Area officials keeping an eye on school roofs
Franklin, MA
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club to meet Wednesday
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 2/7/11
The Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club has scheduled its February meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the 3 Restaurant, 461 West Central St., Franklin.
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Friends of Franklin Library meeting, Feb. 9
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 2/7/11
The Friends of the Franklin Library (FOFL) has rescheduled its monthly meeting to Wednesday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., in the community room of the library, lower level.
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Monday, February 7, 2011
A study in snow
How much snow have we had?
Enough to show the layers or strata! Hopefully, it won't be around so long that archeologists will do some studies on the depth, type, timing, etc.
This sample of the snow layers was taken on Cottage St.
In the morning light, with the shadows on an unbroken surface, it is pretty!
This photo was taken along Milliken Ave.
Franklin, MA
Enough to show the layers or strata! Hopefully, it won't be around so long that archeologists will do some studies on the depth, type, timing, etc.
This sample of the snow layers was taken on Cottage St.
In the morning light, with the shadows on an unbroken surface, it is pretty!
This photo was taken along Milliken Ave.
Franklin, MA
"It's been a crazy winter"
... the same goes for Franklin, which has had four-and-a-half snow days this year. Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski said starting the school year earlier allows for more learning time.
Of course, not having one full week of school in January has made it difficult for teachers to maintain momentum with their curriculum and get kids ready for Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests.
"The staff has expressed concerns with the disruption to the instructional program," said Sabolinski. "It impacts teachers' plans, their curriculum, and preparation for MCAS."
She said that while teachers may not be happy, students are most likely cheering every time the School Department calls their homes announcing school is canceled.
"I think the kids enjoy it tremendously," said Sabolinski.Read the full article on snow days in the Milford Daily News here
Franklin, MA
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Help for senior citizens struggling to pay their property taxes?
If Sudbury can do this, why not Franklin?
Read the full article in the Boston Globe West edition here
Franklin, MA
“Some people will pay a little more and another group will pay less, so the total amount we raise will be just like it was before,’’ he said.
Tyler said the plan calls for increasing the tax burden on residential taxpayers by 0.5 percent, or about $50 a year for the average taxpayer. The additional money would be used to reduce the taxes of about 300 homeowners who pay more than 10 percent of their income on property taxes, Tyler said. He said if the town raises about $300,000 from the shift, each qualifying senior would get a break of about $1,000.
“This is a really caring community in Sudbury, and it was a proposal people could really buy into,’’ Tyler said.
Read the full article in the Boston Globe West edition here
Franklin, MA
Are we born to run?
As a life long runner, a lover of cross country (where to be successful you need to run in a pack), Christopher McDougal's TED Talk strikes a resounding bell for me. Will I ditch my shoes and start running longer? I don't think so. Ditching shoes to run in an urban environment is too risky. Nevermind the kind of weather we are having, running wouldn't be practical at all.
You do need to walk before you run. And in this weather, if you don't want to venture outside as the sidewalks are not cleared enough, go to the High School. Tue-Wed-Thu evenings beginning about 5:30 (as I recall) there is an indoor walking club. You can walk the halls of the school in the relative comfort of the indoor space and get the healthy exercise your body craves.
As the weather improves, move the walk outside. Walk through your neighborhood, walk to downtown and back, explore side roads in Franklin. There are lots of good opportunities for walking.
When you can walk 4-5 miles comfortably, when you can walk and talk the whole way without breathing heavy, then, and only then, should you consider bringing your walk to a faster pace. After being comfortable at a faster pace for some time (perhaps several weeks), then you can consider taking your faster walking pace into a jog or easy running pace.
What kind of pace is that? Covering the 5 miles in close to an hour. If you can do the 5 miles in under an hour, you should be ready.
Should everyone run? Maybe not, but most everyone should be able to walk.
Franklin, MA
You do need to walk before you run. And in this weather, if you don't want to venture outside as the sidewalks are not cleared enough, go to the High School. Tue-Wed-Thu evenings beginning about 5:30 (as I recall) there is an indoor walking club. You can walk the halls of the school in the relative comfort of the indoor space and get the healthy exercise your body craves.
As the weather improves, move the walk outside. Walk through your neighborhood, walk to downtown and back, explore side roads in Franklin. There are lots of good opportunities for walking.
When you can walk 4-5 miles comfortably, when you can walk and talk the whole way without breathing heavy, then, and only then, should you consider bringing your walk to a faster pace. After being comfortable at a faster pace for some time (perhaps several weeks), then you can consider taking your faster walking pace into a jog or easy running pace.
What kind of pace is that? Covering the 5 miles in close to an hour. If you can do the 5 miles in under an hour, you should be ready.
Should everyone run? Maybe not, but most everyone should be able to walk.
