Franklin, MA: Design Review Commission

The Design Review Commission (DRC) has had numerous projects come before them this year. The Commission is currently composed of Jennifer Peters, Chair; Lenley Rafuse, Vice-Chair; Richard Tobin, Jr., Jill Bedoya and James Esterbrook, as well as associate members, Mark Fitzgerald and Robin Stamp.

This past year, the Commission reviewed several Site Plans as to landscaping and lighting and Building Plans as to elevations, colors and materials, including, the Franklin Housing Authority's Plain Street facility; renovations to the 12-36 East Central Street block; Walgreen's Pharmacy; the landscaping and lighting added to the area between 12-36 East Central Street and Summer Street. Signage and awnings were reviewed and approved for many additional locations, including the above, as well as Rockland Trust, Daddario's Hardware and many more throughout the year.

Work on the Town's new sign by-law has been in progress throughout the year and hopefully will be presented to the Town Council prior to the year end.

Meetings are held at the Franklin Municipal Building, Room 205, 355 East Central Street, at 7:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Meeting times and dates are posted at the Town Clerk’s Office. Meetings are usually less than an hour and a half in length.

Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Peters, Chair
Design Review Commission

From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.

Franklin, MA: Cultural Council

The Franklin Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The Local Cultural Council program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the
Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community. We are a volunteer board that believes that the arts, science, and humanities have the power to build a healthier and more vital community in Franklin.

Grants

The Franklin Cultural Council reviewed proposals from artists, organizations, schools, and organizations for arts, humanities, and interpretive science projects. The FY2009 grant awards totaling $10,550 were awarded to twenty-five projects that best provided a public benefit to Franklin residents including the Franklin Art Association, Family Concert Series, Senior Citizen Musical Show,
LiveArts, Concerts on the Common and many more. Various awards to the Franklin Schools were made so that children could enjoy performances by artists such as the Hampstead Players for a production of Prince Caspian, Steps Off Broadway, as well as educational programs including Journey Back in Time’s, “Pioneer Living” Program. The Franklin Cultural Council has also been generously funded by the Town of Franklin in the amount of $2,000. For a complete list of the artists funded this year, please visit our web site at: http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_BComm/cultural.

If you are interested in applying for a grant from the Franklin Cultural Council, all information and forms are available at www.massculturalcouncil.org. You may also pick up a grant application at the Municipal Building or the Franklin Public Library. Deadline is October 15, 2009 for an application to be submitted to Franklin Cultural Council, PMB 284, 279 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038.

Membership

Membership on the Council is open to all Franklin residents that are interested in working for the cultural enrichment of Franklin. Meetings are held monthly (second Monday of the month) from September to June. We welcome and need new members. Please contact Sue Sheridan at 508-533-1917 or email at  FranklinCulture@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 284, 279 East Central St., Franklin, MA 02038 1917 if you are interested in serving in this vital community volunteer activity.

Council members for 2008-09: Amy Kessler Welsh and Nathaniel Packard, Co-Chairs, Jodi Kanadanian, Treasurer, Sue Sheridan, Membership, Kim Rezendes, Secretary, Claire Griffin and Kathy Stankard.

From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.

Franklin, MA: DelCarte Conservation Area

The Conservation Commission continued their on-going effort to address deficiencies with the DelCarte Conservation Area dam system (known as the Franklin Reservoir). This area was donated to the Town and offers a network of walking trails along a number of ponds and wooded areas.

The Commission chose PARE Corporation from Foxboro, MA, to conduct a review of the DelCarte Conservation Area, specifically the condition of seven structures in the area. PARE completed their initial Study and presented their findings to the Commission in late 2008. Following the Commission’s review of PARE’s findings, it was determined that an additional phase to the Study, which would focus on three potential repairs options, would be required in order for the Town to determine the most beneficial approach to addressing deficiencies at the Site, while taking into consideration both the environmental sensitivity of the Site and cost to implement the repairs. The Commission anticipates PARE to complete the next phase of the Study and present their findings by end of calendar year 2009.

Update: As 2009 is closing, the update is really more likely to come before the Town Council during Jan-Feb-Mar 2010.

