Sign restrictions

The chain link fence along the bridge over the railroad tracks has been a frequent posting spot of announcements for local activities. No longer to be used this way according to the notice there now:




Since this is a state sponsored sign, I guess this is allowed:

FM #10 - 5 things from the week ending 8/24/08

Another in a series of podcasts on what matters in Franklin, MA. This one reviews the four key items from the Town Council Meeting of 8/20/08 and the lack of a quorum for the Financial Planning Committee on 8/21/08.

Time: 18 minutes, 20 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

Music intro

My intro

From the Town Council meeting this past Wednesday, there are four things I think you should be aware of. However, the most important item from the week is the lack of a quorum at the Financial Planning Committee meeting on the 21st.

From the Town Council meeting of 8/20/08

1 - Bylaw Amendment 08-627: Chapter 4, Public Notice and Advertising of Public Hearings – 2nd Reading

As discussed in the 7/23/08 meeting, the Council moved to adjust the notifications. Jeff Nutting references 2 of the three questions from that meeting. The third question, to provide examples of such that would be covered by this, if it was answered, it does not appear during the discussion nor in the council meeting package.

The Town Council meeting package for 8/20/08 can be found here: http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2008tc/082008agenda.pdf

listen here

2 - Resolution 05-55 – Transfer of Care, Custody, Management and Control of Red Brick School From Franklin School Committee to Franklin Town Council

The Benjamin Franklin Charter School inquiry is discussed but the inquiry by the Franklin School for Modern Art is not referenced although the Milford Daily News and the Boston Globe cover both this interests.

Milford Daily News:
http://www.milforddailynews.com/homepage/x169545726/Brick-School-issues-still-need-resolution

Boston Globe:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/24/potential_tenants_study_franklins_historic_brick_school/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Globe+West

listen here

3 - Zoning Bylaw Amendment 08-625: Chapter 185-5, Town Code: Zoning Map – Business to Commercial II – 7:10 PM - covers the land of the Knights of Columbus, and along that row of Tedeschi’s, Dunkin Donuts. The hearing was closed and this item was moved to first reading

4 - Town Administrator, Jeff Nutting presented on an update on the Town's efforts to reduce auto fuel used. A "No idling" policy was issued, Jeff will come back to Council with a request to balance the fuel budget. With increase in gas prices, they are projecting they will be about $100,000 short. Jeff talked of coming back in a future meeting with some actions to handle this. Apparently there was a change in our revenue forecast due to the MBTA and GATRA assessments. This change will result in an increase in revenues of about 160,000. Stay tuned to see what happens on this front.

5 - The most important thing this week, I think was the lack of a quorum at the Financial Planning Committee meeting on 8/21/08.

The group is chartered with defining our future financial needs and then coming up with a plan to get the town to agree to. One, their own internal communications appear to be lacking. Of the nine official members, two were present, only one other was acknowledged having a prior notification of absence. What happened to the other 6?

If they can’t communicate within the group, will they be able to communicate out to us?

-----------

This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow Franklin citizens and voters by Steve Sherlock

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music

Franklin: Schools open Tuesday

Franklin: Schools open Tuesday, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Yes, the summer is coming to an end.

Dolores has her classroom ready to welcome her new set of friends at Oak Street.

Check to see what time your kindergarten orientation is on Tuesday.

Drive with alertness to keep all the Franklin students safe!

Franklin: Andro's Pizza

Franklin: Andro's Pizza, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Yes, this used to be Aroma's Caffe.

Soon it will be Andro's Pizza.

BTW - also on the food front, noticed a sign that says Nonni Roses' is now offering a full breakfast Thu-Fri-Sat.

1st floor framed

From foundation to 1st floor framed in 1 week

The foundation at 188 King St was being set up 2 weeks ago and posted here

Mobile post sent by shersteve using Utterz. Replies.

Reminder: Beaver St closed beginning 8/25/08

Reminder that due to construction Beaver Street will be closed for approx. three weeks.

The section of Beaver Street from West Central Street to Grove Street will be closed to through traffic from August 25, 2008 to approximately September 12, 2008. The purpose of the road closing is to reconstruct the Mine Brook drainage culvert.

Access up to and including Master Drive will be from West Central Street. Access to the Beaver Street Recycling Center and the Beaver Pond recreational facilities will be from Grove Street.

The original stories appeared here

Wind turbine success

How is this related to Franklin? You may recall that the Sisters of St Mary's Abbey are preparing a wind turbine of their own. It won't be quite as tall as this one. Their wind turbine is reported to be approx. 130 foot tall. This is 253 foot.

Jiminy Peak, a western Mass. mountain resort, marked the one year anniversary on August 15 of flipping the switch and connecting its 1.5 megawatt GE wind turbine to the grid. The turbine, nicknamed Zephyr, is now generating a full third of the ski resort's power. But getting there wasn't exactly a breeze.

