Showing posts with label sewer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sewer. Show all posts

Thursday, January 4, 2018

"new regulations only allow .5 percent of contaminated materials in any given bale"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Outside E.L. Harvey’s single-stream recycling and sorting plant in Hopkinton, Ben Harvey points to stacks of nearly 3,000 bales of mixed paper that he doesn’t know what to do with. He’s not able to ship it overseas to Asia like he’s done for decades. 
That’s because China recently imposed strict guidelines that make it nearly impossible for recycled materials to be shipped out. For the past two months the 2,000-pound bales are being stacked up in the parking lot. 
“We’ve got a building full. We have trailers full,” Harvey, president of the company, said Wednesday afternoon. “We are pretty much maxed out with our storage capacity; we don’t want to store material that doesn’t have a market.” 
Single-stream recycling allows consumers to collect all recyclables in the same bin. Harvey’s operation sorts the materials and prepares them for shipping."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180104/mountains-of-paper-stacks-up-after-china-says-no-more

This topic is not a surprise as it was covered in the DPW update to the Town Council in the December 2017 meeting reported on here. The presentation doc covers trash/recycling beginning on page 21 after providing an update on the sewer system.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/12/live-reporting-dpw-presentation.html

Franklin can do its part to help improve its recycling. The current contamination rate is about 6%, the industry average is 14%, and the new regulations require less than .5%.

For additional info on what to recycle and what not to check out the Recyclopedia
http://www.franklinma.gov/recycling-solid-waste/pages/recyclopedia-what-do-i-do

or this site provided by Waste Management
http://recycleoftenrecycleright.com/





Sunday, December 24, 2017

Town Council Recap: Agricultural Commission confirmed; DPW presents; Concession Stand proposal heard

Only three votes were recorded on Wednesday, Dec 20 at the Town Council meeting. (1) The vote to approve the prior meeting minutes passed 9-0. (2) The vote to approve a change in hours for DeVita's Market passed 8-0-1. None voted against, Councilor Padula abstained. (3) The third and final vote was to adjourn the last meeting of 2017. Before the Council adjourned for the year, they did hear updates on the following topics:


Representative Jeff Roy announced that the Agricultural Commission had been formally signed by Governor Baker. He presented a copy of the official parchment along with the pen used to sign the legislation to Councilor Melanie Hamblen who was instrumental in getting the Agricultural Commission started.

Representative Jeff Roy and Councilor Melanie Hamblen
Representative Jeff Roy and Councilor Melanie Hamblen

A presentation on the proposed new concession stand for the high school (Pisini Field) was reviewed and discussed. It has been conditionally approved by the School Committee (pending funding progress) and did not need a vote from the Town Council. The presentation was for community awareness. You can view the presentation copy in the links below or on the Town of Franklin webpage
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/concession_stand_proposal.pdf

Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi, DPW Director along with Chris White, Solid Waste Coordinator and Scott Haynes, Arcadas Engineering presented an update on the Sewer system as well as the solid waste processing. The document used in the presentation can be found in the links below as well as on the Town of Franklin webpage
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/council_update_nov_17_sewer_and_trash_1.pdf

Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi, DPW Director along with Scott Haynes, Arcadas Engineering and Chris White, Solid Waste Coordinator
Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi, DPW Director along with Scott Haynes, Arcadas Engineering
and Chris White, Solid Waste Coordinator


The official "Actions Taken" document can be found here
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/town_council_actions_taken_for_december_20_2017.pdf

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Live reporting: DPW presentation


H. Presentations/Discussions
2. Sewer/Recycling - Brutus Cantoreggi

Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi
Chris White Solid Waste Coordinator
Scott Haynes, Arcadas Engineering





upgrades to toilets can get a rebate from the Town webpage (link to be added later)

inspected about 123 miles of the pipe system

Franklin has 64% of the Charles River Pollution Control District
annual operating cost $2.14 M
Capital assessment $1.54 M

sewer lift station - all gravity feed in sewer system so there are some pumps around town to raise the flow to the proper level to

would need to take another look at a new pipe, would it go along the same route or another way
would need to explore all option, pros/cons

