These two presentations were used during the workshop held on Monday, March 21, 2011.
The first presentation outlines the discussion format for the workshop and then steps through the components of the proposed changes to the zoning (minimum lot dimensions, setbacks, coverage, etc.)
The summary of items agreed to during the discussion can be found in the notes of the meeting
Downtown Proposed DC Zoning 3/21/11
The second presentation document was referenced to show design features from other community's downtown area.
DC Presentation Examples 3/21/11
Thanks to Beth Dahlstrom for providing the documents. These can also be found on the Planning and Community Development web page here and here.
Franklin, MA
Friday, March 25, 2011
"It's a huge issue for municipalities"
"It's so much cheaper if we can get rid of the sources by picking up maintenance practices" and reducing the use of fertilizer with phosphorus, Franklin's Public Works Director Robert Cantoreggi said at a workshop yesterday.
About 35 municipal officials and representatives of engineering firms, environmental companies and other agencies met at the Franklin Municipal Building for the workshop, which was organized by the Charles River Watershed Association and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
The workshop came as Franklin, Bellingham and Milford town leaders worry about a federal Environmental Protection Agency pilot program that seeks to tighten stormwater regulations. The EPA has told those three towns that businesses with 2 or more acres of impervious surfaces could have to pay $6,000 to $120,000 per acre to purchase new systems to control runoff.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x617855290/Milford-Franklin-and-Bellingham-told-to-target-phosphorous-at-source-to-protect-Charles-River#ixzz1HbNfVydR
Prior posts on the proposed EPA Stormwater regulation:
From August 2010
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/08/epa-storm-water-proposal-information.html
From June 2010 (includes links to the May 12 meeting in Franklin)
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/06/epa-storm-water-proposal-information.html
Franklin, MA
Extension of the School Year Beyond June 30
For those inquiring minds - what if we did have to go beyond June 30th to complete the school year? The State has an answer.
Extension of the School Year Beyond June 30
DESE, in consultation with the Division of Local Services (DLS), issued the following guidance
regarding possible extension of the school year beyond June 30.
Q: If the school year is extended beyond June 30 in order to comply with the 180-day equirement, may the district pay salaries and costs incurred from the current year's budget?
This information can be found on Page 2 of the bulletin located here
Franklin, MA
Extension of the School Year Beyond June 30
DESE, in consultation with the Division of Local Services (DLS), issued the following guidance
regarding possible extension of the school year beyond June 30.
Q: If the school year is extended beyond June 30 in order to comply with the 180-day equirement, may the district pay salaries and costs incurred from the current year's budget?
A: The Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services has advised that the answer is yes. If the school year must be extended beyond June 30 to comply with state law on student learning time, that would extend the scope of the municipality's appropriation for the schools beyond June 30. See Mass. General Laws Chapter 71, Section 40, which provides that the compensation paid teachers is deemed "fully earned at the end of the school year, and proportionately earned during the school year" (emphasis added). Teachers, therefore, could teach school in early July to comply with the 180-day requirement, and any salaries paid would appear on warrants payable for the fiscal year that ended on June 30.
In short, state law permits the school year (and salary payments) to extend beyond June 30 in these circumstances. School officials still should consult with their own legal counsel to determine whether any provisions in collective bargaining agreements or local ordinances would affect the decision to schedule school days after June 30.
This information can be found on Page 2 of the bulletin located here
Franklin, MA
Bay State Greenway Northern Trail Advances
For those following the efforts of the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee, there is news on a similar rail trail development effort through Saugus, Lynn, and Methuen.
Prior posts on the Franklin Rail Trail
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/franklin-rail-trail-committee-meeting.html
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-citizens-rail-trail-committee.html
Franklin, MA
Bay State Greenway Northern Trail Advances
byPrior posts on the Franklin Rail Trail
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/franklin-rail-trail-committee-meeting.html
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-citizens-rail-trail-committee.html
Franklin, MA
Preparing for I-495’s next boom
I am just catching up to this article from the Boston Globe West edition from Thursday. The article doesn't specifically mention Franklin but I would assume we are indeed one of the communities involved in the planning effort.
Franklin, MA
Planners in 37 communities along I-495 recently embarked on a $300,000 state-funded study organized by the quasi-public Metropolitan Area Planning Council to map out where residents might best channel new development, preserve open space, and build more on infrastructure. The study is due to be completed by the end of this year.
The regional planning council is also working with the 495/MetroWest Partnership, a nonprofit public-private collaboration based in Westborough, and other local organizations on the effort.
“This region is the state’s economic engine,’’ said Paul Matthews, the partnership’s executive director. “Because there is no central city, it tends to be overlooked a bit. Let’s make sure we have our ducks in a row as the economy picks up again in terms of development. What development do we want accomplished? Those are major questions for us to sort out."
via Boston Globe -- Globe West by John Dyer, Globe Correspondent on 3/24/11
Franklin, MA
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Citizens Against Waste: Substitute pay questions
How much total pay is made to substitute teachers?
