MassDOT: Safety Awareness Campaign - "Drive as if your Mom worked here"

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Massachusetts State Police launched a Toll Plaza Safety Awareness Campaign calling attention to enhanced safety measures currently in place at toll plazas across the Commonwealth. 

This campaign was launched following the tragic death of a MassDOT toll
collector in July. The campaign includes public service announcements on message boards, posters at E-ZPass toll lanes, and the distribution of speed limit
reminder tear-sheets to commuters at the 'Cash Only' toll booths. The principal
focus of the campaign is to raise public awareness of the posted speed limit at
toll plazas, and the potential hazards faced by the toll collectors who staff the
toll plazas when speed restrictions are not followed. 

'Highway safety is our highest priority at MassDOT, both for drivers, but also
for the men and women who staff our toll plazas, 24-hours a day, year round,'
said MassDOT Highway Administrator Thomas J. Tinlin. 'This campaign highlights the need for drivers to pay careful attention to posted speed limit signs and other safety information when approaching and travelling through toll plazas. We encourage travelers to be vigilant when driving through these areas to ensure the well-being of those who work at these locations and members of the public.' 

MassDOT has implemented safety improvements such as the installation of
additional advanced 15 MPH speed limit signs strategically located before each
toll booth, and reduced speed limit signs at the toll booths. In addition,
pavement markings immediately before each location have been refreshed. The
agency has also conducted a review of the lighting to make sure all equipment
is fully operational in these areas. 

'Through this campaign, we hope to remind motorists that safety is paramount
when traveling through toll plazas on the Turnpike, as well as the Sumner and
Ted Williams tunnels,' said State Police Major Terry Hanson, Troop E Commander. 

'It is our goal that this campaign will prompt drivers to travel through toll
plazas with an extra measure of care, and to raise awareness that the toll
plazas are staffed 24/7.' 

As a component of the campaign, State Police have also increased speed
enforcement at toll plazas. From Sept. 26 through Oct. 12, approximately 294
citations (Civil, Warning, and Criminal) have been written for violations which
occurred in the E-ZPass lanes. More than 1,200 citations have now been issued
since Aug. 27. 

For transportation news and updates visit MassDOT at our website:
www.mass.gov/massdot, blog: www.mass.gov/blog/transportation, or follow MassDOT on twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot.

Introducing The Sugar Shoppe - a non-profit candy store!

A non-profit candy shop has arrived!

Welcome to the Sugar Shoppe (www.sugarshoppe.org) Your neighborhood Non-Profit Candy Shop...  Life is Short, Make it Sweet!  WE ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN! Tues/Wed/Thurs 10-5pm, Fri 10-4pm, Sat 12-4pm *We will add additional hours once the volunteers are in place and trained.   First off, thank you to everyone who came out for our "soft" opening this past Saturday! It was a huge success! If you couldn't make it out, please come by anytime... WE ARE OPEN! (see above hours) Second, we hope you enjoyed your goodies! Whether it was gummies, sours, old school candy, jelly bellies, delicious chocolate TRUFFLES or samples of the FUDGE (coming this week!!) we hope you were happy!! Last, we would like to answer a common question that we hear people ask..."Why are you a non-profit? how does that work?"  Well here is the WHY...Once upon a time lived over 500,000 people in MA who are homeless on a given night.  Most (70%) were staying in residential programs but the rest (30%) were found in unsheltered locations. Nearly 25% of all homeless people were children under the age of 18, 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24, and 65% were 25 years or older. *Stats from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 2014.  We chose the non-profit route as a mission to help cure homelessness in MA. The Sugar Shoppe is the HOPE portion of helping (gift baskets for moms and kids) and the long term mission is the HOUSING (www.makechangeforchange.org).  YES! all net proceeds go towards this fund. Our mission is to help and have fun while doing so, meeting a lot of new people along the way and bringing the community together for a great cause.  PLEASE SHARE US WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

Forward this email Make Change for Change | 334 Union Street | Franklin | MA | 02038

Please don't flush swiffers

The Franklin Sewer Department spends countless hours and thousands of dollars every month repairing equipment damaged by household wipes... These extra costs end up driving up sewer bills, so please don't flush wipes and other non-toilet paper products!

swifters that have clogged up sewer pumping stations

Download and print this flyer to save as a reminder what NOT to flush



For additional info visit the DPW page
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Publicworks/General_Pages/What_Not_To_Flush

Related post from earlier this year
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/05/dont-flush-swiffers.html

"It’s going to be a long time before that point of view becomes relevant”

It is all in your point of view. This is an interesting find especially for those interested in opposing the Spectra Energy Pipeline expansion. Or maybe you already know this:

“We have a view, which happens to coincide with Gov. Baker’s view, on how we’re going to make up for the fact that Massachusetts is at the end of the pipeline,” says Weld. “The current battleground is gas. Five years ago, gas was the favorite child of the environmental movement because it wasn’t coal and it wasn’t oil. Those days are over. Now it’s a member of the hated fossil fuel community. Some in the environmental movement think everything is going to be wind and solar before long. It reminds me of the 1960s and all my fellow hippies in Cambridge saying, if only we could all love each other. I do think hydro is going to play a major role and soon.” 

Weld also notes that ML Strategies represents Spectra Energy, which wants to expand its Algonquin pipeline. “That’s a pretty easy sell,” he says. “There are issues with it, but conceptually it’s a fairly easy sell except for the people who now suddenly don’t like natural gas because it’s a member of the fossil club, which I think is not a well-taken position. It’s going to be a long time before that point of view becomes relevant.”

