Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Annual Report 2012: Design Review Commission
The Design Review Commission (DRC) is a committee of Citizen Volunteers that has approval authority on signage and recommendation input to the Planning Board on Site Plans and building exterior materials. It meets twice monthly and has addressed numerous projects and sign applications this past fiscal year. The Commission is currently composed of Mark Fitzgerald, Chair, Chris Baryluk, Richard Tobin, Jr., Nancy Coleman, and Anna Moses, as well as associate member, Donald Grover. Associate Adrianna Kelly resigned at the end of this fiscal year due to a move out of Franklin. Jennifer Peters, former Chair and a valued member for ten years, resigned earlier in the year due to family and work commitments and was commended for her service to the Town. James Esterbrook also stepped down due to his heavy work load and commitments to other Town committees
This past year, the Commission reviewed and addressed several Site Plans as to landscaping and lighting and exterior Building Plans as to elevations, design, colors and materials. Reviews included projects such as a new Residence Hall at Dean College, Emeritus at Franklin, a senior living facility, Ichigo Ichie Restaurant, exterior changes to Vendetti Motors, exterior changes to two Dunkin Donuts (East and West Central Street), a new building design for Wendy’s, a new Taco Bell on West Central Street and renovations to Molloy’s Gas Station.
Sign applications were reviewed, addressed and approved for approximately forty (40) businesses throughout the fiscal year. In addition, the new Sign By-Law was completed and adopted by the Franklin Town Council on March 21, 2012.
Meetings are held at the Franklin Municipal Building, 355 East Central Street, Room 205, at 7:00 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Meeting times, dates and agendas are posted at the Town Clerk’s Office.
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Fitzgerald, Chair
The Design Review page on the Franklin website can be found here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Planning/design
Published by the Town Clerk, this comes from the 2012 Annual Report
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/
Rail Trail Committee - Agenda - Jan 8, 2013
The Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee will hold a meeting on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. The meeting will be held at the YMCA in Franklin and begin at 7:30 pm.
You can also view this agenda document here:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczM1RvSlNCWGllWDA
You can visit the Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee on the web at
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/
You can also view this agenda document here:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczM1RvSlNCWGllWDA
You can visit the Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee on the web at
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/
DEAN COLLEGE CHILDREN’S CENTER “PARENT SEMINAR: KINDERGARTEN, HERE I COME”
DEAN COLLEGE CHILDREN'S CENTER
"PARENT SEMINAR: KINDERGARTEN, HERE I COME"
Franklin, MA…Dean College Children's Center is sponsoring "Parent Seminar: Kindergarten, Here I Come," on Monday, February 25, 2013 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Dean College Campus Guidrey Center on Emmons Street, Franklin. Parking is at 89 West Central Street.
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| Dean College |
The panel seminar focuses developmental aspects of a child's growth – social, cognitive, emotional, fine motor, and gross motor skills. Questions concerning "What is readiness?", "What do Kindergarten teachers expect my child to know", and "How to know if my child needs a gift of another year in preschool?" will be addressed. The panel will examine which aspects are considered by parents and educators when gauging a child's "readiness" for Kindergarten.
Parents of young children and educators are encouraged to attend. This panel seminar is interactive and those attending are encouraged to bring questions. Panel members include fabulous Kindergarten teachers from the area, with insight from educators of Dean Children's Center. Admission for the public is $10 at the door.
Dean College Children's Center is a non-profit, NAEYC accredited preschool providing children with an initial school experience that reflects current research in child development and offers a hands-on experience for Early Childhood Education students preparing for careers in education.
For more information on this educational seminar, contact us at: 508-541-1598
Monday, January 7, 2013
Another #1 for Franklin
From the Neighborhood Scout:
You can view the full listing of 100 communities to find Franklin at #1
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/crime-rates/top100safest/
The Franklin report can be found here http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/franklin/crime/
Make sure to read the Overview tab, interesting stuff!
Our research reveals the 100 safest cities in America with 25,000 or more people, based on the total number of property and violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, murder, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Data used for this research are 1) the number of total crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city. See our FAQ on how we rank the safest cities in America
You can view the full listing of 100 communities to find Franklin at #1
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/crime-rates/top100safest/
The Franklin report can be found here http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/franklin/crime/
Make sure to read the Overview tab, interesting stuff!
