Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Habitat for Humanity presentation (audio)

The Franklin Town Council hears presentation from the Old Colony Habitat for Humanity which just expanded their scope to include Franklin and Bellingham.

Time: 25 minutes, 12 seconds



MP3 File

Tavern License Transfer Approved (audio)

Franklin Town Council approved unanimously the transfer of license for the former Franklin Tavern per bankruptcy court proceedings. ABC approval is still required.


Time: 2 minutes, 20 seconds



MP3 File

Note: When Chairperson Chris Feeley defers to Jeff Nutting, Jeff in turn passes to Maxine Kinhart, who passes to Attorney Mark Cerel. This transfer does not get picked by the recording.

New School Business Administrator chosen


The School Committee last night unanimously voted to hire town resident Miriam Goodman as the new school business administrator.

During a break at last night's special meeting, committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy called Goodman, offered the job and reported that she accepted.

Goodman is director of administration and finance for the Woonsocket, R.I., Education Department, a post she has held since 1999.

She was one of four finalists in the search for a new business administrator following the committee's ousting of Dolores McCoy last fall. McCoy was put on administrative leave when officials discovered she had made numerous accounting errors, including putting $590,000 in expenses from last year into this year's budget.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

The interviews conducted by the School Committee can be found here.


Dark Tide - Book Review



I had published my short form book review of Dark Tide previously.

My long form of Dark Tide was published Tuesday as part of the month long Love Affair with Books on the Joyful Jubilant Learning blog.

You have my permission, indeed encouragement to click on over, read it and participate in the conversation.

Dark Tide is the focal point for On the Same Page at the Franklin Library this year.

Sunshine Week

While many public officials are hesitant to share information about what the government is doing, what many Americans don't realize is that the business of public officials is highly accessible, especially when it comes to how taxpayers' dollars are spent.

To raise such awareness, the Daily News is participating in Sunshine Week, an annual project aimed at creating awareness about freedom of information and government secrecy.

A Daily News reporter hand-delivered written public record requests to several Milford and MetroWest town officials last month, asking for each one's three most recent town-issued cell phone bills.

How did Franklin fare?

Franklin Police Chief Stephen Williams also refused to provide complete bills.

Franklin Town Attorney Mark Cerel wrote a letter on Williams' behalf, explaining he would provide general billings, but not an itemized record.

"Public safety and security and personal privacy interests preclude making any of the records available," wrote Cerel. "There is a significant risk that he would inadvertently disclose an exempt telephone number in reviewing a high volume of calls, thereby creating a public safety and/or security risk or a personal privacy violation."

The town later provided general billings of all townwide-issued cell phones, which includes Williams' phone, free of charge. Franklin pays about $3,000 each month for all town employees' cell phones.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

This is a nice attempt to participate in "sunshine week". Rather than make an issue on the phone numbers themselves, I'd have preferred an analysis of the kinds of coverage the phones have.

Do they have basic phone service or a higher level of service?

Then you could have a discussion on what level of phone service is appropriate by department for a local community to provide.


Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Town Council Agenda - 3/19/08

The agenda for Wednesday's Town Council meeting can be found here (PDF).

The license transfer for what was operating as the Franklin Tavern (formerly GoodFella's) is on the agenda.

Egg Hunt Friday

EGG HUNT FRIDAY - An egg hunt for children 9 and under will take place Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Franklin High School field house. Peter Cottontail and his friends will entertain children with egg painting, face painting, and photographs. Children will be divided into age groups and should bring their own baskets. The fee to participate is $10.

For more information, contact the Recreation Department at 508-520-4909 or visit its page on the town's website, franklin.ma.us. - Rachel Lebeaux

Monday, March 17, 2008

Annual HMEA 5K Road Race - May 18th

From the Town Crier

Come to the 7th Annual HMEA Independence 5K Walk and Race in the Park on May 18th at 11AM, being held at 50 Constitution Blvd on the fields at EMC in the Franklin Industrial Park. All proceeds from this fund raising event go to benefit 2000 children and adults with developmental disabilities in Massachusetts. The event is a 5K Walk and a 5K race with free tee shirts for all fund raising partners and racers. Special gifts for fund raising walkers and medals and trophies for 1st through 3rd place finishers (all catagories) in the race. Free food, entertainment, games and activities. A special tribute to local veterans plus special guest appearances by Gene Lavanchy (Fox 25 News annchor), Gail Huff (WCVB NewsCenter 5 reporter), Ayla Brown of American Idol fame and Pat Patriot from The New England Patriots.

Registration for the race and the walk is through HMEA's web site


Horace Mann Education Association (HMEA) is a non profit human services agency located in Franklin MA, in Forge Park, Incorporated in 1961, providing specialized supports, education and therapy for 2000 individuals with disabilities in 110 Massachusetts cities and towns including Franklin.

Franklin bus schedule

yes, there is a bus that runs through Franklin from the Municipal Building to the Village Plaza. The bus runs six days (Mon-Sat) and the schedule can be found here (PDF).

Sunday, March 16, 2008

MA Best Zip Codes

Did you see the Globe Magazine on Sunday? They had this special feature on housing, real estate, etc. One article in particular summarized their choices for the top 25 zip codes to live in Massachusetts.

Best part of the article?

Franklin's zip code was NOT in the top 25!

Do you think some folks will stay away?

We only want businesses to come here. Not families with kids!

Boston Globe gets to the high school renovation

The Boston Globe Sunday edition of Globe West caught up to the FHS renovation or build a new school question, both of which are rather pricing. Yet, with a warning already we could loose the accreditation and jeopardize the plans for our students unless we do something.

The question is what? and for how much?

Read the Globe article here

Where in Franklin? #37


Where in Franklin? #37, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Can you identify "Where in Frankin?" this picture was taken?

The guidelines for playing "Where in Franklin?" can be found here.

Where in Franklin? Answer #36


Where in Franklin? Answer #36, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The correct answer to #36 was the Ben Franklin Bank branch office located on East Central Street next to Honey Dew Donuts.

Thanks to ljsts for providing their third correct answer (I had miscounted last time).

Thanks to all for playing!

