Town Council Quarterbacking with Tom Mercer to condense the meeting of 2/15/23 (audio)

FM #946 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 946 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 Feb 15, 2023: 

• ok, what just happened? 

• What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

We cover the following key topics

Street Acceptances: Maple Tree Lane & Oak Tree Lane

Three key items regarding money were all approved by 8-0-1 votes (8 for, none against, 1 absent (Pellegri))

• Resolution 23-18: FY23 Capital Improvement Plan

• Resolution 23-19: Free Cash to Stabilization Accounts Transfers

• Resolution 23-20: Water Retained Earnings Transfer to Water Main Capital Project R19-05

The two referrals to the Planning Board on Inclusionary Zoning were also moved forward after some clarification questions by the Councilors were answered by TA Jamie Hellen or Bryan Taberner, Director of Planning and Community Development.

• Zoning Bylaw Amendment 23-889: A Zoning Bylaw to Amend the Franklin Town Code at  Chapter 185, Attachment 7., Part VI, Use Regulation Schedule: Residential Uses - Referral to the Planning Board 

• Zoning Bylaw Amendment 23-890: A Zoning Bylaw to Amend the Franklin Town Code at  Chapter 185, Section 5 - Referral to the Planning Board

4 podcasts in housing/zoning Franklin For All ‘series’ provide additional details

Senior Center update, café priority for opening

Links to the meeting agenda and associated documents released for this meeting are included in the show notes. 

Our conversation runs about 35 minutes. Let’s listen to this session of Town Council Quarterbacking recorded Feb 16, 2023

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-946-town-council-quarterbacking-02-16-23

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The complete agenda doc  ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/feb_15_2023_agenda.pdf

The Franklin TV video is available for replay ->   https://www.youtube.com/live/TxINM8EMueg?feature=share 

My notes and the audio of the meeting will be ready in a couple of days. In the meantime, the PDF with my Twitter thread of notes is available here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e3mWHu8EEyeIooV0ryedEmH-aY3hdmGY/view?usp=share_link

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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 your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Town Council Quarterbacking with Tom Mercer to condense the meeting of 2/15/23 (audio)

FM #445 Talk Franklin - 01/22/21 (audio)

FM #445 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 445 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing and Communications Specialist Anne Marie Tracey. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

We talk about: 

• Storm water and EPA adjustments
• Street acceptance
• Complete streets
• Pandemic and vaccine distribution

Links to the key topics covered here are included in the show notes. The recording runs about 49 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Anne Marie. Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HNTvQNcS

 

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Town Council Agenda document (and released supporting materials in one PDF) 
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/01-20-2021_town_council_agenda.pdf 

My notes from the Town Council meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/01/town-council-meeting-recap-jan-20-2021.html  

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

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).

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/ 

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"

 

FM #445 Talk Franklin - 01/22/21 (audio)

FM #443 Town Council Mtg - P1 of 2 - 01/20/21 (audio)

FM #443 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 443 in the series.

This session shares the Franklin, MA Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, Jan 20, 2021.

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: members of the Town Council, selected guests, and Town Administration personnel were in the Council Chambers, the public was remote via Zoom conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

I’ve split the full two hour thirty minutes meeting into two logical segments and almost equal segments:

• First - covers the opening through the Subcommittee reports. Includes the public hearing on the new alcohol license, and on the street acceptances (1 hour and 16 minutes)
• Second - covers Legislation for Action items (including the technically off topic rant) through to the close of the meeting (1 hour and 16 mins)

The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda including documents released for this agenda.

Let’s listen to this segment of the Town Council meeting of Jan 20, 2021. Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HrrkpbYS

 


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Agenda document (and released supporting materials in one PDF)
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/01/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-jan-20.html

My notes from the meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/01/town-council-meeting-recap-jan-20-2021.html

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

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).

