Master Plan Update Committee meetings for week of Aug 19

• Sustainability Subcommittee

Event Date:  Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - 7:00pm

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2024-8-20_0.pdf

• Master Plan Update Committee

Event Date:  Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - 6:30pm

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/master_plan_agenda_-august_21_2024.pdf

Master Plan Update Committee meetings for week of Aug 19

Sustainability Subcommittee Meeting - July 22 at 5:30 PM (virtual only)

Sustainability - Master Plan Subcommittee

July 22, 2024 - 5:30 PM

Meeting will be on Zoom only

Agenda

1. Approval of Minutes

2. Discuss potential implementation measures for goals and objectives

Agenda doc contains remote participation info ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2024-7-22.pdf

Sustainability Subcommittee Meeting - July 22 at 5:30 PM (virtual only)

"There’s a secret for Mass. cities and towns to win big bucks from Washington: Invest in sustainability"

Via the Boston Globe: 

"In three years, when the Bennett-Hemenway Elementary School in Natick is outfitted with air conditioning and staff and students will no longer wilt on the hottest days, it will be thanks to two things: a $2 million grant from the US Department of Energy, and Jillian Wilson Martin.

Wilson Martin is the sustainability director for Natick, one of dozens employed by cities and towns across the state. They don’t always do the most exciting work. Increasingly, the job description includes hours of writing grant applications, trying to get a piece of the billions of federal dollars for climate and infrastructure projects pushed by the Biden administration.

But the payoff can be huge.

“You guys. I literally almost passed out when I found out,” Wilson Martin wrote last summer in a joy-filled newsletter announcing the Energy Department grant, as well as a separate $250,000 grant from the state aimed at helping communities adapt to climate impacts. “Those hand cramps paid off!”

Continue reading the Boston Globe article ->  https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/06/08/science/sustainability-officers-help-deliver-federal-funding/

"There’s a secret for Mass. cities and towns to win big bucks from Washington: Invest in sustainability"

Sustainability Subcommittee scheduled to meet virtually June 5 at 5 PM

Sustainability - Master Plan Subcommittee - Agenda
June 5, 2024 - 5:00 PM
Meeting will be on Zoom only

1. Discuss Sustainability goals and objectives

 

 

Agenda doc and remote info ->
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2024-6-5.pdf

 

Sustainability Subcommittee scheduled to meet virtually June 5 at 5 PM

Sustainability Subcommittee schedules discussion with Conservation & Storm Water - April 30 - 5:30 PM

Master Plan Update Committee

Sustainability Subcommittee

Date:  Tuesday, April 30, 2024 - 5:30pm

Agenda doc contains remote participation info ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2024-4-30.pdf

Sustainability Subcommittee schedules discussion with Conservation & Storm Water - April 30 - 5:30 PM

Master Plan Update Committee & Sustainability Subcmte Meetings Apr 16 & Apr 17

• Sustainability Subcommittee

Event Date:  Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - 6:00pm

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2024-4-16.pdf

• Master Plan Update Committee

Event Date:  Wednesday, April 17, 2024 - 6:30pm

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/master_plan_agenda_-april_17_2024.pdf

Master Plan Update Committee & Sustainability Subcmte Meetings Apr 16 & Apr 17

Master Plan Update Cmte: Sustainability Subcommittee Agenda for April 16, 2024

• Sustainability Subcommittee

Event Date:  Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2024-4-16.pdf

Master Plan Update Cmte: Sustainability Subcommittee Agenda for April 16, 2024

Master Plan Subcommittee meetings scheduled for April 1 & April 2

Sustainability Subcommittee Meeting

Event Date:  Monday, April 1, 2024 - 5:15 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2024-4-1.pdf

Land Use Subcommittee

Event Date:  Tuesday, April 2, 2024 - 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/landusezoningagenda_-_2024-04-02.pdf

Master Plan Subcommittee meetings scheduled for April 1 & April 2

Meet with both the Land Use & Sustainability Master Plan Subcmtes at the Library, Saturday, March 2

Come meet with the Sustainability and Land Use Subcommittees on March 2nd! From 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM.