Stay tuned for the next chance to find "Where in Franklin?"

A process to reach agreement on joint maintenance

Following up on the issue and need to reach an agreement raised earlier, I have the following as a process to achieve this. There are other ways but we just need to execute on one that will allow the key stake holders a say in the process.


Using the talking stick concept, the stake holders should come together in a circle.

Stakeholders:
  • Town Council
  • School Committee
  • School Administration
  • Dept of Public Works
  • Town Administration
  • parents
  • principals
  • custodians
  • tax payers
  • are any left out?
Sitting in a circle with two representatives from each group. Representatives can not sit next to another of their own group.

Several white boards or flip charts to record the key points

Volunteers solicited to assist in the recording of the key points

First round records all the objectives, or goals, or constraints of each group that they feel need to be part of the ultimate agreement. Let's get all the issues on the table.

For example:
  • cost savings
  • principals control people working within their school
  • education reform act requirements
  • labor contracts
  • etc.
Second Round prioritizes the goals, objectives, constraints as outlined in Round One

Third Round entertains proposals from each stake holder group on how they would meet the overall goals as outlined in Round One and prioritized in Round Two

Fourth Round works to build consensus on the proposals from Round Three

There should be a break between the second and third rounds to provide time for the individual stake holder groups to prepare their proposals

There may need to be more than four rounds but that will depend upon the openness of the discussion and how well the group is able to come to a consensus

It may be required to review the current maintenance agreement which the town believes is working and at least from the point of view as expressed by one custodian, clearly isn't. We will need to address any and all issues with this process. We need a working process, not a broken process. If the current process has some flaws, let's address them, agree to fix them and then agree to move on. If we don't fix them, we will not be able to make significant progress on a new process for the custodians.

Cost savings or power struggle?

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

FRANKLIN —

School and town officials battling for control of the School Department's $5 million maintenance account will continue to duke it out this month, according to Town Councilor Robert Vallee.

The account has traditionally been managed by schools, but Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting has proposed the town's Department of Public Works take it over for to eliminate duplication of jobs and maximize cost-efficiency, Vallee said.
Nutting, Vallee, Town Councilor Shannon Zollo, Councilor Deborah Bartlett,
Chairman Chris Feeley, School Superintendent Wayne Ogden, and several other town officials debated the issue at a joint budget subcommittee meeting last week, Vallee said.


``Nothing was accomplished, but we exchanged thoughts,'' said Vallee.

School officials still need to ``clearly understand'' why Nutting is seeking the change, said Ogden. Nutting could not be reached for comment on Friday.

Read the remainder of the article at the Milford Daily News here

My two cents:

If Franklin is going to make any significant progress on the growth of costs, tight cooperation needs to take place amongst the Town functional organizations.

This may be "low hanging fruit" but it needs to be handled properly. The Town does not need to split over issues that could save money. It is incumbent upon the Town to clearly explain what it would look like to have the two departments combined. This future vision would help to focus the discussion properly on who would do what, how school building issues would be handled, how the school and their important daily functions would operate so that the most important function of delivering a safe, efficient and highly qualified education to our children.

The current education reform act requirement that the school principals are responsible for everyone who works in their building is a potential road block. If properly addressed, it should be a key reason for crafting an agreement that will satisfy all parties.

Communication and open discussion are critical. Let's get all the parties to the table, not just a few. Include the custodians in this discussion. Include some parents. Bring in a moderator to facilitate the discussion and agreement if necessary.

Above all avoid the negatives. Avoid name calling. This is not an 'us' vs. 'them' situation. This affects all of us.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

I need your help on this one

I received this email from a reader:
Your web site came up in a Google search and I was wondering if you
might be able to provide some information about Franklin. I just came
across an old family photo and was wondering if you had fairly recent
historical information about a farm in Franklin. Was there ever a Dacey
Brothers Dairy in Franklin that made home milk deliveries? We lived in
Wrentham.
Does anyone have some information that you can share?

You can leave a comment here or send an email to me => shersteve at gmail dot com

Project Mayhem foiled at FHS

GHS
Posted Mar 14, 2008 @ 11:09 PM

FRANKLIN —

Police foiled students' apparent plan to wreak "chaos and mayhem" in the style of Project Mayhem from the movie "Fight Club" at Franklin High School yesterday, officials said.

Seven students were suspended indefinitely, pending further investigation, Superintendent Wayne Ogden said.

"In Fight Club, there's Project Mayhem, a group of guys who want to do things to cause chaos and mayhem to the establishment. From the best police can figure, that was kind of the express purpose of this group of kids - to create chaos and confusion," said Ogden.

Read the remainder of the article in the Milford Daily News here.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Town Hall wins Trivia Bee

Town Hall triumphant at Trivia Bee

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Thirty-six teams were tested on their movie mettle at last night's Trivia Bee at the Horace Mann Middle School, and in the end, knowing the name of Humphrey Bogart's club in "Casablanca" determined the victors.

Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting and the "Franklin Munibees," (aka Town Hall), Town Attorney Mark Cerel and Treasurer Jim Dacey, won a spot on the Bee trophy when they correctly answered "Rick's American Cafe."

Read the full article in the Franklin Gazette here.

Common Craft on Photo Sharing

Continuing the Web 2.0 series on new technologies and how to use them, the wonderful folks at Common Craft have this explanation on photo sharing:





Enjoy!

PS - You may have noticed that most of the photos I post here are from my Flickr account. You can also click through to see the full slide show of all my Franklin photos by clicking on any one of the photos. I also use a little widget in the right column to scroll through the photo collection.

Trivia Bee Mosaic


Trivia Bee Mosaic, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Scenes from the Franklin Education Foundation Annual Trivia Bee held Thursday night at Horace Mann Middle School.

Top left - a full panel of teams for one round
Top right - the judges and official timer
Middle left - one set of questions required the answers written on the white boards
Middle right - the appreciative and faithful audience
Bottom left - music during the change over from one set of teams to another was provided by Franklin High School musicians
Bottom right - The Town Hall team ended up winning their initial round (and the overall event)

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Franklin Industry - Echo Therapeutics Inc

Help for diabetics on the way from Franklin:

A small Franklin company says it is developing a novel device that could potentially let diabetics continuously monitor their blood-sugar levels - without having to draw blood.