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/ 

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"

 

FM #443 Town Council Mtg - P1 of 2 - 01/20/21 (audio)

Public Hearing Notice - Street Acceptances - Jan 20, 2021

Public Hearing Notice - Street Acceptances

 January 20, 2021 - 7:10 PM

Crystal Drive, Woodhaven Drive, Dena Drive, Skyline Drive, Charles Drive, Baron Road, Cobblestone Drive

 

"Pursuant to Chapter 163 of the Legislative Acts of 2011, the Franklin Town Council will hold a public hearing on Wednesday evening, January 20, 2021 at 7:10 p.m. in the Council Chambers located on the second floor of the Franklin Municipal Building, 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA to determine if it is in the public interest to accept the following named roads as public ways:

Crystal Drive;Woodhaven Drive; Dena Drive; Skyline Drive, from Station 0+00 to Station 16+88.81, as shown on street acceptance plan;

Charles Drive, from Station 0+00 to Station 12+26.96, as shown on street acceptance plan; Baron Road, from Station 0+00 to Station 28+05.14, as shown on street acceptance plan; Cobblestone Drive; Woodstock Circle"

Shared from the Town of Franklin page  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/legal_notice_-_street_acceptances_crysal_woodhaven_dena_skyline_charles_baron_cobblestone_woodstock.pdf

 

Public Hearing Notice - Street Acceptances - Jan 20, 2021

Commonwealth Magazine: ‘Why don’t you just cancel Halloween?’

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said on Tuesday that he won’t try to stop Halloween from happening, saying it is much safer for people to engage in outdoor trick-or-treating than it is to hold parties indoors.

“A whole bunch of people say to me, ‘Why don’t you just cancel Halloween?’ And the reason we’re not canceling Halloween is because that would have turned into thousands of indoor Halloween parties, which would have been a heck of a lot worse for public safety, and for the spread of the virus, than outdoor, organized, and supervised trick-or-treating,” said Baker at a press event in Salem with the city’s mayor, Kim Driscoll.

Baker said his administration will put out guidelines to cities and towns for safe trick-or-treating, but noted that communities will be able to make their own call on how they want to see the holiday roll out. The governor and Driscoll both said individuals will decide on their personal level of participation; Driscoll said homeowners who don’t want to give out candy can just shut off their lights.

The governor said he anticipates “hundreds of thousands of people” coming to Salem for Halloween-related festivities during October. “It’s like the swallows going home to Capistrano or wherever it is they go,” he said. “It’s just going to happen.”  

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-not-calling-a-halt-to-halloween/ 

Franklin does not control Halloween either and shared the guidance from the CDC and MA DPH  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/09/town-of-franklin-ma-halloween-activity.html

The Commonwealth article is a result of the discussion at Governor Baker's press conference on Tuesday. You can view the view conference here: https://youtu.be/24A3e_D-sis  

Note there is intermittent video focus problems but the audio quality is consistently clear

Halloween in Salem. (Photo by Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism)

FM #341 Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting - 9/02/20 (audio)

FM #341 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 341 in the series. 

This session shares the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting held on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. The meeting was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

The Chair, Melanie Hamblen, opens the meeting. New member Brian Chandler joins the group to replace Eamon McCarthy Earls who is leaving the Council to go to Law School.  

Brief update on re-opening provided at beginning of meeting. Grant application being readied for distribution, possible next week.

Conversation shifts to the market study and picking up on prior meeting discussion of advertising placements at restaurants, adding QR codes to help with finding things, also mention of a “Franklin First” campaign in the works to help foster buying local.

Complete streets and the details around it are reviewed, some of the impact was seen with the work on the Main St and downtown project that was completed a couple of years ago. This would be a policy (not a bylaw) to help address planning for the street to consider all modes of transit (rather than just the auto which is prevalent today).

The recording runs just about 50 minutes, so let’s listen to the discussion from the meeting of the Economic Development Subcommittee.

Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HZXrkRTK

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The agenda for the meeting can be found here
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/08-20-2020_edc_agenda.pdf

The Market Study
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/franklin-ma-economic-development.html 

My notes from the meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/09/edc-meeting-recap-franklin-first-qr.html 

--------------
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/

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"

FM #341 Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting - 9/02/20 (audio)

EDC Meeting Recap: "Franklin First", QR codes, and complete streets discussed

Recap:  Brief update on re-opening provided at beginning of meeting. Grant application being readied for distribution, possible next week.
 
