Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Sep 26, 2018

The published agenda and documents for the Franklin Town Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 7:00 PM

You can also find the full set of documents in one PDF

http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/agendas/town_council_agenda_for_september_26_2018.pdf

(Note: where there are active links in the agenda item, it will take you to the associated document)

Agenda Item	Summary
Town Council Meeting Agenda	Meeting of September 26, 2018- 7:00 PM
1. ANNOUNCEMENTS	a. This meeting is being recorder by Franklin TV and shows on Comcast Channel 11 and Verizon Channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by others.
2. CITIZEN COMMENTS	a. Citizens are welcome to express their views for up to five minutes on a matter that is not on the agenda.  The Council will not angage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during Citizen Comments.  The Town Council will give remarks appropriate consideration and may ask the Town Administrator to review the matter.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES	September 5, 2018 Minutes
4. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS	Swearing in of Firefighter
5. APPOINTMENTS	Cultural Council Kaye Kelly
6. HEARINGS	7:10 PM - Resolution 18-51 Cable Television License Renewal.
7. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
8. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS	Franklin Elks Lodge
9. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS	a. Capital Budget Subcommittee b. Budget Subcommittee c. Economic Development Subcommittee
10. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
10a. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Resolution 18-51: Verizon Cable License Renewal (Motion to Approve Resolution 18-51- Majority Vote (5))
10b. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Resolution 18-52: Acceptance of Gift to the Senior Center (Motion to Approve Resolution 18-52- Majority Vote (5))
10c. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Resolution 18-53: Library Budget (Motion to Approve Resolution 18-53- Majority Vote (5))
10d. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Resolution 18-54: Ratification of the Memoranda of Agreement between the Town of Franklin and the Franklin Police Association (Motion to Approve Resolution 18-54-Majority Vote (5))
10e. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Resolution 18-55: Ratification of the Memoranda of Agreement between the Town of Franklin and the Franklin Police Sergeants Union (Motion to Approve Resolution 18-55 - Majority Vote (5))
10f. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 18-815: Changes to 185, Attachment 9, Schedule of Lot, Area, Frontage, Yard and Height Requirements- 2nd Reading (Motion to Adopt Zoning Bylaw Amendment 18-815- Two Thirds Majority Roll Call Vote (6))
10g. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION	Zoning Bylaw Amendment 18-818: Maximum Building Height Dimensional Regulations -2nd Reading (Motion to Adopt Zoning Bylaw Amendment 18-818- Two Thirds Majority Roll Call Vote (6))
11. TOWN ADMINISTRATORS REPORT
12. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
13. COUNCIL COMMENTS
14. EXECUTIVE SESSION	None Scheduled
15. ADJOURN

Work underway at DelCarte to improve handicap accessibility for the canoe launch

Annual Report 2017: Franklin Community Cable Access (Franklin.TV and WFPR.FM)

The Annual Report is compiled and published each year to be ready for voters to obtain at the November election. A PDF copy is also posted online and available for viewing our downloading. I'll highlight some key sections from the current report over the next week or so.

The following is a text representation of the printed pages 77-79 (actually 84-86 of 264)



"ANNUAL REPORT OF THE FRANKLIN COMMUNITY CABLE ACCESS, INC.

for Our Operating Year 2016 dba Franklin.TV (www.franklin.tv)

Franklin.TV is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

We operate the local access TV studios for Franklin. We produce local TV programs on three channels:

• Franklin All Access TV = Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26).
• Franklin Pride TV = Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28).
• Franklin Town Hall TV = Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29).

We are Franklin’s local TV channels on Comcast and Verizon, but we do not provide cable TV service.

Background
The Town of Franklin is the Local Franchise Authority (LFA) that maintains agreements with Comcast and Verizon. Franklin.TV’s funding comes from a 4.8%
access fee that cable subscribers pay per the LFA agreements. Thus, F.TV is not funded by taxes. We operate at no cost to the town of Franklin. F.TV pays a PILOT fee (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) to the Town of Franklin by agreement. We are the first nonprofit organization that pays for town services.

As an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization we also may receive grants and donations from contributors.

Local Programming Produced in 2016
During our 2016 operating year we generated:

• 217 Public Access Programs
• 95 School/Sports Programs
• 19 School/Civic Events Programs
• 96 Government Meetings

427 Locally Produced Programs

All of these programs were produced, recorded and edited by our staff on behalf of Franklin residents, organizations, agencies and local government.