Nestled in the Berkshires, Jiminy Peak claims to be the first privately held company in the nation to have installed a megawatt class turbine. Its Zephyr (named after the Greek god of wind) sits on a 253-ft. tower, with each of its three blades reaching approximately 123 feet into the air, making the wind turbine taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The turbine generates 4.6 million kWh (kilowatt hours) of energy or enough to light up the TVs, DVDs, microwaves and refrigerators in 613 homes for a year. Most of the power is generated in winter, when mountain winds peak, and demand at the resort is at its highest, due to the demands of snowmaking equipment.

Read the full article in InformationWeek here

Financial Planning Committee Meeting - live reporting

There is an insufficient quorum for the meeting this evening. Hence, no meeting.


Updated:
Two members present: Rebecca Cameron and Roberta Trahan
Two unofficial members present: Jeff Nutting and Wayne Ogden
One other member was acknowledged as being heard from, he was leaving town for family vacation (Steve Whalen).

In the News - Brick, 704 Washington

By Krista Perry/Daily News correspondent

GHS

Posted Aug 21, 2008 @ 12:14 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

Town councilors voted yesterday to accept the Red Brick School from the School Department, with some saying they still hope to have it be used for education by another group.

The school was declared a surplus earlier this month by the School Committee, which sought to transfer ownership of the building to the town.

The motion passed 6-1, with Councilor Robert Vallee casting the opposing vote.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

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

By Aaron Wasserman/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Aug 20, 2008 @ 10:33 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

The company owned by Councilor Joseph E. McGann and former Police Chief Lawrence Benedetto wants to withdraw its application for a retail development on Washington Street.

Their lawyer, Richard R. Cornetta Jr., made the request in a letter this week to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which votes on the matter tonight at 7:30.

McGann and Benedetto's proposal for a two-story 20,000-square-foot retail building met strong opposition from people living nearby. Mark Seifert, one of the leaders of a group called "It Does Not Fit, Do Not Permit," said he is pleased with the decision.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

704 Washington St Update

To those who have indicated to be notified about updates on the public hearings regarding the development at 704 Washington Street:

On August 18, 2008, Lajero LLC withdrew their application for variances. The application for variances were scheduled to be heard at a public hearing before the Town of Franklin Zoning Board of Appeals on August 21^st . That hearing is cancelled. No other hearings are scheduled at this time. You will be notified (via email or by standard mail) in the future of any subsequent developments. Thank you for your interest in the matter. Refer to the website www.home.comcast.net/~doesnotfit for details and future communications.

Thank you for your continued interest.

--
Mark and Julie Seifert
7 Jefferson Rd, Franklin, MA 02038
508.440.5561
www.home.comcast.net/~doesnotfit

FM #9 - Quiet Week & Look ahead

Another in a series of podcast on what matters in Franklin (MA). This looks back at the summer week that was and ahead to the Town Council and the Financial Planning Committee meetings.

Time: 9 minutes, 18 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

Music intro

My intro

This was a relatively quiet week in Franklin. Many folks out of town enjoying summer vacation. No Town Council meeting. No School Committee meeting.

So what did happen this past week?
• King St/I495 construction announced
• Repairs on the library have started

What do we have coming up this week?
• Town Council meeting on Wednesday the 20th - Agenda posted.

I think the most interesting items on the agenda:

Hearing
Zoning Bylaw Amendment 08-625: Chapter 185-5, Town Code: Zoning Map – Business to Commercial II – 7:10 PM - Knights of Columbus building and land

Presentations
• Fuel Efficiency –Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator
• Disaster Mitigation Plan- Gary McCarraher

Legislation for action

1. Resolution 08-53 – Order of Layout, Acceptance and Taking Newell Drive, Dover Circle, Cohasset Way, Sherborn Lane and Related Easements
2. Resolution 08-54 – Order of Layout, Acceptance and Taking of Hancock Road, Winthrop Road, Corey Way and Lantern Road and Related Easements
3. Resolution 05-55 – Transfer of Care, Custody, Management and Control of Red Brick School From Franklin School Committee to Franklin Town Council
4. Bylaw Amendment 08-627: Chapter 4, Public Notice and Advertising of Public Hearings – 2nd Reading
   

Financial Planning Committee is scheduled to meet on 8/21/08

This committee has their meeting schedule available on the new town web site but I don’t find anything else for them, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, etc.

Community section takes you off the new virtual Town Hall pages to a new portal provided by American Towns. Nice layout, seems to have all the prior community links moved over. In a future podcast, I’ll spend some time looking through those pages. In the meantime, go exploring. If you find something there of interest, let me know. If you find something missing, that should be there, let me know

Ben Franklin would say: "Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today."

