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Friday, February 14, 2014
The latest from Mass Poetry
School Opening Delayed 2 hours
A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Good Morning-
Due to icy roads and the anticipation of more precipitation until 7 a.m. school opening is delayed by 2 hours.
Morning preschool programs are canceled.
Emergency busing is in place for students who are walkers and for HS drivers - students may access a bus without a bus pass and bus drivers will pick up any student seen walking to school. For a list a bus stops please access district web site.
School administration and clerical staff have a 1 hour delay.
Central Office administration and clerical staff have a 1 hour delay.
Thank You
This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT either IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at 508-613-1777.
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| Winter St sign in Feb 2012 |
The bus information can be found here
http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_BusOffice/transportation/transportation
The PDF doc with all the bus routes for each school can be found here
http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_BusOffice/transportation/Bus%20Routes%20FY14.pdf
"We don’t have any room to cut"
The Milford Daily News reports on the 5 year financial forecast shared at the Town Council meeting on Wednesday:
Read the full article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140214/NEWS/140217568/1994/NEWS#sthash.cX4w7iH2.dpuf
My recap of the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/follow-money.html
In his five-year budget forecast, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said on Wednesday that balancing the fiscal year 2015 and 2016 budgets will be manageable, but in the years after the town may have to consider increasing taxes or cutting staff.
Speaking to the Town Council, Nutting emphasized that his message of doom and gloom was not new and could change.
"The trend shows us going negative a few years out," he said, noting that expenses will begin outpacing revenues. "But there’s a lot of unknowns — no need to panic at this point."
Read the full article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140214/NEWS/140217568/1994/NEWS#sthash.cX4w7iH2.dpuf
My recap of the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/follow-money.html
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Franklin Schools: Weather Update and Friday Status
A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Good Evening
It is my hope that you all managed in this the terrible weather. School department our offices were open so I did experience the impact of the snow/ice/sleet on our roads. I am thankful for my Jeep !!
We anticipate that all schools will be open in the morning. As the forecast continues to be unpredictable we are hopeful that by morning there will be significant improvement in the conditions. DPW has been plowing and treating roads and will continue to treat roads/parking lots through tomorrow morning. In the event that snow/ice accumulations are more than anticipated we may need to delay the start of school, however this is not our goal. An additional concern is the possibility of a power outage. Any loss of power in a school may impact our ability to open a specific school.
Due to the volume of snow, DPW will not be able to plow sidewalks by the start of the school day. As a safety measure we will implement emergency transportation for our students who walk to school and for HS drivers whose parents feel road conditions are not appropriate for new drivers. Buses have been directed to pick up any student walking. Buses will also pick up students at bus stops and students will be able to access a bus without a bus pass. For a list of bus stops please refer to the district web site and look for the drop down menu for transportation. As always if a parent feels the weather conditions are not safe for a child to attend school please feel free to exercise your right to keep your child home without impunity.
As this is our fourth ( hopefully final) snow day, our last day of school is now a half- day on June 20. For those traveling during the winter vacation, safe travels and hopefully you are going to a far warmer place. To all of our families and faculty- enjoy the vacation.
Regards,
Maureen Sabolinski
This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT either IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at 508-613-1777.
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| Maybe winter will give us a break soon! |
Follow the money
The Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Feb 12 had several points of interest.
1 - Deviating from protocol, Bob Donovan representing the fire fighters union used the Citizen Comment to talk about the agenda item which proposed to remove fire fighters from civil service positions. The union was surprised by the agenda item as they had not been notified before hand and were already in arbitration with the Town on the current contract. During that negotiation, the discussion was focused on other items in the contract. After making his statement in the allotted time, he also returned to speak during the agenda. The comments and arguments were not convincing and the Town Council voted unanimously to remove the fire fighters from civil service.
This is just a step in the process to do so. The Town is legally obligated to still negotiate with the fire fighters union over the implementation details. This would only affect new fire fighters and with the current forecast, about 75% of the fire fighters would be retiring within the next 5-7 years. This could have an immediate impact if during the negotiations, the newest 4 fire fighters currently hired through a grant are affected. Otherwise, as the fire fighters retire and their replacements get hired, those would be the ones coming in to work form Franklin but not through the civil service system.
Will this ultimately get resolved? Hopefully sooner than later. The fire fighters union does have a history of not resolving contract negotiations on time. They have been the last union to settle and as I recall most have gone the arbitration route to reach an agreement.
(Protocol for the Town Council meetings is that any citizen can speak for up to five minutes on a topic not on the published agenda.)