Where is the Delcorte property?
You can find it on Google Maps referenced as the "Franklin Reservoirs"


View Larger Map

Franklin, MA: In house Attorney - Mark G Cerel

The Town has an in-house attorney, Mark G. Cerel. Attorney Cerel has an office in the Town Administration offices and works three days a week. In addition, he attends regular Council sessions and meetings of town boards and commissions on an as-needed basis. His responsibilities include providing legal advice to the Town Administrator and other town officials, review and drafting of legal documents, and representation of the town in negotiations and litigation other than labor-related matters. Having an in-house attorney has enabled town officials to obtain prompt legal review and advice; it has also expedited various town projects which require legal input.

During the past year, Attorney Cerel has continued to be successful not only in resolving actual litigation but also in resolving disputes prior to litigation on terms favorable to the Town; he has also continued to draft proposed legislation and to be involved in contract and real estate negotiations. In addition, he has continued to work with the staff to review and update the Town's zoning and general bylaws.

An in-house attorney plays an essential role in limiting the town’s legal exposure. He assists in resolving matters before they result in legal action and he provides the town with a strong legal presence that discourages people from filing frivolous lawsuits.

The Town Attorney represents the town and is only available to consult with individual residents if the Town Administrator’s prior approval is obtained.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Cerel
Town Attorney

From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.

In the News - social networking, water quality

How towns use social networking sites

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

Twitter accounts:

Franklin Police - http://twitter.com/franklinpolice
Franklin Fire - http://twitter.com/FranklinMAfire

Franklin Matters - http://twitter.com/FranklinMatters

A listing of Franklin, MA Twitter accounts: http://twitter.com/GraydonSmith/franklin-ma

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Stepping up water quality efforts in Franklin

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Four Corners remembered

The Walgreens has made great progress finishing construction and getting ready to open (April, is what I recall but it could be sooner by the looks of it?).

Out front on the triangle of "public space" that they will maintain, there is a historic marker with information on the Four Corners School which stood on the grounds.

A close up of the marker shows this:

When you go by the corner some time, stop and read the history of Four Corners School.

Year end activities

As 2009 winds down and we get ready for 2010, I'll spend sometime making adjustments to the site. For example, the meeting summaries for 2009 will move from the center column to the far right column. There will be a new box for the 2010 meeting summaries in the center column.

I will continue to feature items from the 2009 Annual Report while I work on my review of 2009. Each month will appear as it is ready.

I have some other changes I want to make to the web site to help make it easy to use. I'll announce those as they appear. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know.

In the meantime, I anticipate overall activities will be light here. I will be sending time enjoying the holidays with family and friends. I trust you will take advantage of the time to do so with your circles.

Enjoy!

Who lost their shoe?

Who lost their shoe?

This was found Saturday morning in front of 188 King St.

FRANKLIN HEALTH DEPARTMENT H1N1 FLU CLINIC Jan 6, 2010

FRANKLIN HEALTH DEPARTMENT H1N1 FLU CLINIC ANNOUNCEMENT

December 23. 2009

The Franklin Health Department will be holding an H1N1 flu clinic for Franklin residents on Wednesday January 06, 2010 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the Franklin High School, 218 Oak Street.  Please enter the clinic through the school’s front main entrance.

The following persons are eligible to receive the H1N1 vaccine consistent with Massachusetts Department of Public Health and CDC guidelines for vaccine administration:

Children in 9th through 12th grades.
All other Franklin residents who wish to receive the H1N1 Vaccine.

Please be advised, the Health Department has received nearly 70% of our vaccine allocation in the nasal spray form.  Because this is a live attenuated vaccine, this formulation is only for healthy individuals aged 2 to 49 years of age.
All individuals to be vaccinated in the 2-49 age groups without a contra-indicated medical history will be administered the nasal spray.

All individuals to be vaccinated are to present a completed consent form.  No vaccine will be administered without a completed and signed consent form.  A downloadable consent form is available on both the Health Department and School Department websites as well.

All residents will be asked to produce a valid driver’s license or other identification at the time of registration.

We ask all residents to please be patient and to anticipate some waiting, as we institute our large-scale public vaccination plan.

David E. McKearney, R.S.
Public Health Director
Franklin Health Department

Franklin Board of Health

Bruce Hunchard, Chair
Paul Cheli
Donald Ranieri, JR.

