Sunday, April 1, 2012
Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Apr 4, 2012
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
January 4, Regular Session; March 21, Executive Session
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Verizon, Comcast, and Franklin Matters
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Gary B. McCarraher – Fire Chief
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 12-11: Appropriation 2012 Enterprise Funds Capital
2. Resolution 12-22: Appropriation 2012 Capital Improvement Plan
3. Bylaw Amendment 12-681:Amendment to Chapter 4, Administration of Government - 1st Reading
4. Bylaw Amendment 12-682:Amendment to Chapter 110, Licenses and Permits, Designation of Issuing Authority - 1st Reading
5. Bylaw Amendment 12-680:Amendment to Chapter 82, Appendix A, List of Service Fee Rates – 2nd Reading
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
The full set of documents for this meeting can be found on the Franklin website
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2012%20docs/031212.pdf
Photo essay: Bren Bataclan shows his work in Franklin
Another gray, overcast Saturday for Franklin. This one had some snow flurries for a while early in the morning. Fortunately, nothing stuck around long.
It was a good time to get inside and mingle among some folks interested in the art of Bren Bataclan.
Having participated in other art shows, I was most impressed by Bren. He went out of his way to greet anyone who came to the show.
Lingering to talk about what he does, how he does it.
He willing posed for a picture of his hand. If you look closely, it appears to be tinted blue as if some of the paint he was using he couldn't completely wash off. Actually, it is from his new jeans. Wiping his hands on his jeans is picking up the blue dye.
I think his work is easily approachable. He simplifies the world he shares. Others agree at least to the extent that he sold four or five works during the show. The red dot indicates this large work is sold. Actually before the afternoon ended, the two smaller ones partially caught here also sold.
It was a happy Bren and Linda Kabat posing for a picture as the show closed.
While some of Bren's works have sold, his work will still be on display through April at the Franklin Art Center. If you have a chance to stop by, please do so.
Additional info on Bren can be found on his website http://www.bataclan.com/
Related post: http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/03/bren-bataclan-art-show.html
Disclosure: my daughter Allison is one of the part-time art instructors for the Franklin Art Center. I have met Ian and Linda a few times and we share a mutual interest in art and developing a community.
Curbside Chronicle: Apr-Jun 2012
The Curb Side Chronicle for Apr-Jun 2012 as published by the Franklin, MA Dept of Public Works
Curb Side Chronicle April-June 2012
The Chronicle can be found on the Franklin website
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_News/0187FC40-000F8513.0/Curbside%20Chronicle-April-June.pdf
Curb Side Chronicle April-June 2012
The Chronicle can be found on the Franklin website
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_News/0187FC40-000F8513.0/Curbside%20Chronicle-April-June.pdf
Beaver St: Recycling Center
The Recycle Center's "seasonal hours"
Begin Tuesday April 3rd
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
As noted on the Franklin, MA website
View Larger Map
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Bren Bataclan: Art Show
Bren Bataclan is coming to Franklin Saturday afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. He will be showing some of his work at the Franklin Art Center.
Bataclan, a Cambridge based artist, was recognized by Couric for his “Smile Boston Project. The project involves the artist leaving his cartoon inspired paintings for people to take for “free”. Attatched to each painting is a note saying, “ This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often.” He founded the project in the summer of 2003 and has since gone worldwide.
The town of Franklin has been honored to have Bataclan paint murals in our elementary schools. Bataclan has also been featured in The Smithsonian Magazine, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Chicago Tribune to name a few. His solo show at the Franklin Art Center will debuting his new painting style and his new Baha series. These paintings are a more figurative and narrative series of work. “Baha” portrays the heroism, resilience and compassion of the Filipino people who have dealt with the recent floods in the Philippines. “Baha” is Bren’s most extensive and quite possibly his most important show to date. The exhibit will also feature Bren’s regular, whimsical characters along with some new ones. Bren will be donating a portion of the sale of his work to help the Filipino people.
For additional information you can visit the Art Center Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/events/347387778632732/
Or their website http://franklinartcenter.com/
Or Bren's own website http://www.bataclan.com/
Image of Bren borrowed from the above links
Reminder: Earth Hour - 8:30 PM
Friendly reminder that Earth Hour occurs at 8:30 PM Saturday evening. Turn off your lights and join millions around the world.
Video summary can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/03/earth-hour-sat-33112-beginning-at-830.html
Additional info on Earth Hour can be found here
http://www.worldwildlife.org/sites/earthhour/index.html
Franklin Art Association to meet, April 4
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 3/30/12
The Franklin Art Association will host a meeting on Wednesday, April 4, from 6:30-9 p.m., at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill St.