Franklin, MA
Leadership in Action: Dominic Orr
Three business leaders will continue the year-long series of presentations at Dean College’s “Leadership in Action” program in February and March.
The first speaker this month is Dominic Orr, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aruba Networks will speak on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, Campus Center Atrium, 4:00 pm.
Mr. Orr was named President and CEO of Aruba Networks in April 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Orr served as the company’s Chairman of the Board, and previously he was the president of Nortel Networks, Intelligent Internet Web Systems. He previously served as the president and chief executive of Alteon WebSystems which merged with Nortel Networks in October, 2000.
Mr. Orr has more than 20 years of experience in the computer systems and communication networking industry and has held senior positions at Bay Networks, Hewlett-Packard and Hughes Aircraft. Mr. Orr is a member of the Sciences Board of Visitors at UCLA. He holds a BS in physics from City University of New York and a MS and PhD from California Institute of Technology.
Two more speakers will be featured in this series: choreographer, dancer and Dean alum Jay T Jenkins, (stet), on February 22, and James A. Anderson, Jr., DPM, podiatrist on March 21.
These program are free of charge and open to the public.
Please RSVP to alumni@dean.edu or call 888-711-3326.
Franklin, MA
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Dean College - "Think Pink"
The Dean College Women’s Basketball team, in conjunction with the Sisterhood and the Student Government Association are sponsoring the second annual “Think Pink” night to raise awareness about breast cancer. The groups will be selling “Think Pink” tee shirts to raise money for the College’s Relay for Life team later this Spring.
The shirts are available at the basketball team’s 6 p.m. game on Thursday, February 10 at the Pieri Gym on School Street, on the College’s campus in Franklin.
Admission to the basketball game is free, but a suggested donation of $3 per person will go to the “Relay for Life” team. Tee shirts are available in white, pink or black and range in price from $8 to $12.
Attendees are encouraged to wear pink. Refreshments, activities and drawings will be available during the basketball game.
Franklin, MA
MA sales tax less than national average
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
The non-partisan, non-profit Tax Foundation has released its latest ranking of state sales taxes and Massachusetts ranks 31st (with No. 1 having the highest rate).
Unlike many other states, Massachusetts , which has a sales tax of 6.25 percent, does not allow municipalities to levy their own sales taxes.
The highest combined rate is 9.44 percent in Tennessee, which has a 7 percent state tax and an average local rate of 2.44 percent. California, Arizona, Louisiana and Washington are at the top just below Tennessee.
Unlike many other states, Massachusetts , which has a sales tax of 6.25 percent, does not allow municipalities to levy their own sales taxes.
The highest combined rate is 9.44 percent in Tennessee, which has a 7 percent state tax and an average local rate of 2.44 percent. California, Arizona, Louisiana and Washington are at the top just below Tennessee.
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Friday, February 4, 2011
Changing Education Paradigms - Sir Ken Robinson
I have shared Sir Ken Robinson here before but this animated delivery is I think stunning!
What do you think?
Franklin, MA
What do you think?
Franklin, MA
MA Local Property Tax Exemption Fact Sheet
From the MA DLS email comes info on a fact sheet about local property tax exemptions for religious and charitable organizations:
Franklin, MA
This fact sheet is to provide general information to taxpayers about local property tax exemptions for religious and charitable organizations. It is not designed to address all questions or issues and does not change any provision of the Massachusetts General Laws.
If the link above does not work, please copy and paste the following in to your browser: www.mass.gov/Ador/docs/dls/publ/brochures/charity.pdf
Franklin, MA
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Quick updates
I have updated both the Welcome page and the "Why Franklin Matters" page.
And as always -
Thank you!
Franklin, MA
- The Welcome page update removed the prior slidecast and replaced that with subscription forms.
- The Why Franklin Matters page includes a new work position for me and an update that I have earned some income with the articles that I have contributed to the new Franklin Town News.
And as always -
- If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
- If you don't like this, please tell me
Thank you!
Franklin, MA
Snow update - School Calendar - Now when do we get out?
Note: as this was updated School web page as of Jan 31st, and we used another day (2/2/11), the last day would be June 22. For ease of reading, I used strike through in the beginning then made the update for the day used there after.
---------
Franklin, MA
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Snow Day Update/January 31, 2011
Estimated last day of schoolJune 2122 (based on use of 4.5 student snow days)
Per MA General Law students must be in school for 180 days and the school year cannot go beyond the fiscal year -June 30. Please be advised the Commissioner of Education will not approve any waiver of this requirement. This situation is not unique to Franklin as most districts in the Commonwealth have used at least three or more snow days to date.
We have used three and one half days to this point- current last day is 6/22 and it would be a student half day- we have 6 additional days for inclement weather- if we use all 6 days we need to make up days during April vacation or have students attend school on the weekend- As Saturday/Sunday is impacted by religious traditions this may prove challenging. Any change in the calendar (using April vacation or scheduling weekend school) will require the School Committee to vote on any decision after soliciting feedback from the community. It is premature to speculate that we will have to explore this decision.