Land Use Master Plan Subcmte

Sustainability Master Plan Subcmte

Shared from -> https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1762466700937642348

Visit the Master Plan Update Committee on the Town page ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/master-plan-update-committee

2 Master Plan subcommittees meet before the full Committee meets on Wednesday

Sustainability Subcommittee

Event Date:  Tuesday, January 23, 2024 - 7:00pm

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2024-1-23.pdf

CSFC Subcommittee

Event Date:  Wednesday, January 24, 2024 - 5:15pm

no agenda posted at this time

Master Plan Committee

Event Date:  Wednesday, January 24, 2024 - 6:30pm

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/master_plan_agenda_-january_24_2024.pdf

2 Master Plan subcommittees meet before the full Committee meets on Wednesday

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, January 18, 2024 - hybrid session

The 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node will hold our next meeting this Thursday, January 18, 7:00-9:00 PM. Franklin residents, come to this meeting!  

This will be a HYBRID meeting: you can attend in person, or join on Zoom.  

Those of us who have been meeting in Franklin have enjoyed the chance to come together. Join us! 

 

• In-person meeting: First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin. 

•  OPTION:   

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09

Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274    Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

 

ATTENTION Franklin residents! In addition to our regular agenda, we will hear about and discuss sustainability plans for the Town of Franklin. We will be joined in-person by Gino Carlucci, chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee of the Franklin Master Plan Update Committee, from 7:15-7:35. It will be primarily an introductory discussion to one or more public meetings scheduled over the next 2-3 months, at which everyone interested will have the opportunity to provide input to the master plan in general as well as the sustainability elements in particular. We look forward to our discussion with Gino.

 

The remainder of the Node meeting will focus on the two major 350 Mass campaigns: Emissions Free Buildings and Make Polluters Pay. Read about them here.

The Emissions Free Buildings (EFB) campaign works at municipal and statewide levels to replace building systems with proven renewable energy technologies to make our buildings and homes emissions free, in alignment with the Commonwealth's emission goals.     

 

Along with statewide legislation, the 350 Mass EFB campaign promotes local action to accelerate the transition with five Local Projects that can be undertaken by single communities. We'll discuss the choices for towns within the node:

• Better buildings: Achieving energy efficiency and electrification of buildings and homes; A project to implement Clean Green Schools; and New Building Codes to promote use of renewable energy.
• Municipal aggregation (aka Community Choice Aggregation) where a town or city purchases electricity in bulk for its residents.
• Opposition to proposed new gas pipelines.

Here is your opportunity to promote climate action in your town and get guidance to make that happen! The Greater Franklin Node encompasses 20 towns. We want to identify potential Local Projects for towns. Which projects make sense for your town? Who are the key players? How to engage local citizens? This is your chance to make a difference in 2024 and take on the challenges that we face in climate and energy. Join us!

 

Please sign up for the Climate Weekly email. 

Check out upcoming events on our website. 

 

Please try to join us for Thursday's meeting. We will maintain our schedule of meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. 

 

Note: We typically will hold a hybrid meeting on the 1st Thursday and a Zoom-only meeting on the 3rd Thursday, but this week's meeting is a hybrid event so we can welcome Gino Carlucci and residents of Franklin for an in-person discussion.  

 

If you have questions or items for the agenda, you can contact the Node coordinators, carolyncbarthel@gmail.com and/or ralph.halpern@comcast.net. We will send a reminder on Thursday.  

 

Thank you.

Node Co-coordinators,
Carolyn Barthel
Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017   

Sustainability Subcommittee schedules their meeting at the Winter Farmers Market - Dec 16

Did you catch that the Master Plan - Sustainability Subcommittee has scheduled their regular meeting at the Winter Farmers Market on Saturday, December 16, 2023?

It may be one of the longest meetings for a subcommittee that I have seen but should provide opportunity for us to stop by and talk with the members of the subcommittee during the market open hours from 1o AM to 2 PM.