Echo Therapeutics Inc. is expected to say today the device passed one of its first key tests, a pilot study with two dozen patients in the intensive-care unit at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. The Symphony system, a disc about the size of a half dollar, is designed to read glucose levels through the skin and transmit the information wirelessly to a nearby computer or hand-held meter. Currently, diabetes patients must normally prick their skin to draw a few drops of blood and place them on a measuring strip.

"I think it's extremely promising," said Dr. Stanley Nasraway, a Tufts University School of Medicine professor and director of surgical intensive-care units at the medical center. Nasraway said Echo's experimental device appeared to be reliable, relatively accurate, and easy to use, though he cautioned that it must first be tested in much larger clinical trials with a wider group of patients.

Read the full article in the Boston Globe

In the news - Chamber of Commerce Awards

GateHouse News Service
Posted Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:27 AM

WRENTHAM —

Franklin business leaders dominated the United Chamber of Commerce's 20th annual meeting and awards gala at Lake Pearl Luciano's last night, taking home five of seven awards recognizing members.

People winning awards at last night's Chamber gala included: Franklin Town Clerk Deborah L. Pellegri, the Public Service Award; Franklin's Luigi Moccia of Putnam Investments, the Ambassador of the Year; Incontro Restaurant in Franklin, the Small Business of the Year; William D. Green, a Dean College alum and chairman and CEO of Accenture, a global management consulting and outsourcing company, Business Person of the Year.

Dean College President Paula Rooney accepted the award for Green, who was out of the country. ``He is without a doubt the most compassionate, caring intellectual human being I get the pleasure of speaking with on a regular basis,'' she said of Green.

Rooney read from a letter Green gave to her: ``We need an educated work force. Without that, the future is very bleak.'' Rooney said Green just gave Dean College a $1 million gift.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Where in Franklin? #36


Where in Franklin? #36, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Where would you have seen this clock reading about 9:37 AM looking over this snow covered lawn?

The guidelines for playing "Where in Franklin?" can be found here.

Enjoy!

Interview: Miriam Goodman (audio)

The Franklin School Committee interviews Miriam Goodman, the fourth of four candidates for the vacant School Business Administrator role. Each member of the committee took a turn asking questions. The same set of questions was used for all candidates.

Time: 24 minutes, 27 seconds



MP3 File

Interview: David Proule (audio)

The Franklin School Committee interviews David Proule, the third of four candidates for the vacant School Business Administrator role. Each member of the committee took a turn asking questions. The same set of questions was used for all candidates.

Time: 27 minutes, 54 seconds



MP3 File

Interview: Ann Giombetti (audio)

The Franklin School Committee interviews Ann Giombetti. The second of four candidates for the vacant School Business Administrator role. Each member of the committee took a turn asking questions. The same set of questions was used for all candidates.


Time: 24 minutes, 31 seconds



MP3 File

Interview: Patricia Lange (audio)

The Franklin School Committee interviews Patricia Lange. The first of four candidates for the vacant School Business Administrator role. Each member of the committee took a turn asking questions. The same set of questions was used for all candidates.

Time: 42 minutes, 6 seconds



MP3 File

School Committee Meeting 3/11/08

Candidate photos

Sherku: School Choice


Candidate Background Summaries


Candidate Questions

Interview: Patricia Lange (audio)


Interview: Ann Giombetti
(audio)

Interview: David Proule
(audio)

Interview: Miriam Goodman
(audio)

SCHOOL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR / INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

3 minutes: Candidate overview - tell us who you are as a professional and why you are looking to leave your current position

2 minutes: How would you define the role of the School Business Manager/Director?
(Paula)

2 minutes: What safeguards do you employ to insure the budget is balanced annually? What recommendations would you make to the superintendent in the event the budget had to be reduced? (Paula)

2 minutes: Citing specific initiatives or activities, how do you report financial information to Principals/Directors; the Superintendent; and to the School Committee and Town Council? (Ed)

2 minutes: Describe measures you have put in place to streamline and build efficiency into the management of the Business Office. (Ed)

2 minutes: Describe the process you employ to collaborate with the Special Education Director to oversee reimbursement programs (Circuit Breaker/Medicaid) and grants?
(Roberta)

2 minutes: Have you ever found yourself in a compromising position whereby your supervisor requested you take action that you felt was not appropriate? If so, how did you handle the situation and whom did you share information with? (Roberta)

2 minutes: Please discuss your skills with respect to conflict resolution-describe a situation whereby you had to resolve a conflict between two colleagues or two staff members?
(Matt)

2 minutes: What has been your most difficult budget issue? (Matt)

2 minutes: Why do you want to work for Franklin Public Schools? (Susan Rohrbach)

2 minutes: Please discuss your experience in overseeing payroll functions-what type of accountability /checks and balances have you put in place? (Cora)

2 minutes: Describe some of the challenges you have had to overcome working with elected officials and municipal administration and explain how you established positive working relationships. (Jeff Roy)

5 Minutes: Follow-up

-----

Welcome to Franklin Matters!

Why Franklin, MA matters

  • If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
  • If you don’t like something, please tell me

Candidates - Background Information Summary

Candidate: Ann Giombetti
• Current Employer: Not employed, resigned from Lexington after one year due to extraordinary workload and after spending the year fixing a financial situation similar to the one Franklin faced this year.
• Experience: 20 years in school finance in well regarded, large and complex districts such as Newton, Framingham and Lexington
• Education: MP A BA Economics
• Other information: Strong skills in all aspects of Business Administration including Food Service, and Transportation, MUNIS experience.
• References from several superb superintendents (Irwin Blumer/retired from Newton and Mag Giffune/ Uxbridge) who both have state and national reputations.

Candidate: Miriam Goodman
• Current Employer: Woonsocket Public Schools
• Experience: 13 years experience in school business administration. Currently employed in large urban district with large budget.
• Education: MA Business Administration Rutgers, NJ / BS Early Childhood BU • Other information: Experience in food service, re-districting and transportation. Strong experience in finance professional organizations. Uncovered finance scandal by employee and was a whistle blower. MUNIS experience
• References in process of being verified.

