Showing posts with label goal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goal. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Chalkboard Chat recaps the last School Cmte Mtg of the term - Oct 24, 2023 (audio)

FM #1097 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1097 in the series. 


This session of the radio show shares my recorded conversation with Franklin School Committee member Dave Callaghan. We had our conversation in the Franklin TV & Public Radio studio on Monday, November 6, 2023. 


Our primary topic was a recap of the School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023.  We covered 

  • Meeting recap, superintendent's goals and District Improvement Plan

  • Comprehensive School Facilities Planning Subcommittee meeting

  • Closing session of this term


The recording runs about 30 minutes so let’s listen to my “chalkboard chat” with Dave Callaghan. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1097-chalkboard-chat-05-callaghan-11-06-23



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Contact info for Dave Callaghan  callaghand@franklinps.net 


School Committee page => https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee 


School budget ->  https://www.franklinps.net/fy24budget 


Agenda doc  ->  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/scagenda_10-24-23.pdf       


Meeting packet folder -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/october-24-2023-school-committee-meeting-packet 


Franklin TV video for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yFyTANzPoY 


The “Chalkboard Chat” image was the result of a joint collaboration with Mickayla Callaghan. Thank you!


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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  


This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

  • If you don't like something here, please let me know


Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.


For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/


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!

------------------


You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"



Chalkboard Chat recaps the last School Cmte Mtg of the term - Oct 24, 2023 (audio)
Chalkboard Chat recaps the last School Cmte Mtg of the term - Oct 24, 2023 (audio)

Friday, September 29, 2023

Town Council Quarterbacking session catches up to the Sep 20 meeting and provides a recap (audio)

FM #1068 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1068 in the series. 


This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. This is one of a series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior Council meeting. Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England,  this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting of September 20, 2023


  • ok, what just happened? 

  • What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?


We cover the following key topics

  • Three appointments to individual committees were unanimously approved.  a. Council on Aging - Collette Ferguson  b. Finance Committee - Heather Sanscoucy   c. Municipal Affordable Housing Trust - Kimberly Mu-Chow 

  • Franklin Elks Riders presented a donation of $1k, the Franklin Elks Bingo donated $10k to the Town of Franklin veterans services

  • Council goals review, a long list of accomplishments, a list to be proud of

  • The funds previously allocated for purchase of a new ambulance were authorized to be paid to the vendor to hold the contract and avoid a price increase - Resolution 23-54: Ambulance Transfer & Appropriation

  • The Council discussed and approved placement of the debt exclusion to fund the Franklin portion of the Tri-County RVTHS new building. The question language approved was as follows: 

    • "Shall the Town of Franklin be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay the Town’s allocable share of the bonds issued by the Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical School District to pay costs of designing constructing and equipping a new high school to be located at 147 Pond Street, in Franklin, including the payment of all costs incidental or related thereto?"

  • The Open Space & Recreation Plan developed over the course of 15 months, muti[;e meetings and 3 public hearings was approved by the Council. IT will be submitted to the State and assuming their acceptance will also be part of the Master Plan Update now underway

  • Town Administrators report provided updates on the migrant housing situation, the demolition delay report and a report on decommissioning a section of Spring Street.


Our conversation runs about 35 minutes. Let’s listen to this session of Town Council Quarterbacking recorded Sep 20, 2023. Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1068-town-council-quarterbacking-09-28-23



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The Franklin TV video is available for replay ->  https://www.youtube.com/live/bF13Dgn_6qs   

Town Council agenda doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_-_sept_20_2023.pdf 

My full set of notes captured via Twitter during the meeting are collected in a single PDF for easier reading  -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1khvMQCoANrW3vZxzRHMYP1pPlrpfAfP4/view?usp=drive_link 

--------------


We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  


This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.


How can you help?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors


  • If you don't like something here, please let me know


Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.


For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/


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!

------------------


You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"


Town Council Quarterbacking session catches up to the Sep 20 meeting and provides a recap (audio)
Town Council Quarterbacking session catches up to the Sep 20 meeting and provides a recap (audio)

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Town Council receives Elks donations, approves debt exclusion question for Tri-County school (audio)

FM #1066 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1066 in the series. 


This session of the radio show shares the Town Council meeting held in Council Chambers on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. All 9 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers. 


Quick recap:

  • Three appointments to individual committees were unanimously approved.  a. Council on Aging - Collette Ferguson  b. Finance Committee - Heather Sanscoucy   c. Municipal Affordable Housing Trust - Kimberly Mu-Chow 

  • Franklin Elks Riders presented a donation of $1k, the Franklin Elks Bingo donated $10k to the Town of Franklin veterans services

  • Council goals review, a long list of accomplishments, a list to be proud of

  • The funds previously allocated for purchase of a new ambulance were authorized to be paid to the vendor to hold the contract and avoid a price increase - Resolution 23-54: Ambulance Transfer & Appropriation

  • The Council discussed and approved placement of the debt exclusion to fund the Franklin portion of the Tri-County RVTHS new building. The question language approved was as follows: 

"Shall the Town of Franklin be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay the Town’s allocable share of the bonds issued by the Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical School District to pay costs of designing constructing and equipping a new high school to be located at 147 Pond Street, in Franklin, including the payment of all costs incidental or related thereto?"