I was surprised to see the number of substitute people and some of the amounts are pretty high. Are teachers paid straight salary?
How is leave handled?
Is excessive teachers absence accounted for?
My thanks to Maureen Sabolinski, Superintendent of Schools, for providing the answers to these questions.
If you have a question about Franklin's budget, please use the form to ask it. I'll get you a response.
The collection of Citizens Against Waste questions can be found here
Franklin, MA
$485,509 in FY10
Our teachers are invested in being in school to work with students. They are committed to providing an exceptional educational program and they understand that includes attendance. As per the contractual bargaining agreement, a teacher may be absent from work due to illness, family illness, or for a personal day. Also a teacher may be requested to participate in a professional development program as a requirement by the district administration which necessitates absence from the classroom. When teachers are not in the classroom, substitutes are required to provide instruction to students.
This budget provide compensation for substitutes who cover day to day absences and for teachers who are on long term leaves of absence ( e.g. medical leave, maternity leave)
I was surprised to see the number of substitute people and some of the amounts are pretty high. Are teachers paid straight salary?
Substitute teachers are not paid a salary and they do not accrue benefits.
Daily rates for sub teachers are: $60/day, college students; $80/day, non-certified; $100/day, certified; $125/day for long-term sub.
How is leave handled?
When a staff member is unable to work due to a medical condition, a paid leave of absence may be requested. The request is made to the superintendent and is accompanied by the appropriate medical documentation. If all documentation is in order a leave is granted in accordance with requirements outlined in the contractual bargaining agreement.
Is excessive teachers absence accounted for?
Absences for all school personnel are recorded and accounted for by Human Resources and the Payroll Office. Attendance data is recorded and updated on the pay stub for all employees.
My thanks to Maureen Sabolinski, Superintendent of Schools, for providing the answers to these questions.
If you have a question about Franklin's budget, please use the form to ask it. I'll get you a response.
The collection of Citizens Against Waste questions can be found here
Franklin, MA
Franklin, MA: Express Line v2 #3-1
Franklin's Express Line newsletter has just been published.
Express Line Volume 2 - Issue 3-1
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to read the document.
You can subscribe to your own copy of the newsletter by signing up on the Franklin website here. You will have four choices:
This newsletter is the first option "News and Announcements"
Franklin, MA
Express Line Volume 2 - Issue 3-1
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to read the document.
You can subscribe to your own copy of the newsletter by signing up on the Franklin website here. You will have four choices:
- News and Announcements
- Police News and Announcements
- Recycling News
- The Franklin Connection
This newsletter is the first option "News and Announcements"
Franklin, MA
"You can't stop people from shopping on Memorial Day"
"The attendance is very sparse, and it's sad," Vallee, a former JAG officer who serves in the National Guard, said yesterday at a hearing on legislation that would ban retailers in Massachusetts from opening on Memorial Day. "It saddens me because it is a very important day in our history and our culture."
The 44-year-old Franklin Democrat said after the hearing that he supports the bill, sponsored by Sen. Michael Knapik, R-Westfield, but is unsure about its prospects on the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee, of which he is co-chairman.
He's expecting resistance from retailers, who see the ban as likely to boost tax-free holiday sales on the Internet.Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1840140189/Veterans-legislators-back-ban-on-Memorial-Day-store-sales#ixzz1HVe5bm2o
Franklin, MA
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Live reporting - Long Range Financial Planning Committee
Present: Doug Hardesty, Deb Bartlett, Graydon Smith, Sue Rohrbach, Orrin Bean, John Hogan, Ken Harvey, Tina Powderly, Jeff Nutting (late)
Absent: Craig DiMarzio
Motion to approve minutes of Mar 9 meeting, second, passed 6-0
Discussion on the questions which were drafted offline since last meeting and compiled in one listing.
Town Council priority, we do it
if the committee needs to answer it to do the forecast, we do it
if the citizens feel they need this answered, we do it
discussion on how the questions are answered
the purpose of the Q&A is not just to provide the sentence or two, but to position the issue, break it down to the central issue for the forecast for the Town Council and peoples need
notion of deliverables - tossing out for discussion
trying to get to a point where we know what are focused on, what the output is, when it is expected.
instead of a massive deliverable, updated once a year or periodically
maybe put the questions on a website, clickable so they can see the answer and drill down as necessary on the issue
more able to 'live' publish as they are developed
forum last year was terrible, questions were not good, dialog was terrible
why was last year different from the prior year when more came out, more discussion was real
should consider separating the forum/discussion from the override
consideration on first time versus repeating, 'old news'
hold in a smaller venue, need to defend against 'old news'
perception created by the nature of the questions, getting the word out in a face-to-face way should be in a way that can engage in a meaningful dialog; not to be associated directly with an override to avoid that set of political overtones
clarification on the listing of questions, Town Council separated only in that if we do nothing else need to address those two. they are likely to be answered in the light of the larger issues
committee taking time to read through the compilation of questions
small print (8 pt font) and about 45 in total
anything striking or appealing?