Candidate: Patricia Lange
• Current Employer: Hudson Public Schools
• Experience: 5.5 years in education
• Education: MBA Babson / BA Economics
• Other information: Strong skills in accounting/ finance, experience overseeing food service and built strong relationships with municipal employees.
• References from a highly regarded superintendent (Sheldon Berman) who has a state and national reputation in school finance.

Candidate: David Proule
• Current Employer: Framingham Public Schools
• Experience: 14 years School business administration
• Education: MA Education/School Business Administration Boston College BS Business / Florida State University
• Other information: Strong experience in Food Service and Transportation.
Involved in MASBO and experience in MUNIS.
• References-worked with Chris Martes in Medfield and Framingham.

sherku: school choice

Four candidates, fine qualities
All good choices, but which
One will be the best?


What is a sherku?

Where in Franklin? Answer #35


Where in Franklin? Answer #35, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The correct answer to picture #35 came in very quickly from "ltsjs" who appears to be on a roll with three in a row.

The shadow was of Ben reading his book on the pedestal outside the Library he created with his gift of books. "Sense is more important than sound." he wrote.

Good advice Ben!

Stay tuned for the next picture in the Where in Franklin? series.

In the news - School interviews

School finance director candidates interviewed

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

The School Committee last night interviewed four candidates for the school business administrator job left vacant when they ousted Dolores McCoy to leave last fall.

Officials put McCoy on administrative leave following numerous accounting problems, which School Committee member Susan Rohrbach described as "pretty complicated."

The School Committee interviewed Ann Giombetti, who recently resigned from Lexington schools; Woonsocket Education Department Business Manager Miriam Goodman; Hudson public schools' Director of Finance Patricia Lange; and Framingham public schools Director of Business/Financial Operations David Proule.



Read the remainder of the article here.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

School Business Administrator Candidates


Four candidates for the vacant business administrator position were interviewed by the Franklin School Committee Tuesday evening.

Patricia Lange (top left), Ann Giombetti (top right), David Proule (bottom left) and Miriam Goodman (bottom right) answered a series of questions.

More info on the interviews to follow.

School Committee meeting 3/11/08 7:00 PM

Franklin School Committee Meeting
March 11, 2008
Municipal Building – Council Chambers
6:30 P.M. Executive Session
7:00 P.M.


AGENDA

Call to order Mr. Roy
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence

1. Business Administrator Candidates
7:00 pm Patricia Lange
7:40 pm Ann Giombetti
8:20 pm David Proule
9:00 pm Miriam Goodman

2. Payroll Ms. Armenio
3. Correspondence:
Budget to Actual
Invitation to 14th Annual Boisi Lecture in Education and Public Policy

4. New Business:
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

5. Executive Session
To discuss interview candidates

6. Adjourn

In the news: Franklin bus service

GHS
Posted Mar 11, 2008 @ 12:30 AM

FRANKLIN —

Debbie Drew was loading groceries into her car at Stop & Shop when she noticed a big white vehicle advertising itself as the Franklin Area Bus. She rushed over to get the skinny on what appeared to be the first public bus in town.

"Is this like a new service? Do we have a bus now?" she excitedly asked the driver. "Excellent!"

The Franklin Area Bus yesterday drove its first 13 passengers around town. It will run Monday through Saturday year-round with a regular fare of $1, 50 cents for the elderly, students and the disabled, and free for children under 6.

Read the remainder of the article here.

Monday, March 10, 2008

In the news - synchronized skaters

GHS
Posted Mar 09, 2008 @ 11:22 PM

FRANKLIN —

Mastering the perfect spiral and finding the balance to glide on one ice skate requires discipline, patience and grace.

But imagine pulling off all those tricks in concert with a group of other ice skaters.

That's precisely what the 11 Chickenellas, Franklin's Symmetric Ice Crystals synchronized skating team, have challenged themselves to do.

Synchronized skating beats singles because everyone supports one another, said Caleigh Smith, 11, who prides herself on her back-lunges.

"You have to help each other. It's harder because if somebody next to you falls down, you have to help pick them up or else you fall down. You have to support each other," said Smith.

Common Craft explains Twitter

As part of the continuing series on Web 2.0, the tools and how they are used, here is a brief explanation of Twitter from the wonderful folks at Common Craft:




Do you Twitter?

You can find my twitters under the user name of "shersteve".

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Where in Franklin? #35


Where in Franklin? #35, originally uploaded by shersteve.

We're a whole month past the day the groundhog saw his shadow but where would you find this shadow in Franklin?

The guidelines for playing "Where in Franklin?" can be found here.

Enjoy!

Where in Franklin? Answer #34


Where in Franklin? Answer #34, originally uploaded by shersteve.

I thought I had another photo to show the front of the building but some other day we'll get that. In the meantime, ltsjs was correct in identifying these flags and row of cars along RT 140 as being part of the Keigan Chevrolet auto dealership.

Thanks for playing!

Stay tuned for the next photo of somewhere in Franklin.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Video of the FY09 School Budget

What is FY09?

Fiscal Year 2009 which begins July 1, 2008 and runs through June 30, 2009. This is the budget cycle for the school year beginning September 2008 and running through June 2009.

The School Committee blog
has some video from the FY09 budget presentation at the 2/26/08 School Committee meeting.

The FY09 budget


The High School renovation options

The audio recording for the 2/26/08 School Committee meeting can be found here. It is broken out into sections to enable easy access.

Teacher layoffs now a conversation item

GHS
Posted Mar 07, 2008 @ 11:26 PM

FRANKLIN —

Responding to the recent announcement that the School Department will lay off 45 teachers next year, parent groups have been letting school officials know they are "very curious" what the impact will be on their children, said Superintendent Wayne Ogden.

And newer teachers are starting to panic, Ogden said.

"Many of our younger, less experienced staff are all very nervous about it because seniority plays into it, and they are the most vulnerable," said Ogden.

The School Committee received its budget two weeks ago, and the group is deliberating on it, Ogden said.

