The Historical Commission is in need of your help.
The Historical Commission is in the process of planning the move of the Franklin Historic Museum from Washington Street to West Central Street and they are looking for assistance.
On December 29th, they are planning a work session at the Washington St. Museum. Your assistance is requested to help pack, label and box items for transfer to the new museum.
If you are able to offer some time, please contact Alan Earls at 508-528-6930 or alan.earls@comcast.net or Del Arnold at 508-528-0867 or delarn@aol.com for more details. Thank you.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Laughter will keep you warm
One way to keep warm is with laughter. Laughter comes naturally with fun. Bernie DeKoven, the Funsmith, has a collection of quotes on fun that is purely delightful:
If you have a quote that could be redone to make it more fun, please send it on to Bernie.
"Ask not what fun does for you. Ask rather what you do for fun." - the OaquiFor more quotes from the Oaqui, click through here.
"The more fun you have, the greater your value to yourself and to your society. The more fun you share with others, the more fun you have." - the Oaqui
"For every Way there's a way of following that Way that's fun" - the Oaqui
"The Path that is best for you is the Path that keeps the best of you in play" - the Oaqui
If you have a quote that could be redone to make it more fun, please send it on to Bernie.
Cold and frosty
The window at Berry Insurance provided a holiday scene on the cold and frosty Thursday morning:
Meeting summaries
The last official Town meeting I will attend during 2009 completed Wednesday evening. If you need to recall some detail from a meeting of the Finance Committee, Financial Planning Committee, School Committee or Town Council, the archives are available here.
My published notes are not perfect as they are captured real time (and updated as necessary). If you don't find the detail you are looking for, please ask me.
You can also view the video archive for most of these meetings on the Town website here
My meeting summaries:
By the way, the meeting summaries for 2008 are contained in the far right column.
Express LIne #4
The latest Express Line is available.
You can subscribe to this newsletter and other email notifications on the Franklin Town website here
Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io
You can subscribe to this newsletter and other email notifications on the Franklin Town website here
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Town Council Mtg Smry 12/16/09
The live reported posts from the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Dec 16 can be found here:
In the News - affordable housing, Abbey wind power
A good use for the money that has accumulated in the Housing Trust Fund. This creates affordable housing for folks wanting to live in Franklin by using houses already on the market rather than creating new housing.
Franklin to offer grants to first-time homebuyers
Abbey has wind turbine installed
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
live reporting - closing items
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Express Line #4 published
Maxine did good work on this
recycle holiday wrappings, etc
Tree pick up Jan 9th
H1N1 Flu clinic
last week and today, thanks for all helping
well attended moving smoothly
a huge success
10-12 year history on snow budget
highlight in Express Line
in 1998 vs 2009 police statistics
more calls with less folks
thanks to the employees for doing this
Fire Dept calls are up, DPW road miles have grown
DPW is down 6 positions so handling the snow will be a little be slower this time around
trying not to fill jobs until the budget picture clarifies in a couple of months
belt tightening across many departments
some positions are critical and can't go unfilled but for others we are waiting to see what the numbers from the State will be
Community Development
application scoring increased from 83 to 89 (need to check the numbers)
this helps with grant applications
L. OLD BUSINESS - none
M. NEW BUSINESS
Powderly - request to examine tax waiver and see if this can be increased from $20K to 40K
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Powderly - tour of the schools today, very amazing and eye opening
Zollo - thanks to Rep Vallee for the visit to the State for insight into State finances
Pfeffer - holiday wishes to all
Jones - thanks to Rep Vallee for lunch and the info yesterday, thanks to Roy and Sabolinski for the world wind tour of the schools today
Vallee - Merry Christmas to all
Mason - Senior Center first councilors forum, was a great event. Will be back. This Senior Center is so well liked, it draws seniors from other towns. We will be back in February
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
P. ADJOURN
motion to adjourn, passed 8-0
Express Line #4 published
Maxine did good work on this
recycle holiday wrappings, etc
Tree pick up Jan 9th
H1N1 Flu clinic
last week and today, thanks for all helping
well attended moving smoothly
a huge success
10-12 year history on snow budget