Student safely navigating online

Through the Google Public Policy Blog I just learned about a series of three videos created by YouTube for the purpose of educating students about online behavior. Each of the three videos are roughly two minutes in length. Each video provides clear narration and visual aids. The three videos are Detecting Lies and Staying True, Playing and Staying Safe Online, and Staying Safe on YouTube. These videos could be used in any classroom, but they really seem aimed toward a middle school audience.

From Free Technology for Teachers is written by Richard Byrne and read by a daily audience of more than 15,000 subscribers.

Franklin, MA: Building Inspection Department

The Building Inspection Department is a multifunction office responsible for the construction, demolition, alteration, repair and occupancy of all residential, commercial, business and industrial use for both existing and new construction in accordance with the Massachusetts State Building Code. The department is responsible for the administration, interpretation and enforcement of the following codes:

Massachusetts State Building Code - 780CMR
Town of Franklin Code - Zoning – CH 185
Zoning Board of Appeals Agent
Fence Viewer
State Electrical Code – 527 CMR
State Plumbing & Gas Code – 248 CMR
Sealer of Weights and Measure – G.L. CH 98
Architectural Access Board – 521 CMR

Hours of Operation
The Building Inspection Department is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 8:00a.m. until 4:00p.m., Wednesday 8:00a.m.until 6:00p.m. and Friday 8:00a.m. until 1:00p.m. For your convenience, you may contact our website: at www.franklin.ma.us/inspections. This site contains a series of forms easily accessible and available to download. The website provides permit applications, sample plot plans, sign regulations, swimming pool instruction manuals. Shed/barn instruction manuals, complaint forms, zoning criteria and other information necessary to process a permit or to simply provide information to the public.

Building Department Staff

Building Commissioner/Zoning Officer: David A. Roche

Inspectors:
Local Inspector: Lloyd “Gus” Brown
Local Inspector: Everett “Andy “ Williams
Wire Inspector: Bernard Mullaney
Plumbing/Gas Inspector: Richard Cornetta
Plmb/Gas Inspector: Richard McCormick
Asst Plmb/Gas Inspector: Jay Palermo
Sealer of Weights & Measurers:
Comm. of Mass./Div. of Standards

From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.

Merry Christmas! (video)

In the spirit of Christmas and having fun, here is a short video of the ImprovEverywhere group providing some assistance to one of the Salvation Army bell ringers.

It would have been really cool if this was one of the bell ringers when Ashley helped

Enjoy!



Read more about this group and how they prepared this event here

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view this video.

Information Revolution (video)

Before you celebrate Christmas today, spend 5 minutes to view the latest on the information revolution:



Enjoy!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view this video.

"the community really cares for its own"

 Milford Daily News reporter, Ashley Studley spent time ringing the bell for the Salvation Army kettle and writes about it:

Some people acknowledged us with a smile and comment about the weather while other shoppers walked away briskly and avoided eye contact. I suddenly felt guilty for doing the same thing in the past - avoiding the interaction due to a lack of cash or time.

I asked her if such reactions are ever discouraging.

"This is the time of year a lot of people don't have the money to contribute to the cause," she said with understanding. "Some people do, some people don't."

 Read the full story online here

Narrow sidewalks downtown

Narrow sidewalks downtown

TED Talks to view over the holiday week

TED Talks provide viewers with insightful and thought-provoking commentary and ideas. The contents of many TED Talks can be directly or indirectly applied to your classroom practices. While you're on holiday break, you may want to watch one or all of these TED Talks. If you're interested in learning more about using TED Talks in your classroom, check out Teaching With TED.


Free Technology for Teachers is written by Richard Byrne and read by a daily audience of more than 15,000 subscribers.

Franklin, MA: Zoning Board of Appeals

The Zoning Board of Appeals currently consists of three (3) members and two (2) associate members appointed by the Town Administrator, subject to the confirmation by the Town Council, for terms of
such length and so arranged that the term of one member shall expire each year. There is currently one (1) opening for an associate member.

The Board of Appeals holds Public Hearings, as advertised, for Variance(s), Special Permits (including gravel removal), Findings and Chapter 40B applications. The Board also renders
determinations on land use and zoning issues. All necessary forms and applications may be obtained through the Building Inspection Department and via Board of Appeals website at http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_ZBA/index.

The Zoning Board of Appeals meets in Town Council Chambers at the Franklin Municipal Building on Thursday evenings usually twice a month, at 7:30pm. The calendar may be viewed via website at http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_ZBA/index. All meetings are open to the public.

