Live reporting: Artistry change of manager, Community Opportunity Group

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
- Artistry Kitchen – Change of Manager

approval for private function required by Planning Board

motion to approve, seconded, passed


H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

Community Opportunity Group – Community Development Block Grant
joint application with Bellingham and Hopedale

need to adopt a community development strategy
possible funding for a food pantry or food assistance
State wants to see the doc to justify the fund request

ask for authorization for Town Administrator to work with them to develop the strategy
vote to join with the Bellingham for the application
an intra-local agreement

Nutting - the agreement itself to be on the agenda in two weeks



150 Emmons Street

Town Administrator’s Annual Update, Five Year Fiscal Forecast, Master Plan Update

Live Reporting: Town Council - Jan 7, 2015

Present: Feldman, Padula, Mercer, Kelly, Vallee, Pfeffer, Bissanti, Williams, Dellorco
Absent: none



make up vote to approve Vallee as Chair, seconded, passed 9-0

B. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
- December 17, 2014
motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0


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

D. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

E. CITIZEN COMMENTS

F. APPOINTMENTS
- Historical Commission: Phyllis Messere Malcom
motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0

Survey Says: Emmons St results

86 folks responded via the tool, two others did via comment for a total of 88 responses.

Survey Question	Tally	Percent
Sell the land for $500,000 w/o restriction	18	20%
Sell the land for $500,000 but restrict the use	44	50%
Sign a Land Disposition agreement	9	10%
Take no action at this time	17	19%
Totals	88	100%

The comments left with some of the surveys are here (these are unedited)

• Would like to see a drive through option eliminated. This is not the spot for such a facility.
• Why not keep the land but use it for downtown parking? How about a little park for downtown? Sure the town common is not too far away but this could help draw more people to downtown for leisure/fun!
• What's the value of the property? Seems like it would be more than $500,000.
• There is no way a drive-thru should be on that lot. Otherwise, as long as it fits in with the look of downtown I don't have an issue what goes in there.
• There are other drive thru potentials very close by ;) Town may end up with two drive thrus
• "The property will be worth more in 2 years after the Streetscape improvements. Why is the TC so anxious to sell.
• The TC should follow the Town's Master Plan for the downtown. The goal is to increase pedestrian traffic, not car traffic. The Council should follow the advice of the Town's Planning Dept who have the expertise in planning. They recommend No drive-throughs in the downtown area."
• Restrict use to NOT allow a food/coffee drive-through.
• Please DO NOT allow a fast-food and/or drive-thru. This is a gateway property to downtown, and we can do better to preserve and improve pedestrian activity downtown.
• No Food drive through!
• no drive through
• I would respectfully but strongly urge the TC to restrict the use of 150 Emmons Street by NOT ALLOWING ANY VSE'S Thank you.
• I would prefer that there's a local-type establishment in that spot (ie not a chain store) that does NOT have a drive-through. Also, I would like to know what are the advantages and disadvantages of selling vs. leasing?
• I like the idea of having slightly more control over what happens in that location since it is such a high profile part of our downtown. It could be such a key part of the development of downtown Franklin. Restricting its use to something that adds character to our town would be great.
• I don't know what the town Council would find acceptable so I'm unsure on that choice I would like to see no VS Es because I wouldn't want a bank
• Have mercy…please no more fast food chains or coffee places. There are already 5 plus coffee shops in town and a ton of fast food/drive thru. Franklin is losing it's charm and fast. It's just not an attractive place to live anymore. Turning more and more cityish as the years go by.
• Has there been any discussion of this in the most recent Master Plan (not sure there has been one recently). I can think of many uses for the parcel that would NOT need a drive-thru but all will need some amount of parking.
• Great time and care should be taken in filling that location. The town has a wonderful opportunity to enhance the downtown area and should not let it slip to a (potentially) financially lucrative but less culturally impactful resolution.
• Franklin needs to move into the 21st century. The downtown is DYING. We need some new blood and new ideas.
• Franklin needs a plan. Every effort to improve the downtown has only made it worse. We can do better. A quick sale might appeal to a shortsighted council but will prevent the downtown from fully living up to its great potential (A train station, a college, a museum, banks!!!)
• Franklin desperately needs an activity center where youth and young adults can go to pass time instead of hanging out front of 7 eleven or looking for mischief.

The survey question post can be found here:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/options-for-150-emmons-st-decision.html

The full Town Council agenda can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-jan-7.html

the Emmons St building in the discussion

Franklin Public Schools: Weather Questions

A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Hello and Happy 2015 

We have had a few inquiries about canceling school tomorrow so I wanted to offer an update.  We anticipate school being open at the regular time. 

We have consulted with facilities personnel and our transportation provider and we do not anticipate any concerns with the heat in schools or our busses. However, if we experience an HVAC problem or our busses are running late it may necessitate a delay.  

