Monday, February 28, 2011

Live reporting - Community Gardens Committee Meeting

About 16 folks here tonight to get the low down on the developments for the community gardens

Where is it?
King St Memorial Playground - most families may have found this spot already due to the variety of sports played here but for those who need help positioning it is off King St, just past Forest St and before you get to the Remington-Jefferson complex.


View Larger Map


44 plots for raised beds is the first goal
4 plots for the 'giving garden'
4 plots for community groups
the remainder for first come first served

How would the plots be allocated?
Ideally, they would be assigned via the Recreation Dept website program (assuming it can be set up).
Worse case, it would be done via some sort of lottery to ensure appropriate allocation

A layout has been designed to optimize space
some of the plots will be on smooth ground to enable wheel chair access

The Steering Committee has worked with Tri-County to get some logos developed
there is a meeting Weds to review the drafts and see which one would work for the group

There is a meeting with Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator, to review the plans thus far
and to hopefully confirm some of the direction and planning

What size are the plots?
The plots are planned to be
Ideally 2' deep to ensure good root growth, with alternative plans for 16" or 12" deep beds
One reason to use raised beds on King St is to avoid the ground itself which has been treated over time with pesticides, etc and would not be good for growing organic foods.

Targeting for Apr 22, Earth Day, for the build - coordinated with the Town's Earth Day

each plot would have a 4' by 10' bed using 2" untreated pine
Yes, the beds would have an early life time but this is too get us started at a reasonable cost.

What else is needed?
Looking for another member for the Board
looking for fund raising ideas
looking to leverage relationships with building materials, etc.






Franklin, MA

In the News - Tri-County; FinCom Mtg Canceled

Four boys involved in fight at Tri-County

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 


Franklin Finance Committee meeting canceled


As mentioned in the weekly summary, it is not surprising to see the meeting has been canceled.


Franklin, MA

FM #87 - Week ending 2/27/11

Let's take about 10 minutes to get up to speed on what matters in Franklin, MA as the week comes to a close Sunday, Feb 27, 2011

Time: 10 minutes, 1 second



MP3 File

Show Notes:

This internet radio show or podcast is number 87 in the series for Franklin Matters.

We'll look back at the past two weeks as school vacation comes to a close Sunday Feb 27. Then we will look at what is scheduled for the week ahead.

The School Committee meeting on the 15th before school vacation was a full meeting.
Rep Vallee and Sen Spilka attended to provide an update on the overall budget outlook.
They did arrive in time to see the Franklin Arts Academy presentation which was quite impressive.
The school budget was reviewed and with minor discussion, approved.

While I can understand from the SchCom point of view that they have almost lived with the budget, some on the budget subcommittee more so than the others, and they had spent most of Saturday morning Jan 29th in the budget workshop. But as on that Saturday, the reporter from the MDN and I were the only members of the public, you would think that they would take some time to showcase the budget in this real public forum complete with live video which would be available later in the video on demand archive. But no, they went through it summarily and that is that. Shame on those in Franklin who did not come out to the meeting in person, that was your chance to step up and say something.

I do have links to the budget presentation and to the entire budget book available in the show notes
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-public-schools-budget-book-fy.html

Kudos to Jim Roche, Finance Committee chair, who did participate in the meeting for the budget discussion.

The notes from the full meeting can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/school-committee-021511.html


The Town Council had a short and relatively uneventful meeting. The meeting notes can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/town-council-021611.html

The only meeting of significance during the school break was the Long Range Financial Planning Committee which did meet on Wednesday, Feb 23. It was a smaller group than normal but they met the quorum requirements (4 of 7). The lower attendance was likely due to the school vacation. There was a special guest, Town councilor Steve Whalen. Steve reviewed his worksheets which had just been updated with Census Data for 2010. The updated data did not change the overall results, Franklin by all measures does get a great deal of quality services for what little it puts out of its own pocket.

Side note – as the documents Steve shared were legal size, I do not have the ready capability to copy them and share them.

My notes from the meeting including highlights from the Whalen updates can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/live-reporting-long-range-financial_23.html

The other significant item that came from the meeting was the revelation that both Whalen and Zollo will not be running for re-election. I have heard this before but there was still plenty of time for them to change their minds. I guess that is not about to happen. So there will be opportunity for folks to run for the Council. It would be good to see some real competition.

And while we are at it, I have no intentions of running. My approach to this situation has not changed, nor is likely to, so you won't have to worry about it. I'll continue reporting on what matters in Franklin. You can review my disclosure statement for the additional details.

Looking ahead:

The Community Garden Committee meets Monday evening at Stop and Shop. 7:00 PM 7:30 PM in the community room.

The Finance Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday. February's meeting you may recall was canceled. The Franklin website does not have an agenda posted but it may be on the Municipal Bldg window and I did not have time to go by and check. The Town Council meeting does not have any financial action items which FinCom would have approved first so not sure what's up. We'll find out Tuesday and not be too surprised if the meeting does get canceled.