highlight in Express Line
in 1998 vs 2009 police statistics
more calls with less folks
thanks to the employees for doing this
Fire Dept calls are up, DPW road miles have grown
DPW is down 6 positions so handling the snow will be a little be slower this time around
trying not to fill jobs until the budget picture clarifies in a couple of months
belt tightening across many departments
some positions are critical and can't go unfilled but for others we are waiting to see what the numbers from the State will be
Community Development
application scoring increased from 83 to 89 (need to check the numbers)
this helps with grant applications
L. OLD BUSINESS - none
M. NEW BUSINESS
Powderly - request to examine tax waiver and see if this can be increased from $20K to 40K
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Powderly - tour of the schools today, very amazing and eye opening
Zollo - thanks to Rep Vallee for the visit to the State for insight into State finances
Pfeffer - holiday wishes to all
Jones - thanks to Rep Vallee for lunch and the info yesterday, thanks to Roy and Sabolinski for the world wind tour of the schools today
Vallee - Merry Christmas to all
Mason - Senior Center first councilors forum, was a great event. Will be back. This Senior Center is so well liked, it draws seniors from other towns. We will be back in February
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
P. ADJOURN
motion to adjourn, passed 8-0
Live reporting - Legislation
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS - Municipal Housing Trust
funding to create at least six low income housing units from existing housing not to be used for new housing
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS - none
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 09-82: Legal Notices
motion to approve - passed 8-0
2. Resolution 09-83: 2010 Town Council Meeting Schedule
motion to approve - passed 8-0
Whalen - question on the April schedule
Nutting - this was done to avoid the school vacation schedule, it can be changed
Mason - there are no special meetings scheduled
Nutting - we can schedule them as needed, rather than schedule them and cancel them if we don't need them
3. Resolution 09-84: Endorsement of Fiscal Policies
motion to approve - passed 8-0
4. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 09-637: Amendment to Chapter 185-3. Definitions – 2nd Reading
motion to approve - passed 8-0 (via roll call vote, all yes)
Beth Dahlstrom, Nick Alfieri attending to answer questions
vote re-done to clarify the motion
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 09-638: Amendment to Chapter 185-39. Uses Accessory to Dwelling – 2nd Reading
motion to approve - passed 8-0
funding to create at least six low income housing units from existing housing not to be used for new housing
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS - none
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 09-82: Legal Notices
motion to approve - passed 8-0
2. Resolution 09-83: 2010 Town Council Meeting Schedule
motion to approve - passed 8-0
Whalen - question on the April schedule
Nutting - this was done to avoid the school vacation schedule, it can be changed
Mason - there are no special meetings scheduled
Nutting - we can schedule them as needed, rather than schedule them and cancel them if we don't need them
3. Resolution 09-84: Endorsement of Fiscal Policies
motion to approve - passed 8-0
4. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 09-637: Amendment to Chapter 185-3. Definitions – 2nd Reading
motion to approve - passed 8-0 (via roll call vote, all yes)
Beth Dahlstrom, Nick Alfieri attending to answer questions
vote re-done to clarify the motion
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 09-638: Amendment to Chapter 185-39. Uses Accessory to Dwelling – 2nd Reading
motion to approve - passed 8-0
Live reporting - Town Council
Attending: Kelly, Jones, Vallee, Whalen, Mason, Pfeffer, Zollo, Powderly
Missing: McGann
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – November 18, 2009
motion to approve, passed 7-0
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - none
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS - none
E. APPOINTMENTS - none
F. HEARINGS - none
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS – Change of Manager – Shaw’s
motion to approve - passed 8-0 (Vallee arrived)
Missing: McGann
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – November 18, 2009
motion to approve, passed 7-0
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - none
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS - none
E. APPOINTMENTS - none
F. HEARINGS - none
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS – Change of Manager – Shaw’s
motion to approve - passed 8-0 (Vallee arrived)
K12 Online Conference
There is a great conference om K12 education occurring using the Internet this week. Three good links for presentations that occurred yesterday can be found here. Each link will take you to the individual page where you can see the video or listen to the audio of the presentation along with additional reference links.