Shift to the market study and picking up on prior meeting discussion of placements at restaurants, adding QR codes to help with finding things, a “Franklin First” campaign in the works to help foster buying local.
 
Complete streets and the details around it reviewed, some of the impact seen with the rework on the Main St and downtown project completed a couple of years ago. Would be a policy (not a bylaw) to help address planning for the street to consider all modes of transit (rather than just the auto which is prevalent today).

----------- 

As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
 
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #boh0902
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23boh0902&src=typeahead_click

• Shifting to real time reporting underway for EDC meeting which had just started at 5:45 PM #edc0902
• "Franklin First" campaign in the planning stages to help foster local buy, better linkage between cultural district and town page (as foreshadowed in Cultural District meeting) #edc0902
• Touting QR codes, do they realize (1) most devices don't read them (2) a major security issue is opened. #edc0902
• If you're not aware of QR codes, this link on Wikipedia can help explain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code  #edc0902
• QR codes being proposed as an additional items to help with navigation and info finding #edc0902 
• Website being touted as never done, actually seems to be referring to Cultural District page (Not Town page) which raises questions about what is the cultural district?
• Tapping into Metro West visitors bureau and other regional/state orgs to help with marketing in print, web, social, etc. #edc0902 an increase of biking seen in this pandemic period, work on 'complete streets' coordinate with traffic lights to get activated by bikes
• Policy proposal would need to be accepted by planning board and town Council #edc0902 complete streets would require all uses of the road would be considered, currently car is priority for road construction.
• The state is already complete streets planning, some of the road work we're doing is also complete streets (as in road narrowing) #edc0902 need to get credit for what they are doing. Framework and guidance doc, not a bylaw
• Meeting adjourned, getting ready for #3; Town Council up at 7 PM #edc0902. #tc0902 

The EDC agenda can be found online    https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/franklin-ma-economic-development.html

Photos captured during the meeting and shared with the Twitter thread can be found here

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bXGKVDGEQte4r6EB7

Councilor Brian Chandler new member of the EDC gestures in asking a question

Franklin Updates

The Franklin webpage had a bunch of updates Thursday and Friday of this week. I have shared them here:

DelCarte Recreation Plans and Maps
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01AA78F9-000F8513


Street Sweeping

The Department of Public Works will commence street sweeping operations on Monday, April 29th. Sweeping will start downtown and will be followed by primary roadways. Secondary roadways and subdivisions will be swept based upon the order for the 2013 street sweeping zones. Street sweeping is expected to take up to 3 months and is weather dependent. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the Department of Public Works.   Link to map

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01AA7117-000F8513


Dog Licenses

Town Clerk, Deborah L. Pellegri is reminding dog owners that licenses are due April 1^st.  Owners have until July 1^ST to come into the office or mail in a renewal to obtain a 2013 license without any additional fees.  After July 1, the late fee will be $25.00 plus the cost of the dog tag.  Please remember to license your dog TODAY and avoid any late charges.  All dogs must show updated rabies information if it is not on file with us.

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01AA425D-000F8513


4th Quarter Property Tax Bills

Treasurer Collector James P. Dacey has mailed fourth quarter fiscal 2013 real estate and personal property tax bills. Bills are due May 1, 2013. Payments received after due date are charged 14% interest.

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01AA7217-000F8513


Cultural Council

The Cultural Council is looking for member Please see contacts above if you would like information about the committee.  If you are interested, please complete the committee request form and return to the Town Clerk's Office.  Committee Request Form

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/0190401F-000F8513

Hydrant Flushing

Franklin, MA: Street sweeping to begin April 11

The Department of Public Works will commence street sweeping operations on Monday, April 11th. Sweeping will start downtown and will be followed by primary roadways. Secondary roadways and subdivisions will be swept based upon the order for the 2011 street sweeping zones. A map indicating the zones is located here. Street sweeping is expected to take up to 3 months and is weather dependent. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the Department of Public Works.

The street sweeping zone map can be found at the link on the Franklin website or right here:

Franklin Ma Street Sweeping Letter Size 2011



Franklin, MA