Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Live reporting - Councilor Comments
Streamline recycling
property rezoning (increase tax base)
lease Brick School
consolidation of janitorial services
Town Council does look for efficiencies where possible
Pfeffer - congratulations to Maureen Sabolinski on her selection and to the School Committee for a good and timely choice
Live reporting - Town Administrator's report
Story from September 2007 can be found here and here
Recent update on this - September meeting
Rock pile at Chestnut/RT 140 purchased by Sovereign Bank, Town inquiring to see what the bank plans to do with it.
Dedication of Museum and new sculpture November 19th, 9:00AM.
Some capital planning coming in future meeting, also with "free cash" being certified soon, he'll being some proposals to look at adding some funds to the Stabilization Fund.
live reporting - rezoning
Approved 7-1 (Doak no, Vallee absent)
Live reporting - Brick lease
Resolution 08-72: Acceptance of Gifts for the Red Brick School
Approved 8-0
Live reporting - DPW re-org
Feeley - no vote on it tonight, open for questions
Would cost about $20,000: $10,000 to the General Fund and another $10,000 to the Water/Sewer revolving account.
The proposal adds a "real" deputy to the Director of Operations.
More efficient operations. Need to start succession planning, capturing the extensive knowledge that they have built over the years to handle things as well as they do. Uses existing folks. Eliminates assistant positions.
Live reporting - DPW Solid Waste & Recycling
Approx 1 ton of trash per household in Franklin per year.
Under the single stream proposal:
Residents would be provided a "toter", it would be maintained by the hauler. This would reduce the amount of trash imported to Franklin. Overflow options: an additional toter for a fee or purchase 33 gallon overflow bags.
Current program of one bulk burnable item with trash per week would be replaced by a small fee and a sticker with a scheduled pick up. This would avoid the importing of trash from other areas into Franklin to be disposed of here for "free".
Single Stream recycling - no limit on recyclables
Nutting - Looking to see if there is general consensus amongst the Council to move ahead with RFP for the single stream processing.
Nutting requested to handle the following resolution out of order:
Resolution 08-71: Authorization for Intermunicipal Agreement – Town of Blackstone
Approved 8-0
Live reporting - Fire Station Bldg Committee disolved
Approved 8-0
Ken Norman representative of the committee this evening along with Fire Chief McCarraher.
Recycling update
Mobile post sent by shersteve using Utterli.
Live reporting - Recycle committee report
Discussion on recycling at the high school. The Green Team is the largest group at the high school. They are active. The grade of C is meant to reflect the overall town effort/performance against the overall town recycling goals. We need to encourage their effort.
There are no recycling bins at Beaver Street. There should be waste and recycle receptacles to separate the trash and recyclables.
Town needs to set an example and model the good recycling behavior.
Proposal to audit trash and leave a door hanger notice on the results. This as a follow up to an announcement letter to everyone letting the know what the opportunities are.
(editorial note - I should talk with them about my idea of using the folks walking around town to bend and stretch to pick up recycling. The picture included here is from one of my weekend morning walks. I posted about this back in February 2008)
Single stream possible for the future. What is it? Put everything in one container and the waste handler with updated technology can do the separation at their end.
Current trash contract good through 2010. Single Stream and other enhancements could be incorporated as part of the new contract.
Franklin's Earth Day should be the Saturday closest to the official Earth Day which is always April 22. 300 volunteers picked up 6000 pounds of recyclables on that one day.
DPW did a great job helping with Earth Day. Especially on a Saturday!
Two major issues;
- Receptacles are not readily available.
- The consciousness (about recycling) it not present in the community.
Councilor Pfeffer wants to deputize folks to start issuing the $50 fines to folks littering at the fields.
Franklin is recycling at 25% and most of our neighbor towns are at 50%.
The Recycling Committee web page on the new Town site can be found here.
Live reporting - License transfer
Teppanyaki Restaurant – Change of Manager
issue with new manager has not completed the bartender training as required
motion amended to make the transfer contingent upon receipt of the training completion (scheduled for Monday 11/10/08).
approved 8-0
Live reporting - opening items
approved 8-0
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
(will update later from recording)
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
(none)
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
Ken Norman raised an objection to the music being played in the background on Channel 11. He finds it difficult to try and follow what is going on with the music distracting and objectionable. Can the administrator find another alternative?
E. APPOINTMENTS
Design Review Commission
Council on Aging
(will add names from recording later)
Live reporting - Town Council Meeting
Feeley - Chair
Bartlett - Vice-Chair
Pfeffer - Clerk
all motions made and voted 8-0 (Vallee not attending)
GATRA "free ride" coupons
Where do you get a coupon?
This Friday’s (November 7, 2008) edition of The Country Gazette will have a 2” x 2” orange coupon also known as an “Ad Note” affixed to the front page of 10,000 copies of the paper. The “Ad Note” is a “peel off” good for a FREE RIDE. The “coupon” is good immediately up to and including Saturday, December 20, 2008.
If your neighbor doesn't want to use it, ask them for it?
If you can't use it, give it to some one who will use it!
That's helping someone get at least one ride free.
In the News - 2010 Budget planing starting
Thanks to the sour economy, Franklin is looking at a possible shortfall of several million dollars for fiscal 2010, and a subsequent "major reduction in force ... townwide," Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting told the Finance Committee last night.
It is still too early to estimate how much the shortfall will be, said Nutting.
That figure, he said, depends on the result of Question 1 (to repeal the state income tax), and assuming there aren't any changes in revenue projections. According to last night's numbers, Massachusetts voters shot down the effort to repeal the income tax.
Nutting's projection was not discussed at length, as it was not an issue on last night's meeting agenda, but he mentioned it when he told the board he will ask department heads to submit budgets in early December.