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Marijuana tax stamps still on sale even though law up in smoke
An oddity creates an opportunity for collectors!
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Robert Bliss on 3/30/12
A Massachusetts newspaper reported this week that two men arrested for possession of five pounds of marijuana had also run afoul of state tax law.
The story went on to quote from the law ... which was all well and good except the law was thrown out in a Supreme Judicial Court case settled in 1998, Commissioner of Revenue v. Mullins. In ruling against the Commonwealth, the SJC said the law was aimed at drug dealers and amounted to a double jeopardy penalty since it imposed a high rate of taxation, had a deterrent purpose, was clearly conditioned on the commission of a crime, and bore no logical relationship to legal possession.
Some background is in order. in 1993, the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Massachusetts Controlled Substance Tax which authorized DOR to print tax stamps for controlled substances such as marijuana. Even though the SJC ruling made the law moot, it has not been repealed. The law set a tax rate of $3.50 per gram or $99.20 per ounce of controlled substance.
After the SJC decision, DOR kept the stamps, which are purple and about the size of a postage stamp.
Indeed, since the law first took effect, DOR has earned about $2,500 from the stamps which sell for $3.50 each, with most of those sales registered after the SJC decision.
Who is buying a stamp that has no valid legal purpose, given the SJC decision? Stamp collectors. Some purchasers sell the stamps as collectibles on web-based auction sales sites for as much as $20.
If you'd like to order your collectible, gag gift or stocking stuffer -- and folks, supplies are running low, so act now since DOR will not re-order the useless stamps once they are gone -- you can obtain them by downloading DOR form CST-1, Marijuana and Controlled Substances Stamp order form and mailing it to DOR at the address listed on the form.
We can't make this stuff up.
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Friday, March 30, 2012
Earth Hour: Sat 3/31/12 beginning at 8:30 PM
This Saturday evening turn off the non-essentials lights for an hour. Join with millions around the world in Earth Hour!
For more on Earth Hour visit the US website here http://www.worldwildlife.org/sites/earthhour/index.html
Gardening for the Hungry (video)
Grow a Greener Garden shares a program PBS did on Ample Harvest founder Gary Oppenheimer.
Gary Oppenheimer also spoke to the TEDxManhattan event in February (time = 14 minutes)
The Franklin Food Pantry is registered with Ample Harvest.
After finding his garden too bountiful, gardener Gary Oppenheimer gave his excess harvest away to friends and neighbors, and soon that route was maxed out as well. He didn’t want to waste great food, so after donating the rest to a local women’s shelter, the idea grew to figure out a way to connect home gardeners to the food banks who are prepared to handle and distribute fresh produce.
So Gary founded AmpleHarvest.org, with a focus on doing just that, so that surplus harvest can go to hunger relief and not the compost bin. Today, from Master Gardening groups to your friends and neighbors, more people are sharing the bounty and there are some great and easy ways for you to do the same.You can view the PBS episode here Episode 220: Gardening for the Hungry (time = 1 hour)
Gary Oppenheimer also spoke to the TEDxManhattan event in February (time = 14 minutes)
The Franklin Food Pantry is registered with Ample Harvest.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Franklin, MA: Economic Development Summit
On April 5, 2012 Franklin will host an economic development summit including tours of Tegra Medical's award winning facility. Details can be found in the invitation document below. RSVP by April 1 to Bryan Taberner, Franklin's Director of Planning and Community Development.
Franklin, MA: 2012 Economic Development Summit Invitation
Franklin, MA: 2012 Economic Development Summit Invitation
“We feel it’s a better future for the children”
“I’m delighted. I’m just really happy about it,” resident Linda Dunnebier said of the 7,988 “yes” votes. That total was more than four times the 1,982 “no” votes. There was a single blank ballot.
Town officials are now working on contract documents to send the design plans for the school out to bid in the hopes of awarding the bid by August and starting construction in October.
If everything stays on track, students will be in the new school by fall of 2014, with demolition and the rebuilding of the athletic fields taking place after that.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x777658853/Residents-happy-about-passage-of-override-for-new-high-school#ixzz1qUrsGWTI
The collection of posts on the high school building project can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/12/collection-high-school-building-project.html
MBTA: Letter to Our Customers
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 3/28/12
By Richard A. Davey, MassDOT Secretary and CEO and Jonathan Davis, MBTA Acting GM
Let us start by first thanking each and every one of the nearly 6,000 individuals who attended our public meetings over the last several months and the thousands more who wrote in via email or letter. We understand that the MBTA is a lifeline for many of you, without which you may not be able to get to work, school or recreational activities.