1 -
Parallel Play or Collaboration–Leveraging the Wiki Platform for High Quality Work
Thriving in a Collaborative Web 2.0 Classroom: The “Great Debate” and “Student News Action Network”
Engaging Our Youngest Minds
School Committee Mtg 12/15/09
The live reporting post from the School Committee meeting on Tuesday Dec 15th can be found here:
This was the annual self evaluation session for the Committee. 5 of the 7 had filled out the form prior to the meeting. Jeff Roy presented what the feedback on the survey was for each point. Then it was open for discussion to add anything.
The self evaluation form:
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to view the document.
This was the annual self evaluation session for the Committee. 5 of the 7 had filled out the form prior to the meeting. Jeff Roy presented what the feedback on the survey was for each point. Then it was open for discussion to add anything.
The self evaluation form:
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to view the document.
"there's always room for improvement"
Chairman Jeffrey Roy said board members' e-mail addresses are listed online, and people with complaints should take the time to find them to send a message.
"Today, with e-mail, people get (angry), send an e-mail and regret it 15 minutes later," he said. "I like the idea of making people work a little bit so they have to formulate their thoughts."
Though there's always room for improvement, Roy said the committee provides the community with an abundance of information. He cited the School Committee's Web site, blog and the superintendent's site.
"I've got to say the level of involvement and effort in education materials is incredible ... we've made this stuff available to the community," he said. "There's a certain level of accountability for the public to take some steps" to get the information.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Live reporting - School Committee Meeting (part 2)
meeting resume
Recap of prior discussions:
read mission statement at each meeting
leave cell phones in purse or pocket, off
work on website
review strategic plan a couple of times
work collaboratively with other boards
look to self publishing
1 - discussion on use of email
Ed to check with T Raposa on school email addresses, could be a third email address for some members
would provide archiving and retention for official business
pro - if discovery were required, one the system would handle the archiving email, two the email would be separate from personal email
con - would add an additional email for some members, need to explore the client option
2 - new member questions
none
3 - budget subcommittee
discussion on level service vs. level funding
schedule a specific meeting for discussion on the budget to review ways to bridge the gap
meeting adjourns
Recap of prior discussions:
read mission statement at each meeting
leave cell phones in purse or pocket, off
work on website
review strategic plan a couple of times
work collaboratively with other boards
look to self publishing
1 - discussion on use of email
Ed to check with T Raposa on school email addresses, could be a third email address for some members
would provide archiving and retention for official business
pro - if discovery were required, one the system would handle the archiving email, two the email would be separate from personal email
con - would add an additional email for some members, need to explore the client option
2 - new member questions
none
3 - budget subcommittee
discussion on level service vs. level funding
schedule a specific meeting for discussion on the budget to review ways to bridge the gap
will start general discussions on the budget at Jan 12th
Committee to provide some input to the Administration on what the Committee would like to see
the meeting on January 26th would be the Administration presentation on the first pass of the budget
Sue looking for suggestions on the budget subcommittee
meeting adjourns
Live reporting - School Committee Meeting
Attending: Mullen, Roy, Rohrbach, Cafasso, Trahan, Glynn, Douglas
Missing: none
Also present: Ashley Studley, Maureen Sabolinksi, Miriam Goodman, Sally Winslow
Topic 1 - Budget
suggestion to read one of the Strategic Objectives at the beginning of each meeting
suggestion to help the community follow the numbers discussion with a single document referenced at each meeting so we can all stay "on the same page"
Topic 2 - Develop Policy
need one location for policies
Maureen to check on this with T Raposa on a solution
The MASC requires the naming scheme
Topic 3 - Evaluation Process of Superintendent
discussion on strategic plan and timing of updates considering the District and individual School Improvement Plans
(note this is covering the evaluation process itself, the specific evaluation is done separately)
Topic 4 - Modeling Behavior
Do well most of the time but laptops can be a distraction
some laptop usability insights should be provided to help project a professional and consistent appearance
maintain eye contact during presentations
speak into the microphones so your valid comments can be heard properly