Read the remainder of the article here

And participate in one or more of these sessions to find out more information on what the school budget means for you and your family:

School Committee members will meet with parent communication groups in the coming weeks as follows:

April 4, at 9 a.m., at Davis Thayer;
April 11, at 8:45 a.m. at Jefferson;
March 14, at 9 a.m., at Kennedy;
March 19, at 9 a.m., Sullivan Middle School;
April 8, at 9 a.m., at Horace Mann;
March 12 at 7 p.m. at Remington; and
May 7 at 7 p.m. at Franklin High School.

Friday, March 7, 2008

In the news: Davis Thayer Invention convention


GHS
Posted Mar 07, 2008 @ 12:01 AM

FRANKLIN —

Where can you find a Rabbit Elevator, two versions of a humane mouse trap, a Pet-o-matic, and the Trash Carrier 2008?

The fifth-grade Invention Convention at the Davis Thayer School lays exclusive claim to these ingenious contraptions, along with 44 other inventions, dreamed up by fifth-graders over the last several weeks.

Fifth-grade teachers Jennifer Alger and Caitlin Colahan instructed students to invent a product using three of a number of simple machines which would solve one of life's daily problems, including a lever, pulley, hinge and inclined planes.

Read the rest of the article here.

Franklin Industry: Liko - health care patient lifts

A recent press release tells us about a new product from Liko:

FRANKLIN, Mass., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Many of the newer model beds and stretchers emerging onto the healthcare market utilize components such as frames and drive mechanisms that are within just a few inches of the floor. This means traditional mobile patient lifts can be difficult to use because their legs normally are too high to extend under these beds and stretchers. Liko's newly introduced Golvo LowBase(TM) model circumvents this problem with a lower total leg height, including wheels, of only 2 1/3 inches.

Liko's Golvo is unique among mobile lifts due to its flexible lift strap, vertical lifting motion, and parallel widening base legs. Originally introduced in 1986, Golvo represented a breakthrough in mobile lift design because its unique telescoping mast and lifting strap enabled patients to be lifted vertically, similar to an overhead ceiling mounted lifting system.

The new Golvo 7007 LowBase(TM) model is an ideal solution for applications such as lifting or transferring patients to or from low profile beds or stretchers. In addition to its low bed compatibility, the Golvo 7007 LowBase(TM) is ideal for lifts to/from the floor, horizontal lifts, and ambulation assistance for patients weighing up to 440 lbs.

About Liko North America

Liko North America is one of the world's leading suppliers of patient lifts, including mobile, overhead rail, sit-to-stand, and bariatric lifts, as well as a selection of more than 250 slings and accessories. The company is also the exclusive sponsor of the pro bono "Safe Lifting Environment" campaign designed to help prevent caregiver injuries (visit http://www.safeliftingportal.com/ for more details). For more information on Liko's complete line of patient lifts, contact Liko North America, 122 Grove Street, Franklin, MA 02038. Telephone (888) 545-6671 or (508) 553-3993; fax (508) 528-6642, or visit the Liko website at http://www.liko.com/.

Franklin does have a varied industrial base, for previous posts on industry located here, follow this link.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

In the news - birthday cake, town budget update

Happy birthday, Franklin

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting announced that he is finishing next year's town budget proposal and will have it ready next Friday.

"Obviously, budget requests (from department heads) and funds available - there's a big gap between them," said Nutting, encouraging anyone with questions to call his office. He also noted that "Old Man Winter came again" and put more stress on the town's snow and ice spending, which was $340,000 over budget prior to last week's snowstorm.

Also at last night's meeting, Town Clerk Deborah L. Pellegri invited all the town's citizens to stop by Town Hall today for a piece of birthday cake to celebrate Franklin's 230th birthday.

Read the remainder of the article here

Oak St PCC Meeting 3/6/08 6:00 PM


The next meeting of the Oak St PCC will be held at 6:00 PM, March 6th in the Oak St cafeteria.


According to the flyer that went home to Oak St parents:


At our March 6 meeting, we will host town officials to discuss school budget issues and answer questions. We have invited Ed Cafasso, a Franklin School Committee member, and a Franklin Town Council representative as our guests. So please join us for a budget discussion.


Boston Globe - At home in downtown Franklin

In can you missed this good summary from the Sunday Boston Globe:

MASSACHUSETTS MAKEOVER | GLOBE EDITORIAL

At home in downtown Franklin

Fifth in a series

FOR MOST of its existence, Franklin looked like a New England town straight out of Currier & Ives. And in some ways, it still does. While the town center languished as the region's mills declined, it still boasts a compact business district surrounded by historic homes and the leafy campus of Dean College.

During the tech boom of the 1990s, Franklin, 25 miles from Boston, turned into something else: the quintessential Interstate 495 exurb. Flex-space buildings and shopping centers clustered along the highway, and new subdivisions sprawled across what had been open space.

But that rapid development has slowed, and in recent years Franklin began confronting the problems that past growth had left behind. Among other things, that meant knitting Franklin back together by revitalizing the town center. "We had a traditional dying downtown," says Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting. Yet with an MBTA commuter rail station in the heart of town, Franklin was primed to capitalize on a movement toward transit-oriented growth.

So businesses and civic groups formed the Franklin Downtown Partnership to push for beautification and economic development. In 2001, Franklin rezoned roughly 40 acres in the town center to allow for mixed-use development; the old zoning forbade new housing in commercial zones. Because it's hard to get around without a car, Franklin joined the Greater Attleborough Taunton Regional Transit Authority and will inaugurate a bus line in March. Franklin is now using a $5 million federal grant to improve traffic flow and make other streetscape improvements downtown.

The goal, as the partnership puts it, is to make Franklin "the 'up and coming' downtown of the western suburbs." These efforts are starting to bear fruit. Since last summer, developer John Marini of Canton has completed two mixed-use buildings that are part of the $35 million Franklin Center Commons project. A third is underway, and a fourth is also planned.

Even so, this model of redevelopment remains an experiment, in Franklin and elsewhere. It gained currency during a period of economic prosperity. And to the extent that its power depends on the popularity of cute shops and upscale condos, its prospects are less certain now, as the economy falters.

