"we can offer options for our citizens"

The Milford Daily News reported on the Town Council meeting in part with the following:

Councilors accepted incorporating a real estate tax deferral and two laws which let seniors defer water and sewer charges. 

In place already for seniors is a property tax deferral program. 

Town Treasurer/Collector James Dacey Jr. said currently one family is participating in that program. 

“I know they are having a very difficult time,” Dacey said. “I looked into how we could help out in other ways.” 

In 2010, 9.4 percent of Franklin’s 31,635 residents were age 65 and older, according to census data.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x738671634/Franklin-OKs-tax-deferral-options-for-seniors#ixzz28JwPJdfW

Deferral of taxes simply postpones the date for payment, they still must be paid. What was also approved is a program for veterans under 65 to work off a portion of their taxes. This program is similar to that already offered to the seniors 65 and over. The program will be limited to the first ten people now but can be expanded by the Council as demand for the program grows.

The Town Council especially Tina Powderly has been instrumental in expanding the senior outreach program the past couple of years.This is not to negate any of the good work done prior, just recognize that the opportunity for seniors via deferment and reductions has increased.

In other matters before the Council not referenced in this article, they did approve the rezoning of the parcels along King St and i495 from residential to business. Any project would still be required to go through the full Planning Board and associated permitting process. That process provides considerable input from the residents abutting the property.

DPW Director Brutus Cantoreggi disclosed plans to remove another 11 trees from the Town Common. This action will improve the growth options for the remaining 97 trees.

The DPW will also do some work to remove the electrical box currently under the gazebo to a normal upright electric box along the Union St side of the common. Some concrete around the gazebo will be disturbed during this process and then returned to normal.

For the complete set of posts reported live during the meeting, visit this link
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/10/town-council-100312.html

Town Council - 10/03/12

The collection of posts reported while in the Town Council chambers for Wednesday's meeting can be found here:

• Live reporting - closing
• Live reporting - Action items
• Live reporting - Town Common update
• Live reporting - Town Council - Oct 3, 2012
• 
  

Live reporting - closing

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT 
with DaVita's Market moving to a full liquor license we will have a beer and wine license to re-assign. Likely to bring that forward after the new year

thanks to the Downtown Partnership

Condolences to Councillor Bissanti on the passing of his father

L. OLD BUSINESS 
do we have a re-application of furniture within the schools and the town?
Yes, the DPW has a storage of items available
If they are truly excess, we do have a process to go through

If it has any value we get something for it
We should have the Purchasing Director come forward for one of the meetings, it would be a good topic

M. NEW BUSINESS 

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS 
Roy - Harvest Fest was well attended despite the rain

Bissanti - Thanks to the residents for the outpouring of condolences on the passing of my father

Jones- thanks for backing the zoning changes for exist 16 to offset the ever growing budget, can bring more revenue and jobs to Town

Pfeffer - sympathy to your family on your loss

Powderly - Chapter 90 public meetings, can you give us an update on what comes out of that

Kelly - condolences to your family

Mercer - project awarded to Agostini Construction, looking forward to the ground breaking, Sat Oct 13th. Met the contractor on Monday night, looking to begin work on the site. Weds Nov 14 a public update to the community on the project, hopefully here in the Council Chambers, update on plans, budget and tax implications

Nutting - three phases, one starts in three week, traffic changes due to a reduction in parking spaces. Parents should be aware of changes until June, then it will change in Phase 2 and again in Phase 3

Vallee - we lost s good citizens, condolences Andy


O. EXECUTIVE SESSION 
Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required 

P. ADJOURN 
motion to adjourn, passed 8-0

Live reporting - Action items

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS 

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION 
1. Resolution 12-65:Acceptance of G.L. Chapter 40, Section 42J: Deferral of Water Charges 
motion to approve, passed 8-0

recommendation to approve deferral of water charges, only have one deferral, may be another way to help folks who are struggling

2. Resolution 12-66:Acceptance of G.L. Chapter 80, Section 13B: Deferral and Recovery 
Agreements 
motion to approve, passed 8-0

this is a formality to require folks to actually pay back on deferrals

3. Resolution 12-67:Acceptance of G.L. Chapter 83, Section 16G: Deferral of Sewer Charges 
motion to approve, passed 8-0

same as the water above, this covers the sewer bill

4. Resolution 12-68:Acceptance of G.L. Chapter 59, Section 5N: Reduction of Property Tax 
Obligation of Veteran in Exchange for Volunteer Services 
motion to approve, passed 8-0

this is a new law that just came into effect, seniors can work to defer taxes for volunteer work. This allows veterans to do this, can't do both veterans and seniors, can only do one or the other. Currently limited to 10, can be increased as demand allows. The senior program started with 30 or so and has been increased over the years as demand required.