Topic 5 - Working with other Boards
varied responses on this one
there was a problem over the consolidation of facilities but things have improved considerably since then
the two approaches to solving the problem that were very different but both had the same cost savings benefits in mind
the relationship with the new Council has gotten off to a good start
Topic 6 - Ambassadors to the Public
School Committee blog getting good traffic, Ed's email listing has grown
Could do more in the way of other forums, hold a public forum to communicate more directly twice a year
level of involvement in the committee has been good, there is a level of accountability for the community
Website issue causing some problems since the upgrade for the Town and the split from the service
move towards self publishing to help address this
members of the community do have the opportunity to participate
there is a difference between the citizens comment and agenda items
issues will attract attendance, raising fees, cutting buses, music, sports, will generate attendance but we don't want to create a crisis for each meeting
if someone has something to say, they can sit down and write a letter, or work a little bit to formulate their thoughts to send an email
break
Missing: none
Also present: Ashley Studley, Maureen Sabolinksi, Miriam Goodman, Sally Winslow
Topic 1 - Budget
suggestion to read one of the Strategic Objectives at the beginning of each meeting
suggestion to help the community follow the numbers discussion with a single document referenced at each meeting so we can all stay "on the same page"
Topic 2 - Develop Policy
need one location for policies
Maureen to check on this with T Raposa on a solution
The MASC requires the naming scheme
Topic 3 - Evaluation Process of Superintendent
discussion on strategic plan and timing of updates considering the District and individual School Improvement Plans
(note this is covering the evaluation process itself, the specific evaluation is done separately)
Topic 4 - Modeling Behavior
Do well most of the time but laptops can be a distraction
some laptop usability insights should be provided to help project a professional and consistent appearance
maintain eye contact during presentations
speak into the microphones so your valid comments can be heard properly
Topic 5 - Working with other Boards
varied responses on this one
there was a problem over the consolidation of facilities but things have improved considerably since then
the two approaches to solving the problem that were very different but both had the same cost savings benefits in mind
the relationship with the new Council has gotten off to a good start
Topic 6 - Ambassadors to the Public
School Committee blog getting good traffic, Ed's email listing has grown
Could do more in the way of other forums, hold a public forum to communicate more directly twice a year
level of involvement in the committee has been good, there is a level of accountability for the community
Website issue causing some problems since the upgrade for the Town and the split from the service
move towards self publishing to help address this
members of the community do have the opportunity to participate
there is a difference between the citizens comment and agenda items
issues will attract attendance, raising fees, cutting buses, music, sports, will generate attendance but we don't want to create a crisis for each meeting
if someone has something to say, they can sit down and write a letter, or work a little bit to formulate their thoughts to send an email
break
School Committee - no agenda
There is a School Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening December 15th.
No agenda has been posted for this meeting.
No agenda has been posted for this meeting.
Town Council and School Committee Attendance
I have added and will be updating a spreadsheet to keep track of the attendance records for the Town Council and School Committee as these two groups go forward. Keeping track of the sheet as each meeting occurs will be easier than trying to do a year or more at a time.
The spreadsheet can be found here and in the Important Links section in the middle column. You should be able to view the spreadsheet but not be able to update it (assuming the permissions work out properly).
The spreadsheet has two tabs: one for each group. The tabs are found on the bottom of the spreadsheet.
The coding for attendance will be as follows:
Yes, an easy mnemonic to see if someone's attendance will pale in comparison to another's. Pun fully intended as the mnemonic.
The spreadsheet can be found here and in the Important Links section in the middle column. You should be able to view the spreadsheet but not be able to update it (assuming the permissions work out properly).
The spreadsheet has two tabs: one for each group. The tabs are found on the bottom of the spreadsheet.
The coding for attendance will be as follows:
P - Present
A - Absent
L - Late (arriving)
E - Early (to leave)
Yes, an easy mnemonic to see if someone's attendance will pale in comparison to another's. Pun fully intended as the mnemonic.
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