It is because of your overwhelming engagement that our final recommendation to the MBTA board includes what we believe are modest fare increases and limited service changes. While both are necessary to close the $185 million gap we face next year, the proposals we released in January would have had a significantly greater impact than our final plan.
MassDOT and the MBTA have identified a number of savings and efficiencies and one-time financial actions that can be taken to reduce the operating deficit, thus reducing the need for the larger fare increases and service reductions originally proposed. Some of the most significant actions include enrollment of MBTA staff in a new, lower cost health care program, energy purchase savings and a reduction in Authority headcount of 51 positions. Additionally, the T implemented a hiring freeze for non-critical positions.
Today, we are proposing an overall 23 percent increase in fares, which will generate $72.9 million in revenue. This is the first time in more than five years that the MBTA would raise fares. Every other major public transit system across the country has raised its fares during this time period. Many have also reduced service.
What does this mean for riders? For CharlieCard users, the subway will now cost $2 per ride. Local bus service will cost $1.50. Students and seniors will each pay $0.75 for a bus trip and $1 for a subway ride. Building on your ideas, we will offer a new 7-day student pass in addition to the current weekday-only student pass.
The RIDE, our paratransit service, will also see price changes. Over the last decade, the cost of providing the RIDE has increased more than 400%, requiring a growing slice of our operating budget. As in both previous proposals, no current RIDE customers will lose service. For RIDE trips required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the fare will be $4. For non-ADA required trips, the new premium fare will be $5 per trip.
Commuter rail single trip and monthly passes would be increased an average of 29 percent, depending upon the zone of travel. Ferry prices will be increased an average of 35 percent.
Overwhelmingly, we heard your calls to protect your service. We worked diligently to identify additional efficiencies, some legislative changes and $61 million in one-time revenues that allowed us to avoid massive service cuts next year. Those one-time sources include $51 million from MassDOT's Motor Vehicle Inspection Trust Fund; $5 million in MassDOT snow and ice surplus funds; and $5 million from leasing the North Station Garage.
Coupled with the smaller fare increase, we are proposing $15.4 million in service changes for next year, including the elimination of four weekday bus routes and modifications to 14 others. Under our proposal certain bus lines would run less frequently and others would see their routes altered.
On commuter rail, we will continue to operate full weekday service during our current service hours. However, we will eliminate all weekend service on the Greenbush and Kingston/Plymouth Lines as well as Saturday service on the Needham line.
Based on your feedback, we are proposing to maintain ferry service at a higher cost to customers. We will, however, eliminate the low-ridership Quincy ferry service on the weekends.
To close the remaining gap, we will seek legislative authorization to use $51 million from the Motor Vehicle Inspection Fund, a fund that is dedicated to promoting green transportation. Without this, the air pollution impacts of cutting more service would be significant. We will also use $5 million in surplus snow and ice funds, and $5 million in other one-time savings.
We understand that even these moderate changes we are proposing today will have a significant impact on some of our customers, and we appreciate that. But we have an obligation to balance our books and to be honest with each of you about the cost of service.
This is not a permanent budget solution. As our fixed costs continue to grow, we anticipate the MBTA will have to close another deficit next year. While we have avoided drastic service cuts this year, we may not be able to in the future. The Governor and I will continue to work towards a long-term solution to our transportation funding issues and we ask you to remain engaged with us in that conversation.
The MBTA will continue to do everything it can to improve your commuting experience despite our fiscal challenges. We heard many good ideas from all of you, and we ask for your continued engagement in this conversation. It is because of your involvement in the process that we are here today.
A full report on our recommendations can be found at www.mbta.com
Thank you.
Let us start by first thanking each and every one of the nearly 6,000 individuals who attended our public meetings over the last several months and the thousands more who wrote in via email or letter. We understand that the MBTA is a lifeline for many of you, without which you may not be able to get to work, school or recreational activities.
It is because of your overwhelming engagement that our final recommendation to the MBTA board includes what we believe are modest fare increases and limited service changes. While both are necessary to close the $185 million gap we face next year, the proposals we released in January would have had a significantly greater impact than our final plan.
