Protests begin anew over Senior Village
FRANKLIN - Following objections from neighbors, the Planning Board last night continued a public remand hearing for a 10-unit senior housing development on Chestnut Street. |
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Following objections from neighbors, the Planning Board last night continued a public remand hearing for a 10-unit senior housing development on Chestnut Street. |
By Jeffrey Roy on Policy
In the continuing debate over the proposed policy on the donation of non-budgeted funds, I thought it would be helpful to provide you with additional resources on the topic. We have assembled a list of articles which discuss the topic, which, at best, can be described as a delicate balancing act. You can [...] |
By Jeffrey Roy on Policy
Franklin’s proposed policy on donations of non-budgeted funds (policy KCD) is the subject of two prior posts (#1 and #2). In this post, we address the supplement not supplant language. The proposed policy would encourage and welcome future giving, but only to the extent that the donations supplement rather than supplant – take the place of [...] |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Working to keep a town landmark open despite budget uncertainties and possible restrictions on future donations, the Brick School Association has secured a $5,000 grant to help keep the building open. |
By Paul Crocetti/Daily News staff
The Franklin Lodge of Elks yesterday posthumously bestowed the medal of valor on three local soldiers killed in Iraq. |
The lodge presented the awards to the families of Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Robert Pirelli, Marine Lance Cpl. Shayne Cabino and Marine Gunnery Sgt. Elia Fontecchio.
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Construction of the new $9.3 million fire station is ahead of schedule and slightly under budget, with officials fairly confident that the town can scrape together enough money to open the building early. |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Working off the assumption the town will not dip further into its savings account, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting warned councilors last night that layoffs could be in store as the budget season begins anew. |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Working with drawn-down reserves and expecting only an additional $1.8 million in revenue, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting warned the Finance Committee last night that the next budget could require layoffs. |
By Kate Sullivan Foley/CORRESPONDENT
If you don’t believe in miracles, you might just change your mind after reading, "Hope, Faith and Charlie." |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - While a three-alarm fire destroyed much of his brother-in-law’s downtown business just as Super Bowl XLII got under way, John Ricci discovered yesterday that customers’ paperwork somehow made it through the blaze relatively intact. |
By By Aaron Wasserman, Daily News staff
Turnover among school superintendents appears to be at an all-time high statewide, escalating their pay packages, says an adviser to many school districts searching for new superintendents. |
Franklin Chairman Jeffrey N. Roy said the committee decided to include the $4,200 when negotiating with Ogden two years ago because "our superintendent comes from Duxbury and that was an additional enticement to get him to come."
"To attract people to this job, you've got to be competitive," Roy said.
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Seeking to update the town's plans for preserving undeveloped land and providing recreation, a civic committee is asking residents to fill out a survey to provide some guidance. |
The Town of Franklin takes pride in preserving the character of the community by offering an array of park and recreation opportunities and open space areas to its residents and the surrounding region. Currently, the Town’s Public Land Use Committee is in the process of updating Franklin’s Open Space and Recreation Plan. The purpose of this plan is to create a document through a public input process that will guide the Town of Franklin in its continuing efforts to maintain and enhance the open space and recreation resources in town.The survey can be found here.
In order to complete a plan that represents the opinions, desires and needs of the community, the Public Land Use Committee is asking that you take a few moments and complete a brief citizen survey. The survey will let the Public Land Use Committee and other Town officials know how Franklin residents feel about preservation of open space and the adequacy of parks and recreation opportunities available.
In addition, the Public Land Use Committee would like to invite you to participate in two public input meetings to review and discuss accomplishments since the development of the 2001 Open Space and Recreation Plan as well as obtain additional input on the future needs of the community. The public input meetings will be held on Thursday, March 13 and March 20, 2008 at 6:30 PM in the Training Room on the 3rd floor of the Municipal Building located at 355 East Central Street.
To ensure your input is included in the development of the 2008 Open Space and Recreation Plan, please return your survey to one of the locations indicated on the survey by March 21, 2008. If you have any questions or would like to know where you can obtain additional copies of the citizen survey, please contact Franklin’s Town Planner, Beth A. Dahlstrom, at (508) 520-4907.
Franklin matters. Please recycle!
By John Dyer, Globe Correspondent
On weekday mornings, environmental lawyer Michael Ernst rides the commuter train from Westborough to South Station in Boston. The train, he said, is often late. But usually, one of his fellow stranded passengers will help him cope. |
By Heather McCarron/Staff writer
For many years, Dan Sullivan struggled with alcoholism that started with experimental drinking as a youth and escalated into more serious drinking as a young man. |
Look what I found, finally!
