In the News - override views mixed, FINCOM to hear school budget

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 13, 2008 @ 09:08 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

Dale Lippert, a retired instructor from Dean College, didn't pause before expressing his thoughts on a tax override to save the schools from drastic layoffs and cuts this year.

Sitting at the Honey Dew Donuts on Rte. 140, Lippert shook his head, and looking to his friend, another senior, said, "It's not going to happen."

"The bucket is only so deep. I don't think it's a Franklin issue - I think it's a U.S. issue, an economy issue," said Lippert, lamenting the rising cost of gas, milk, and bread.

People on fixed incomes can't meet their basic needs, and others are losing their homes, he said.

"I was a teacher, and I'm 150 percent in favor of education, but there has to be fiscal responsibility. They can't just keep asking people (for more)," Lippert said.

If Franklin puts a tax override question on a ballot this year, he predicted, "a gray revolution" - the senior generation organizing to fight it - adding that he'd be "on the front line."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News

----------------------------

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 13, 2008 @ 08:33 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

Tonight, School Committee Chairman Jeff Roy will make two financial requests of the Finance Committee: To support a tax override and agree to a $58.6 million budget for schools - $3.2 million on top of Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting's proposed $55.4 million budget.

The School Committee is seeking the tax hike to fund a budget sufficient to maintain the same level of services, teachers and staff at schools.

An adequate tax override would prevent 45 layoffs (mostly teachers) in schools and increased pay-to-ride fees, and save the late bus.

"I'm hoping the Finance Committee will support an override, or at least an override question. I think it's the only real option, because there aren't any real sources of (additional) revenue," he said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Poll #2

Thank you for your feedback to the first poll.
My second one is now along the right column under the subscription options.

How do you prefer to catch up on what happens with a meeting?

You have three options and can choose one: audio files, audio and text, or text.

I have experimented with all three delivery methods over the last several months. I have my preference. Now you get to express your choice.

Letter From Ed Cafasso

Hello everyone!

I hope you had a restful weekend. As promised, here is an update on school budget matters, including a schedule of important public hearings that you may wish to attend.

The School Committee this week voted unanimously in support of a level service budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. That means we will ask the Town Council for approximately $4 million in additional funding, enough to cover our increasing costs so that we can support the same level of service students and parents currently receive.

As you know, Town Administrator Jeff Nutting has proposed that the schools receive only $800,000 in additional revenue for fiscal year 2009. If the Town Council accepts Mr. Nutting’s proposed funding level, the School Committee and Supt. Ogden would need to impose $3.2 million in cuts, including:

- 15 teaching positions at elementary level

- 12.5 teaching positions at middle school

- 17 teaching positions at FHS

- A $100 increase in the pay-to-ride bus fee hike, and

- The end of late bus service for students who need to stay after school for academic, clubs and extracurricular programs.

To date, we have not received any indications that the Town Council is willing to support additional funding for the schools beyond Mr. Nutting’s proposed appropriation. In light of this, the School Committee also voted unanimously to authorize Committee Chairman Jeff Roy to pursue the possibility of placing a Proposition 2½ override on the town ballot.

Dozens of you have written to me and to other members of the School Committee to express your deep concern over the impact of these potential cutbacks, including inappropriate class sizes, reductions in arts, music and extracurricular offerings, intolerable burdens for working families; destabilized property values, etc.

I appreciate all of the messages of support I have received and the great many smart questions parents are asking. I urge you to make your opinions known to the elected members of the Finance Committee and the Town Council. I have included their email addresses below, arranged in easy cut-and-paste blocks.

Finance Committee members:

RobustAlternatives@comcast.net; feldjamin@hotmail.com; pmessere@earthlink.net; rebecca65@comcast.net; mark.cataldo2@verizon.net; jfc322151@yahoo.com; pat@cbsfinances.com; csmaire@aol.com; wnorman18@comcast.net; rfvitale@msn.com; John.redwine@fmr.com; jnutting@franklin.ma.us

Town Council members: cdds2@comcast.net; bartlett.family@comcast.net; judpfeffer@verizon.net; TDoak@comcast.net; smason2@comcast.net; DMC2466298@aol.com; Vallee480@aol.com; whalen_stephen@hotmail.com; szollo@mbbp.com; jnutting@franklin.ma.us There are several public meeting opportunities coming up at which you also can ask questions of your elected officials and express your views as voters and taxpayers. These include;

Monday, April 14: The Finance Committee will hold a hearing to examine the School Department’s proposed FY09 budget at 7 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers on the 2^nd floor of the Municipal Building.

Tuesday, April 15: Town Administrator Jeff Nutting and School Supt. Wayne Ogden will appear at the meeting of the Franklin Schools at 9 a.m. at Horace Mann Middle School.

Tuesday, April 29: The School Committee will hold its public hearing on the school budget at 7 p.m. on 2^nd floor of the Municipal Building.

Wednesday, May 7: The Town Council will hold its hearing on the School Department budget at 7 p.m. on the 2^nd floor of the Municipal Building.