any questions to add?
comment - we have answers to most of the questions, although maybe not in the best format
to add, pros and cons of split vs single tax rate
separating pension from OPEB, focus on the health care side of that from the Council perspective, the pension is already set at the State level; should be on our legislative wish list.
need to layout and understand the difference between the pensions and OPEB
SUTA = state unemployment tax
The committee could model into the forecast, if this were to happen, then what would happen, what effects would there be? That might be better in the context of projections but not addressed in a Q&A format
it is fair that we are getting a break, but how much would we raise if we were at the median rather than so low in relative tax burden? Could be a valid question to answer, if risky
in the prior committee we did look at the Arlington work, the five year plan that they did. Not really comparable to Franklin in terms of the growth flux that we can face. some folks fear the series of overrides could be perpetual. This could be a loaded question for a Q&A section and not likely in the best way to be presented. Need to consider the planning aspects of this and use it in the modeling
by starting to address the focal points (i.e. Town Council and citizens) this is getting to the point of addressing the questions in a manner relevant to the audience. You can answer a question in a factual way and satisfy one
group, answer the same question with a story and satisfy another segment of the audience.
need to layout the one time events where the money was 'found' to address 'always' finding the money
isolate and hone in on the increasing costs as the costs are rising faster than the revenue
the impact of the schools and their programs with the rising deficits
the correlation between home values and local real estate taxes
what is the percentage basis comparison to say Wellesley, Newton vs Franklin? does it help our story?
where could we get the data? Realtors. we could also Google to see if some white papers have already answered the question
what kinds of leading indicators are available are telling the story
what are the lottery numbers for the charter school year over year?
what are the number of students going to private schools?
----
clarification on updating Steve Whalen's numbers, still to be done and used as needed
for things we need changed at the State level, we need Jeff or the Council to address what is the plan, what is the process for recommending change, how does that happen? if it is not realistic, I will be reluctant to put in the time and effort
we did discuss this last time, we need the top 2-3 things, one to let people know how the hands are tied currently but that if this happens, etc. then we can do more. But we need to explain what that is, and ensure that there is some action on it
the question for Vallee - what is it you need to get something done? is it citizen actions, is it a group of communities?
how are we going to get the information, the answers to these question, the reality is not enough people care to get out and vote? that is the problem
if we identify the right questions, maybe they are the ones you don't know the answers to. As much and as long as many people have been doing this, they have not been doing this with a long range view. There hasn't been a level of rigor focused on this.
Most of the questions have been answered, the flyer from last time has the answers. If you haven't seen this flyer, then there is an issue.
discussion around pay to ride numbers in the current budget and lack of information in the budget document to explain the difference, individual working with School Committee to discuss the question and follow on questions
any new revenue sources? what are the sources? how are they used?
under cost containment, what regionalization efforts have been taken?
what do unfunded mandates do as percent for the budget, that increase is taking away from services to be provided.
the answer may not be highly controllable but at least get an understanding on what the reality is
we can investigate, advise but not plan. I tend to use the long range finance committee when I say what we are. A planning group would select and execute the decisions on which way to go. That is up to Jeff and the Town Council.
next meeting in 3 weeks.
Franklin, MA
Absent: Craig DiMarzio
Motion to approve minutes of Mar 9 meeting, second, passed 6-0
Discussion on the questions which were drafted offline since last meeting and compiled in one listing.
Town Council priority, we do it
if the committee needs to answer it to do the forecast, we do it
if the citizens feel they need this answered, we do it
discussion on how the questions are answered
the purpose of the Q&A is not just to provide the sentence or two, but to position the issue, break it down to the central issue for the forecast for the Town Council and peoples need
notion of deliverables - tossing out for discussion
trying to get to a point where we know what are focused on, what the output is, when it is expected.
instead of a massive deliverable, updated once a year or periodically
maybe put the questions on a website, clickable so they can see the answer and drill down as necessary on the issue
more able to 'live' publish as they are developed
forum last year was terrible, questions were not good, dialog was terrible
why was last year different from the prior year when more came out, more discussion was real
should consider separating the forum/discussion from the override
consideration on first time versus repeating, 'old news'
hold in a smaller venue, need to defend against 'old news'
perception created by the nature of the questions, getting the word out in a face-to-face way should be in a way that can engage in a meaningful dialog; not to be associated directly with an override to avoid that set of political overtones
clarification on the listing of questions, Town Council separated only in that if we do nothing else need to address those two. they are likely to be answered in the light of the larger issues
committee taking time to read through the compilation of questions
small print (8 pt font) and about 45 in total
anything striking or appealing?