The full agenda doc confirming this is ->    https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2023-12-16_0.pdf

Cool graphic put together to create attentions to this meeting at the Market:

Sustainability Subcommittee schedules their meeting at the Winter Farmers Market - Dec 16

Graphic shared from ->   https://www.facebook.com/100069087412655/posts/pfbid0zCRAyq3Ddq4NgE5cHGQjxLniNQTcbTdyd2KpzpwjQdWhkNxHuYaP6eb9oHqDnPF2l/

And have you responded to the survey yet?

Survey link -> https://forms.gle/NCfcPF6mAr2yLw8n9

Master Plan Update Committee & Subcommittee meetings 9/18 to 9/27

Master Plan Subcommittee meetings scheduled for this week include

• Sustainability Subcommittee - Sep 18

Agenda ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2023-09-18.pdf

• Land Use Subcommittee- Sep 19

Agenda -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/copy_of_landusezoning-agenda_2023-09-19.pdf

The full Mast Plan Update Committee is scheduled to to meet on Wednesday, Sep 27

Agenda -> Not yet posted for this session as scheduled ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/master-plan-update-committee/events/436086

Master Plan Update Committee & Subcommittee meetings 9/18 to 9/27

Master Plan Update: Sustainability Subcommittee Meeting - Sep 18 at 7 PM

Town of Franklin - 

Master Plan, Sustainability Subcommittee Agenda

September 18, 2023

1. Review and approval of minutes

2. Continue review 2013 Sustainability-related items

a. Goals and Policies

b. Review progress since 2013

c. Begin to organize potential goals and policies

i. Mitigation and resiliency

ii. Sustainability element and other elements

3. Next steps

a. Topics not addressed in 2013

b. Data gathering needs

c. Upcoming meetings

The agenda doc contains remote participation info ->
 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2023-09-18.pdf

Master Plan Update: Sustainability Subcommittee Meeting - Sep 18 at 7 PM

Master Plan Housing, Sustainability, & full committee agendas

Subcommittee - Housing

Event Date:  Monday, August 21, 2023 - 5:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/housing_economic_development_agenda_8212023.pdf

Subcommittee - Sustainability

Event Date:  Monday, August 21, 2023 - 6:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/sustainability_-agenda_2023-08-21_0.pdf

Master Plan Update Committee

Event Date:  Wednesday, August 23, 2023 - 6:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/master_plan_agenda_-_august_23rd_2023_0.pdf

Master Plan Housing, Sustainability, & full committee agendas

The Guardian: "Back to the stone age: the sustainable building material we’ve all been waiting for…"

"It’s strong, plentiful and fireproof, as well as beautiful, yet stone has long been supplanted in the building industry by energy-consuming steel, concrete and brick. A trio of advocates for this age-old material say it’s time for a rethink

Imagine a building material that is beautiful, strong, plentiful, durable and fireproof, whose use requires low levels of energy and low emissions of greenhouse gases. It is one of the most ancient known to humanity, the stuff of dolmens and temples and cathedrals and Cotswolds cottages, but also one whose sustainability makes it well-suited to the future. Such a material, according to a growing body of opinion in the world of construction, is among us. It’s called stone.

Last week I sat in the roof garden of a hefty pile of masonry in central London, talking to three advocates of this magnificent substance: engineer Steve Webb, Pierre Bidaud of the Rutland-based Stonemasonry Company and architect Amin Taha. My initial request, driven by a journalistic preference for highlighting individuals, had been to meet Taha alone, but he pointed out that their work is a collaboration of different disciplines. The building on top of which we met is their joint creation: the six-storey, five-year-old Clerkenwell block where Taha has his office and his home."

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/aug/06/back-to-the-stone-age-the-sustainable-building-material-weve-all-been-waiting-for-amin-taha-groupwork-webb-yates-the-stonemasonry-company

Everyday luxury: affordable housing near Palma, Mallorca, built by Balearic social housing institute Ibavi, constructed from load‑bearing stone quarried locally. Photograph: José Hevia

"This year were the “Tier One” cuts ... "Tier Two" cuts next year will be more severe"

Via School Committee Chair Denise Spencer:

Franklin Public Schools has been ringing the alarm bell for 15+ years.

