Recap-Economic Development SubComm-Mtg - 04/07/21 - Ladybug trail being planned, business guide released

Quick Recap:

• Meeting opens with a presentation on the Ladybug Trail being planned for downtown Franklin. Slides included in notes below. Photos captured during the presentation shared as well
• The Business Guide is now released. A flowchart to follow for starting a business and what approvals are required is a key development since the draft was shared earlier.
• Discussion o the overall marketing strategy and key branding elements is desired but the meeting ran out of time to get into.
  

 

----

 

As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.  

 

Photos captured during the meeting and shared via Twitter can be found in one album:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/7fHqmLnAmD3MxrW98

The Twitter hashtag can be found online  #edc0407
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edc0407&src=typeahead_click

• Real time reporting underway for the Economic Development subcommittee meeting https://www.franklinma.gov/economic-development-subcommittee/agenda/edc-agenda-25  #edc0407
• Ladybug trail up first, Lisa Piana of the Downtown Partnership #edc0407 to present after brief intro by Chair Melanie Hamblen
• The ladybug trail will reappear in downtown Franklin #edc0407
• The ladybugs first appeared in 2014. #edc0407
• Slides to be shared later but some key ones are captured here #edc0407
• Concept of trail and sidewalk marking still in development. Would use the map and QR codes to trigger the audio with information #edc0407
• Consensus among EDC members to proceed; mural design being worked with the artists and building owners, they will be family friendly and non controversial. #edc0407
• Next up, business guide close to 'final' #edc0407 reviewing changes since the draft was shared in this meeting previously now includes a flow chart to follow
• Also updated to include the food truck as well as the farmers market #edc0407 should help the jumping around town hall that occurs today and should be alleviated using this going forward.
• Can add a zoning map link to the guide so they would have the info available. Development is separate and much more detailed, this is for the more frequent use if opening a business, building a development would require more and much is on the Town pages #edc0407
• Discussion on a marketing strategy to include brand elements, logo, fonts, tag line to use as a common and consistent presentation if the town to the world up for future
• #edc0407 motion to adjourn, second, passes 4-0 via roll call
• Town Council meeting coming up at 7

FDP Ladybug Trail presentation doc:  https://www.slideshare.net/shersteve/franklin-downtown-partnership-planning-ladybug-trail

Business Guide -> https://www.canva.com/design/DAEN5lnYNIY/xubMHMzbUK7uF--x0mx6Og/view

 

Franklin Downtown Partnership planning Ladybug Trail from Franklin Matters

 

 

Ladybug trail being planned

Town of Franklin: Citizen Discounts and Exemptions Guide

Citizen Discounts and Exemptions Guide

The Town of Franklin has created an online resource guide for local and state government assistance programs, including information about the Senior Circuit Breaker and a tax credit estimation worksheet. Please find it posted on our website at https://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/citizen-discounts-exemptions

Download the 4 page PDF here   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/local_state_assistance_programs_4_1.pdf

Shared from https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/citizen-discounts-and-exemptions-guide

Town of Franklin: Citizen Discounts and Exemptions Guide

Town of Franklin, MA: Quarterly Aggregation Report

"The ToF's Quarterly Aggregation Report provides a summary of the Nov & Dec electrical savings vs National Grid rates. Franklin chose a 100% green product that supports renewable energy, with 100% of the power supply being offset by National Wind Renewable Energy Certificates. " https://t.co/saIwgNIsmO

 

"This report has been prepared by Colonial Power Group with information/data being provided by the Competitive Supplier and National Grid. The purpose of the report is to provide information about the Town of Franklin's Community Choice Power Supply Program, which currently provides competitive power supply to approximately 9,850 customers in the Town. The data provided by the Competitive Supplier is not available until three months after the month it is used. For example, power is Used in January, Invoiced in February, Paid in March and Reported in April" 

Read the full report on the Town of Franklin page:   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/franklin_quarterly_aggregation_report-q4_2020.pdf

By my calculations, for the simple act of not opting out, Franklin residential rate payers saved approx. $12 in Nov and $11 in Dec 2020. Not bad at all. Even if there is a more conservative savings estimate of $10/month, that works out to be $1200/year for green (wind) electricity.

(Understanding oi course, that some residential electric user have existing contracts from which they could not change. Once those agreements reach their end of life, the option to opt in will still be available.)

Town of Franklin, MA: Quarterly Aggregation Report113602

Tri-County RVTHS Juniors Assisting Elders in Preparation for their CNA Certification

Tri-Country RVTHS Juniors were excited to get back out and start working in a clinical setting this February. After nearly a year of being unable to go into a clinical setting due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Juniors are eager and excited to help the residents at the Timothy Daniel's House in Holliston. 

"Our students missed those meaningful connections they make with the residents," says Kylie Geikie, Health Careers instructor. Students help the thirty long-term care patients with activities such as feeding, bathing/showering, transferring with and without a Hoyer lift, ambulation, incontinence care, personal companionship, and taking vitals. The care they provide for these residents helps ease the facilities workers' burden and allows the students to earn the hours needed for their CNA Certification.

The students have risen to the challenge of COVID-19, used their knowledge of infectious diseases and infection control practices to care for the most vulnerable population. Typically, the Tri-County students would do their clinical hours throughout the year in preparation for a cooperative education (Co-op) position in their senior year; however, this year, students were restricted by the visitation limitations set forth by facilities. Tri-County is the only school in the radius currently participating in on-site clinical hours.