Our extensive production support reaches beyond the customary charter of other public access studios to lend equipment and provide technical training. This additional commitment of professional support enables us to provide a broader range of programs

Community Bulletin Board Service
In addition to programming, Franklin.TV offers free community announcements on our Bulletin Board for all three P/E/G channels. Nonprofit organizations who wish to promote their meetings, special events and activities are welcome to contact us.

Our Studios and Offices
We have five thousand square feet that houses two video studios (a large drive-in access studio and an interview studio), two audio recording rooms, four digital video editing/effects systems, and our offices. We also have general purpose Community Meeting Space available – free to qualified nonprofit groups and service organizations for occasional meetings. Our facility accommodates up to 30 people.

A Broadcasting Opportunity, WFPR-FM
In February of 2014, Franklin.TV was awarded a construction permit by the FCC for a 100 Watt, noncommercial educational FM radio station. WFPR, (Franklin Public Radio) broadcasting on 102.9 FM. After completing approvals and clearances for our new radio tower located at the top of Forge Hill, Franklin Public Radio began broadcast operations and went on the air for the first time at 10:29 AM on February 2nd 2017. Our WFPR tower is also home to Franklin’s Police and Fire Radio Communications systems. The town relocated their services this spring, saving the cost of renting antenna space on a nearby cellular tower.

WFPR is a public broadcasting extension of F.TV’s media services to Franklin and surrounding towns. WFPR provides opportunities for local citizens to have a voice by producing their own radio programs or participating as volunteers to make our radio station successful as a local community resource.

Scholarships
In June, as part of our continuing commitment to Franklin students, Franklin.TV awarded two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors:

• Tatyana Youssef of Franklin High
• Emily Scannell of Tri-County High

Our congratulations and best wishes go out to them in their academic endeavors.

Our Charter Operations
We continue to see increasing requests from various town agencies and civic organizations to provide TV coverage for local events. We cover Franklin events that are cultural or institutional in nature and of general interest. We are always interested in training volunteers who would like to learn the craft of video production. Trained volunteers and interns work alongside our roster of freelance and staff professionals to shoot and edit the
institutional programs that we cover.

Citizen Access
Residents who produce their own access programs are the owners of these programs. As such, these producers hold their own copyright and may copy and distribute these programs freely, provided that the programs are cablecast on the Franklin system. Per our Public Access charter, we do not provide equipment for covering private or personal events or for purposes other than generating Access Programs to be shown over the Franklin cable system

Information about our weekly programming can be found on our web site: www.franklin.tv. While visiting our website, also read our informative F.A.Q. on P/E/G TV studios, their operation, history and charter. We also recommend browsing our past newsletter archives to learn more about Franklin.TV, our growth and development, and the civic events that we cover throughout the year.

Finally, in closing, “Thanks for watching!”

Respectfully submitted,

FranklinTV’s Board of Directors
Ken Norman, President
Jay Horrigan, Vice President
Wesley Rea, Treasurer
John Milot, Clerk
Anne Bergen, Pandora Carlucci, Rose Turco

Peter Fasciano,
Executive Director
Franklin.TV and wfpr.fm"

Annual Report 2017: Franklin Community Cable Access (Franklin.TV and WFPR.FM)

You can find the online copy at the Town of Franklin webpage
http://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/pages/annual-reports

and specifically for 2017
http://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/files/town-annual-report-2017-revised

Free cable time for Franklin Candidates

Check out the details in the attached flyer:

MassAccess Testifies in Support of Community Access Television

MassAccess Testifies in Support of Community Access Television

MassAccess, the nonprofit trade organization representing community media stations throughout Massachusetts, testified today in support of their legislation, 'An Act to Support Community Access Television,' filed by Senator John Keenan and Representative Ruth Balser. The Bill seeks to allow community media stations access to Electronic Programming Guides and channel signal quality that is comparable to local broadcast stations - now and in the future.

Local cable television channels, often called "PEG channels" to correspond with the mission of public, educational or government access, provide a valuable public service to the community. Passage of the Bill would require cable companies to allow for broadcast of PEG channels in HD format and inclusion of programming in viewers' electronic guides. These two changes would allow for PEG channels to be on par with most other offerings in cable television, and allow for greater access for viewers.

"These stations provide a public service to Massachusetts residents," said William Nay, General Manager, MashpeeTV, and MassAccess President. "The refusal to offer local channels in HD and access to the programming guide discriminates against cable subscribers in Massachusetts and hinders the independent voices in our communities by denying equal access to local stations."