Thanks again for your feedback and support. I will do my best to keep you informed. The next three to four weeks will be crucial in determining the state of our schools this fall. Stay tuned. Stay involved.

Ed Cafasso, Member

Franklin School Committee

Fire Station Open House (audio)

The ceremonies from the Fire Station Open House on Saturday. The speakers were in order: Lou Allevato, Building Committee Chair; Chris Feeley, Town Council Chair; Rep Vallee and his special assistant; Chief McCarraher; and Father Bob from St Mary's.

Time: 17 minutes, 50 seconds



MP3 File

Franklin Fire Station Open House 4/12/08

Franklin Fire Station Open House 4/12/08, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The speakers (in order of appearance) at the Fire Station Open House held Saturday 4/12/08:

Top left - Lou Allevato, Building Committee Chair
Top right - Chris Feeley, Town Council Chair
Mid left - Rep Vallee and his special assistant
Mid right - Chief McCarraher
Bottom left - Father Bob
Bottom right - the flag raising

Where in Franklin? #44

Where in Franklin? #44, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Where are you in Franklin to find this site?

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

Where in Franklin? Answer #43

Where in Franklin? Answer #43, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The answer to picture #43 is the former Tompson Printing Press building along Dean Ave.

ltsjs contiued their streak of correct answers. Thanks for playing.

------

What was this building used for before Thompson? I have been here almost 13 years but have only seen the building from the train as I go to or return from Boston.

Can anyone fill in some details?

In the News - solar powered trash, fire station

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 12, 2008 @ 10:00 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

Just in time for the town's Earth Day celebration April 19, the public works department has installed two $4,000 solar-powered trash compactors on Main Street and at the Beaver Pond recreation complex.

The "BigBelly" cordless trash compactors can hold up to 200 gallons of garbage - up to six times the typical load, said Denise Zambrowski, Environmental Affairs Coordinator for the Department of Public Works.

"It's really a neat invention. Using solar energy, it will help us maintain a neat (town), just controlling litter and trash in our parks, in our ball fields.

"It's a really interesting invention to help us deal with solid waste management in public places," said Zambrowski, who first learned about BigBelly at an energy efficiency workshop.

Read the full article at the Milford Daily News

----------------------------

By Staff reports

Milford Daily News

Posted Apr 12, 2008 @ 11:05 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

The town of Franklin on Saturday opened its new fire station on West Central Street. The new 22,250 square foot station more than twice of the facility it replaced, which was built on the same site in 1922 and demolished last year.

This is the complete article but you can click through to see the photo at the Milford Daily News.

FINCOM Meeting Summary 4/9/08

I did not manage to capture all of the meeting but what I was able to capture during the first hour is written of and or recorded as follows:

FINCOM: Facilities - Demand/Response opportunity (...

FINCOM: Facilities - Gas/Electric Bidding (audio)

FINCOM: Facilities - lighting (audio)

FINCOM: Facilities Budget FY 09 Overview (audio)

FINCOM: Library Budget FY 09 (audio)

FINCOM: Technology Budget FY 09 (audio)

FINCOM: Comptroller Budget FY 09 (audio)

FINCOM - Facilities

FINCOM - Town budge review

FINCOM - Library

FINCOM: Facilities - Demand/Response opportunity (audio)

Mike D'Angelo talks with Brett Feldman and the Finance Committee about the next opportunity for cost saving in the utilities area as they discuss "demand/response".

Time: 3 minutes, 22 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Facilities - Gas/Electric Bidding (audio)

Mike D'Angelo reviews the commodity bidding process for gas and electric for the town facilities and how this alone has saved millions of dollars over the ten years or so since he started this process first with the school buildings.

Time: 2 minutes, 13 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Facilities - lighting (audio)

Mike D'Angelo reviews the efforts to provide efficient lighting in the town facilities with compact fluorescent lighting (CFL), etc.

Time: 2 minutes, 5 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Facilities Budget FY 09 Overview (audio)

From the Franklin Finance Committee meeting 4/9/08, Mike D'Angelo reviews the budget for the facilities. One of the good pieces of work done to reduce cost by managing on a rationale and consolidated approach.

Time: 10 minutes, 4 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Library Budget FY 09 (audio)

From the Franklin Finance Committee meeting on 4/9/08, the discussion on the Library Budget for FY 09. Felicia Oti, Jeff Nutting were key participants.

Time: 21 minutes, 14 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Technology Budget FY 09 (audio)

From the Finance Committee meeting on 4/9/08, the discussion on the Technology budget for FY 09. Jeff Nutting, Tim Raposa, Ken Norman, Jim Roche amongst others.

Time: 12 minutes, 16 seconds



MP3 File

FINCOM: Comptroller Budget FY 09 (audio)

From the Finance Committee meeting on 4/9/08, the discussion on the Comptroller budget for FY 2009. Jeff Nutting, Susan Gagner, Ken Norman, Rebecca Cameron, and Jim Roche participate.

TIme: 12 minutes, 44 seconds



MP3 File

The proposed Town budget can be found here (PDF).

