| FRANKLIN - By the time the Franklin Downtown Partnership finishes its work in three to four years, downtown will be a "destination" rather than a place for "one-stop shopping." ------------------------------ |
I hope you are preparing to enjoy winter break week! I just wanted to drop you a short note with an update on a few important school issues.
First, a programming note… If you are in the mood for a date with your spouse that contributes to a great cause, the Horace Mann Middle School PCC is sponsoring a Spring Social on Saturday, March 1, at the Franklin Elks from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. This is a fun event that always offers top shelf, silent auction bargains.
As an added bonus, this year’s social will feature live performances from School Committee Chairman Jeff Roy's band, “Keep Your Day Job.” Tickets are $25 person, which includes a nice hot dinner buffet. A cash bar also will be available. For more information, contact Maureen Roy or Barb Mershimer. I look forward to seeing you there!
Now on to business… If you are as concerned about the future of Franklin High School as I am, I urge you to tune-in to or attend the School Committee meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 26. Representatives of KBA Associates, our architectural design consultants, will be on hand to talk about options for renovating the current facility or building a brand new one on the site. We are also moving closer toward the naming of a citizens committee for the project. That too is likely to be a topic of discussion at the meeting.
If you need to refresh yourself on the challenges with the current FHS building, you’ll find the old feasibility and conditions reports on the Superintendent’s web page
The Committee is also moving into a new budget season and, as usual, the scenarios are not pretty. It will cost us more than $4.1 million to maintain the current level of school services in the fiscal year that begins July 1. That’s the price of predictable price increases for contractual pay raises, health insurance, utilities, etc.
However, town officials are projecting that only $800,000 in new revenue will be available to the schools. That leaves a $3.3 million funding gap that will not be easy to close without what Supt. Ogden calls “seriously painful cuts,” particularly to teaching staff who comprise 90% of our annual budget.
I’ll send out a FY09 budget update email following the Committee meeting on the 26th. You can find background on budget and fiscal issues on the School Committee web site
At this week’s School Committee meeting, Franklin Police provided an update on their efforts to put in place a lockdown emergency plan for each of our schools. These types of preparations are an unfortunate reality of life in the 21st century, underscored by the tragic news out of University of Illinois this week. Police officials have approached the issue with professionalism and smart thinking. They stressed that are eager to come to any PCC meeting to outline their approach and answer parent questions.
I hope you have a pleasant week. I saw the first robin of the year the other day and heard a cardinal singing, confirming that spring will indeed get here eventually.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I am happy to add or remove any one from the mailing list for these updates.
Did you notice?
Delux Tux has relocated this week into the space that had been MelDiva's but sitting empty since MelDiva's closed in January 2007.
Delux Tux had fire in their original location on the evening of Super Bowl Sunday.
The Franklin Police Association has begun our annual fund-raiser. We have employed All-Pro Productions to run our fund-raising campaign. After months of careful review and recommendations from other Unions, the Association has selected All-Pro to conduct solicitations. As in the previous years, we have stressed to All-Pro that we expect nothing but professionalism and courtesy to the citizens of our community, as the Officers here strive for.Over the years, through donations made by businesses and citizens of Franklin, we have been able to return that back to our community. We will continue to support all community organizations, and the citizens who live here. This has been and is the primary concern of the Officers in the Franklin Police Association.
On April 18, 2008 at the Milford Sheraton Ballroom, we are hosting a comedy night with 4 of Boston’s top comics. The doors open at 6:30pm and the show will start at 7:30pm. This event is an 18 and over event. Tickets are available at the door the night of the event. We look forward to seeing you all there this year for a great show. Come down and have some laughs with your Police Officers.
You can also visit the Police Association blog here
What is the Connect-CTY service?
The Connect-CTY service allows authorized civic leaders to create and rapidly disseminate time-sensitive messages to every telephone number stored in the notification database. With the Connect-CTY service, authorized users can send thousands of messages in minutes. Only authorized officials are allowed access to the system.
How does the service work?
Authorized officials record a voice message that is then delivered quickly to individual phones in the notification database.
What types of messages will be sent using the service?
Any message regarding the safety or welfare of our community would be disseminated using the Connect-CTY service.
Examples would include severe weather warnings and updates, hazardous traffic or road conditions inside the town or affecting local routes, and any other situation that could impact the safety, property, or welfare of our citizens.
Is my telephone number included in the notification database?
It is our intention and hope that every residence and commercial facility in our community be included in the notification database. For businesses, we only store one main phone number. For residents, we may have more than one number that belongs to you in the database. Additionally, you may request to have a secondary number be entered into our database for priority calling.
May I use a cell phone as my notification database listing?
Yes, we can accept cell phones as secondary phone numbers in the database and encourage you to request that your number be included.
The program will be activated within the next few weeks. Please watch for additional information in the local daily newspapers. You can also email Gary Premo, Communications Director for the Franklin Police Department, gpremo@franklinpolice.com.
You can also sign up directly by following this link.
| FRANKLIN - The Town Council last night approved spending $157,000 in free cash on capital items, including three cruisers and a motorcycle for the Police Department. |
| FRANKLIN - Today at 4 p.m., every Franklin business is going to get a phone call from law enforcement, said Police Chief Stephen Williams. |
| FRANKLIN - The Town Council is poised to approve funding for several capital items tonight, including three new police cruisers, a motorcycle and conversion of the town's Web site, according to officials. |