The Beaver St Connector is 120 years old and still working, a valuable asset

current pipe from the old sewer bed runs along Mine Brook

Town of Plymouth issue with their pipe costing $40M (so far) and the expense to be borne by about 4200 residents

Town has been successful in putting large sites to store (temporarily) the sewerage on site and then pump into the system in the off hours

18 in and 24 in at the end, 1100 feet long,
really becomes a capacity issue

more likely 5-6 years would need to be dealt with
Pump 3 etc is water issue and also an expensive option

Trash/Solid Waste

reduced 2000 tons of trash by implementing the single stream system
in 2007, it was $300/yr, now it is $204

the carts are owned by the Town, $800,000 was the initial purchase
$200,000 helped to pay for it

recycling cost is indexed on how clean the recycling is

the recycling center is a service to the community, there are cameras to catch the violators
more people are using the recycling center
we are the cheapest pass for the recycling center and you can get the most service

we have a great curbside program as well as a great recycling center

people are paying attention to recycling (with only 8% contamination)


Tuesday, December 19, 2017

DPW Presentation on Sewer and Recycling

The DPW is scheduled to provide an update to the Town Council at Wednesday's meeting, Dec 20.

While it is best to hear what will be said during the update, there are several slides that can almost speak for themselves.


  • Page 10 shows the reduction in sewer water flow (much of this should be associated with a similar reduction in water usage)
  • Page 13 shows the annual sewer cost since 1995
  • Page 22 shows the annual recycling rate (and how it jumped since the single stream was implemented)
  • Page 24 shows the decrease in cost to the residents for the increase in recycling and trash






The full agenda for the Town Council meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/12/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-dec-20.html

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Dec 20, 2017

The published agenda and documents for the Franklin Town Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 20, 2017

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

You can also find the full set of documents in one PDF
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/agendas/december_20_town_council_agenda.pdf

Agenda ItemSummary


A. Approval of Minutes
A. Approval of Minutes - November 29, 2017
B. Announcements
B. Announcements - This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting may also be recorded by others.
C. Proclamations/Recognitions
C. Proclamations/Recognitions
D. Citizen Comments
D. Citizen Comments - 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 engage 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.
E. Appointments
E. Appointments
F. Hearings
F. Hearings
G. License Transactions
G. License Transactions - DeVita's Market - Change of Hours
H. Presentations/Discussions
H. Presentations/Discussions
1. State Representative, Jeff Roy
2. Sewer/Recycling - Brutus Cantoreggi
3. High School Concession Stand
I. Subcommittee Reports
I. Subcommittee Reports
1. Budget
2. Capital Plan
3. Economic Development
J. Legislation for Action
J. Legislation for Action
K. Town Administrator's Report
K. Town Administrator's Report
L. Future Agenda Items
L. Future Agenda Items
M. Council Comments
M. Council Comments
N. Executive Session
N. Executive Session - None
O. Adjourn
O. Adjourn

Note: I have a work event on Wednesday and will be unable to report on the meeting until the video replay is available

High School Concession Stand proposal
High School Concession Stand proposal

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Sewer Rehabilitation Underway in Downtown Areas

Phase 5 of our sewer rehabilitation project is underway and will last through much of the summer. 
Sewer service will be interrupted in localized areas for short periods of time (several hours) throughout the process. 
Our contractor, National Water Main, will provide advanced notice of service interruptions to those affected. 
Feel free to contact our office at 508-520-4910 with any questions or concerns.


Laurie J. Ruszala, P.E.
Water and Sewer Superintendent
Franklin Department of Public Works
257 Fisher Street
Franklin, MA 02038
508-520-4910


This was shared from  http://www.franklinma.gov/node/126073

Monday, February 20, 2017

Town Council meeting recap - follow the water!

The most significant take away from the Town Council meeting on Wednesday was the overview on the water situation for Franklin. We get all our water from the underground aquifer. Very interesting stats and details on how we get it, how it is treated before we use it and where it goes after we have used it (via sewer to the Charles River Treatment plant in Medway).