Regionalization, consolidation, two avenues to explore

In order to maintain a sufficient level of service in any industry, it is imperative to look at the process and the cost drivers. While much has been said and written on the rising costs for employees and they generally account for much of the overall costs in a company; the employees are only one leg of the three leg stool: people, process, technology.

Technology for technology sake is expensive. Technology implemented properly should enable the the people to execute the process more effectively and more efficiently, hence in a less costly manner. Then and only then does technology provide a return on investment in a short period. But you don't look at technology first.

Assume you have the best people, and start by looking at the process. Are they working in the most efficient and effective manner? If not, identify the steps in the process that hinder effectiveness and make changes. Goldratt's Theory of Constraints is a good model to follow.

As you work the constraints out of the process, you can look to apply technology. You may also find that the employees require additional training or that some may not be a good fit for the new process. Making those adjustments on a continuous and phased process will ensure continued improvement.

Part of the process evaluation should include an examination of the scope of work. Massachusetts is a commonwealth of 351 communities all self governed, most with their own municipal infrastructure: police, fire, library, schools, etc. It is time to look carefully at some of these areas to see where and how either regionalization or consolidation can help each local community continue to provide services but at a reasonable cost to the community.

Franklin has taken steps in this area with the consolidation of facilities, data processing and the current discussion underway on the consolidation of maintenance services. Properly done this will ensure delivery of service at the best cost. It may not guarantee a reduced cost, some cost factors will still be rising but the management of them will be done one time instead of multiple times (one department, not two or three).

The Milford Daily News last week had an article on this topic and the Marlborough Fire Chief was quoted as saying:

"Is (regionalization) possible? Absolutely," he said. "Is it feasible, able to be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time? No, not with what I'm looking at. I'm not opposed to regionalization or the concept of it, but there's a lot that goes into the makeup of trying to regionalize."

It will take time but the time to start is now. This is no reason to wait.

In the News - fire station open house, blues at Cottage St Pub

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 10, 2008 @ 11:31 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

Eight years after the idea was first proposed, the town has a new fire station.

To mark the occasion, the department is hosting a dedication ceremony tomorrow and inviting the public inside for a look around.

"We're thrilled," said Fire Chief Gary McCarraher. "Our employees went from the old station, which was virtually crumbling, to (13 months in) a trailer.

"It's great to get them into a professional place to conduct business," McCarraher said of the new $9.3 million building constructed on the site of the former station at 40 West Central St.

"The troops really suffered during construction. It was cramped, especially in the winter," he said.

McCarraher and Lou Allevato, chairman of the Fire Station Building Committee, Town Council Chairman Chris Feeley and other dignitaries will speak at the dedication, which begins at 11 a.m.

The station will be open for public tours until 2 p.m.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News

----------------------------

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 10, 2008 @ 11:13 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

A local pub owner has given the green light to the blues.

Inspired by the widely known Yard Rock Cafe in Quincy, Cottage Street Pub owner Phil Butkevich is bringing the blues to town this month.

Those who are blues fans run "from one end of the spectrum to the other - the blue collar worker to the white collar worker," Butkevich said.

"It's good sitting music, and it's good if you want to dance. Sometimes you're at a club, and the music's kind of loud. Personally, I think when you look at bands and hear the trombone, brass, bass and bugles, you're getting better quality sound," he said.

Every weekend this month, Butkevich will host at least one blues band from the Interstate 495/Rhode Island area at his 130-person-capacity pub.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News

Franklin School Budget Reductions (updated)

A few minor updates have come in to render this new version:

| View | Upload your own

Thank you for your inputs

In the News - override, library, budget

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 10, 2008 @ 01:08 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

The idea of a tax override to prevent massive school layoffs has drawn mixed reaction so far.

The School Committee plans to talk with the Town Council and Finance Committee about giving townspeople an alternative to the cuts that will be required under the budget proposed by Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

While Nutting's budget gives $800,000 more for schools than last year's budget of $54.6 million (a 1.5 percent increase, totaling $55.4 million), the district needs $58.6 million - a 7.4 percent increase - just to maintain the same level of services and keep teachers and staff, said School Superintendent Wayne Ogden.

Ogden has outlined some of the major impacts of accepting Nutting's proposed budget of $55.4 million: 45 layoffs (mostly teachers), elimination of the late bus, a pay-to-ride fee hike, and increased class sizes.

Town Councilor Stephen Whalen said he "fully supports" putting a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override question before voters.

"It would be extremely difficult to get it passed, but in my opinion, its passage would be in the best interests of the town," Whalen said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News

---------------------

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 10, 2008 @ 01:02 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

In continued budget hearings last night, the Finance Committee approved several departmental budgets including a reduction in the library budget that the library director adamantly opposed.

Franklin Public Library Director Felicia Oti requested a $976,985 budget, a figure that would allow her to fund replacing two full-time-equivalent positions in the children's department, but the committee instead approved about $800,000 as proposed by Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

The library's budget last year was $925,196, said Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche.

Prior to the vote, Oti argued that the library is understaffed and that morale is at "an all-time low."

"It's the lowest it's been in the 10 years I've been at the library," Oti said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News