I knew I had a better photo of the Ginley Funeral Home but couldn't locate it at the time I was announcing the answer.
Better late than never!
The guidelines for playing "Where in Franklin?" can be found here.
Have fun. Thanks for playing!
By Michelle Laczkoski/Daily News staff
MILFORD - A 17-year-old Franklin High School senior, who police say secretly videotaped two girls in his bedroom, is facing charges for the unlawful recordings. |
By Rachel Lebeaux, Globe Correspondent
Now that Franklin's Brick School Task Force has issued a contentious final report - with a divided opinion as to whether to keep the 175-year-old, one-room, brick schoolhouse open - a decision on its disposition rests with the School Committee. |
andFranklin parent Donna Martel said it was a choice between higher property taxes or even higher fees for high school sports, school clubs and non-mandated busing.
"It was still going to be cheaper," she said of the override. "It worked out."
For senior citizen Marion Melo, that means she can no longer buy whatever groceries she wishes and must shop at Bellingham's cheaper Market Basket, rather than at Franklin's more expensive Stop & Shop or Shaw's.
"I'm making a list," she said. "I have to cut back."
Come from the article in today's Milford Daily News:
By By Michael Morton & John Hilliard, Daily News staff
When Mendon resident Russ Gregoire opened his third-quarter property tax bill earlier this month, he knew there would be a substantial increase from two overrides passed by town voters. Mendon grabbed the highest ranking in the Milford area thanks to two votes to go beyond the limits of Proposition 2-1/2. In Westborough, the average tax bill jumped nearly 8 percent this year - higher than many nearby MetroWest towns. |
Salem is delaying the layoffs of about 60 school employees to seek emergency aid from the Legislature. |
City officials have publicly said that the shortfall was caused in part by a former school business manager who used money from this year's school budget to pay off old bills. This week, at the request of the School Committee, Salem police began investigating Bruce Guy, who is also a former city finance director, to examine whether municipal finance laws were broken. Guy has not responded to the Globe's repeated requests for an interview.What happened there is what did occur here. One prime difference is in the amount of money. The total deficit (at a point in time) in Franklin was $1.5 million. The actual shortfall was $894,000 which was covered by our stabilization fund. Fortunately, that amount was available. Salem was looking for $4.7 million.
Michael Morton reports the remainder of the details in his article in the Milford Daily NewsTown Administrator Jeffrey Nutting confirmed this week that he has been working under a new, three-year contract.
The contract was negotiated with the council and signed shortly before the town's Nov. 6 election, Nutting said, with the terms retroactively taking effect a few months before in July.
Under Nutting's new deal, he gets a 2 1/2 percent raise this year, with subsequent raises up to the council as part of their annual review. Nutting received a $119,978 salary and a $5,983 car allowance in 2006, according to the town's most recent annual report.
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Under a strict reading of a bylaw revision proposed at last night's council meeting, children playing baseball or having a snowball fight on town streets and sidewalks could get a disappointing message: game over. |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - When French teacher Mireille Malouf walked into the auditorium at Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School yesterday, she thought she had come for an assembly with a broad patriotic theme. |
By Matt Kakley/Daily News correspondent
The town of Milford would receive a 10 percent increase in local aid and Franklin would receive an additional 7 percent under Gov. Deval Patrick's budget proposal. |
By Lindsey Parietti/Daily News staff
BOSTON - Gov. Deval Patrick released a $28 billion budget proposal yesterday, banking on casino licensing fees to fund local aid and challenging his critics in the Legislature to come up with their own solutions to the state's fiscal challenges. |
Read the remainder of this good news for Dean College here
(CSRwire) FRANKLIN, MA – January 23, 2008 - Accenture Chairman & CEO William D. Green has donated a gift worth $1 million to Dean College, where he received an associates degree in 1974. The gift is the largest from a living donor in the college's history.
"When Bill Green and his family made the decision to give this inspiring gift to the college, they were making a bold statement about the value of a Dean education," said Dean President Paula M. Rooney. "Bill has always been an inspiration to our students, our staff, and quite clearly to the business world. He always seems to have Dean students on his mind and works diligently as a trustee and an alumnus to continue to make Dean a place where students succeed. He created such excitement and energy when he addressed our students in October - urging them to find their passion and confidence and telling them that they will go farther than they can imagine. This gift will help the College expand the mentoring and support that Bill calls the 'primary ingredient of Dean's special sauce.'"