  • The Open Space & Recreation Plan developed over the course of 15 months, multiple meetings and 3 public hearings was approved by the Council. IT will be submitted to the State and assuming their acceptance will also be part of the Master Plan Update now underway

  • Town Administrators report provided updates on the migrant housing situation, the demolition delay report and a report on decommissioning a section of Spring Street.


The recording runs 2 hours and 16 minutes. Let’s listen to the Town Council meeting on Sep 20, 2023.  Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1066-franklin-ma-town-council-mtg-09-20-23



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Town Council agenda doc ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_-_sept_20_2023.pdf 

Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provided an update. This audio segment of the meeting was shared separately. https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/09/town-administrators-report-on-migrant_20.html  

The Franklin TV video is available for replay ->   https://www.youtube.com/live/bF13Dgn_6qs   

My full set of notes captured via Twitter during the meeting are collected in a single PDF for easier reading  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1khvMQCoANrW3vZxzRHMYP1pPlrpfAfP4/view?usp=drive_link  


--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  


This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

  • If you don't like something here, please let me know


Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.


For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

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!

------------------


You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"



Mark Ellis presenting the $10,000 check from bingo
Mark Ellis presenting the $10,000 check from bingo

Elks riders presenting the check for $1000
Elks riders presenting the check for $1000

Monday, June 19, 2023

2023 Open Space & Recreation Plan - Summary

“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Every seven (or so) years, the Town of Franklin reexamines and updates its Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP). Required by Massachusetts, the OSRP is a comprehensive plan for the Town’s many Conservation and Recreation Areas and other public and publicly accessible Open Spaces, and serves as a framework to guide policy decisions by the Town around the management, maintenance and enhancement of existing Open Spaces and Recreational Areas, as well as potential investments in and development of new Open Spaces and Recreational Areas. 

Each update of the OSRP is intended to memorialize past achievements, to highlight efforts that are ongoing, and to provide a roadmap for the implementation of the Town’s Open Space and Recreation goals and priorities over the succeeding seven-year period – in other words, “where are you, where you would like to go, and how might you get there.”1

Franklin’s initial OSRP, from 2001, encompassed Franklin and two other communities, Bellingham and Blackstone, and addressed the region as well as each community. That plan was subsequently updated in 2008 and, most recently, in 2016. That most recent OSRP update, from 2016, laid the groundwork for the Town’s adoption of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in November of 2020, and the subsequent acquisitions by the Town of the Maple Hill Conservation Area and Schmidt’s Farm, totaling approximately 200 acres, using CPA funding. 

The 2016 OSRP update had the foresight to prioritize the health of the Town’s surface and groundwater resource areas, while protecting priority habitats and enhancing biodiversity amidst the rapidly accelerating effects of climate change. It called for investing in updates to the Town’s playgrounds, fields and athletics facilities with a particular focus on promoting greater accessibility.

However, for all of its virtue and vision, Franklin’s 2016 OSRP update could not have predicted the onset of a global pandemic. In the dark days of the coronavirus pandemic, the Town’s Open Space resources were a vital tonic, and lifeline, for those looking to escape the isolation of their homes. It is fitting, then, that as the federal state of emergency was lifted in May of 2023, and amidst a renewed appreciation for the outdoors, the Town was well into the process of reviewing and updating its OSRP – assessing where we are since the 2016 update, where we would like to steer the Town’s Open Space and Recreation priorities over the next seven years, and how to accomplish those new and renewed goals.

The Franklin Conservation Department and Franklin Conservation Commission set out to address those questions over the course of two dozen public hearings and information sessions held from January through June of 2023, including bi-weekly stakeholder meetings, bi-weekly office hours, and three public hearings. More than 100 stakeholder groups were invited to participate in the OSRP update, and many were active participants throughout. The Franklin Recreation Department was a key partner in the preparation of this 2023 OSRP update, and the Conservation Department and Commission were also assisted by Franklin’s Department of Planning and Community Development, Building and Inspectional Services, the GIS Department, Public Works Department, Franklin Public Schools, and the Franklin Senior Center, among others who were instrumental in the OSRP process. 

Representatives of Franklin’s Agricultural Commission, Commission on Persons with Disabilities, and Town Council were also actively engaged throughout the public process and have helped to shape the 2023 OSRP update. Lastly, state and nonprofit organizations, including representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Metacomet Land Trust graciously lent their expertise and input. More than 700 residents provided detailed feedback via a citizen participation questionnaire that was initially distributed in February of 2023. The 2023 OSRP update is truly the product of community-wide input and the community’s vision for the future of Franklin’s Open and Recreational spaces.