-----------
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow Franklin citizens and voters by Steve Sherlock

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music

in the News - Center Commons, Sgt Pirelli

Franklin Center Commons moves forward

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Developer John Marini isn't letting today's economy drag down his part of Franklin's $28 million downtown revitalization project. "He's got a large amount of his own personal money involved in this," said Eileen Mason, a sales agent with Costello Realty representing the Marini property. When Marini finished constructing the first of four buildings at 9 Summer St., last May, financial advisers, consultants, and a pain management company, among others, moved quickly to rent the professional offices on the second and third floors. Mason said retailers like Pretty is Pink and ARTBEAT moved in at the street level. "It did not take long to fill out that professional office space," Mason said, noting the dual draw of the commuter rail and the high traffic. Every day, 22,000 cars travel downtown, she said.

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

Pirelli scholarship fundraiser to be held in September

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Just like his "old man," Staff Sgt. Robert Ryan Pirelli loved kids, recalled his father, Robert Pirelli, a long-time TV announcer for Franklin Youth Hockey, coach and ice cream man. While serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Pirelli played football and baseball with Iraqi kids, Robert Pirelli said, remembering with amusement how his son gave the children baseball mitts, but they didn't understand they were for catching the ball. "He threw the ball to one kid, and the kid didn't use the glove, it just hit his chest," he said, so Pirelli taught them all what the glove was for and other baseball basics. "He just loved working with kids over there. He saw the appreciation they had," Pirelli said. One child's mother made a bracelet and sent it to Rob's sister, Stacey, to thank him, his father said.

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

Father reflects on fallen Green Beret

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

For Robert Pirelli, the memories come one after the other, as time seems to collapse into vignettes of the moments he shared with his son, Staff Sgt. Robert Ryan Pirelli. Rob's post office tree-house he ran with his brother, Shawn, and sister, "Postmaster Stacey," inspired by their father, a postal worker. Rob on the ice, "accidentally" blasting a puck at the glass protecting the Franklin Youth Hockey commentator - his dad. One of the first father and son bonding moments: little Rob walking out of the house, looking at his dad's ice cream truck and back at his dad, realizing, "My dad's the ice cream man!" Robert Pirelli remembers, breaking into a smile.

Town Council - Agenda - 8/20/08

FRANKLIN TOWN COUNCIL

August 20, 2008
7:00 PM

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - None

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS – Historical Commission –Regular Member
Associate Member

F. HEARINGS – Zoning Bylaw Amendment 08-625: Chapter 185-5, Town Code: Zoning Map – Business to Commercial II – 7:10 PM

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS – Franklin Country Club- Change or manager/directors

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

• Fuel Efficiency –Town Administrator
• Disaster Mitigation Plan- Gary McCarraher

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

1. Resolution 08-53 – Order of Layout, Acceptance and Taking Newell Drive, Dover Circle, Cohasset Way, Sherborn Lane and Related Easements
2. Resolution 08-54 – Order of Layout, Acceptance and Taking of Hancock Road, Winthrop Road, Corey Way and Lantern Road and Related Easements
3. Resolution 05-55 – Transfer of Care, Custody, Management and Control of Red Brick School From Franklin School Committee to Franklin Town Council
4. Bylaw Amendment 08-627: Chapter 4, Public Notice and Advertising of Public Hearings – 2nd Reading

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN

In the news - King St/I495 construction, storyteller at library

King Street work slated at long last
By Rachel Lebeaux
Globe Correspondent / August 17, 2008

A long-awaited overhaul for busy King Street in Franklin has received an injection of state funds that will allow the project - offering improved traffic flow, better signals, and enhanced vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle safety - to move forward next spring.

The state Transportation Improvement Program has allotted $3.8 million in state and federal funds toward the project, which focuses on upgrades to the Interstate 495 ramps at King Street. Work will extend along King Street from Union Street to Upper Union Street, and include construction on Upper Union Street from King Street to Constitution Boulevard.

The project is slated to go out for bid this fall, with construction starting next spring. Robert "Brutus" Cantoreggi, director of Franklin's Department of Public Works, said he expects construction will last 18 months. While there are likely to be delays, the roads involved in the project will remain open, he said.

The project is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and improving safety measures at several bustling intersections along King Street and at Interstate 495.

Read the full article in the Boston Globe here

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

FRANKLIN -

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the Franklin Public Library is hosting Carolyn Martino, professional storyteller, actress, writer and educator at 7 p.m. in the Meeting Room.

"Enjoy the musical rhythms and joyous logic of all that is Italian in a Bella Notte of Italian storytelling as Martino captures you with her humor, warmth and style,'' says Margaret Ellis, the library's literacy coordinator.

This program is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners with funds from the LSTA, a Federal source of library funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Originally published in the Franklin Gazette on Friday August 15, 2008.

Solar powered?

I remember hearing about these new solar powered recycle devices at one of the Town Council meetings.

Great idea. Green all over. Solar powered compaction, reduces the number of times the container would need to be emptied.

Why position this device in the shade of a tree?
Will it get enough sunlight?