Unsustainable development
Franklin grew faster in the '90s than all but a smattering of Massachusetts towns - from 22,000 residents in 1990 to more than 32,000 today. Eventually, spec houses with stiff pricetags were replacing green fields in the town, once an affordable alternative to communities closer to Boston. But this centrifugal style of development puts too many strains on public services and the environment.

As part of a project known as MetroFuture, an effort to promote sustainable development in Eastern Massachusetts, the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission studied how towns might evolve in the future. Had Franklin continued to sprawl as it did in the '90s, it would be on track to lose 2,600 acres of open space to development by 2030. In contrast, by steering development to existing population centers, areas near public transit routes, and previously developed land, the town can accommodate almost as much population growth - but would lose fewer than 1,000 acres of undeveloped land.

Ironically, the consequences of past sprawl may be helping downtown revival efforts. "The reason downtown fell into problems," says Bryan Taberner, Franklin's new planning director, "is that there was a lot of land available" elsewhere in the town. Now, he says, undeveloped land has become scarcer and more expensive, so downtown redevelopment looks more attractive than it used to. And while the construction of retail shops alone can be cost-prohibitive because of land prices, mixed-use developers can generate more revenue on the same parcel by adding one or more floors of offices and apartments above stores.

The Franklin Center Commons project suggests that the market has caught on to the advantages of such development. While the town used a grant to demolish a piano factory that once stood on part of the project site, Marini has otherwise relied on private money.

Cautionary notes
But as ambitious as that project is, it hasn't yet ushered in a mass movement back to downtown. While Marini now specializes in mixed-use development in town centers, Franklin officials say their efforts to revive their downtown haven't yet lured the kind of developers who normally build on undeveloped land on the outskirts of town.

While Franklin has been adding fewer than 100 single-family homes a year throughout this decade, about 350 such homes were built in each of the two peak years of the '90s construction boom. By comparison, the Franklin Center Commons project plan calls for only 77 condos. And even that number isn't firm; Marini says he may seek to replace condo units in one proposed building with office space, because of a weak housing market.

Moreover, while Marini thinks his new retail space will rent for a premium - about $20 to $24 per square foot, he says, compared with $12 or so in older buildings - he has yet to find tenants for much of it. Amid all of Franklin's exertions and aspirations, the laws of retail physics still apply: The town isn't just competing with other downtowns for upscale shoppers; it's also competing with nearby Wrentham Village - an outlet mall so popular that it shows up in Japanese travel books.

Of course, there's more to downtown redevelopment than just luring retail stores. "That's the easiest thing," says Marc Draisen, chairman of the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. He stresses the benefits of luring corporate employers to downtowns instead of to anonymous office parks. Then again, Nutting says, the amount of vacant office space elsewhere in the region may make Franklin's downtown a tough sell.

Even so, he figures Franklin is keeping pace with other downtowns with similar aspirations. "It's not like we've done one thing and said, 'That's it,' " Nutting says. "This is in perpetuity." Downtown Franklin frayed over the course of decades. Efforts to revive it won't succeed overnight.

© Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Remainder of the Town Council meeting 3/5/08 (audio)

The remainder of the Town Council meeting; license transfer recinded, paving money accepted, gift from the Friends of the Franklin Library accepted, second reading on bylaw amendments, etc.

Time: 27 minutes, 48 seconds



MP3 File

Citizens Comment - Rich GilDeRubio (audio)

Rich GilDeRubio makes his citizens comment questioning the proposed transfer of the school custodians to the Town. He also questions how a letter he sent to the Town Council apparently was not received by an individual councilor yet was received by other members of the Town Administration.

Time: 2 minutes, 6 seconds



MP3 File

Town Council Meeting Summary 3/5/08

The meeting was brief (approx 35 minutes total)

Opening - Citizens Comment Jane Curran (audio)

Citizens Comment - Rich GilDeRubio (audio)

Remainder of meeting (audio)

Opening Minutes 3/5/08 (audio)

The Franklin Town Council meeting opens with the normal moment of silence, Pledge of Allegiance, and a citizens comment from Jane Curran, Franklin Downtown Partnership and Jane's Frames

Time: 2 minutes, 13 seconds



MP3 File

Hopedale sports fees to increase

http://www.milforddailynews.com/homepage/x1335604271

HOPEDALE —
The cost to play a school sport will increase substantially over the next five years, according to a plan the School Committee approved at its meeting last night.

Starting next school year, the cost to play a varsity or junior varsity sport will rise by $14 per year through 2012-13, reaching $195 per sport. The seasonal and annual limits on what one family pays for athletics will also be removed in the plan.

Franklin may have to dip into savings

Franklin may have to dip into savings
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x195546037


Finance Committee update for 3/4/08

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

On the same page


On the same page, originally uploaded by shersteve.

MARCH SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 2008

Thursday, March 7, 7PM
Scrapbooking with Charleen Belcher

Wednesday, March 19, 3:30PM
Dear America Children's Book Discussion

Thursday, March 20, 7:30PM
Sean Murphy with Big Dig Stories

Saturday, March 29, 8:30-4PM
2008 New England Family History Conference
91 Jordan Road
Franklin, MA 02038


Check out the library page to see if there are any updates to this schedule.

Where in Franklin? #34


Where in Franklin? #34, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Where would you find this row of cars and flags in Franklin?

The guidelines for playing "Where in Franklin?" can be found here.

Enjoy!

Where in Franklin? Answer #33


Where in Franklin? Answer #33, originally uploaded by shersteve.


Steve correctly identified picture #33 as part of the Franklin Commons on East Central St near Dunkin Dounts and Goodyear.

Thanks for playing Steve!

Stay tuned for the next in the series "Where in Franklin?"

Town Council Meeting agenda for 3/5/08

The agenda for the Town Council Meeting 3/5/08 has been posted to the town web site here. The PDF File with the details, previous minutes, etc. can be found here.

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Worthy of note in this agenda is the acceptance of Executive Session minutes from 1/23/08 (maybe a mistake as the copy is not actually included, and the copy that is included references the notes as of the meeting 1/9/08), October 27, 2007 and September 5, 2007.