The Board has been very active this fiscal year and the following agenda is a list of all applications filed, indexed and recorded with the Town Clerk.

Respectfully submitted,

Franklin Zoning Board of Appeals

Bruce Hunchard, Chairman - 1991*
Robert Acevedo, Vice Chairman - 2003*
Bernard Mullaney, Clerk - 1988*
Todd Alexander Associate - 2007*
Seth Jackson, Associate Member - 2007*
Barbara Curran, Administrative Secretary

* indicates Member since

From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.

Franklin Voters can come out in numbers

September 16, 2008 - State wide primary election saw only 1,442 Franklin voters come out to cast their ballots.

November 4, 2008 - for the presidential election 16,793 (86%) Franklin voters came out to cast their ballots.

November 3, 2009 - for the town election 3,244 (16.4%) Franklin voters came out to choose their local Town Council, School Committee and other elected Board positions.


From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.

2009 Annual Report of the Town Administrator

From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.

You will recall, in recent years, Franklin was named in Fortune – Small Business Magazine, Money Magazine, and Family Circle as among the best places to live and raise a family and start a business. This past year, Franklin did not make it into any major publications. You might think that your town government is resting on its laurels, but the real truth of the matter is, 99% of what we do right goes unnoticed. It is something that we, as administrators, local elected officials, and employees struggle with on a continual basis. How do we let the citizens know about what we do on a daily basis that goes unnoticed?

Today’s citizens have busier lives than ever before. As long as the trash gets picked up every week, the water flows when you turn on the faucet or flush your toilet, and your kids come home from school with good grades and have recreation and cultural activities to participate in, everything is just fine. You get your tax bills and utility bills and you pay them and you think to yourself, life in Franklin is good.

We need you to know that there is so much more that makes those things and others happen.
 
This past year, the town sold the property at the corner of King Street and Rt 140 known as the Four Corners School for 2.5 million dollars. After paying the debt on the property, 1.5 million dollars is available to fund capital projects and a vacant property will be back on the tax rolls. We continue to replace older water and sewer pipes and resurface roads paid by the water and sewer fees. We adopt financial efficiencies as opportunities arise. This year the town assumed the care of the school facilities and grounds. The town now maintains all town buildings and grounds and the schools can focus on education. We negotiated the regionalization of some services with the Town of Medway. Regionalization is difficult to achieve, but in the long run serves both communities well and reduces costs. Currently, we are, on a limited basis, sharing a recreation director and programs with Medway and our Library Director is servicing both Franklin and Medway and that allows Medway’s citizens to utilize our library facilities and our citizens to utilize their facilities. In a remarkable example of cooperation and sacrifice, all of Franklin’s town and school employees volunteered to forego their raises this year to save fellow employees’ jobs.

In a public/private collaboration, The Franklin Veterans Memorial Foundation commissioned an Iraq/Afghanistan memorial for the Town Common that was dedicated on Memorial Day, 2009. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of Franklin’s citizens and was a memorable tribute to all of Franklin’s veterans and in  particular, two of our sons who were killed in action: Lance Corporal Shayne Cabino, and Staff Sgt. Robert Pirelli.

We continue our mission to make available affordable housing opportunities for senior citizens and families in Franklin in developments such as Eaton Place and Meadowbrook Heights, senior developments, and Franklin Heights and Brandywine Village, family residential developments.

We constantly review and update our website to provide you with up to date information that we think you want and need to know. We publish a quarterly Municipal Services Guide that is mailed to every household and contains information on what is happening in Franklin, coming events, recreation opportunities, and helpful hints, and articles from various town departments.

These are just a few examples of what we routinely do. We will continue this work and we will develop new ways to share our good deeds with you so that you can continue to be proud of your community, even when it doesn’t make major publications.

It is my pleasure to submit my annual report for your review, and please feel free to write, e-mail, or stop by with any questions, concerns, or comments.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeff Nutting
Town Administrator

Plenty of snow

For the first round of shoveling on Sunday, actually when I fired up the Sear Craftsman snow thrower for the first time, we had almost a foot in the middle of the driveway. It had drifted higher against the garage door but that is normal.

The schools will open 2 hours late today to provide time for the sidewalks and parking lots around the school properties to get cleared. There is no budget for overtime to clear the snow on the off hours.