Other Weather Related Concerns
Some parents have requested we keep schools closed until all sidewalks and access paths are clear. Due to school attendance requirements we will not be able to honor this request. The town has used its resources to clear roads, parking lots, sidewalk, access paths and bus stops. The amount of snow has created a number of hazards such as limited visibility due to the snow banks. We ask parents and students driving to use caution when driving. As getting to school is the purview of parents/guardians the parent has the right to keep children home if they feel conditions are not safe. If buses see children walking we have requested that they stop and pick children up.
In some communities and neighborhoods, residents have been chipping in to help shovel sidewalks. A JFK parent was out shoveling a path last week as were some parents from the Keller district. Thanks to all who have helped out. Thank you to all the community members who have been patient with school and town personnel during this unprecedented streak of winter weather. We appreciate your kindness and patience!
School Closing - Information for inclement weather, etc. will be disseminated through the Connect Ed system as well as local TV and radio stations. Please keep your contact information current at each school.You can find the original post on the Franklin School web page
Franklin, MA
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Town Council meeting 2/2/11
Present: Mason, Kelly (clerk), Jones, Zollo, Powderly
Absent: Vallee, Whalen, Pfeffer, McGann
(tuned in late to meeting via cable feed)
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
1. Updates:
Snow Budget - getting eaten up quickly with the weather we have had, exhausted the $750,000 initially budgeted, authorization to exceed budget on for approval later, do have $1.3 M set aside in anticipation of this.
Meeting with Recreation Advisory Board -
postponed due to emergency health problems, won't happen immediately
looking to investigate the option of implementing this
Handicap Parking - please don't park in a handicap spot unless you are authorized to do so
High School Feasibility Study - under way
FY 2012 Budget - numbers will be more solid for thebeginning middle of Mar, level service budgets loaded from each Dept. School Dept hasn't had their hearing yet (canceled meeting Tue due to weather). Not sure about using the Governors numbers, wanting to see what the House and Senate for with the revenue numbers before proceeding.
Jeff Nutting added that the Library is collecting books, that there will be a book sale.
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
none
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 11-05: Authorization to Expend Funds in Excess of Available Appropriations
Passed 5-0
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
not tonight, see above updates
L. OLD BUSINESS
none
M. NEW BUSINESS
none
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Jones - congratulations to Simon's Furniture on 100's years of business here in Franklin
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
Motion to enter executive session for collective bargaining, not to return to open meeting
Passed 5-0 via roll call
Note: The meeting went into Executive Session about 7:15 PM
--------
from the video feed:
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – January 12, 2011
motion to accept, passed 5-0
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
The meeting is recorded by Verizon and Comcast, usually by Franklin Matters (but not present for the meeting that evening).
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - none
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS - none
E. APPOINTMENTS
Design Review - Chris Baryluk as member
motion to approve - passed 5-0
Len Rafuse as Associate member
motion to approve - passed 5-0
F. HEARINGS - none
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
Maguro House – Change of Manager
motion to approve - passed 5-0
Franklin, MA
Absent: Vallee, Whalen, Pfeffer, McGann
(tuned in late to meeting via cable feed)
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
1. Updates:
Snow Budget - getting eaten up quickly with the weather we have had, exhausted the $750,000 initially budgeted, authorization to exceed budget on for approval later, do have $1.3 M set aside in anticipation of this.
Meeting with Recreation Advisory Board -
postponed due to emergency health problems, won't happen immediately
looking to investigate the option of implementing this
Handicap Parking - please don't park in a handicap spot unless you are authorized to do so
High School Feasibility Study - under way
FY 2012 Budget - numbers will be more solid for the
Jeff Nutting added that the Library is collecting books, that there will be a book sale.
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
none
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 11-05: Authorization to Expend Funds in Excess of Available Appropriations
Passed 5-0
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
not tonight, see above updates
L. OLD BUSINESS
none
M. NEW BUSINESS
none
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Jones - congratulations to Simon's Furniture on 100's years of business here in Franklin
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
Motion to enter executive session for collective bargaining, not to return to open meeting
Passed 5-0 via roll call
Note: The meeting went into Executive Session about 7:15 PM
--------
from the video feed:
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – January 12, 2011
motion to accept, passed 5-0
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
The meeting is recorded by Verizon and Comcast, usually by Franklin Matters (but not present for the meeting that evening).
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - none
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS - none
E. APPOINTMENTS
Design Review - Chris Baryluk as member
motion to approve - passed 5-0
Len Rafuse as Associate member
motion to approve - passed 5-0
F. HEARINGS - none
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
Maguro House – Change of Manager
motion to approve - passed 5-0
Franklin, MA
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