I will be in communication with our transportation vendor at 5:00 a.m. If the busses will be running late due to the cold we will delay school- we want to avoid having any child standing at a bus stop awaiting a bus that may not arrive in a timely manner. 

In the interest of safety we have directed principals to open school doors early. We do not want any students waiting outside of a school in these temperatures. 

Also our bus drivers have been directed to pick up any students who may be walking. If the parent of a walker cannot drive a child to school please feel free to use the bus that runs near your home. If the situation changes we will communicate and respond as quickly as possible. 

Thank you and stay warm. 

Respectfully,Maureen

 

public entrance to FHS available Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu nights for community walking

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. 

Yes, it is pothole season

This is a reposting of the info shared earlier this year (Feb 2014). There are so many new subscribers (Thank you!) you may have missed this, and as we get into the cold days of winter, it may come in handy!

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The changing weather is creating potholes on many roads. You can report those you find directly to Franklin with your smart phone or via the website here http://seeclickfix.com/franklin_4

report a Franklin pothole or street light problem

You can also report a pothole directly via the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_DPW/General_Pages/report_an_issue

cracks like these may eventually create a pothole

While this is prime pothole season, the app is also useful for reporting street lights that are out, or traffic light problems.


Prior posts on the app which was introduced in the fall of 2013 can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/yes-franklin-has-app-for-that.html

and

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/01/pothole-season.html


Background info:

The Boston Globe has a graphic that describes the creation of a pothole (subscription required) 
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/02/22/how-pothole-formed/jxuRRk1iLfJg0hZ6zebEcP/story.html

"property taxes will continue to be a solid source of revenue"

The Milford Daily News reports on the five year financial forecast that is in the current set of documents for Wednesday's Town Council meeting. The forecast says FY 2016 should be ok but FY 2017 is another budget year where balancing the budget will present some problems. 

This financial reason is the driving factor behind the moves to sell both the Pond St and Emmons St properties. The town needs to expand its taxable base to bring in additional revenue.

Nutting said that beginning next year, revenue increases may start to lag behind town expenses, forcing the town to stretch itself thinner in order to balance the budget. 

"By FY 2017, the forecast strongly suggests we could be in a position to use some reserves, reduce the current level of services, and consider a tax increase or some combination of the above to balance the budget," he explained. 

The only short-term solution to reducing costs is cutting town employees, Nutting said, an option he views as a last resort. 

"This will directly affect the quality of education and public services currently provided by the town," he said.

Continue reading the article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150107/NEWS/150108229/1994/NEWS#sthash.0xUy51VN.dpuf

150 Emmons St - one of the topics on the agenda

Details on the five year fiscal plan can be found beginning on page 43 of the released set of documents for the agenda for the Town Council meeting, They can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-jan-7.html

Family Concert Series - “Jazz4kidz Featuring Mark Poniatowski and Friends”

Franklin Performing Arts Company’s annual, free Family Concert Series kicks off this season with “Jazz4kidz Featuring Mark Poniatowski and Friends” on Sunday, January 11 at 1 p.m. at THE BLACK BOX, 15 West Central Street, in downtown Franklin. Joining Poniatowski are vocalist April Hall, drummer Kenny Hadley, guitarist Mark White and pianist Joe Mulholland.

Mark Poniatowski

Family Concert Series events are especially geared to children in length and presentation and provide young audiences with a fun introduction to the world of live music. The performances introduce audiences of all ages to music of many genres and feature talented, professional musicians in an engaging, entertaining and interactive format. Audience participation is encouraged.

An Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, bassist Mark Poniatowski has performed with Sid Caesar, Floyd Dixon, Janiva Magness, Rita Moreno, and Junior Watson. His extensive performing experience includes the Manchester Jazz and Blues Festival with the Toni Lynn Washington Band, the Boston Blues Festival with Joe Bargar and the Soul Providers, and The Music of Gershwin and Porter with Rebecca Parris and the Kenny Hadley Big Band. Poniatowski’s recordings include “Mississippi Moan” with the Bruce Katz Band and “The George Carlin Show” soundtrack.

A treasured FPAC tradition for more than two decades, FPAC’s Family Concert Series continues on February 22 with My Violin Journey, featuring violinist Irina Fainkichen with piano accompaniment by Kitty Cheung Evans, and on April 12 with Alice in Wonderland, an opera for children featuring sopranos Mariko Matsumura and Shauna Martin.

FPAC’s 2015 Family Concert Series is sponsored by Berry Insurance. A distinctive, non-profit arts organization founded in 1991, FPAC presents quality performances with a focus on youth development and live music, while offering opportunities for professional artists, community performers and students of the arts to work together in a collaborative and creative environment. For more information, call (508) 528-3370 or visit www.fpaconline.com and www.theblackboxonline.com