customer experience, and of course, where I live today: Franklin.

Disclaimer:
This is meant to be a fun thing to do.
If this gets to be not fun, well, I'll give notice and stop.

Oh, and the residents of my immediate household are not eligible to play.

Did I miss anything?
Please, let me know.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Franklin Election - 2013

The collection of posts covering the Franklin local election to be held on Nov 5, 2013

Precinct totals
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/precinct-totals-for-nov-5th-election.html

Election results
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/franklin-election-results-nov-5-2013.html

Voices of Franklin: Powderly - Appoint the Treasurer/Collector
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/voices-of-franklin-powderly-appoint.html

Conversation with Judy Pfeffer
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/conversation-with-judy-pfeffer.html

Conversation with Andy Bissanti
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/conversation-with-andrew-bissanti-town.html

Conversation with Brett Feldman
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/conversation-with-brett-feldman-town.html


Milford Daily News - Candidate Profiles


Candidate Forum - cable replay schedule
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/candidates-forum-replay-schedule.html

Candidates Forum held on Oct 23, 2013
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/candidates-forum-oct-23-2013.html

What one question would you ask the candidates?
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/what-one-question-would-you-ask.html

Election line up set
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/franklins-election-lineup-set.html

Milford Daily News status update
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/eleven-residents-had-pulled-papers-to.html

Offer to candidates for election
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/offer-to-candidates-for-election.html

Treasurer/Collector ballot question text
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/proposed-ballot-question.html

Election timeline
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/07/franklins-local-election-timeline.html