Some big expenses coming down the road. A water treatment plant is needed for Wells 3 and 6 or we would see this in our faucets (slide 35 from the presentation below):


Well 6 is underutilized as it has too much iron and manganese in it
Well 6 is underutilized as it has too much iron and manganese in it

The water treatment plant needed for Wells 3 and 6 (slide 37) is estimated at $6M. This is starting to be planned for now and would likely begin in a couple of years.

Replacement of the Beaver St connector is more expensive and would cost approx $15-20M. The connector was built in 1910 and carries most of Franklin's waste to the Charles River plant in Medway (page 5 of the presentation below).

I highly recommend listening to this presentation and discussion about the proposed inclusion of private wells in the future water ban restrictions. Not, the normal conservation effort only the water ban (if declared). 

It begins approx. 25 minutes into the video and runs for over an hour.






The video replay of the Town Council meeting of Feb 15, 2017 can be found here
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=433

The Actions Taken by the Town Council can be found here
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/town_council_actions_taken_february_15_2017.pdf

My notes reported live during the meeting can be found here

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Live reporting: Water update

DPW Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi
Water Superintendent Laurie Ruszala

(hopefully presentation doc to be added later)



You can also find the copy on the Town of Franklin webpage
http://www.franklinma.gov/public-works/news/town-council-presentation-water-system-2152017


cost estimate to replace Beaver St Connector would be about $10-20M

every gallon we don't send to the Charles River treatment plant we save money on

challenging the MS4 permits with a consortium of communities

reconstruction of retention ponds; for example, Lockewood Dr

DPW built the retention basis on Lockewood

permit requires less than 65 gal/person per day

since 2001 fixed 750 leaks to water system

when the ban went into effect, for the most part people did obey and our pumping dropped

photo to be added of the raw water before treatment is astounding

$6M for a new treatment plant for wells 3 and 6 coming down the road (soon)
wells are close to each other so they can be pumped together and use one treatment plant for both

Populatic St has a site that hasn't been fully approved, we are not asking for more water, we are asking for flexibility to pull from other areas within the Town

3 and 6 are registered wells and pre-date the permitting process

permitted for 3.45 reduced to 3.14 MGD

received a number of grants, right behind the City of Worcester which is amazing

Pfeffer - How soon do we need the treatment plant?
Cantoreggi - soon, but not tomorrow, working on the numbers, 2-3 years to be online
Nutting - need to fund within 12-18 months

Padula - do we get any recapture? what is infiltration?
Cantoreggi - Charles River not capable of sending the water back to us. We can show through sewer and water conservation what we are doing but they can't show the improvements as it goes into the Charles

Jones - thanks for bringing this forward, how has our conditions to improve?
Ruszala - no, it takes time for the water to get into the ground

Jones - I think we need to get the treatment plant underway
Ruszala - we are getting better readings with the new meters, old readers fail and read low, folks only call when the meter reads high

Jones - what is your opinion on current capacity?
Cantoreggi - we are not at peak, we have decent daily flows, the peaks are what can hurt us. Supporting the fire flow is our concern, Schedule work for May as our wettest time of year and what happened last year, the drought came when we were doing work on some of our key producing wells.

Dellorco - we need to be cautious, with well 6 back online that would help
Ruszala - we need to change the pumps and well field to regain the full capacity of 3 and 6

Nutting - once we get the price we'll get a 20 year bond and get a rate increase, could be a 10-15% increase in the cost. At the end of the day, water is the most important thing. It could be 8 years between rate increases

Nutting - some home son Green St, and some off Populatic. Norfolk collects and pays our rate.