2020 was going to be the swift kick in the rear, but the covid money came in and served as a band-aid. And for the last three years we've been warning people - the money is running out. I don't see another global pandemic happening anytime soon. There are no more handouts. I can't even say the day is here because we've passed the point of no return.

This year were the “Tier One” cuts (see photos in separate post), as discussed at the budget subcommittee meetings, Finance Committee, Town Council, regularly scheduled School Committee meetings…

Tier Two cuts next year will be more severe (read: think programs such as Music, Arts, Foreign Language, not to mention Sports - freshman, froshman JV, Extracurricular Activities, Small Class Sizes, etc. etc..)

The information is out there. Do some research and spend some time to reflect on what you want your community to be.

If you have questions, you can go back and watch some meetings… 

• FRANKLIN TOWN HALL TV - YouTube  http://bit.ly/43lBwVE Here you can find recordings of School Committee, Finance Committee, Town Council, Joint Budget, Budget Hearings…
• Franklin Matters: https://www.franklinmatters.org/  Steve does a great job of collecting information and sharing
• Franklin School Committee: https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee

Here you can find meeting packets, agendas, budget information and more

I encourage folks to attend the August 2nd Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting.

Linking historical articles that show this is NOT a new problem

https://www.milforddailynews.com/.../will.../42531477/)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/.../officia.../41275973007/

https://www.milforddailynews.com/.../frankli.../41194886007/

Going forward from FY 2024, what is sustainable? (audio)

Elected Officials to Protect America advocate for offshore wind power (video)

Elected Officials to Protect America (@EOPAmerica) tweeted on Fri, Oct 14, 2022:

"We're doing our part here locally, and we're here really to call on the Federal Government to join us" regarding offshore wind.
- @CobiFrongillo, Councilmember Franklin, Massachusetts

Please watch the entire press conference on this YouTube link: https://t.co/VyMqDi0yj3

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/EOPAmerica/status/1581042188124704768

"We're doing our part here locally, and we're here really to call on the Federal Government to join us" regarding offshore wind.
- @CobiFrongillo, Councilmember Franklin, Massachusetts

Please watch the entire press conference on this YouTube link: https://t.co/VyMqDi0yj3 pic.twitter.com/dmCRCp3Qv2

— Elected Officials to Protect America (@EOPAmerica) October 14, 2022

"It is not the Commission’s role to choose one resource type over another"

In a classic 'bury the headline' move in front of a long weekend, the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) allowed ISO-New England to further delay moves to reduce dependence upon fossil fuels. The news was released at "10:17 PM · May 27, 2022·via Twitter Web App".

"Tonight, @FERC  voted to permanently end the use of the #MOPR as a tool to stymie state policies in @ISONewEngland .  

While I would have preferred this happen immediately, I voted to approve the filing with the 2 year transition.  

Full statement here:"

https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/chairman-glick-concurrence-regarding-iso-new-england-inc-tariff-revisions 

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/RichGlickFERC/status/1530372578929529185 

CommonWealth Magazine also provides coverage of this decision

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/ferc-grants-delay-on-n-e-energy-market-reform/

This has been a recurring topic on our "Making Sense of Climate" series. You can find all the episodes (currently 10) here https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/05/in-this-making-sense-of-climate-episode.html

https://www.ferc.gov/

International Energy Agency releases "10-Point Plan to Cut Oil Use"

"We’ve just released the @iea  10-Point Plan on actions advanced economies can adopt to cut oil demand by 2.7 million barrels a day. This would be a big saving - it's the same amount of oil currently consumed by all of the cars in China."

IEA =>  International Energy Agency  "Shaping a secure & sustainable energy future. We provide data, analysis & ambitious real-world solutions on all fuels & technologies. "

The full press release behind this infographic -> https://www.iea.org/news/emergency-measures-can-quickly-cut-global-oil-demand-by-2-7-million-barrels-a-day-reducing-the-risk-of-a-damaging-supply-crunch

The full report with additional explanation and charts -> https://www.iea.org/reports/a-10-point-plan-to-cut-oil-use

10-Point Plan to Cut Oil Use