Live reporting - DPW - Town Common Trees

Franklin Town Common Tree Report
David Anderson, certified arborist, consulted with the DPW


The presentation document:

Franklin, MA: DPW - Tree Presentation

Mostly Norway Maples on the Common,

the diameter of a tree is measured 4.5 feet off the ground

diversity of trees on Common, sugar maples,

A big beautiful tree can be gone in a day with weather or capable machinery
but it takes about 100 years to get the tree to look like it does

issues, no defined tree care maintenance budget, it has been reduced over time due to the issues with the budget

recommend hearing by public tree warden then remove 12 possibly hazardous trees ASAP
consider relocating the carnival so it saves the ground compacting issues

McGann - if we don't do the removal, the other trees will be impacted

Cantoreggi - We all love trees, some we should cut down but I don't want to do that without having done a presentation first.

Vallee - What would it cost to take down these trees?
Cantoreggi - I think we can do these in house as time permits

Pfeffer - there maybe tree person who would come in and do that work to gain the wood from it

Nutting - we should proceed with the hearing on the trees?
Mason - yes, check with the tree wardens schedule.


Franklin, MA

Live reporting - DPW - snow

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Department of Public Works:

Winter Road Treatments & Snow Removal

$41,000 for sand
$326,000 for salt
$72 , 62, 47 per ton for salt , price coming down over the last three years

using less sand and more salt with mixture
issue with the catch basin cleaning


Franklin, MA: DPW - Snow Presentation


Estimated cost of a six inch storm, approx. $100,000
36 trucks and employees = $900/hour total maintenance and salary

53 pieces and $7500 per hour for the contractors to supplement the Town employees

Storm priority

1. Public roadways
2. Schools
3. Sidewalks

Whalen - follow up on sidewalks, with the Town employees on 'rest' and sidewalks not cleared with schools open. Is there alternative staffing to be explored/

Nutting - We are not in a position to change the collective bargaining agreement. The School Dept has stated that if it is not safe, then the parents have the option to not send their children to school

Whalen - I think safety should be a priority and not that the union can get first crack at overtime.



Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Public Hearing - underground utilities

F. HEARINGS - Public Hearing to Consider Removal of Utility Poles, Overhead Wires & Associated Overhead Wires and Associated Overhead Structures in Downtown Area – 7:10 PM

cost to Town minimal for this section, left off the prior notice
property owner has option to come in from W Central St
and if he does, this would avoid going underground

Mason - there is precedence to do this, the remainder of Main St is already done
I am going to back this one

no citizens to make comments

Town Council in favor of this section to proceed
A future action item will come up as there are by-law changes required




Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Action items

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 10-59: Confirmatory Taking – Land at 459 Pleasant Street


This is the DelCarte property, confirming that the deed will be clear when we file for the purchase






Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Town Council

Present; Vallee, Whalen, Mason, Pfeffer, McGann, Zollo, Powderly
Absent: Jones, Kelly

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – September 29, 2010 and October 6, 2010
motion to approve, passed 7-0

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS -Meetings of the Town Council are Recorded
Jim Dacey, Treasurer/Collector license renewed through 2015

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
Larry Bennedetto, Paul Cheli
Reminder of ballot questions on Nov 2 election
Ballot question 4 - house keeping items
Ballot question 5 - recommend Treasurer/Collector to move to appointed position


15 years since last time of charter review, no major changes
suggest to review earlier than 15 years for next time


recommend for future changes to go the Charter Commission route
takes longer but gets more involvement from the public


Jim Dacey, Treasurer/Collector
how important that this election is, especially with question 5
Am I okay with appointment? Yes, I am okay with it. Should have been done 15 years ago
I plan on working for Franklin until I retire, a few years
This position should not be filled by election, should be done by 'world-wide' search
back ground check, experience with the package we use to keep our finances
The whole thing is not about me and job security, it is about who will replace me
In the past several years, a number of position have gone from elected to appointed, none have gone the other way



E. APPOINTMENTS
Design Review Commission - Chris Baryluk
motion to approve, passed 7-0



Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Election Nov 2 - State Question #3

QUESTION 3

Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or House of Representatives before May 4, 2010?

*** "This proposed law would reduce the state sales and use tax rates (which were 6.25% as of September 2009) to 3% as of January 1, 2011. It would make the same reduction in the rate used to determine the amount to be deposited with the state Commissioner of Revenue by non-resident building contractors as security for the payment of sales and use tax on tangible personal property used in carrying out their contracts. The proposed law provides that if the 3% rates would not produce enough revenues to satisfy any lawful pledge of sales and use tax revenues in connection with any bond, note, or other contractual obligation, then the rates would instead be reduced to the lowest level allowed by law. The proposed law would not affect the collection of moneys due the Commonwealth for sales, storage, use or other consumption of tangible personal property or services occurring before January 1, 2011. The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect. "

A YES VOTE would reduce the state sales and use tax rates to 3%.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the state sales and use tax rates.

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You can find the complete set of ballot questions and candidates for office on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's web site here:  http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php


You can put your Franklin address into this form and receive a full set of the candidates and ballot questions (3 state wide and 2 specific to Franklin).