Green, known as a leader who seeks to "educate, energize and inspire" the more than 175,000 Accenture professionals around the globe, has credited this ability and his success in large part to his start at Dean College.
Inflation and operating costs have far outpaced state spending on education, putting intense financial pressure on a broad spectrum of school districts across the state, according to a preliminary report released yesterday.
The report, by the Massachusetts Department of Education, found that while healthcare, salaries, and special education program costs have escalated sharply, state funding has remained stagnant since 2003. As a result, cities and towns have had to shoulder a greater portion of the burden, raising property taxes and instituting fees for once-standard services, such as bus transportation and athletics, in order to make ends meet.The increased costs also mean that school districts are spending a smaller percentage of their budgets on student instruction and salaries for teachers, guidance counselors, and other employees who have direct contact with students, according to the report. On average, districts spent just 51 percent of their budgets on instruction, a decrease of 6 percentage points since 2002.
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - The School Committee took the first step last night toward restricting what donations it will accept, potentially cutting off a future funding source for running the Red Brick School. |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - The Hat Lady has a confession: There was a time when she didn't like hats, even ones with flying pigs on them. |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - A dam at the DelCarte conservation area is at risk of collapsing, according to a report released last week, a development that could threaten downstream homes. |
The director of financial services for the Franklin school system has been fired following an audit that indicated she made several accounting errors in the 2007 fiscal year budget, underreported a deficit, and ordered illegal transfers of employee payroll accounts.
Delores McCoy, who worked for the town for seven years, was dismissed by Assistant Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski on Jan. 2. She had been on leave since Oct. 22, three days after Franklin's comptroller, Susan Gagner, noticed a discrepancy in the records and brought it to the attention of town officials.
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Featured by an independent Los Angeles radio station this month, the students running the high school's Sound in the Hall Records are now hallway kings and queens. |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - With focus shifting to other issues now that a budget inquiry is over, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting has revived a proposal to consolidate some school and municipal services. |
By S.H. Bagley
SOMERVILLE - Gov. Deval Patrick announced today in Somerville that his budget would increase education aid funds by $368 million for fiscal 2009. |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - Before the latest storm, Pond Street resident Cindy Martinez had already lost half a dozen mailboxes to town snowplows over the course of three winters. |
As the city of Salem roils over layout notices, and other towns struggle with tight budgets, Gov. Deval Patrick told municipal leaders Friday that he feels their pain. Patrick said he understands that they are experiencing tight fiscal times. |
"The deficits in 2006 and 2007 raise concerns over the School Department's level of spending in fiscal 2008. There will be more Circuit Breaker available in 2008 than in 2007, as there is no carry over deficit to be applied to the 2008 expected receipts. However, there was a deficit in Special Education Tuitions even with the full Circuit Breaker receipts for both fiscal 2006 and 2007.From the Forensic Report, page 10. Bold for my emphasis.
In addition, certain other accounts have been in deficit during both fiscal 2006 and 2007. We have prepared the three-year budget analysis, and provided a copy to the interim Director of Financial Operations. That analysis will assist in identification of potential budget shortfalls. However, the schedule is prepared based upon the inclusion of negative revenue items, which needs to be taken into consideration in evaluating the 2008 budget."
By Michael Morton/Staff writer
At first, library staff worried that an initiative to get all residents to read the same book on a sugarcane product would prove slower than molasses. |
By Heather McCarron/Staff writer
Sasha and Sally Gorski share a lot in common, not the least of which is a passion for music. And every day, they get double the pleasure out of pursuing it. |
By By Michael Morton, DAILY NEWS STAFF
FRANKLIN - With the inquiry into a $580,000 budget gap over, school officials say they are moving forward by instituting new oversight controls and seeking a finance director to replace the recently fired Delores McCoy. |
The school finance director, recently fired for improper budgeting, did not hold the state certification required for her job, a town councilor indicated last night while discussing the results of an inquiry.
Referring to former Finance Director Delores McCoy, Councilor Joseph McGann asked whether the town had erred by not employing someone in the post with Department of Education certification.
He was told by auditor John Sullivan of Melanson Heath & Co. that the qualification is required unless the state grants a waiver. The DOE does not appear to have done so in this case.