What makes these note worthy?


The contract for the Town Administrator was approved with a 9-0 vote on 9/5/07. During the meeting 10/27/07, the contract still had not been signed so it could not be announced.

Were there other Executive Meeting minutes where this was discussed before the announcement finally became public?

Ah, maybe that is what is in the 1/23/08 minutes that weren't included?

Monday, March 3, 2008

Recap of School Budget situation

The School Committee meeting on 2/26/08 was long and eventful. The audio sections for the meeting are available here.

If you can't spend three hours listening to the meeting, you can skip to the appropriate section to get the original voices for the following items:

  • Franklin is receiving $2.4 M from the Dept. of Education, effectively a 9% increase over FY08 for the schools
  • The Town, however, is planning for the schools to only receive a 1.5% increase in funding over FY08 which results in the expected layoffs of 45 teachers, increased busing fees, and increased class sizes.
  • Rep Vallee does a wonderful job obtaining money for Franklin but it won't last forever.
  • The High School renovation options cost $90-100 million which is cheaper than building a new school which would cost $120-130 million.
  • The FHS accreditation is on "warning" status now due to the inaction in addressing the high school facility shortcomings. This was expected.
  • The Forensic Report has triggered a number of actions by the School Dept amongst them cost center based budgets (each school is now a cost center), improved accounting of funds in the budget, and interviews for a new finance director were scheduled for 2/27/08.
  • The KCD Policy passed by a vote of 6-1 which now requires all donations to be applied to non-operating expenses and rejects funds previously targeted for specific operational efforts (i.e. the Brick classroom).
  • The communications campaign about the real health issues amongst the Franklin school population as reported in the MetroWest Survey is about to begin with a gathering of representatives from the various groups and organizations in the town. The report will be reviewed in that forum. That group will then make plans for communicating and taking action to address the issues.

from the School Committee blog - FY09 Budget

FY09 budget presentation

By Jeffrey Roy on Budget

On February 26, 2008, Superintendent Wayne Ogden presented the proposed FY09 budget to the School Committee. During the presentation, Ogden explained that the school department needs a 6.7 percent budget increase to provide level service, but is slated to receive only 1.5 percent from the town. This includes the loss of about $400,000 in projected [...]

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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Completing the Superintendent's Report (audio)

The remaining items of the Superintendent's report for this meeting. Wayne Ogden has already covered much of them with the prior presentations, here he gets into (1) an update on the MetroWest Health Study and next steps and (2) an update on the actions from the Forensic Report.

The meeting goes into Executive Session with a roll call vote.

Time: 7 minutes, 12 seconds



MP3 File

FHS Accreditation Warning Received (audio)

During the Superintendent's Report, Wayne Ogden talks about the warning letter received by the High School from the accreditation body due to the lack of progress being made on the issues with the facility that were brought up previously.

If progress is not made, the next step would be "probation" and the final step could be removal of accreditation from the high school.

The School Committee is looking to form a building committee in the next several weeks.

Time: 12 minutes, 25 seconds



MP3 File

KCD Policy - Gifts (audio)

The School Committee gets to the final discussion and vote on the policy. Matt Kelly attempts to amend the form and when that fails he remains as the lone negative vote when the policy passes 6-1.

Deb Pellegri speaks on behalf of the Brick School Association.

Time: 23 minutes, 23 seconds



MP3 File

Some of the Actions items (audio)

Some were covered with the budget transfers, these are the first action items before they get to the one big discussion on the KCD Policy.

Time: 1 minute, 11 seconds



MP3 File

FY 2007 2008 budget transfers (audio)

Three actions: (1) to close out FY07 with some transfers to balence the accounts for the closed fiscal year. (2) Acceptence of the total bottomline number for FY08 now that the audit findings have been reconciled. (3) The first of several periodic transfers amongst line items in the budget as per the recommendation by the Forensic Audit.


Time: 19 minutes, 11 seconds



MP3 File

FY09 Budget Q&A Part 2 (audio)

The second part of the Q&A on the FY09 Budget discussion. Broken into two parts only for the sake of splitting into smaller sections. Discussion involved Rohrbach, Kelly, Roy, Ogden, and Sabolinski.

Time: 17 minutes, 27 seconds



MP3 File

FY09 Budget Q&A Part 1 (audio)

Following the presentation on the FY09 budget, this is part 1 of the Q&A session. Participating in this section are Cafasso, Roy, Ogden, Sabolinski, and Mullen.

Time: 18 minutes, 48 seconds



MP3 File

In the Globe today

Schools set to cut 45 staff, teachers

By Rachel Lebeaux, Globe Correspondent

Franklin schools could lay off 45 teachers and other staff members next year in what's shaping up to be a particularly grim budget season.


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Where in Franklin? #33


Where in Franklin? #33, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Can you identify where this porch and building is located in Franklin?

The guidelines for playing "Where in Franklin?" can be found here.

Have fun!

Where in Franklin? Answer #32


Where in Franklin? Answer #32, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Anonymous provided the correct answer to picture #32. Yes, it is Ficco's Bowladrome on East Central St (RT 140).

Stay tuned for the next challenge!

Thank you all for playing.

In the news - FHS could cost big bucks

Franklin High renovation could near $100 million

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

The School Committee was left in ``sticker shock'' last week after hearing the price of each option to repair or rebuild Franklin High School.

Kaestle Boos Associates presented three design options for renovating and adding to the building, with costs ranging from $93 to $100 million, and a fourth scenario to build a completely new school for $120 to $130 million.

The School Committee began discussions on repairing the high school in 2005, when the New England Association of Schools and Colleges issued its evaluation of the building, which called for major structural improvements. The association said the school, built in 1971, was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the locker rooms were in disrepair, the floors needed to be fixed, and noted the lack of an auditorium, among other problems, said School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy.
Read the remainder of the article here.

You can also listen to the presentation and Q&A period from the School Committee meeting here.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Goodbye - Anonymous Comments

I have gone back and forth on this issue of anonymity a number of times in my own mind and after reading here, I have decided to remove anonymous comments from the various blogs I control. This change is effective 3/1/08.