This is open to veterans under 65. The senior program is limited to those 65 or over

No income criteria for either program, some communities do but Franklin does not.


5. Resolution 12-69:Senior Tax Deferrals 
motion to approve, passed 8-0

Did initially charge 8% and as the rates dropped realized it wasn't fair. Could charge the MMDT rate but that is too low, so it will be the rate plus 2% to allow for coverage of the expense for managing the program


6. Bylaw Amendment 12-694:Amendment to Chapter 82, Appendix A, List of Service Fee Rates – 1st Reading
motion to move to second reading; passed 8-0

kennel boarding fee raising from 20 to 25 per day, first rate increase in 9 years for this item

see list of other fees in the agenda document
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2012%20docs/100312.pdf

removing "per day" for the second reading


7. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-689:Changes to Chapter 185 §5. Zoning Map: Single Family III to Business Zoning District- 2nd Reading 

This is a modified proposal and recognizes the objections of abutters from the original discussion a couple of weeks ago.

Removed one parcel from the proposal and defined a zone within that remaining parcel

National Grid commented on the height of the lines, the proposed development would still need to come through the normal planning process

"spot zoning" a special use of the zoning different from other 

Courts in MA are restrictive in applying 'spot zoning', this would not likely be something to meet the criteria

given the locality along King St and i495, this would not likely meet the case

Are you able to split zone a single parcel? Yes
Suggestion to leave the Washington St parcels as residential due to where the properties along Taft St view
The residents of the Taft St purchased knowing that their neighbors would be residential.

Planning Board is in charge of the permitting within the zone
the Town Council would not have a say any further

Thanks for the adjustment, this is a huge win
As the trees thin the noise increases. If you can increase the buffer for eyesight and noise reduction

Bissanti - you have a lot of control and say at the Planning Board process, if an when a develop ever does step forward and purchase to proceed with development

Jones - thought process on economic development behind this proposal, this is a place where could further develop the Town and offset the residential property tax base. This area has always been a potential site for this kind of use. We did put a lot of thought into how this would be place and set off from other areas. Business zone has different requirements from other zoning options. If this gets zoned for business, the Council will be watching carefully

voted to amend the proposal, 8-0
then voted to accept the amended bylaw creating the change

Live reporting - Town Common update

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS 
DPW Director – Town Common
Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi

Jeff NUtting provided an intro on the walk through held last week to look at the trees, the power and the common overall. Looking to move the power from under the gazebo.

108 trees currently on the Town Common. Good representation of some species
Did take down the 12 trees recommended by the prior consultant
11 tree proposed to be removed this time to provide better growth opportunity for the other trees.

tree 91 - large spruce surrounded by sugar and norway maples
5 conifers around the Civil War monument, proposed to take down the two in the middle to allow the others to maintain their conifer growth

Tree 103, wind storm, broke this tree and it should be removed.

would leave 97 tree on the common

a lot of the trees that would be removed are being blocked from the sun by other trees
do more pruning as time allows

As public warden did hold a hearing for the prior cutting

nothing really to say or do, just trying to make folks aware of this

the electricity would be moved from under the gazebo to a box on the Union St side 

A couple of these are fairly large, 21" diameter for some

Benches are about $2000 per, would be expensive to replace
don't have much of a budget for this, can't do it all in one year
many of the benches and lights were donated by Rotary for citizen of the year, these plaques would be moved if either the benches or lights are replaced

Live reporting - Town Council - Oct 3, 2012

Present: Mercer, Kelly, Powderly, Vallee, Pfeffer, Jones, Bissanti, Roy
Absent: Dellorco

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
September 5, 2012; motion to approve, passed 8-0

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
none

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
none

E. APPOINTMENTS
none

F. HEARINGS
none

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
none

Rezoning from residential to business

Coming up for the second reading tonight is a proposal to rezone some parcels along King St at the i495 interchange.

7. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-689:Changes to Chapter 185 §5. Zoning Map: Single Family III to Business Zoning District- 2nd Reading 

The last 10 pages of the agenda document for the Town Council meeting provide the map views for these parcels.