Read the full article in the Commonwealth Magazine online
http://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/all-bases-covered-at-ml-strategies/

Wellness Coordinator of the Year Award - Kristin Cerce

From the Twitterverse:

Kristin Letendre Cerce, Franklin High School teacher and former Wellness Coordinator, received the 2015 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Wellness Coordinator of the Year Award on Friday, October 23rd at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough, MA. 

Her award was presented by Carolyn Bohmiller of the MIAA and State Representative Jeffrey Roy of Franklin. 

Dozens of FHS students as well as many Franklin school administrators, including Maureen Sabolinski and Peter Light, were in attendance.

Congratulations to Franklin High's Kristin Cerce on being named the MIAA Wellness Coordinator of the year. pic.twitter.com/t5Uz3KAyZ3

— Jeffrey N. Roy (@jeffroy) October 23, 2015

Franklin Candidate for Town Clerk - Paul Cheli

Paul Cheli and I met to talk about his campaign for Town Clerk. This is the summary of our discussion.

FM - What is your Franklin story?

Cheli – As a third generation Franklin resident I have seen many changes to the Town of Franklin. I am a graduate of Franklin High School as well as my wife and children. I am a graduate of Dean College, and Lesley University. 

My passion for the community has been exemplified by volunteering for many boards and committees. For the last 20-25 years I have been elected to the Town Council for three terms and the Board of Health. I was appointed to the Library Board of Directors, Franklin Housing Authority as well as the Charter Review Committee. The Charter Review committee recommended moving the Treasurer-Collector and the Clerk’s position to appointed positions. The voters decided to have the Clerk’s position remain elected and the Treasurer-Collector position be appointed. 

I was also appointed to the Water and Sewer Task Force, Land Use Committee, and currently serve on the Franklin Advisory Committee, which consists of residents and sitting Councilor’s as well as the Town Clerk. This committee’s role is to solicit recommendations and concerns from the community and explore and expedite courses of action, concerns and recommendations to the Town Council. 

I have worked in town for many years as a bio-tech executive and a business manager for a law firm. I relocated a manufacturing company to the Franklin Industrial Park and that experience, along with the legal business, allowed me to understand the role of business in our community and led to my involvement and work with the local Chamber of Commerce. My membership in the Franklin Rotary Club allowed me to work within the community for charitable events, scholarship fund raisers and support for our senior citizens.

FM - What do you see as a challenge for the position of Town Clerk?

Cheli – The Town Clerk’s position is a gateway to the community and as such should provide direction and answers to all that seek the town’s services. It is imperative that the clerk have a good understanding of resources and public officials and be able to direct new and existing residents and new and existing businesses to appropriate personnel for disposition and resolve of their interests. 

We can look at customer service. There can be an emphasis on the hours of operation that are more conducive to the working folks by having more evening hours and or by appointment evening hours. Current technology should be reviewed. The clerk’s position is heavily mandated by the state and should allow opportunities to increase the use of technology to make best practices more streamlined and more accessible to the general population. 

Records retention and storage is a large element of the Clerk’s position. There may be opportunities for adding a more private sector approach as with the legal field for records retention and storage. The Clerk’s office may not be able to go paperless because of legal requirements but much of it should get streamlined. 

It is important the general population take an interest in the voting process. I would like to see the Clerk’s office engaged in voter involvement and more convenience for voter participation. Current voting practices need to be reviewed and updated.

FM - What do you bring to the position that would set you apart from the other candidates?

Cheli – The clerk’s position offers a unique opportunity to bring my knowledge of the community, local government and officials, and of the history of Franklin. I am a performance driven Operations Executive with a history of success leading high growth, transitional, and startup operations. I have been diligent and resourceful in uncovering opportunities to improve operations, motivate teams and to create collaborative environments that yield high productivity. 

The Town Clerk’s position would embody my passion for the community as well as utilizing my experience in municipal government and the private sector. I look forward to continuing my efforts to listen and learn from the Town’s residents, businesses and administrators and to maintain and promote Franklin as a local community that remains a great place to live.

If you have any follow up questions for Paul, you can contact him via email at clerkcheli@gmail.com

You can also visit his webpage http://paulcheli.com/


Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.

What will the DESE do with MCAS, PARCC or the new option 'Door #3'?

At the Tuesday meeting (Oct 20, 2015) of the state Board of Elementary and Higher Education where the latest standardized test scores were released, those scores weren’t the main topic of the day. Instead, talk focused on a new twist in the ongoing discussion of whether to keep using the MCAS test or switch to PARCC: How about neither one? 

Mitchell Chester, commissioner of elementary and secondary education, is due to make his recommendation on the tests to the board before its Nov. 17 vote. In a special meeting Monday, he told the board that he was now weighing a third possibility, or “Door No. 3,” as he put it: a so-called “MCAS 2.0,” which could use elements of the new PARCC tests to build a state-specific assessment.

You can continue to read the article online here:
http://learninglab.wbur.org/2015/10/20/mcas-vs-parcc-now-education-board-might-face-a-third-option/

State Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester, left, and Education Secretary Jim Peyser speak with reporters following the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting on Tuesday. (image from CommonWealth Magazine)

“None of the above” now looks like the correct answer to that test question. 

What looked like an either-or choice between retaining the state’s MCAS exam or scrapping it in favor of the new Common Core-aligned PARCC test has taken an unexpected turn and landed on a compromise plan to develop a revamped state test being billed “MCAS 2.0,” which would include a lot of content from the PARCC test. 

State Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester made it clear on Tuesday that he won’t recommend formal adoption of the PARCC test, developed by a multistate consortium of education leaders, but will instead seek to have the state retain control of the standardized test it administers to public school students while at the same time drawing from the new PARCC test to upgrade MCAS.

You can continue to read the article online here:
http://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/chester-abandons-parcc/