This is not turning away conversation.

This is ensuring that the conversation is based in honesty and real identity.

It also helps that Google has enabled additional accounts to be used to comment.

If you have any issues with anonymity, you can email me (as you won't be able to comment) after March 1. Email to shersteve at gmail dot com

Note: as part of an overall comment policy, all comments must be phrased in respectful words. If they are not, they will be summarily deleted just like all s*p*a*m comments.

FY 2009 - Franklin School Budget info

The full budget can be found here (PDF)

The budget presentation made 2/26/08 can be found here (PDF)

The audio for the Q&A from the 2/26/08 meeting will be available here
Due to technical difficulties, I missed recording most of the actual presentation

An update on the Forensic Audit can be found here.



You can also go directly to the Schools page to find these budget files.

Attention Franklin Train Commuters

I almost missed this article but it does affect us on the Franklin line:

... a fresh source of delays and hassles this spring and summer for riders taking Acela and other Amtrak trains to New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and other Northeast corridor destinations. It could also mean trouble for MBTA commuter rail riders on the Attleboro/Providence, Franklin, Needham, and Stoughton branches, which use segments of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor.

Although some of the work is not directly related to the concrete tie problem, Amtrak has decided to shut down a T commuter rail track between Back Bay and Readville stations for maintenance June 14-17, T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said late yesterday. That four-day period coincides with when Amtrak plans to shut down all service between Boston and New Haven and run bus shuttles while crews complete a $76 million replacement of an 89-year-old bridge over the Thames River between New London and Groton, Conn.

Read the full Boston Globe article here.

June 14-17 may be a good time to plan to either work from home or plan an alternate route to Boston. Saturday, Sunday (6/14-15) will affect the weekend travelers. Monday, Tuesday (6/16-17) will affect the regular commuters.

In the new - Washington St accident, China protest, immigrant legal advice

Man killed in crash

By Joyce Kelley/Daily News staff

A 49-year-old Rhode Island man driving an 18-wheel tractor trailer died in a crash on Washington Street yesterday morning, police said.

Police declined to identify the man or his hometown until his relatives are notified, said Lt. Thomas Lynch. No one else was involved or injured in the accident, he said.

The man was dead when police arrived at the accident near 890 Washington St., in front of Temple Etz Chaim about 11:15 a.m., said Lynch. A driver behind the truck saw the accident and alerted police, he said.

The truck snapped two utility poles in half, said Fire Captain James Klich.

"We don't know exactly what happened, but ... it took out three utility poles," Lynch said.

Read the remainder of the article here

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Human Rights group to use Marathon route to protest

By Michael Morton/Daily News staff

Three weeks before the Boston Marathon grabs the world's attention, a group alarmed by China's alleged human rights abuses plans to use the same Hopkinton-to-Boston route to publicize its cause: protesting this summer's Olympic Games.

"We believe the Olympic Games represent something universal and good," said Steve Gigliotti, the Massachusetts spokesman for the Human Rights Torch Relay. "The Olympics and human rights violations cannot coexist within China."

Seeking to expose alleged abuses ahead of the games, protest supporters lit a torch in Athens, Greece, in August and have since carried it to Europe, South America and Australia. The group has chosen Boston and its Marathon route to introduce its initiative to the United States and North America.

"Boston symbolizes the birthplace of freedom and liberty in the U.S.," Gigliotti said. "We decided it was a nice fit."

While he will have help carrying the torch, triathlete and marathoner Paul Guzzi, who lives in Franklin and works in Wellesley, will run the entire 26-mile route for the March 30 event. He volunteered after being told of abuses in China by his mother, who practices Falun Gong's tenets and became involved with the torch effort.

Read the remainder of the article here.

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Rocky road to citizenship

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Immigration lawyer Chris Lavery sees the problem too often: an employer who hasn't paid his illegal worker for four months. Lavery has to tell the illegal immigrant what the law says: they have no recourse.

"I'd like to see some sort of cure for that," he said, responding to Librarian Margaret Ellis' question about what immigration issue he'd like to see examined during elections.

Ellis invited Lavery to speak about modern immigration law to draw out the theme in "Dark Tide," by Stephen Puleo, a non-fiction book that she urges the whole town to read.

"The book deals with immigration in the early part of the 20th century. I wanted to (see) how different is immigration today? In some ways, it's the same, just a different group of people," Ellis said.

Read the remainder of the article here.

Franklin Industry: Arthrosurface

A recent press release brings this to my attention
Franklin, MA-based Arthrosurface, a developer of less-invasive joint resurfacing systems with some 7,000 of its devices now implanted in patients, announced today that is has taken in roughly $4 million in Series F funding. With the new round, the company has raised approximately $31 million in equity from repeat investor Boston Millennia Partners and private investors.
So what does Arthrosurface do?
Arthrosurface is entering its fourth year of commercial launch with approximately 7,000 devices implanted by more than 2,000 surgeon users in the various joint applications of the HemiCAP(R) system. Last year, US implant sales were up 55% with strong growth across all key product lines. In particular, sales of the company's first US knee device, the Patello-Femoral HemiCAP(R), grew 237% year on year. "We have found that within the first year of clinical launch, implanting surgeons closely monitor patient progress and, once they have confirmed positive results, sales begin to rise significantly. An excellent example of this was our great toe product. Cases went from a few hundred in the first year to thousands within two years. We expect similar adoption with the release of our new products," commented company president Steve Tallarida.

The company's HemiCAP(R) systems consist of a range of contoured
articular prosthetics and instrumentation intended for the repair of significant lesions and cartilage damage in the major joints. Arthrosurface continues to grow its line of shoulder, great toe, patello-femoral and hip products in the US. These same products are sold in Europe in addition to its knee femoral condyle and talar dome devices.
Imagine that. Franklin used to be known for textiles and straw hats. Someday it may be known for joint repair products.

For more info on Arthrosurface you can visit their web site. Select patient and follow the links to see what they can do for your hip, shoulder, great toe, etc.

Check out the video coverage they have received here.

And most importantly, their customer testimonials can be found here.

They are located at 28 Forge Parkway.