The Town Council is scheduled to meet Wed March 2. A new liquor license for a Japanese-themed restaurant opening in the former Piccadilly Pub location is on the agenda for approval.

The Town Council agenda is posted here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-mar-2.html

The Franklin Cafe & Grill scheduled to open soon in the former KFC building on 140 has generated some conversation on the Facebook page. In particular about the sign requirements.

March 2 is also significant for two birthdays – Franklin's own birthday and that of Dr Seuss!
Franklin will hold a party on Sunday March 20th at the Museum to celebrate Mar 2 also with some of the 76 Franklin residents who share the March 2 birthday!

The Commonwealth released data by community for 2001 through 2009 on the senior circuit breaker tax advantages available to them. Franklin does quite well in that there has been an increase each year in the number of filers and in the average credit received. To paint a complete picture, I'd like to know how many are eligible and don't apply?
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-residents-gain-with-senior.html

The Franklin chapter of the Teenangels were in the news
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/teenangels.html

So as we close this week, welcome back. The snow hasn't gone yet. The budget cycle is getting into high gear in March. The time to be involved is now.


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

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.

How can you help, you ask?

If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.

And as always -
If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like this, please tell me.

Thank you for listening.


For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
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 and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission

I hope you enjoy!


Franklin Public Schools - Budget Book FY 2012

The School Budget Book for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY 2012) is ready for review. Each section is stored as it's own file.


  1. Executive Summary
  2. District Improvement Plan (DIP)
  3. Achievement Profile
  4. Enrollment
  5. Frequently Asked Questions
  6. Overview
  7. ECDC
  8. Davis Thayer
  9. Jefferson
  10. Keller
  11. Kennedy
  12. Oak St
  13. Parmenter
  14. Horace Mann MS
  15. Remington MS
  16. Annie Sullivan MS
  17. Franklin High School
  18. Central Office
  19. Curriculum-Instruction
  20. Pupil Personnel Services
  21. Transportation
  22. Grant Budgets


You can also review the folder of all the documents made public on Franklin Matters here


Franklin, MA


Where you born on March 2?

If so, guess what, you share your birthday with the Town of Franklin!

Although the Town of Franklin is much older (March 2, 1778), we thought it would be fun to invite everyone that shares March 2nd as their birthday to a “Birthday Bash” at the museum. From the looks of things, we will have over 70 people that share that date from children to adults.

We are planning to have a cake, beverages and certainly balloons. Who knows, we may also have some special birthday presents for everyone.

Please RSVP as soon as possible to Deborah L. Pellegri, Town Clerk and Chairman of the Historical Commission at 508-520-4900 or email me at dpellegri@franklin.ma.us

Remember, family and friends are all invited and certainly welcomed.

We look forward to hearing from you real soon




Your Birthday Celebration

At the Franklin Historical Museum

Sunday, March 20th, 2011 
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Invitation to all



Franklin, MA

In the News - Meghan Dean, pickup accident


PHOTO: A great distinction in Franklin




Pickup injures woman in Franklin




Franklin, MA

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Mar 2, 2011

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - February 2, 2011

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
New All Alcoholic Beverages Restaurant License
– Ichigo Ichie Franklin, LLC

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O.EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN


Franklin, MA

Franklin Cafe & Grill - "now hiring - opening soon"

The former KFC is getting transformed. New signs are up announcing the Franklin Cafe & Grill. There is also a banner announcing "now hiring, opening soon"!



The liquor license was approved at the Jan 12, 2011 Town Council meeting.

Franklin, MA

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Franklin residents gain with the Senior Circuit Breaker

The MA Dept of Revenue released numbers on the Senior Circuit Breaker program for all communities in the Commonwealth on Friday. Franklin does well with this credit. There has been steady growth in the number of filers, total credit received, and as a result the average credit per filer. The data released covers the tax years from 2001 through 2009. Now that the data is available, I'll watch to see when each new year is added to the table and update the numbers.



Tax Year Number of Filers Amount of Credit Claimed Average Credit
2001 87  $28,251  $325
2002 109  $66,448  $610
2003 150  $90,818  $605
2004 171  $107,020  $626
2005 202  $122,377  $606
2006 234  $158,800  $679
2007 248  $173,524  $700
2008 302  $217,429  $720
2009 324  $240,692  $743


Of the 335 communities where residents did receive the credit Franklin ranked 90th in the total number of filers. Franklin ranked 89th in total credit received but dropped to 175th in average credit received.


What is the Senior Circuit Breaker?
No other refundable tax credit equals the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit for putting money into the wallets of average taxpayers 65 and older. In tax year 2009, more than 77,000 senior taxpayers who were either homeowners or renters received credits of nearly $60 million. 
Yet it is safe to say that many eligible taxpayers have never heard of the credit. If you are reading this and have older relatives or friends who might benefit, pass on the word. The maximum credit, after all, is worth $970 in the coming tax year. 
The Department of Revenue has just released the rules and regulations for the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit in tax year 2010. The credit is based on the actual property tax or rent paid by the eligible taxpayer who is either living in their own home or paying rent. 
A taxpayer's total income may not exceed $51,000 for a single individual; $64,000 for a head of household; or $77,000 for married couples filing a joint return. The assessed valuation of a residence may not exceed $764,000. Many taxpayers 65 and over fall within these limits. 
The credit is equal to the amount by which the taxpayer's property tax payments in the current tax year, including water and sewer charges but excluding any abatement or exemption, exceeds 10 percent of the taxpayer's total income. 
The credit also works for renters. It is equal to the amount by which 25 percent of the rent actually paid during the taxable year exceeds 10 percent of the taxpayer's total income, with the credit capped at $970.