Franklin, MA

In the News - EPA storm water

State gives $100,000 to help with runoff mandate

by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff


Prior posts on the current EPA regulation pilot for Bellingham, Franklin and Milford can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/08/epa-storm-water-proposal-information.html

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/09/epa-to-help-towns-meet-run-off-rules.html



Franklin, MA

Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness

The Center for American Progress has published the following report on teacher effectiveness that I have not read yet but seems to be a good one to share.


Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness

What do you think of the report?


Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Election Nov 2 - State Question #2

QUESTION 2

Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or House of Representatives before May 4, 2010?

*** This proposed law would repeal an existing state law that allows a qualified organization wishing to build government-subsidized housing that includes low- or moderate-income units to apply for a single comprehensive permit from a city or town’s zoning board of appeals (ZBA), instead of separate permits from each local agency or official having jurisdiction over any aspect of the proposed housing. The repeal would take effect on January 1, 2011, but would not stop or otherwise affect any proposed housing that had already received both a comprehensive permit and a building permit for at least one unit. Under the existing law, the ZBA holds a public hearing on the application and considers the recommendations of local agencies and officials. The ZBA may grant a comprehensive permit that may include conditions or requirements concerning the height, site plan, size, shape, or building materials of the housing. Persons aggrieved by the ZBA’s decision to grant a permit may appeal it to a court. If the ZBA denies the permit or grants it with conditions or requirements that make the housing uneconomic to build or to operate, the applicant may appeal to the state Housing Appeals Committee (HAC). After a hearing, if the HAC rules that the ZBA’s denial of a comprehensive permit was unreasonable and not consistent with local needs, the HAC orders the ZBA to issue the permit. If the HAC rules that the ZBA’s decision issuing a comprehensive permit with conditions or requirements made the housing uneconomic to build or operate and was not consistent with local needs, the HAC orders the ZBA to modify or remove any such condition or requirement so as to make the proposal no longer uneconomic. The HAC cannot order the ZBA to issue any permit that would allow the housing to fall below minimum safety standards or site plan requirements. If the HAC rules that the ZBA’s action was consistent with local needs, the HAC must uphold it even if it made the housing uneconomic. The HAC’s decision is subject to review in the courts. A condition or requirement makes housing uneconomic if it would prevent a public agency or non-profit organization from building or operating the housing except at a financial loss, or it would prevent a limited dividend organization from building or operating the housing without a reasonable return on its investment. A ZBA’s decision is consistent with local needs if it applies requirements that are reasonable in view of the regional need for low- and moderate-income housing and the number of low-income persons in the city or town, as well as the need to protect health and safety, promote better site and building design, and preserve open space, if those requirements are applied as equally as possible to both subsidized and unsubsidized housing. Requirements are considered consistent with local needs if more than 10% of the city or town’s housing units are low- or moderate-income units or if such units are on sites making up at least 1.5% of the total private land zoned for residential, commercial, or industrial use in the city or town. Requirements are also considered consistent with local needs if the application would result, in any one calendar year, in beginning construction of low- or moderate-income housing on sites making up more than 0.3% of the total private land zoned for residential, commercial, or industrial use in the city or town, or on ten acres, whichever is larger. The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

A YES VOTE would repeal the state law allowing the issuance of a single comprehensive permit to build housing that includes low- or moderate-income units.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the state law allowing issuance of such a comprehensive permit.


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You can find the complete set of ballot questions and candidates for office on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's web site here:  http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php


You can put your Franklin address into this form and receive a full set of the candidates and ballot questions (3 state wide and 2 specific to Franklin).


Franklin, MA

FM #74 Week Ending 10/17/10

Let's take about 10 minutes to catch up on what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends Oct 17th, 2010.

Time: 10 minutes, 49 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

Let's take less than 10 minutes to review the week ending Oct 17 here in Franklin, MA. So what should you know from the past week?

The School Committee met on Tuesday Most of the night was spent on the high school

• The school improvement plan was reviewed http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=HW0UW7w25OKFIuztz4K2Eg%3d%3d
• The senior project was reviewed http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=Z6iurs7XvBmQeuYTQ5aJIA%3d%3d
• The school discipline process and statistics showing the improvements were reviewed http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=M2eDWWFyvuaKUWPh8tPJnw%3d%3d

Copies of the presentations are posted to Franklin Matters.

Of special interest is this segment of dialog between chair Jeff Roy and Principal Peter Light discussing the effects of the Rachel's challenge event recently held at the high school.

(here is the audio clip from the meeting)

What do we have coming up this week?

The Town Council meeting is Weds. The continuation of the public hearing on the underground utilities will be held. You may recall the initial hearing 9/29. The notice was incorrect in that it left out the section of Main St hence, part 2 this week. While the council did a straw vote last time indicating that they would likely not vote to proceed with putting the utilities underground, the official vote should be this week. The council did vote last time to endorse the change from 1-way to 2-way traffic, there will be additional votes required as there is a by-law change needed before that changes. Oh and the construction downtown will begin during 2011 and complete sometime 2012.