MassDOT and the MBTA have identified a number of savings and efficiencies and one-time financial actions that can be taken to reduce the operating deficit, thus reducing the need for the larger fare increases and service reductions originally proposed. Some of the most significant actions include enrollment of MBTA staff in a new, lower cost health care program, energy purchase savings and a reduction in Authority headcount of 51 positions. Additionally, the T implemented a hiring freeze for non-critical positions.
Today, we are proposing an overall 23 percent increase in fares, which will generate $72.9 million in revenue. This is the first time in more than five years that the MBTA would raise fares. Every other major public transit system across the country has raised its fares during this time period. Many have also reduced service.
What does this mean for riders? For CharlieCard users, the subway will now cost $2 per ride. Local bus service will cost $1.50. Students and seniors will each pay $0.75 for a bus trip and $1 for a subway ride. Building on your ideas, we will offer a new 7-day student pass in addition to the current weekday-only student pass.
The RIDE, our paratransit service, will also see price changes. Over the last decade, the cost of providing the RIDE has increased more than 400%, requiring a growing slice of our operating budget. As in both previous proposals, no current RIDE customers will lose service. For RIDE trips required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the fare will be $4. For non-ADA required trips, the new premium fare will be $5 per trip.
Commuter rail single trip and monthly passes would be increased an average of 29 percent, depending upon the zone of travel. Ferry prices will be increased an average of 35 percent.
Overwhelmingly, we heard your calls to protect your service. We worked diligently to identify additional efficiencies, some legislative changes and $61 million in one-time revenues that allowed us to avoid massive service cuts next year. Those one-time sources include $51 million from MassDOT's Motor Vehicle Inspection Trust Fund; $5 million in MassDOT snow and ice surplus funds; and $5 million from leasing the North Station Garage.
Coupled with the smaller fare increase, we are proposing $15.4 million in service changes for next year, including the elimination of four weekday bus routes and modifications to 14 others. Under our proposal certain bus lines would run less frequently and others would see their routes altered.
On commuter rail, we will continue to operate full weekday service during our current service hours. However, we will eliminate all weekend service on the Greenbush and Kingston/Plymouth Lines as well as Saturday service on the Needham line.
Based on your feedback, we are proposing to maintain ferry service at a higher cost to customers. We will, however, eliminate the low-ridership Quincy ferry service on the weekends.
To close the remaining gap, we will seek legislative authorization to use $51 million from the Motor Vehicle Inspection Fund, a fund that is dedicated to promoting green transportation. Without this, the air pollution impacts of cutting more service would be significant. We will also use $5 million in surplus snow and ice funds, and $5 million in other one-time savings.
We understand that even these moderate changes we are proposing today will have a significant impact on some of our customers, and we appreciate that. But we have an obligation to balance our books and to be honest with each of you about the cost of service.
This is not a permanent budget solution. As our fixed costs continue to grow, we anticipate the MBTA will have to close another deficit next year. While we have avoided drastic service cuts this year, we may not be able to in the future. The Governor and I will continue to work towards a long-term solution to our transportation funding issues and we ask you to remain engaged with us in that conversation.
The MBTA will continue to do everything it can to improve your commuting experience despite our fiscal challenges. We heard many good ideas from all of you, and we ask for your continued engagement in this conversation. It is because of your involvement in the process that we are here today.
A full report on our recommendations can be found at www.mbta.com
Thank you.
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Franklin voters approve tax hike for $104.5m high school
The Boston Globe YT (YourTown) Budget Blues website provided an update on the election results.
Construction on a new $104.5 million Franklin High School is scheduled to begin in the fall after residents voted Tuesday to override Proposition 2 1/2 by a nearly four-to-one margin.
With nearly 50 percent of the town's voters going to the polls, 7,988 were in favor of the override for the town's $49 million share of the project, while 1,982 were opposed.
Owners of a home valued at $352,700, the average in town, will pay an additional $260 in taxes starting in 2017 and ending in 2040, according to Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.
The state will pick up the remaining cost of the new school, which should be completed within two years on land now used for baseball and softball fields next to the current facility.
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via YT: Budget Blues on 3/28/12
Construction on a new $104.5 million Franklin High School is scheduled to begin in the fall after residents voted Tuesday to override Proposition 2 1/2 by a nearly four-to-one margin.
With nearly 50 percent of the town's voters going to the polls, 7,988 were in favor of the override for the town's $49 million share of the project, while 1,982 were opposed.
Owners of a home valued at $352,700, the average in town, will pay an additional $260 in taxes starting in 2017 and ending in 2040, according to Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.
The state will pick up the remaining cost of the new school, which should be completed within two years on land now used for baseball and softball fields next to the current facility.
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