Sewer gets a flat rate for those with private wells

Sewer bill is based upon the water use, simple mathematics calculations

At one time, we had a permit to purchase water from Millis?
It would cost us significant to do so; we don't have the right, They can sell to us

most under our control is treatment plant in
second is to add a new well, could cost a $1m to have someone say no
third would be to spend money to add infrastructure to purchase from Millis


Water restrictions
Ruszala - to include private wells for a severe drought
over a thousand registered wells in Franklin
about 225 are for irrigation only
would only impact the private users during the full ban

Cantoreggi
when we go to a full band, we should have them join us, we are all drawing from the same aquifer, no matter the depth of the well, same aquifer

what is more important, the grass or the drinking water?

had a drought in 2007, so this is the second time
conservation, not a water ban

John Redwine, 9 Mapletree Lane
I understand it is the good for everyone, once you start hard to know when it will stop

Allen,
also private well owner, agree wholeheartedly, happy to know just the ban not the restriction
exception from the provision for the golf course
also an exemption for the Town, mis-aligned public valued
lawn versus irrigation discrepancies

I worry about the horticulture, the things that help the oxygenation we use
worry about the whole system effect, a fundamental balance
not creating a false comfort
2 things would love to see more about irrigation systems
many not following water sense system
moving thought process within the Town

Franklin Country Club gets their irrigation water from Wrentham
they have their own permits with the State

regarding exemptions for the Town, we did stop watering the fields
there are fields that for player safety that are watered
we also do have water sense systems

Kit Brady
really appreciate the work
wasn't aware of the facts
I don't consider us part of the water problem but part of the solution
as we are not effecting the problem, not convinced that the private wells are drawing from a common aquifer; private wells drilled at a different depth, has someone that diagram
not a hydroligist did research in the last couple of days
MA law reference
do see plenty of lawns that are wet in the mornings that could be enforced to help with compliance

Patalano, 11 Newall Drive
don't think it is necessary to regulate 225 wells

Bissanti
a drop in the bucket, I don't see enforcement
history of the wells in Franklin, a blunderous decision in 89-90 had to put in wells
expensive to maintain, irrigation system but stopped use and saves on landscaping as lawn cuts less frequently

Ruszala -
the main complaint, was how do they get water and I don't

Dellorco
I got caught up in the water moratorium too, I spent over $10K, and a recent $2500 for a new pump

Jones
the most simplistic way to put this, it is almost unmanageable, what this boils down to is what folks should and shouldn't do; folks have a clearer idea after tonight
everybody get on board with a basic understanding on what to do if we have a repeat of what happened last summer
a significant drought would be a public health issue

We have moved to a moderate level, it is recovering and the snow hasn't got there yet, but there is improvement

Bissanti - is there a rule about owning down and up
Cerel - other town have done this, it can be done. Owner rights are seldom absolute. It is an oversimplification

Would anyone object to posting that you have a well?
I think we can regulate a new irrigation system for better usage

DPW - we do water enforcement, we do public education, we do warning and we did one fine
we Google maps from neighbors, I don't like being water police and snow police but we do do that, we are active, more education than fining

Cerel - the bylaw is a re-write so even if we omit the privcate wells, it should go fardward

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Real time reporting: Town Council - 6/22/16

The new police chief and deputy were sworn in at the Town Council meeting. This was also an historic moment as the 4 recent chiefs were together in the same place (photo op!).

The proposed downtown parking plan received general acceptance and will come back before the council in a set of bylaw changes to make formal approval. Once approved, then the DPW will get to work on making new signs.

Be sure to scroll through the Storify widget to review all the notes taken during the meeting.

a full house was on hand for the Town Council meeting to see the new police chief and deputy get sworn in
a full house was on hand for the Town Council meeting to see the new police chief and deputy get sworn in 



Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Please don't flush swiffers

The Franklin Sewer Department spends countless hours and thousands of dollars every month repairing equipment damaged by household wipes... These extra costs end up driving up sewer bills, so please don't flush wipes and other non-toilet paper products!

swifters that have clogged up sewer pumping stations
swifters that have clogged up sewer pumping stations

Download and print this flyer to save as a reminder what NOT to flush



For additional info visit the DPW page
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Publicworks/General_Pages/What_Not_To_Flush

Related post from earlier this year
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/05/dont-flush-swiffers.html

Friday, July 10, 2015

Dacey's Market liquor sales restricted by Town Council

The Town Council had a busy meeting on Wednesday. They approved the sewer extension for a single family home on Crocker Ave and penalized Dacey's Market for liquor sales to an underage person. They sent a zoning bylaw change to the Planning Board for the area around the current Thompson Printing facility. They also authorized the funding of the trust fund to help resolve the OPEB issue.