any questions to add?
comment - we have answers to most of the questions, although maybe not in the best format
to add, pros and cons of split vs single tax rate
separating pension from OPEB, focus on the health care side of that from the Council perspective, the pension is already set at the State level; should be on our legislative wish list.
need to layout and understand the difference between the pensions and OPEB
SUTA = state unemployment tax
The committee could model into the forecast, if this were to happen, then what would happen, what effects would there be? That might be better in the context of projections but not addressed in a Q&A format
it is fair that we are getting a break, but how much would we raise if we were at the median rather than so low in relative tax burden? Could be a valid question to answer, if risky
in the prior committee we did look at the Arlington work, the five year plan that they did. Not really comparable to Franklin in terms of the growth flux that we can face. some folks fear the series of overrides could be perpetual. This could be a loaded question for a Q&A section and not likely in the best way to be presented. Need to consider the planning aspects of this and use it in the modeling
by starting to address the focal points (i.e. Town Council and citizens) this is getting to the point of addressing the questions in a manner relevant to the audience. You can answer a question in a factual way and satisfy one
group, answer the same question with a story and satisfy another segment of the audience.
need to layout the one time events where the money was 'found' to address 'always' finding the money
isolate and hone in on the increasing costs as the costs are rising faster than the revenue
the impact of the schools and their programs with the rising deficits
the correlation between home values and local real estate taxes
what is the percentage basis comparison to say Wellesley, Newton vs Franklin? does it help our story?
where could we get the data? Realtors. we could also Google to see if some white papers have already answered the question
what kinds of leading indicators are available are telling the story
what are the lottery numbers for the charter school year over year?
what are the number of students going to private schools?
----
clarification on updating Steve Whalen's numbers, still to be done and used as needed
for things we need changed at the State level, we need Jeff or the Council to address what is the plan, what is the process for recommending change, how does that happen? if it is not realistic, I will be reluctant to put in the time and effort
we did discuss this last time, we need the top 2-3 things, one to let people know how the hands are tied currently but that if this happens, etc. then we can do more. But we need to explain what that is, and ensure that there is some action on it
the question for Vallee - what is it you need to get something done? is it citizen actions, is it a group of communities?
how are we going to get the information, the answers to these question, the reality is not enough people care to get out and vote? that is the problem
if we identify the right questions, maybe they are the ones you don't know the answers to. As much and as long as many people have been doing this, they have not been doing this with a long range view. There hasn't been a level of rigor focused on this.
Most of the questions have been answered, the flyer from last time has the answers. If you haven't seen this flyer, then there is an issue.
discussion around pay to ride numbers in the current budget and lack of information in the budget document to explain the difference, individual working with School Committee to discuss the question and follow on questions
any new revenue sources? what are the sources? how are they used?
under cost containment, what regionalization efforts have been taken?
what do unfunded mandates do as percent for the budget, that increase is taking away from services to be provided.
the answer may not be highly controllable but at least get an understanding on what the reality is
we can investigate, advise but not plan. I tend to use the long range finance committee when I say what we are. A planning group would select and execute the decisions on which way to go. That is up to Jeff and the Town Council.
next meeting in 3 weeks.
Franklin, MA
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Franklin High School's spring musical, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, is a satire of big business with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. It centers on a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, who begins a meteoric rise from the mail room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Finch's unorthodox and morally questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with Secretary Rosemary Pilkington.
The show will be performed Friday and Saturday April 1st and 2nd at the Horace Mann Middle School Auditorium, 224 Oak Street, at 7:30.
Tickets are $10 available at the door, or can be purchased from the FHS Music Department (508-541-2100 x3098) or at the front desk at Franklin High School by cash or check made out to ‘Franklin Music Boosters’.
Franklin, MA
The show will be performed Friday and Saturday April 1st and 2nd at the Horace Mann Middle School Auditorium, 224 Oak Street, at 7:30.
Tickets are $10 available at the door, or can be purchased from the FHS Music Department (508-541-2100 x3098) or at the front desk at Franklin High School by cash or check made out to ‘Franklin Music Boosters’.
Franklin, MA
New Items at Franklin Public Library
New Items for February 2011
Browse a list of new books, dvds, music, games and audiobooks recently added to the collection. Click the title link to check availability in the Minuteman Library Catalog.
New Children's Items Feb. 2011
Franklin, MA
Curbside Chronicle: Apr - Jun 2011
The Franklin DPW has published the Curbside Chronicle for Apr - Jun 2011.
Curbside Chronicle for Apr - Jun 2011
Franklin, MA
Curbside Chronicle for Apr - Jun 2011
Franklin, MA
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)