2 - Jeff Nutting presented the 5 year financial forecast. The previous draft has not changed. The document is reported to be posted to the Town website. When the link is found it will be added here. The previous draft version can be found here http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/franklin-ma-five-year-fiscal-forecast.html
3 - Maria Lucier, President of the Friends of the Franklin Library presented a check for $5,000 to the Library. Her remarks are listed in full here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/friends-of-franklin-library-5000.html
4 - Sewer extension approval was provided for a 9 unit development off Uncas Av and Ledge St. This apparently had been approved several years ago. The original developer went bankrupt, this agreement now allows the development to proceed.
5 - In the Administrators Report, Jeff Nutting provided several updates:
The individual posts reported live from the meeting can be found here
1 - Deviating from protocol, Bob Donovan representing the fire fighters union used the Citizen Comment to talk about the agenda item which proposed to remove fire fighters from civil service positions. The union was surprised by the agenda item as they had not been notified before hand and were already in arbitration with the Town on the current contract. During that negotiation, the discussion was focused on other items in the contract. After making his statement in the allotted time, he also returned to speak during the agenda. The comments and arguments were not convincing and the Town Council voted unanimously to remove the fire fighters from civil service.
This is just a step in the process to do so. The Town is legally obligated to still negotiate with the fire fighters union over the implementation details. This would only affect new fire fighters and with the current forecast, about 75% of the fire fighters would be retiring within the next 5-7 years. This could have an immediate impact if during the negotiations, the newest 4 fire fighters currently hired through a grant are affected. Otherwise, as the fire fighters retire and their replacements get hired, those would be the ones coming in to work form Franklin but not through the civil service system.
Will this ultimately get resolved? Hopefully sooner than later. The fire fighters union does have a history of not resolving contract negotiations on time. They have been the last union to settle and as I recall most have gone the arbitration route to reach an agreement.
(Protocol for the Town Council meetings is that any citizen can speak for up to five minutes on a topic not on the published agenda.)
2 - Jeff Nutting presented the 5 year financial forecast. The previous draft has not changed. The document is reported to be posted to the Town website. When the link is found it will be added here. The previous draft version can be found here http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/franklin-ma-five-year-fiscal-forecast.html
3 - Maria Lucier, President of the Friends of the Franklin Library presented a check for $5,000 to the Library. Her remarks are listed in full here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/friends-of-franklin-library-5000.html
4 - Sewer extension approval was provided for a 9 unit development off Uncas Av and Ledge St. This apparently had been approved several years ago. The original developer went bankrupt, this agreement now allows the development to proceed.
5 - In the Administrators Report, Jeff Nutting provided several updates:
- The CIC grant of $20,000 for the GIS map of the four communities covered by the regional dispatch system was acknowledged.
- The DPW also received a grant of $100,000 for work on stormwater.
- The State DOT did open the bids for the downtown project. Walsh Bros apparently is the low bidder but the contract has not yet been awarded. Stay tuned for further news on that front.
- There will be a notice with the next sewer bill about not flushing 'swifters'. This is costing the town money as they clog up the sewer pump systems. The Council will see a future item for $100,000 to repair a pumping station.
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| Franklin, MA - Municipal Building |
The individual posts reported live from the meeting can be found here
Friends of the Franklin Library - $5,000 donation
Maria Lucier's statement for the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Feb 12:
The Friends of Franklin Library is pleased to present a check for $5000 to the Franklin Public Library to be used for the purchase of library materials (Books, Dvds, and e-books).
This brings the total the Friends have given to the library this fiscal year to just over $9000 ($9027.47). Since 2005, the FoFL has provided funding of over $184 thousand dollars to the library which has allowed purchase of “extras” not covered by the town budget, like museum passes, special programs, furniture, and more.
The Friends are also pleased and excited to announce the creation of a $1000 annual scholarship in the memory of Wilma Winters, in recognition and honor of her dedication to and support of the FoFL. The first scholarship will be awarded to a Franklin High senior this spring. Part of the consideration for this is an essay indicating what the library has meant to them and how they envision the library of the future.
Also, the FoFL recently became a member of the Massachusetts Friends of Libraries Association, and will be hosting the president of that group at our meeting on April 5. The MFOL sponsors workshops around the state and provides leadership on issues of regional, state and national concern to libraries. The meeting is open to anyone interested.
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| Benjamin Franklin statue outside the Franklin Public Library |
Schools Closed - Thu Feb 13th - Administrative Offices Open
A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
All Franklin Schools will be closed on Thursday and all evening activities canceled.
Central Administration Offices will be open.
Stay Safe
This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT either IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at 508-613-1777.
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| Wachusett and King St during the Feb 2012 snow "Nemo" |
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