Based on that collective feedback, the Conservation Department and Commission have developed the 2023 OSRP update, including updated goals, objectives, and an action plan for the succeeding seven-year period. In addition, a re-evaluation of the accessibility of the Town's Open Space and Recreation facilities was conducted (see Appendix D), an inventory of the Town's Open Space, Recreation, and Conservation properties (see Appendix C) was updated, and descriptions of the Town's substantial resources were compiled, updated and included in the 2023 OSRP update.

Since the 2016 OSRP update was approved, substantial progress has been made on the goals and objectives that were highlighted in that plan. Among them are:
a. Acquired the Riverbend Open Space Area, and converted other Town-owned parcels to the Conservation Commission for designation as Conservation lands.
b. Adopted the CPA in 2020, and utilized CPA funding to (1) acquire and preserve the Maple Hill Conservation Area as forest area and public Open Space; and (2) acquire and enable the continued agricultural use of Schmidt’s Farm, one of Franklin’s legacy farms, in addition to potential future community uses.
c. Partnered with DCR to improve and extend the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) to Grove Street in Franklin, and separately constructed a shared use path along portions of Grove Street, with an additional phase of the Grove Street shared use path currently underway.
d. Revitalized the DelCarte Conservation Area through the successful treatment of invasive species within DelCarte’s north and south ponds, the implementation of the Biodiversity and Buffer Zone Restoration Project in 2022-23, and through increased community engagement and improved signage throughout DelCarte.
e. Installed and updated signage and recycling receptacles at all public fields and Open Space areas.
f. Performed a parking analysis of Open Space areas.
g. Added sidewalks along portions of Chestnut Street, Pleasant Street, Beaver Street and Lincoln Street.

Additionally, the following projects and improvements to the Town’s Recreational facilities have been completed since the 2016 OSRP update:
a. Installation of new playground at DelCarte Conservation Area (2017).
b. Improvements made to King Street Memorial Playground (2019), with master plan for King Street Memorial Park currently underway.
c. Installation of new playground equipment (Vendetti Playground, 2021) and fitness course (2023) at Beaver Pond, along with resurfacing of Beaver Pond athletic fields.
d. Installation of new playground at Henry “Ski” Faenza Memorial Playground (formerly Nason Street Tot Lot)
e. Improvements to Fletcher Field Playground (anticipated in 2023).
The 2023 OSRP includes numerous goals, objectives and proposed actions that are the result of feedback and input received over the course of the above-referenced public stakeholder sessions, informal office hours, public hearings and other meetings with Town personnel; through letters, emails, and other outreach from residents and stakeholder groups; and through the responses to the citizen participation questionnaire.

The goals, objectives and proposed actions resulting from the Open Space and Recreation planning process are oriented around three principal themes: inclusivity and connectivity, growth, and sustainability. The Conservation Department and Commission believe these goals reflect the priorities of the Town’s residents:

(1) Inclusivity & Connectivity: As the Town looks to enhance its existing open and Recreational spaces and plan for future improvements to those spaces, the Town should do so with a particular emphasis on expanding access to and awareness of those spaces, especially for the elderly, persons with disabilities and families with young children. Along those same lines, the Town should develop strategies to promote walkable and bikeable connections between existing open and Recreational spaces, particularly with respect to spaces where there is little available parking, so as to facilitate the use of those spaces by individuals who don’t live in the immediate neighborhood.

(2) Growth: The Town should identify opportunities to grow participation and involvement in the Town’s open and Recreational spaces, including by providing space for individuals and activities that may be currently underserved. For example, this may include space for community agriculture and associated educational opportunities, as well as for up-and- coming sports such as pickleball and cricket, which are growing in popularity in the region but lack adequate space relative to regional demand for facilities.
 
(3) Sustainability: During periods of the summer and fall of 2020 and the summer of 2022, the Town was experiencing a “critical drought” as classified by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. As the effects of climate change continue to be felt more acutely, the Town should continue to promote sustainability and prioritize the protection of the Town’s natural resources, including conservation areas, wetland resource areas and forests, all of which serve as a bulwark against global warming.

The OSRP’s implementation, and achievement of the above goals, will require the commitment of a broad variety of organizations and individuals, including non-profit organizations, state agencies, resident volunteers, and Town departments, boards, commissions, and committees. Through the combined efforts of all parties mentioned above the Town feels confident that the OSRP can be implemented to meet the prescribed goals over the seven-year planning period.

1 Massachusetts Open Space and Recreation Planner’s Workbook, last revised March 2008 (https://www.mass.gov/doc/open-space-and-Recreation-plan-workbook/download).
 
Shared from the Open Space & Recreation Plan update for comment

Comments on the plan can be submitted ->


v
Open Space & Recreation Plan - Summary