Sewer Extension

The single family home owner will pay for the sewer extension and repaving the road where the sewer line is laid. The land is mostly ledge and won't support a septic system per Franklin's Health Dept inspector. The vote was 8-0 for this item at the second reading. Members of the Council had objected to the absence of the home owner for the first reading of the bylaw change. The home owner was present on Wednesday.


Dacey's Market

Dacey's Market was handed a 7 day penalty, 4 days to be served beginning July 16th and 3 days held in abeyance for 2 years. This is the second instance for underage liquor sales. The first took place in 2011. 

The underage sale was discovered when an off duty sargent was making a personal purchase and observed the individual making his purchase. A vehicle license check confirmed the underage status. An officer on duty happened to be in the area, he was contacted. Confirmed the underage status and made a vehicle stop to confirm the liquor purchase. He confiscated a CT license. The individual claimed to not have used it as the store employees regularly did not check for licenses.

The owner of Dacey's Market was present. He had purchased the license validation machine after the 2011 incident to prevent underage sales. If the machine says the license is good, he makes the sale. The license itself may be good but it may still not match the individual. Dacay's has 5 days to appeal the Council decision by going directly to the ABCC, otherwise the penalty will take effect as agreed to.


Zoning Bylaw

A zoning bylaw change was referred to the Planning Board to begin the process of changing the last industrial zone in downtown to residential. This was an outcome of a prior zoning workshop the Council, Planning Board and other Town official held March 25, 2015. (My meeting notes can be found here)

The area around the location of the current Thompson Building is the target for the change. It already abuts another similarly zoned parcel. The proposed change is hoped to provide additional residential space near the downtown area. The Planning Board will do their public hearing process and bring the bylaw back to the Council where there will be a public hearing and two readings before a vote. 

Franklin Municipal Building
Franklin Municipal Building

OPEB Trust Fund

Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) account is underfunded by the Town of Franklin to the tune of about $80M. An actuarial study currently underway will confirm the current requirement. Franklin had established a trust fund to help manage the money being put aside. The primary purpose for such would be to increase the rate of return on the funds invested. Current regulations impose a more conservative return opportunity for the money in 'stabilization' funds but allow for more aggressive funding opportunities in a managed trust fund.

The trust fund was established previously. The management committee had been meeting to discuss investment options and finally reached their decision. The Council's action was to approve the transfer of $1,875,334.64 (plus accrued interest) to the Trust Fund.  


The complete set of notes recorded live during the meeting can be found here



Thursday, May 28, 2015

Don't flush Swiffers!

From the DPW Water and Sewer page:
Paper towels, disposable wipes, washcloths and rags are becoming more and more of a problem for sewer systems with the increase in "disposable" wipes.  These wipes may be disposable but that does not make them flushable!   
Please do not flush swiffer wipes, baby wipes, diapers, disposable toilet bowl cleaners or any other non-toilet paper product.  These items cause major problems in our sewer pumps and we are not alone.  As discussed in a USA Today article tilted "Wipes in the Pipes Snarling Sewers", this issue is is affecting sewer systems across the country.  So please do your part and don't flush wipes!
swiffers removed from Franklin's pump station
swiffers removed from Franklin's pump station

What does happen to the water you flush?




You can also find the treatment process with this interactive webpage
http://www.wef.org/flash/gowiththeflow_english/theflow.htm


Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Live reporting: FinCom (continued) - Capital Budget

Jeff Nutting providing an overview of the stabilization accounts

turf field is subject to a bounce test every year, wears out due to the sun rays
about $500,000 needed to replace the 'carpet' at the turf fields