These photos were taken of the parcel frontage along King St as I ran by Sunday morning.

The power lines run right through the property being reclassified so that will be something to work around as the developers figure out how to maximize the space being rezoned.

You can find the full agenda for the Town Council meeting here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/09/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-oct-3.html

and the agenda document with the maps can be found here (the last ten pages cover this rezoning change)
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2012%20docs/100312.pdf

"Improving public education would be a major focus"

Continuing to mine the recent meeting the Milford Daily News arranged with the 10th Norfolk candidates, they have posted this article where the candidates agree one issue at least: education.

Roy and Eustis expressed similar views on the state of the state’s education system — K-12 to four-year and two-year colleges — during a recent meeting with the Daily News. The Nov. 6 election is 34 days away. 

In general, they both want to help the state’s education system continue to improve, and each sees a growing problem in escalating college costs. 

Democrat and Republican agreed that tuition at state colleges has to be reined in, to prevent the high cost from dissuading prospective students and to make college a realistic option for more families.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x264122712/10th-Norfolk-candidates-agree-on-education#ixzz28E8td2IV

Trail Walk Scheduled - Oct 13

In case you missed talking with the folks at the Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee tent at the Harvest Festival, here is the flyer about the Oct 13 Rail Trail walk that is scheduled.

The event is free, sponsored by the Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee and the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Please register at www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/oct13





The trail walk is scheduled for Saturday, Oct 13 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM
Rain date is Sunday, Oct 14 in the same starting time

More information on the Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee can be found on their web page
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/

Federal Funds Boost 10 Regional Transit Authorities

Some Federal money can be coming to GATRA according to this

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Federal Funds Boost 10 Regional Transit Authorities

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 10/2/12

Governor Deval Patrick and MassDOT announced today that MassDOT will award $13.2 million to 10 Massachusetts Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to make needed capital investments including new bus purchases and facility repairs.

The funds are available as part of the Obama Administration's "We Can't Wait" initiative that allows states to repurpose unused federal transportation earmarks (from 2003 to 2006) for use on highway and transit projects that are able to obligate the funds by the end of the year.

Projects selected represent RTAs across the Commonwealth and are focused on state of good repair including bus replacements along with customer service improvements, such as Real-time customer information signs for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, above, and major projects already underway such as the Gallagher Terminal Garage in Lowell.

"The Obama Administration has made a smart decision to put unspent dollars into necessary projects that create jobs," said Governor Deval Patrick.  "These projects reflect our commitment to improve public transportation for residents across the Commonwealth."

The repurposed earmark funds are 100% federal funding, require no state match and must be used for capital needs.  MassDOT selected the 11 projects from a list of 28 project requests totaling $45.6 million from the state's 15 RTAs.

The 11 projects were selected based on the likelihood of the individual RTA's ability to obligate funds by the end of December and spend all funds in the near-term.  The funded project list includes the following:

• Berkshire RTA-  Four 14-passenger vans w/ fare boxes, $420,000  
• Berkshire RTA-  Maintenance facility roof, $250,000   
• Brockton Area Transit- Three 35' Hybrid transit buses and two 35' diesel transit buses, $2.6 million                       
• Cape Ann Transportation Authority- Maintenance facility roof, $408,179   
• Greater Attleboro-Taunton RTA- Two 30' transit buses, $740,000    
• Lowell RTA- Gallagher Terminal parking garage replacement, $2.5 million           

• Martha's Vineyard RTA-  Three 27' buses and one 30' bus, $1,085,000     
• Montachusett RTA- Wachusett Commuter Rail Extension, $3.6 million     
• Nantucket RTA-  Four 25' transit buses, $749,000       

• Pioneer Valley Transit Authority- Real-time customer information signs, $450,000         
• Southeastern Regional Transit Authority- Parking deck resurface, fireproofing replacement, $370,000    

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• Subscribe to Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation using Google Reader
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In the News: book sale, art party, variety show, skating

The fall book sale, the second major fund raiser for the Franklin Library, is coming up Oct 19-21.

Friends of Franklin Library plan annual book sale

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Combine art and halloween to get a great party!

Franklin Art Center slates Spooktacular Halloween Art Party

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Will they sing "Life is a Cabaret, old chum", mark your calendar, get a ticket and find out!

Franklin High to stage A Cabaret variety show

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Never mind art and Halloween, how about skating and Halloween!