For additional info on the credit, check the State website here

To view (or download) the data from the state, check the web page here

The table of Franklin's data is also posted as a Google document and can be found here. I pulled from each year, the data specific for Franklin to make this table. The info in this table drove the chart and table found above.

Related post on credits or abatements for seniors
http://franklinmattersweekly.blogspot.com/2010/03/fmw-59-week-ending-3710.html


Franklin, MA

In the News - top dog


Mr. Bear is Franklin's Top Dog




Franklin, MA

Friday, February 25, 2011

Worst Ice Skater Ever!

Let's make this a video Friday!

Not sure if I have shared this groups exploits here before, I know I have shared them where I write elsewhere. I became aware of ImproveExverywhere several years and their exploits are rather good. This one is perhaps a little less dramatic or impressive than some others but it handles what could be a dangerous situation and turns it into a couple of moments of grace.





Enjoy!

For more of a full write up, the full back story and behind the scenes info click through here to the ImrpovEverywhere website



Franklin, MA

Better searching for just the recipe you need!

Google has some wonderful news to help find recipes for special days, to use specific ingredients, or even for how long it will take to prepare! This brief video shows how:





Yes, the Franklin Food Pantry is pulling together a set of recipes for publication on the web as well as in a cook book that would be a possible fund raiser for the Food Pantry. Google's search enhancements will make the recipes you create and share easier to find!

If you have a recipe or two you want to share, please let me know or contact Michelle Clay who has graciously volunteered to head up this effort for the Food Pantry.


Franklin, MA


Guster - "Do you love me?"

No more iPad musical toys. This time, it is real instruments and live action, creative, fun with paints all captured and rendered with stop motion video.



Enjoy!



Franklin, MA

4th Annual Random Smile Gala



The Random Smile Project does good work and is holding their 4th Annual Random Smile Gala on Saturday.
The 4th Annual Random Smile Gala will be held at Christina's in Foxboro at 6:00 pm. The event is a semi formal, black tie optional affair. There will be a surf and turf dinner with live music and both live and silent auctions. A few of the items up for bid include Patriot and Red Sox memorabilia, vacations, golf related items and electronics. Tickets are $100 and may be purchased via the Random Smile web site.
Read more in Patrick Coleman's Wrentham Times




Franklin, MA

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Franklin Community Garden - meeting Feb 28, 7:30 PM

There will be a Franklin Community Garden meeting to be held on Monday, February 28th from 7:30-8:30 PM. The meeting will be held at the Franklin Stop and Shop in the community room.

The meeting is open to the community, so feel free to bring others who are interested in getting involved. If you plan on attending this meeting, please send an email to franklincommunitygardens@gmail.com

When you arrive at Stop & Shop on Monday, ask the customer service desk to direct you to the Community Room.


Thanks and we hope to see you on Monday the 28th!

In health and seedlings,
The Franklin Community Garden Steering Committee



Franklin, MA

Teenangels

Representatives from Franklin's Teenangels testified before Attny General Martha Coakley at a hearing on the progress of the anti-bullying legislation:




From Lisa Keohane, local mentor to the Teenangels chapter:
One item that was not written in the article was that Parry Aftab presented the kids with the "Teenangel Chapter of the Year" award at the hearing in front of Attorney General Coakley. The kids are soo excited. This was the first time in 6 years that this award has been given to a chapter other than the New Rochelle, NY chapter.

Prior posts on the Teenangels
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/teen-angels-pledge-text-think-send.html

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-teen-angels.html

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/text-translator-for-teen-speak.html

Franklin, MA


"They are really not beholden to anyone"

"Any way you slice the data, we look like a low-tax, efficient (town government), dangerously over-reliant on a revenue source (state aid) on which we have no control," Whalen said. 
"They're a new set of eyes and they will challenge things (in the previous report) as they go through the process," said Douglas Hardesty, the committee's chairman. "When we are through, hopefully we'll learn something new." 
At a meeting last night, the committee discussed an analysis done by Whalen showing how Franklin compares to 30 comparable communities in the state in tax rate, and spending on education. 
Franklin has one of the lowest tax rates of the comparable communities, and it is one of the lowest in per-pupil spending, he said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Read my notes from the same meeting here



Franklin, MA

In the News - birthday party, Council positions opening, soldiers home


Franklin to hold party for residents who share birthday with town

by 



Whalen, Zollo won't run for re-election to Franklin Town Council


Franklin, MA