Chief Semerjian
discussion the police capital request
car replacement, try to keep cars in a rotation and replace the vehicles that are high mileage and maintenance issues

looking for 3-4 cruisers each year, try to keep it even year to year
3 marked units, requested as SUV vehicle types
1 unmarked units as a sedan
fully loaded for the police technology
computer, lights, electrical components, locking brackets for firearms
piggy back up on the State bid

body armor to be replaced 13 units, this year and another 13 next year
attempting to get some grants to help offset the costs
units are targeted to last 5 years
policy in place to wear the body armor at all times

tasers, rotated among the shifts
some assigned to tactical units; would like to have enough for everyone to have one per shift
affords another level of protection, less lethal
the business can recycle units but under the program where we own it
after 5 years, it is time to go

computer technology, pretty basic - $17,000
all cleared through T Raposa, the Technical Director

study done previously on the maintenance of old vehicles didn't actually save any money
tend to buy good used vehicles as a better (cost effective) option

the police cars do take a beating, they are running 24 hours

DPW
Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi,  DPW Director

need a street sweeper, both units need to be on the streets now especially after the winter
both units are actually broken at the moment, the main one (to be replaced) needs a new hydraulic units

1 ton dump truck, haven't replaced one in some time
buying gas engine rather than diesel as the diesel don't get the mileage to make it worth while

hot box, approved by Town Council last week

9 foot mower, part of the replacement program

streets 

attempted override last year, it did not pass

Oak St in front of high school, needs to be done soon
was waiting for high school work to be done and now is the time
put some islands in, like on Lincoln St
worked very well on Lincoln this winter, won't be as many as Lincoln
just at the beginning and end of the 'longest' school zone in Franklin

Miller and Pleasant St
drainage issue as well as frequent accident site
getting multiple things done at one
drainage, safety and storm water treatment

Sidewalks

St Mary's down Pleasant St to Miller ($900,000)
Griffin ($15K) and Chestnut ($15K)

do some design work this year, put out to bid next year
could use the hotel money or short term borrowing to provide the funds for the work
called for in the Master Plan

would normally be covered during road rebuild but these streets are not part of the road plan immediately

granite curbing and bituminous surface

asking for $200K to do desing and the two smaller sections
once the design is complete, the total cost will be know and could be bid

the reason Beaver St is not on the list is due to the railroad and the bridge

Water

developer put the water line in, now the street piece needs to be replaced
Crocker and Hill Road, Lewis St

water treatment membrane

Dale St water main to be done 'in-house', needs to provide the pipe to be used

study on water facilities being done, numbers should be ready for next year


Sewer

from Cook's Farm to Shaw's the sewer pipe is almost blocked
need to burst the pipe and replace with a new layer
sewer is normally gravity fed, this section is pumped as it is a low spot

26 sewer lift stations around Franklin

Council has authorized $7.5M to bond
15 year rolling, every 5 years, 5 million bond authorizations

Northgate neighborhood being done this year

water master plan being updated

no water rate increase foreseen in the next 2-3 years
maybe 3-5 years a small increase to fix a maganese issue that the DEP has raised

65% of the Charles River is 'owned' by Franklin hence we owe that amount of the expenses
took 1 million gallons out of the sewer treatment, to save money via leakage

positive planning with DEP has paid off, with awards and recognition

Medway found their $1M leak

Fire Dept, Schools, Facilities, Technology for next time

one item is to replace wireless connections in the municipal buildings
if this is going to be changed every 5 years, maybe start another stabilzation fund to cover those recurring expenses
schools are expanding their chromebooks, cost of hardware and installation

overall budget


quick update on overall budget
health insurance meeting this Thursday, $8M line item
out to bid and should have decision this week

charter school number was wrong and through the cherry sheet number off, overdue in reply
fire fighters arbitation award for 4 years, awaiting deal
4 years of retroactive pay for 48 people is going to be a chunk
possible gap coming but hopeful to get it soon

otherwise will need to make some educated guesses and get started
if we get started and need to make some adjustments, we will

everything later this year due to new Governor and his first budget which came out in March instead of January

regional transportation, circuit breaker issues
what will it be? don't know

early May to start budgeting, first two weeks
possibly five meetings

all the department heads have their budgets ready, what they have submitted may not be what I (Nutting) recommend to go forward so they can at least talk about it