Massachusetts residents account for only 2% of the cable subscribers in the country, but accounts for 16% of all the community media stations in the country. There are over 200 local access cable TV centers in Massachusetts, the highest concentration of media centers in the country. Local Access TV is the last hyper-local outlet for citizens, providing access to municipal meetings and providing transparency in local government. Channels provide local notices and information for citizens and residents. Additionally, individual centers provide educational and media literacy training, while serving as community hubs and centers and a training ground for students who want to pursue careers in TV and film.

"In a world where media production has become global, the community media center has stayed true to its local roots…all while continuing to embrace emerging technology. This is what community media centers do," said Melinda Garfield, Executive Director, Westwood Media Center and MassAccess Vice President. "But, to stay relevant and accessible, stations need the same consideration and treatment as other cable offerings."

The bill was previously heard by the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy in November 2015, and given a "study order" in April 2016. Language relevant to the Bill was included in both the House and Senate versions of the Economic Development bill last year, but was omitted from the final version put forward.

About MassAccess

Massachusetts Community Media, Inc. (MassAccess) is a non-profit, 501(c)(6), [membership-based], advocacy agency, guided by a volunteer board of community media professionals. Our goal is to ensure the future vitality of Massachusetts based community media centers by developing educational workshops, monitoring legislation, utilizing technology to inform and enhance community media centers, as well as acting as government liaisons to inform supporters across Massachusetts regarding the current political landscape in regards to media.

WFPR - 102.9 FM - A Radio Station Grows in Franklin

"It was a very big week for our soon-to-be community radio station WFPR, here in Franklin. On Tuesday, Jan 17 our new broadcast tower suddenly sprouted up at Forge Hill. On Friday our transmitter housing was installed in place. After years of planning, paperwork and preparations, it’s all finally coming together.

This week we install our FM antenna system and transmission equipment. Thus
far, the winter weather gods have been reasonably accommodating, and once our antennas are installed, the larger technical challenges will be behind us.

We’re also wiring up / firing up the audio equipment in our radio studio. We plan
to begin our on-air broadcast tests on Thursday, February 2nd, Groundhog Day.
(Just like in Bill Murray’s movie, if we don’t get it quite right, we get a do–over).

During the next few months we’ll be conducting program tests while we plan our full program schedule to be launched in spring. 

So, what do our programming plans look like? That’s where you come in. WFPR is Franklin’s community radio station. It will be powered and programmed by the passions of people who have something to say and music to play. 

Could that be you? Consider volunteering. Help us to make WFPR into great community radio. 

If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved in community radio, call us. 508-528-9377 – That’s 528-WFPR


Soon we’ll be able to say, “Thanks for listening”.

But, for now – as always, thanks for watching!"

Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 01/22/2017

the empty spot was ready for the tower to be installed

Men are assembling the WFPR (102.9 FM) tower today. pic.twitter.com/JrxNMKrPt1

— Ken Norman (@wknorman) January 17, 2017

This week's viewing guide can be found here  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf

or here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczRzdhRFk1SElxVFE/view?usp=sharing

Note: phone number updated/corrected 4/11/17

Annual Report 2016: Franklin TV

Franklin TV is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. We operate the local access TV studios for Franklin. We produce local TV programs on three channels:

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26).
• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28).
• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29).

We are Franklin’s local TV channels on Comcast and Verizon, but we do not provide cable TV service. 

Background
The Town of Franklin is the Local Franchise Authority (LFA) that maintains agreements with Comcast and Verizon cable TV providers.

Franklin TV’s funding comes from a 4.8% access fee on cable service that cable subscribers pay via these agreements.

Franklin TV does not rely on government taxes. Franklin TV pays a PILOT fee (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) to the Town of Franklin by agreement. We are the first nonprofit organization that pays for town services.

As an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization we also may receive grants and donations from contributors. 

Local Programming Produced in 2015

During our 2015 operating year we generated:

• 217 Public Access Programs
• 95 School/Sports Programs
• 19 School/Civic Events Programs
• 96 Government Meetings
• 427 Locally Produced Programs

All of these programs were produced, recorded and edited by our staff on behalf of Franklin residents, organizations, agencies and local government. Our extensive production support reaches beyond the customary charter of other public access studios to lend equipment and provide technical training. This additional commitment of professional support enables us to provide a broader range of programs

In addition to programming, Franklin TV offers free community announcements on our Bulletin Board for all three P/E/G channels. Nonprofit organizations who wish to promote their meetings, special events and activities are welcome to contact us.

Our Studios and Offices
We have five thousand square feet that houses two video studios (a large drive-in access studio and an interview studio), two audio recording rooms, four digital video editing/effects systems, and our offices. 

We also have general purpose Community Meeting Space available – free to qualified nonprofit groups and service organizations for occasional meetings. Our facility accommodates up to 30 people.