Tri-County students usually work at a long-term facility which houses approximately 100 long-term care patients, and have been enjoying the smaller, more intimate setting of the Timothy Daniel's House. Working with fewer patients has allowed the students to spend more time with each resident and build a relationship. 

“I wish I could sit and talk to each resident for an hour,” said one of the students. After two weeks in the hospital, one of the residents was treated to a "spa day" by two students, including a shower, hair curling, and nails. "The level of compassion, empathy, and passion our students bring to each day of the clinical is inspiring," commented Geikie.

 

Tri-County RVTHS Juniors Assisting Elders in Preparation for their CNA Certification

Raised garden beds from VFJrenovations again this year

My father and I are building raised garden beds again this year with the profits going to the Franklin Food Pantry. 

We are only able to make about 35 planters this year and have 2 design options. We've written a letter on our website and was hoping you might be able to publish it on Franklin Matters for us?

Here's the link: https://www.vfjrenovations.com/empower-with-gardening-initiative 

Best,

Jessi

--

Thank you,

Vinny Fanuele & Jessi Fanuele

www.VFJrenovations.com

617.510.4006 (Vinny)

617.448.7237 (Jessi)

Listen to the audio interview we conducted last year

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/05/fm-261-vfj-renovations-empowering.html

my Raised garden bed as initially set up last year

Pantherbook: "Safety In School" and "Everything You Need to Know"

Via Pantherbook, two articles on the return of students to FHS for in person learning as of April 12, 2021

"You may not notice many differences when you arrive at school on April 12, except for one particular detail – everyone is closer.  Seeing as there will be more students in the building, people will be able to stay three feet apart instead of six feet apart. The school is also exploring making use of alternate areas for classrooms such as lecture halls and the library. 

The only area where the six feet of separation will remain is in the cafeteria. Students are eating and not wearing masks, which poses a greater risk to safety. However, because there are more students in the building, the school must explore alternative seating options. Mr. Hanna mentioned the introduction of outdoor eating, just in time for the warmer weather. To begin, tents will most likely be placed in the courtyard for students to lunch under; the gym will also be utilized. Later in the year, there may be a half-day model of school where students leave before eating lunch. Alternatively, although this is an unlikely option, students may eat outside with personal picnic blankets."

Continue reading the article online

https://franklinpanthers.us/uncategorized/2021/04/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-full-in-person-return-to-school/ 

As April 12 draws closer, students are preparing for their return to school at almost full capacity for the first time in more than a year. Covid-19 has made it difficult for teenagers to have a “regular” high school experience, and getting the majority of students back into the building will no doubt nurture normal routines once more.

There is something to be said about rising safety concerns, however. With the emergence of a new 3-feet distance rule, pool testing, and stricter health protocols, day-to-day school life will look much different from the smaller cohorts from the beginning of the year. While in-person classrooms are not yet filled, these new guidelines are a quite important step on the journey towards a Covid-free education experience.

Continue reading the article online
https://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2021/04/06/safety-in-school/

These rows of desks will soon be full of students! - photo by Sophia Francisco

MA State News: vehicle inspection outage continues; vaccine certificates; school funding by Legislature

"After a more than weeklong outage in the state’s vehicle inspection system, service stations on Wednesday finally started receiving a software fix that is expected to solve the malware attack that hamstrung the testing program in Massachusetts and seven other states.

The contractor targeted by the attack, Applus Technologies, sent the software updates on flash drives to more than 1,700 shops in Massachusetts and walked operators through a reboot intended to protect the machines.

The inspection system has been offline since the attack on Applus on March 30, and is unlikely to be back online this week, according to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/07/metro/contractor-dispatches-potential-software-fix-vehicle-inspection-stations-mass-7-other-states-system-still-out/

"Baker unwilling to talk vaccine passports"

"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is uninterested in talking about vaccination passports.

Asked whether Massachusetts might consider creating vaccine passports – which would impose restrictions on unvaccinated individuals – Baker did not explicitly say no, but said his focus is on getting people vaccinated. “Having a conversation about creating a barrier before people had an opportunity to be eligible to be vaccinated, let’s focus on getting people vaccinated,” Baker said, speaking after visiting a vaccination site in Revere."

Continue reading the article online  https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/baker-unwilling-to-talk-vaccine-passports/ 

"Legislature will increase school funding next year"

THE LEGISLATURE HAS agreed to take a more generous approach to funding public schools next year than Gov. Charlie Baker did, responding to concerns from education advocates that Baker’s proposal was inadequate.  

The legislative approach reflects a different time frame for phasing in an updated school funding formula, and the creation of a new fund to help districts that saw pandemic-related enrollment drops. But some advocates are still unhappy with lawmakers’ compromise approach, saying it does not fully address districts’ needs.

The chairs of the House and Senate ways and means committees announced in a joint statement Tuesday that they plan to put $5.503 billion into Chapter 70, the K-12 school funding formula, in their fiscal 2022 budget, which represents an increase of $219.6 million over the current year. That is $21.9 million more than what Baker had proposed. 

 Continue reading the article online https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/legislature-will-increase-school-funding-next-year/