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
Finance Director Delores McCoy has been fired as a result of an investigation into school finances, according to a letter released ahead of tonight's Town Council meeting. |
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - A recently repaired basketball goal at the high school unexpectedly swung down from its raised position near the field house's ceiling yesterday, crashing into the bleachers before a game but missing spectators. |
By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff
The threat of a national Amtrak strike later this month is prompting Boston-area transit officials to prepare for potential chaos on commuter rail lines that would trickle down to subways, buses, and highways. |
In part from the article, we read:A strike would virtually shut down South Station, forcing rail passengers to transfer onto subway lines at the Back Bay, Braintree, and Forest Hills stations. The MBTA would also have to shut down the Providence/Stoughton Line in all likelihood, forcing about 17,000 additional daily commuters to drive into town or to take alternate rail lines. North Station schedules would not be altered, but riders might see picket lines.
"There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. A strike that would shut down service in and out of South Station would severely hamper, perhaps even overwhelm, the subway system," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA.
The private company that runs commuter rail under a contract with the MBTA, Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., has been discussing contingency plans with the T and making recommendations that include running fewer commuter trains, virtually eliminating off-peak runs. The commuter service, which carries 72,000 riders in and out of Boston daily, is already drawing ire from passengers fed up with increasingly late trains.
No strike, a deal has been reached. Details here.
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - The Brick School Task Force discussed its final report with the School Committee last night, with three members writing in the summary that their colleagues hadn't remained objective and had created a biased document. |
A plan by cities and towns to get a larger slice of the state budget appears dead, according to State House News Service. That could put more pressure on municipalities to cut spending or ask voters for a Prop 2... |
By Aaron Wasserman/Daily News staff
MEDWAY - As they start preparing for the next fiscal year, town officials said yesterday the level-service budgets they have used the past few years are hurting municipal services. |
More than 40 city workers were laid off last month to close a budget deficit. Then the outgoing City Council failed to approve new tax rates and declined to raise the water rates before leaving office. Now the city assessor... |
By Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff
The equivalent of about 80 full-time Salem Public School jobs need to be cut as a result of a $4.7 million deficit caused by underbudgeting and a former business manager's practice of paying old bills out of the current year's budget, Superintendent William J. Cameron Jr. said last night. |
For more than two decades, Pellegri has served as either the chairwoman or a co-chairwoman of the town's Fourth of July celebration, begun in 1982 to provide a family venue for the holiday to keep the community's children safe. Last year, the six-day event included fireworks, a parade and daily entertainment, and was touted in Family Circle magazine when Franklin was named one of the top 10 places in the country to raise children.
But during a November thank-you party for volunteers, Pellegri announced she would no longer be organizing the event, sponsored the past three years by the town's Lions Club. Oteri, a fellow Lions officer, followed suit, leaving the celebration without leadership or a sponsor.
"We're ready to retire," Pellegri said, agreeing with Oteri that it was time for new blood.
"Fresh ideas," Oteri added.
To that end, Pellegri and Oteri plan to hold an information session Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall for members from other clubs willing to take over their duties.
Read the full article by Michael Morton in the Milford daily News.
If you can step forward as a volunteer, consider attending the information session on January 17th.
In April and May 2007, the Massachusetts Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA) conducted an independent examination of the Franklin Public Schools for the period of 2004–2006. The EQA analyzed Franklin students’ performance on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests and identified how students in general and in subgroups were performing. The EQA examined critical factors that affected student performance in six major areas: leadership, governance, and communication; curriculum and instruction; assessment and evaluation; human resource management and professional development; access, participation, and student academic support; and financial and asset management.
On Tuesday, January 22, 2008, the audit report will be presented to the School Committee.
and:
And:The state report finds that, on average, three-fourths of all students in Franklin attained proficiency on the 2006 MCAS tests, much more than that statewide. More than four-fifths of Franklin students attained proficiency in English language arts (ELA), more than two-thirds of Franklin students attained proficiency in math, and nearly two-thirds of Franklin students attained proficiency in science and technology/engineering (STE). Ninety-seven percent of the Class of 2006 attained a Competency Determination.
The report also pointed to shortfalls in school funding, which was “insufficient” to fully fund costs associated with increased enrollment, additional special-education teachers, contractual salary increases, and utilities. But the report praised Franklin for passing a $2.7 million property tax increase last spring, which “solidified the community’s commitment to the school district and the educational needs of the children in Franklin.”
The EQA was created by the Massachusetts Legislature in July of 2000, to provide independent and objective programmatic and financial audits of the 350-plus school districts which serve the cities and towns of Massachusetts. The agency is the accountability component of the Education Reform Act of 1993, and was envisioned in that legislation. The complete standards can be read by clicking here.
The full 28 page EQA report on Franklin can be read by clicking here.
Mark your calendar for the Jan 22nd meeting!