After some years of effort, we finally succeeded in arranging for Comcast to upgrade our PEG channels connection to digital fiber. We are now connected by our own private fiber directly to the Comcast Milford Network Operations Center (NOC). This noise and distortion free connection was installed in April at a cost to us of $30,000. This digital upgrade retires the obsolete Comcast analog RF iNet link that experienced regular signal outages and interference.

Our Interview Studio
Franklin TV has two studios. Our smaller studio is an excellent facility for staging and recording interview and discussion programs. In 2015 this room was transformed with five all-digital displays that provide fully animated backgrounds. This novel approach enables us to stage more programs very efficiently, with each enjoying customized graphic set design.

Scholarships
In June, as part of our continuing commitment to Franklin students, Franklin TV awarded two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors:

• Tatyana Youssef of Franklin High
• Emily Scannell of Tri-County High

Our congratulations and best wishes go out to them in their academic endeavors.


A Broadcasting Opportunity, WFPR-FM
In February of 2014, Franklin TV was awarded a construction permit by the FCC for a 100 Watt, noncommercial educational FM radio station. WFPR, (Franklin Public Radio) broadcasting on 102.9 FM. The FCC received 3,000 applications. Franklin.TV was among 81 Massachusetts applicants. 

Of these, 19 permits were granted, with 8 going to P/E/G studios like Franklin TV. WFPR will be an extension of Franklin TV’s services to the community and surrounding towns. Our construction permit runs to February, 2017 to allow sufficient time to properly site and construct a broadcast antenna.

FPR will also provide opportunities for local citizens to have a voice by producing their own programs or participating as volunteers to make our radio station successful as a local community resource.

Our Charter Operations
We continue to see increasing requests from various town agencies and civic organizations to provide TV coverage for local events. We cover Franklin events that are cultural or institutional in nature and of general interest.

We are always interested in training volunteers who would like to learn the craft of video production. Trained volunteers and interns work alongside our roster of free-lance and staff professionals to shoot and edit the institutional programs that we cover.

Citizen Access
Residents who produce their own access programs are the owners of these programs. As such, these producers hold their own copyright and may copy and distribute these programs freely, provided that the programs are cablecast on the Franklin system. 

Per our Public Access charter, we do not provide equipment for covering private or personal events or for purposes other than generating Access Programs to be shown over the Franklin cable system Information about our weekly programming can be found on our web site: www.franklin.tv. 

While visiting our website, also read our informative F.A.Q. on P/E/G TV studios, their operation, history and charter. We also recommend browsing our past newsletter archives to learn more about Franklin TV, our growth and development, and the civic events that we cover throughout the year.

Finally, in closing, “Thanks for watching!”


Respectfully submitted,

Franklin TV’s Board of Directors

Ken Norman, President
Jay Horrigan, Vice President
Wesley Rea, Treasurer
John Milot, Clerk
Anne Bergen, Nick Remissong, Rose Turco
Peter Fasciano, Executive Director

Franklin Public Access Studio, 23 Hutchinson Street

Download and read the full Annual Report for the Town of Franklin FY 2016

http://franklinma.gov/administrator/files/franklin-2016-town-report

Prior year annual reports can be found

http://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/annual-reports

How do you connect? A Consumer Guide to Cable Service: 3 Part Series by MA Consumer Affairs

"Cable service is available in most Massachusetts communities through one or more providers, and may be offered as a stand-alone service or as part of a bundled package. The term “bundled package” refers to a specially-priced combination of services that may include telephone service (wireless or landline), television (cable or satellite television), internet or a home security system. Bundled packages often include a contract agreement that will require you to maintain your services for a fixed period of time, usually 12-24 months. 

The cost of cable service alone can be broken down into three main categories: (1) programming, promotions and pricing; (2) equipment and installation; and (3) taxes, fees and surcharges."

iamge from MA.gov series on cable service subscriptions

Continue reading Part 1

http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/how-do-you-connect-a-consumer-guide-to-cable-service-part-1/

Part 2

http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/how-do-you-connect-a-consumer-guide-to-cable-service-part-2/

Part 3

http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/how-do-you-connect-a-consumer-guide-to-cable-service-part-3/

Live reporting: Franklin TV

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS 
» Cable TV
Ken Norman, Dr Ann Bergen, Peter Fasciano, Executive Director

Dr Bergen
talking about the scope of the drug issue here in Franklin
has gathered multiple resources to put together a show

Jeff Nutting
talked of the video being put together by Cable TV to advertise the Town

Peter
5 short videos, 90 - 2 mins each

(hopefully will be able to share the videos sometime sooner than later)


Vallee - why don't you consider hiring a part-time reporter to cover the news

Norman - we have tried but not given up on, we have things we want to get done. We have three channels and we want you to watch them. The school channel covers all the schools. The Community channel provides Ann's program. The government channel broadcasts the town meetings

We have made investment into the studio, now we are investing in the equipment to operate the studio. It will take several years to get what we want done.