Of most interest this weds will be a series of updates from the DPW

• Winter Road Treatments & Snow Removal
• Franklin Town Common Tree Report
• Report on the new Solid Waste and Single Stream Recycling System
• Sewer System Discussion

A series of posts covering the state wide and two local questions that the Franklin voters will see on the Nov 2 ballot will be found this week on FM. The link to the Sec of the Commonwealth page where you can put in your home address and obtain a view of the full set of ballot questions. There is not a one ballot for all of Franklin as the MA legislative districts split Franklin. You may recall for example that the “Scott Brown seat' only covers precincts 2, 3 and 4 in Franklin, Karen Spilka covers the remainder of the Franklin precincts.

 As I close this session this week, let me remind you that

• If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
• If you don’t like something, please tell me

Thank you for listening!

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 and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission

I hope you enjoy!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to listen to the audio podcast.

In the News - WWII, community garden

Franklin may honor World War II soldiers

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Franklin Community Gardens meeting

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc

Franklin, MA

Town Council - agenda and documents

The agenda and associated documents are available for the Town Council meeting on Weds, Oct 20. The layout and formatting makes some of this hard to read (unless you sacrifice a few trees first).

I'll try to obtain copies of the individual presentations but in the meantime, you can prepare for a series of updates from the DPW on

• Winter Road Treatments & Snow Removal
• Franklin Town Common Tree Report
• Report on the new Solid Waste and Single Stream Recycling System
• Sewer System Discussion

The DPW updates begin after the Public Hearing on the underground utilities for the Downtown Project.
(You may recall there was already a public hearing on 9/29/10 for the underground utilities but due to the original notice leaving out the Main St portion of the project, the public hearing needed to be re-posted (hence this part 2). The Council will be in a position to take a vote on the underground utilities. The straw poll taken at the 9/29 meeting indicated a resounding No vote. Council Jones will be missing this meeting as he is in Haiti. Will all the other councilors show up? Stay tuned to find out.)
Town Council 10/20/2010 Agenda



Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Election Nov 2 - State Question #1

QUESTION 1

Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or House of Representatives before May 4, 2010?

*** This proposed law would remove the Massachusetts sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol, where the sale of such beverages and alcohol or their importation into the state is already subject to a separate excise tax under state law. The proposed law would take effect on January 1, 2011.

A YES VOTE would remove the state sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol where their sale or importation into the state is subject to an excise tax under state law.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the state sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol.

-----------

You can find the complete set of ballot questions and candidates for office on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's web site here:  http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php


You can put your Franklin address into this form and receive a full set of the candidates and ballot questions (3 state wide and 2 specific to Franklin).


Franklin, MA

Comedy Night - Nov 12

Franklin Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC)

2010 Evening of Comedy Fundraiser!

Date: Friday November 12, 2010

Time: Doors at 6:30, show at 8

Location: Milford Doubletree Hotel Ballroom, 11 Beaver St. Milford, MA 01757

Ticket cost: $30 in advance/ $35 at door (includes show and appetizer buffet)

We are happy to announce our 3rd annual Comedy Night

Featuring:
Door prizes throughout the evening
AMAZING silent auction
Our infamous balloon raffle
And, of course, TONS OF LAUGHS


TICKETS ON SALE NOW:
Email Sarah Montani, SEPAC fundraising committee chair, at sarahmontani37@gmail.com.


Franklin, MA

Do you have a Filene's Basement Story?

Dean College to premier “Voices From the Basement” documentary October 19
History of Filene’s Basement documentary by Milford Native Michael Bavaro

Franklin, MA – The premier of the documentary “Voices from the Basement” a history of Filene’s Basement, will be held at Dean College on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the College’s Multi Purpose Room (MPR) in the Campus Center, 135 Emmons Street.

The history of Filene’s Basement is captured through newsreels, archival footage, vintage photographs and audio recordings. Its founding brothers, Edwards and Lincoln Filene, were two of the great retail pioneers who helped shape many of the social and economic paradigms that made America great.

“This is the first time this documentary will be played to a large audience,” said Gerry Shaw, Ph.D., Interim Department Chair of Dean’s School of Business. “We are using this documentary across the curriculum in business , theatre , communications , sociology and history classes,” said Dr. Shaw. “We are especially grateful to Michael Bovaro who created this documentary and Susan Edbril who produced it for choosing to premier the film here,” he said.

“Almost everyone has a Filene’s Basement Story,” said Maureen Ridings, Director of Alumni Relations for Dean. “Whether you went there with a relative as a child, or shopped there for your first business suit, we all have great memories of the store in Downtown Crossing.”

Bovaro, a native of Milford, MA wrote, filmed and directed the 45-minute film. The program will be followed by a panel discussion with Bovaro, Ms. Edbril, Sociology professor Kristin Holster, and Brian Early, general manager of Patriot Place. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Shaw. Refreshments will be served.

The event is open to the public and free of charge but registration is requested. Please call 508-541-1612 to register.





Franklin, MA