Pirelli Veteran's Arena to hold Halloween public skate

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

"give the kids a better experience"

Milford daily News reports the Tri-County VocTech will be getting some MSBA funding to renovate its science labs.

Four of Tri-County’s five labs will be revamped using the design, inspired by the nationwide push to bolster science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, in public schools. The fifth lab only requires minor renovations. 

The labs date back to 1977, the year in which Tri-County was built. 

The state grant covers slightly more than half of the $1.8 million project, with the school paying the rest. Work will include the installation of new casework, wall cabinets, countertops, plumbing fixtures, flooring and furniture. 

The labs will also feature upgraded infrastructure, such as new electrical and plumbing systems and smartboards.

Worthy of noting is that the architect selected is Ai3, the same as for the Whitman-Hanson model school that was selected for the new Franklin High School.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x264122693/Tri-County-Valley-Tech-get-help-from-state#ixzz28E6z8OKU

Related post on Ai3  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/11/ai3-architects.html

Experienced with the model

Reporting on the School Building Committee meeting from Monday night, the Milford Daily News writes:

The East Providence-based firm constructed the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and in 2008 worked on Norwood High School, the first built under the state’s model school program. 

Norwood was also the first school to use the Whitman-Hanson model. Since then, a handful of other districts have picked the model because of its adaptable design, including Natick and Franklin. 

Sean Fennell, Franklin’s project manager, said Agostini has a pristine reputation for completing big projects on time and within budget. Fennell said the firm is "the best you can hope for" when placing a public bid. 

"They make sure the price is right," Fennell said. "And these guys never miss a deadline."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x264122307/Contractor-for-new-Franklin-High-is-praised#ixzz288M5J3u4

Additional information on the entire high school building project can be found in my collection
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/12/collection-high-school-building-project.html

and updated information can always be found on the new high school web page
http://www.newfhs.com/

In the News: legal work, Falk's Market

As mentioned during the televised debate

U.S. Senate hopeful Warren releases list of legal work

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Driving down 1A, past the Wrentham Outlets you eventually come to the intersection of RT 108 where this building has stood on the left corner for years.

Demolition ahead for Plainville's iconic Falk's Market

by Heather McCarron/STAFF WRITER

Franklin, MA: Curbside Chronicle

Attached please find the latest Curbside Chronicle with Fall holiday delays and yard waste and tree pick ups.

Please remember to keep your recycling loose in the cart so the full automation machinery can sort the items.

Thank you

You can also find the Curbside Chronicle on the Franklin webpage
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Recycling/o-d%202012.pdf

Find additional information on Franklin's solid waste and recycling programs here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Recycling/index

You can subscribe to receive your own copy via email here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/subscriber-news

Five Guys fund raiser for FHS Soccer boosters! Oct 4th

The Franklin High School Soccer Boosters are holding their annual FIVE GUYS Fundraiser

Thursday, October 4th, from 5:00PM - 10:00PM at the FIVE GUYS Restaurant in Franklin Village.

A portion of the receipts for the evening will be graciously donated by FIVE GUYS to the FHS Soccer Boosters organization, which supports the Franklin High School Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshman Boys and Girls Soccer Teams.

Please come out this Thursday night to enjoy a great meal at Five Guys and support the Franklin High School Soccer Teams at the same time!

Thank you in advance; your support is greatly appreciated.

Photo essay: Harvest Festival 2012

The balloons didn't always float in the air but that didn't dampen the spirits of those who did brave the showers to come to the Harvest Festival on Sunday.

Main Street was packed from time to time as the crowd visited the various displays or watched a performance by the Franklin School for the Performing Arts.

Using the Rockland Trust parking lot for the children's play area and the Farmers market was a good idea. Franklin Ford had a big display there. The Keefe Insurance 'tailgate' party drew a crowd to catch updates on the Patriots game.

There were breaks in the showers as the sun threatened to come out. It eventually did at 4:00 PM as the Festival was shutting down for the day (and the Patriots made their final score to beat the Bills!).

Don't cook lunch or dinner Tuesday, Oct 2

The Franklin SEPAC (Special Education Parents Advisory Council) is having a fundraiser. So don't cook lunch or dinner Tuesday, Oct 2

Print up a flyer (see image below) and bring it to the Franklin 99 on Tuesday, October 2nd from 11am-10pm. The 99 will donate 15% of your total bill to the Franklin SEPAC!

This is valid on Dine-In and Take-Out.
We recommend Call Ahead Seating 508-520-9909.
Hope you can make it! Thank you!