Kelly - I think the videos really hit home on what we wanted. The big thing is to get the word on the street to get folks to watch them. Maybe use the sign in the center of town to help spread the word. Light years from where we were several years ago.

Bissanti - if someone would like to see those videos, how do they do that?

Norman - those are meant to market the town

Nutting - hook up with a trade show next month to put them on a CD and hand out. They are separate so they can cover multiple points

Norman - we have been awarded a 100-watt license to run a radio station. We have not yet done construction on the antenna, hopefully will be up in about 18 months. It will be used to broadcast these meetings and other original radio shows.

Frasciano - there are changes coming with the FCC that may allow us to get to a 250 watt broadcast. We do have plans over time to get to a radio broadcast. One of my highest priorities to get our programs listed on the TV guide. We are willing to do what we need to do so it won't just say "local access". There is no reason why a local broadcaster can't comply if we provide the details. My hopes are high.

Norman - we have had preliminary talks with the Milford Radio station. We are a non-profit and they are a commercial operation. There are some technical issues to work through but we are continuing the discussion. They are active with the Senior Center program.

Live reporting: Franklin TV

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
Back Bay Restaurant Group TR, LLC dba Joe’s American Bar and Grill – Change of Manager
motion to approve, seconded, passed 5-0


H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
- Cable TV

Ken Norman, Peter Fasciano





You can find out more about Franklin TV on their webpage  http://franklin.tv/

old studio at Depot Plaza was 600 sq ft
the new studio located at 23 Hutchinson St is

added a second ADA ramp to make it more accessible

community room available to other non-profits

kitchen built into the facility is designed for TV so it can broadcast a cooking show for example

small studio and larger studio available

everything produced is now high-definition

fiber connections between the municipal building and Hutchinson St

donated $164,000 to equip the new studio at the High School

operating about $23K per month

2011 did 197 locally produced programs, \last year (2013) there were 423 programs

Franklin TV provides all the resources for technical and production
compared to regular public access charters

everyone has a right to high quality programming

40-50% of the day is devoted to community bulletin board messages

looking to upgrade the Council Chamber to HDTV as well as upgrade the streaming service

construct a new FM radio station (obtained a low band license last year)

WFPR.FM 102.9
coverage in Franklin and A grade coverage for 10 miles around

Nutting:
a public service video is in development to tout Franklin's highlights
negotiate the renewal with Verizon

Fasciano
if they site the tower during the summer, could be online by the Fall 2015

we have an obligation to provide a minimum of 8 hours of local program daily, while broadcasting 24 hours we should exceed the minimum

Norman
if cable subscribers leave Comcast or Verizon, it is a concern for out future funding

Mercer
thanks to you for all you have done to help with the High School

Fasciano
the larger studio is two story, events can be staged that couldn't be done in the 'normal' studios
allows to work in multiple studios

looking forward to working on the kitchen to develop cooking programs

Mass General Hospital has a legacy grant to produce a series, so looking at other sources of revenue that could be using the studio and equipment

the radio station could be a good source of info during future emergency situations

Important Information Regarding FiOS TV

MY VERIZON SUPPORT PASSWORD HELP Important FiOS® TV Content Information Dear Valued Verizon Customer: At Verizon, we strive to provide you with the best experience by keeping you informed of programming and content-related changes that may affect you. Verizon has been working with Cox Media Group to renew our agreement to carry the following channels:   CHANNELS STATION STATION NAME 8 & 508 FOX WFXT-Fox TV 25 490 FOX WFXT Movies 21 & 521 FOX Fox TV 25 Unfortunately, as of November 27, 2014, Cox Media Group removed this programming from the FiOS TV network. They took this step because Verizon refused to accept an agreement that contained rates that are not in our customers' best interests.  Verizon is working hard to restore Cox Media Group's programming to these channels as soon as possible. Please visit verizon.com/content to find the latest information. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Sincerely, Your Verizon Team Quick Links: Sign In Forgot Password? Customer Service Ensure Verizon emails reach your inbox by adding verizon-notification@verizon.com to your "safe" email list. Your email or Internet provider can provide instructions on how it works. This email has been sent from an auto-notification system that cannot accept incoming email. © 2014 Verizon