Dispatch Center

have design, architect, Norfolk is also looking to put their police station in same building, we'd be on first floor; still a year and half away
all the equipment and coordination together
did put money in budget to start in 4thQ, will know more in a month or so

during day, secretary and kiosk at night for fire dept
doing analysis for the police station to monitor the lock up
does it make sense to have a central lock up? where? how many cells would be needed?
all in the talk stage at this point


Streetscape meeting today

plan to do the whole project this year with the exception of Main st
do the drainage work that is left
put up the bases for the new lights
Emmons, West Central, East Central and do Main St in 2016
they want to start in 2 weeks
it is going to be painful, some trees at Dean will be taken down
High St to be done as part of the project (it needs it)

ripping up the road down by Brick School, the pavement failed


Old business, new business - nothing

motion to adjoin
next meeting Apr 22

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Reminder: Franklin Line delays - Sat and Sun

While this update refers only to the inbound, recall that this weekend there will be buses running from Forge Park to Franklin/Dean. So with the trains to Boston starting and ending at Franklin/Dean, avoid the shuttle from Forge Park and go direct to Franklin/Dean.

There is both track work and Franklin DPW work on the Beaver St culvert which runs along the track both Saturday and Sunday. 

Franklin Line Train 1702 (6:35 am from Forge Park / 495) delayed approximately 10 minutes due to track work today 
Affected direction: Inbound 
Last updated: Dec 06 2014 06:47 AM
screen grab of DPW culvert work
screen grab of DPW culvert work


The post earlier this week in case you missed it can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/12/mbta-this-weekend-franklin-line-shuttle.html

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

MBTA: This weekend: Franklin Line shuttle

Buses replacing all Saturday and Sunday outbound Franklin Line trips between Forge Park and Franklin Stations on December 6-7. Delays of 10-15 minutes may occur.

Due to necessary track work, buses will replace all outbound Franklin Line trains between Forge Park/495 and Franklin/Dean College Stations on Saturday, December 6, 2014, through Sunday, December 7, 2014

Regular Franklin Line train service will resume at the start of service on Monday, December 8, 2014. All shuttle bus stops are accessible for persons with disabilities.

Shuttling the following stops:
Franklin
Forge Park / 495

Last updated: Dec 02 2014 11:00 AM


screen grab from DPW Presentation on emergency repairs
screen grab from DPW Presentation on emergency repairs

The Town of Franklin will take advantage of the scheduled track work to coordinate repairs to the Beaver St connector (sewer line). The work was discussed and approved at the last Town Council meeting.  
The presentation to the Town Council  can be found on the DPW webpage here  http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_DPW/Town_Council_Presentations/Beaver_St_Culvert_presentation.pdf






Tuesday, November 25, 2014

In the News: sewer repairs, tax rate set


The public works department needs to make emergency repairs on a damaged culvert off Beaver Street that supports a section of sewer line to prevent a potential "environmental disaster." 
If the cast iron pipe is compromised, raw sewage will flood into nearby Mine Brook at a rate of 2 million gallons per day. 
Originally installed in 1914, the pipeline transports 70 percent of the town’s sewage flow effectively from Beaver Street to Pond Street. The lining inside the pipe has weakened from years of erosion.
Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141125/NEWS/141128016/1994/NEWS



Town councilors have approved a 39-cent increase to the tax rate, raising it from $14.45 to $14.84. 
Taxes on a home assessed at $381,000 -- the average value – will increase by 7.5 percent, or roughly $397, in fiscal year 2016. 
Overall, residential property values have increased by about 4.7 percent, according to Kevin Doyle, the director of assessing. 
“Values are beginning to trend up slowly — about a half a percent per month — and we’re continuing to track the market,” Doyle said last week during the brief tax rate hearing before the council.
Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141125/NEWS/141128012/1994/NEWS


New FHS layout, green section in front left position along Oak St is where the practice field
New FHS layout, green section in front left position along Oak St is where the practice field would be that is now going to be a turf field and that will be regulation sized to be used for games

As reported last week, the summary of the Town Council meeting can be found here (including links to all the detailed reporting during the meeting)
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/11/the-town-council-reorganizes-sort-of.html