Franklin, MA: Planning Board - Agenda - Jan 7, 2013
The published agenda for the Planning Board meeting Monday evening;
PlanningBoard_January07_ 2013
Among the items on the agenda are:
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| 23 Hutchinson St, proposed location for Franklin TV |
PlanningBoard_January07_ 2013
Among the items on the agenda are:
- Stop and Shop gas station
- Franklin TV
- Hoffman Farm
- Robin's Nest Childrens Center
Annual Report 2012: Charles River Pollution Control District
During Fiscal Year 2012, the Charles River Pollution Control District’s (District) regional advanced wastewater treatment facility received and treated approximately 1,740 million gallons (4.8 million gallons per day) of raw wastewater, including 6.1 million gallons of septage from the District’s member and customer towns before discharge to the Charles River. The volume of waste treated was higher than the previous year due to an increase in heavy precipitation.
The District is anticipating the renewal process to begin this fall for its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for discharge of its treated wastewater to the Charles River. Under the preliminary draft NPDES permit, the District and the Towns of Franklin, Medway, Millis, and Bellingham will have to maintain an ongoing preventive maintenance program to prevent overflows and bypasses caused by malfunctions or failures of the sewer system and an infiltration and inflow reduction program.
CDM Smith and staff from the District prepared a 20-year capital improvement plan (CIP) to improve the wastewater treatment facility to meet more stringent NPDES permitting requirements and provide a more reliable wastewater treatment facility at its current capacity.
In July 2010, the District was informed of its acceptance on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) Bureau of Resource Protection Calendar Year 2010 Intended Use List for State Revolving Funding (SRF). In order to expedite the designs and proceed with the project in a timely manner,
the CIP was divided into three phases (A, B and C).
Phase A, which is scheduled for completion this October, includes the replacement of both primary clarifier
mechanisms, addition of two screenings washer/compactors in the wet well, primary scum handling improvements, and plant lighting and security improvements.
Phase B, the capping of the on-site residuals landfill, is scheduled for completion August 2012.
Phase C, focuses on reducing phosphorus, improving the disinfection system, and extending the life of the facility for an additional 20 years. This phase is currently in the early stages of design and is expected to be
complete in late 2013 with construction starting in early 2014. A District-wide Global Information
System was developed as part of this phase to assist with infiltration and inflow reduction requirements.
The District is scheduled to fund Phases A and B with a 20-year SRF loan of approximately $3.3M for costs associated with bidding, construction, and resident engineering. Costs for planning and design which are not eligible for SRF loans will be funded by a General Obligation Bond of approximately $1.5M. The total project cost is still under review and will become more detailed as design progresses.
The District is one of seven municipal wastewater treatment plants selected by the Mass DEP to participate in a pilot program that involves energy auditing, assessments for renewable and clean energy possibilities, and
support of implementation for energy related projects. The purpose of this pilot program is to reduce the amount of energy used at municipal wastewater treatment plants by 20%, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving municipalities money. The District was granted $847,583 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to install a 20 kW solar voltaic array and two turbo style blowers. The solar
panels will produce energy onsite whereas the turbo blowers will provide oxygen to the secondary treatment system using approximately 30% less power than the existing blowers. The District is anticipating a 20%
reduction in energy costs from these energy improvements. At this time, the solar voltaic array is producing energy which is used at the treatment plant and the turbo blowers are in place.
Peter SantaCaterina retired in March of 2012. He started his career as a Maintenance Mechanic and was later promoted to Maintenance Supervisor. The District wishes Pete a great retirement and sincere thanks for
25 years of service.
The District’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget is 2.5% higher than the previous years’ budget. The District’s FY 2013 budget for operations and maintenance is $3,414,100, while the capital projects budget is $594,160. Franklin’s share of the operation and maintenance and capital projects budgets are estimated to be
$2,298,070 and $356,810, respectively.
Respectively submitted
Douglas M. Downing, Chairman (Medway)
William J. Goode, Jr., Vice-Chairman (Franklin)
Alfred H. Wahlers, Clerk, (Franklin)
Paul J. DeSimone (Medway)
Gene Guidi, (Franklin)
CRPCD Officers:
Cheri R. Cousens, P.E., Executive Director
Emma J. Catalano, Treasurer
Barbara Maffeo, Executive Secretary
Cornetta, Ficco, Simmler, & Vallee, Legal Counsel
Note: the report was prepared after the FY 2012 fiscal year completed and published in November 2012. One sentence reads "scheduled for completion this October" - refers to October 2012.
Published by the Town Clerk, this comes from the 2012 Annual Report
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/
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