Sunday, March 18, 2012
Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - 3/21/12
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
December 7, 2011
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS – This meeting is being recorded by Verizon, Comcast, and Franklin Matters
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS
Franklin Disabilities Commission - Anthony J. Molinaro
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Letter to the Editor
Bryan Taberner – Director, Community Planning & Development
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 12-20: Adoption of Amendment to Town Council Procedures Manual
2. Resolution 12-21: Amendment to Creation of A Citizen Committee
3. Bylaw Amendment 12-674: Amendment to Chapter 48, Tobacco Products – 1st Reading
4. Bylaw Amendment 12-675: Amendment to Chapter 63, Numbering of Buildings – 1st Reading
5. Bylaw Amendment 12-676: Amendment to Chapter 84, Fire Alarms - 1st Reading
6. Bylaw Amendment 12-677: Amendment to Chapter 86, Fire Lanes – 1st Reading
7. Bylaw Amendment 12-678: Amendment to Chapter 95, Garbage, Rubbish and Refuse – 1st Reading
8. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-669:Amendment to Chapter 185-45. Administration and Enforcement – 2nd Reading
9. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-670: Amendment to Chapter 185-3. Definitions – 2nd Reading
10. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-671: Amendment to Chapter 185-4. Districts Enumerated – 2nd Reading
11. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-672: Amendment to Chapter 185-20. Signs- 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 documents for this agenda can be found on the Franklin website
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2012%20docs/032112.pdf
Weight Watchers: Schedule of hours
In January, I found that Weight Watchers would be opening an office in the Horace Mann Plaza. I stopped by on Saturday to confirm that they were open (yes) and picked up a copy of their schedule (see below).
Weight Watchers Franklin
Grease is the word!
FHS production of Grease. March 23 & 24, 2012 at the Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin starting at 7pm. Tickets are $10 at the door.
495/MetroWest Development Compact Plan
In addition to assessing the area’s demographics, the report lists zones that cities and towns would like to see either developed or preserved, a tally then whittled down when accounting for regional and state interests and priorities.
Cities and towns identified 497 areas for preservation and 800 spots for development, including the majority of the commuter rail stations, downtown Framingham, South Street in Hopkinton and the Rte. 9 interchanges with both the Turnpike and Interstate 495. Large tracts of vacant land were featured in 30 of the development zones.
Infrastructure was singled out as a key need and a potential barrier in the report, including water, sewage treatment and some particular components: the bridge for routes 9 and 20 in Northborough, the Washington Street bridge in Hudson, and rail crossings in downtown Ashland and Framingham.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1612628130/Report-looks-at-I-495-area-s-needs#ixzz1pSqSR22m
In a marked improvement, the report itself is available and linked to from the story above.
http://www.495partnership.org/assets/Compact/FinalPlan/finalcompactplansmall.pdf
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Voices of Franklin: David Brennan - Vote No
This was posted earlier on Saturday as a comment on the Comment Policy posting posted in Dec 2007 and hence buried in the archives. I have re-posted it here rather than leave it buried.
David Brennan - Mar 17, 2012 11:06 AM
My son will be attending Franklin High School in the fall and I will be voting no to a new building.
I recently toured the High School at an open house and found it to be perfectly fine. In fact it is much nicer than the Franklin Charter School my son has attended for 8 years which was built in 1955.
The Parmenter School was built in 1951,Davis Thayer was built in 1924, Kennedy and Horace Mann in the sixties, Tri County was built in the 70's.
All these schools are still going strong and there is no reason the High School which is only forty years old can't do the same for decades to come.
The tax payers of Franklin have been very generous over the past few years - approving monies for both reasonable updates to existing schools and building new ones.
Franklin High may need some sprucing up but everything I have read about and seen in person is cosmetic and can be done at a far lower cost than tearing down the school and building a completely new one.
Of course you would have to want to keep spending down in order to do that. Instead town officials have chosen to take the bait from the state where the incentive is to make the project as expensive as possible.
Nobody knows what the final cost will be. The Ballot question gives no definite amount of money that we are being asked to approve. It does not say a debt exclussion of $47 Million - it is completley open ended.
It would be foolish for tax payers to give a blank check to town officials who along with the state have thus far demonstrated every proclivity to spend as much money as possible.
We have only been presented with one choice and it is by far the most extravagant and expensive one and it could in the end be even more extravagant and expensive than we now know.
If we give them open ended approval does anyone doubt that they will not go for broke with a once in a lifetime opportunity to throw in as many expensive extras and pet projects as they can possibly tag on. They could throw in an Olympic Pool and Ice Arena if they like.
I'll be voting no because:
Spending $100 Million + on a new school to address cosmetic issues with the existing one is extravagant and wasteful.
The ballot is worded in such a way that it is simply a blank check and gives free reign for even more money to be spent.
Finally there is the common good to consider. These days many working families and especially our senior citizens are in no position to have taxes increased even more than they already go each year. They simply can't afford to build a fancy new school just because some folks find the existing one to be a little drab.
Editorial Note: There are two factual errors in the above that are corrected here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/03/two-additional-points-for-david-brennan.html
Two Additional Points for David Brennan
Editorial Note: David Brennan took time to post a comment but it ended up buried. I have brought it forward here. There are two factual points that should be made about David's post.
David wrote
Nobody knows what the final cost will be. The Ballot question gives no definite amount of money that we are being asked to approve. It does not say a debt exclussion of $47 Million - it is completely open ended.1 - The final cost is very well known. The details are available here
http://newfhs.com/images/Franklin%20HS%20Total%20Project%20Budget%20011812.pdf
2 - The ballot question wording is the product of a state mandate. This was discussed in the Town Council meeting on February 1 when the ballot question was discussed and approved. You can find the notes from the Town Council meeting here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/02/town-council-020112.html
While the ballot question is open ended, the actual binding resolution is very explicit:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/01/resolution-12-05.html
Resolution 12-05
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED that the Town Council of the Town of Franklin: appropriates the sum of one hundred four million, six hundred forty-nine thousand, eight hundred seventy-six dollars ($104,649,876) for the construction of a new Franklin High School to be located at 218 Oak Street, and for the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto which school facility shall have an anticipated useful life as an educational facility for the instruction of school children for at least 50 years, said sum to be expended under the direction of the School Building Committee, and to meet said appropriation the Town Treasurer with the approval of the Town Administrator is authorized to borrow said sum under M.G.L. Chapter 44, or any other enabling authority; that the Town of Franklin acknowledges that the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (“MSBA”) grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, and any project costs the Town of Franklin incurs in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA shall be the sole responsibility of the Town of Franklin; provided further that any grant that the Town of Franklin may receive from the MSBA for the Project shall not exceed the lesser of (1) fifty-nine point fifty-two hundredths percent ( 59.52%) of eligible, approved project costs, as determined by the MSBA, or (2) the total maximum grant amount determined by the MSBA; provided that any appropriation hereunder shall be subject to and contingent upon an affirmative vote of the Town to exempt the amounts required for the payment of interest and principal on said borrowing from the limitations on taxes imposed by M.G.L. 59, Section 21C (Proposition 2½); and that the amount of borrowing authorized pursuant to this vote shall be reduced by any grant amount set forth in the Project Funding Agreement that may be executed between the Town of Franklin and the MSBA.
The text of the Ballot Question:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/01/proposed-ballot-question-for-debt.html
Resolution 12 - 07
Shall the Town of Franklin be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition two-and-one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to construct a new high school, to be located at 218 Oak Street, and for the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto?
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