Franklin Matters

Thursday, December 11, 2008

"We've gotten our money's worth"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Dec 10, 2008 @ 10:46 PM

FRANKLIN —

The School Committee is recommending the town's school building committee remove all modular classrooms at Davis Thayer Elementary School and Franklin High School as soon as school ends next summer.

"The modulars throughout the system are reaching the end of their usable life, and those are the oldest in town," said Chairman Jeffrey Roy.

Davis Thayer's two modular classrooms at the corner of Union and West Central streets are probably the least popular because they are ugly, Roy said.

"They're an eyesore in the middle of town. I know a lot of people wanted them down from the standpoint of beautification, but we had to get as much life out of them as possible," said Roy.

When the district laid off teachers at Davis Thayer, two classrooms were left vacant, so it is now possible to dismantle the schools' modular classrooms, Roy said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

For all that occurred during the School Committee meeting on 12/9/08, click here.

single tax rate stays

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Dec 10, 2008 @ 10:47 PM

FRANKLIN —

Town Council unanimously voted a slight increase in the tax rate for fiscal 2009, also keeping a single tax rate for residential and business properties last night.

As recommended by the Board of Assessors, the council approved raising the tax rate from $10.23 per $1,000 of property to $11.17 per $1,000.

Doing so will bump up the average residential bill by about 2.1 percent, or $88 for the average house, which is less than past annual increases, said Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

The tax rate is somewhat misleading. It will fluctuate as the residential valuations go down (next year is likely to see a greater decrease) the rate will increase.

Bottom line, the overall tax revenues the town can receive are capped at less than 2.5% unless there is an override. The override in June failed so the increase is 2.1%.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Live reporting - Energy $ense - Part 2

Part 1 can be found here

The audio version of this section can be found here

brief interlude for the presentation switch

Fred introduces Matt

Matt Arner
SolarFlair Energy, Inc.
Hopkinton, MA

Solar electricity
solar hot water (mostly for domestic hot water use)

How does the system work?

The solar grid feeds the inverter (the brains of the system)
The inverter is tied to the breaker panel, just like another breaker with the exception that it provides power into the breaker panel (not drawing from like the normal breakers).
If you are generating more power than you need to use, you send the extra back out through the meter to the power company. Effectively turning back the meter.
Matt's home system is generating enough that it pays for 90% of the electricity they use.

How did Matt do it?

Bought and converted to energy efficiency appliances
converted more appliances
then installed hot water system
then installed solar system
almost 100% solar powered but over time, a five year plan

Matt's company uses local products (Marlboro and Lawrence)

How much does it cost?

Payback: approx 7-8 years
System life: 25 years

They partner with a local bank to provide no upfront cost (outside of the grants and tax credits).
So you could effectively pay the same amount for green solar as you would for your normal electrical monthly bill.

expecting to see an 8% increase in electric rates

For commercial installations

Payback: 5 years
Return on Investment: 14%

for solar electric you need a minimum of 4 hours of real direct sun daily
solar hot water becomes a good alternative if you don't have the south facing roof

They make the process easy. The permitting process can take up to 3 months, the actual installation takes 2-3 days.

For more information on SolarFlair Energy, Inc. please click through to their web site. It has additional information on the solar water heating, solar electricity and several photos of residential and commercial installations.

If you want to examine the potential for solar for your home, you can follow the steps to start here.

For commercial installations, you can follow the steps to start here.

Renewable Energy Installers

Solar Energy Business Association of New England (SEBANE)

North East Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Directory

Information on Installers, Costs, and Locations

Other Solar Resources

Disclaimer: The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) has not investigated, and expressly disclaims any duty to investigate, any company, product, service, process, procedure, design, or the like which may be presented on the aforementioned websites. The presentation of these website links does not constitute endorsement, warranty, or guaranty by MTC of any company, product, service, process, procedure, design, or the like. The entire risk of any information presented is assumed by the user.

Live reporting - Energy $ense

At the Franklin Library for the Energy $ense series presentation on Solar and Wind Installations. What grants and incentives are available?

Introduction by Ted McIntyre and Fred Schlicher

The audio version of this can be found here

Tyler's presentation:

Franklin Energy $ense Seminar

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: solar energy)

Tyler Leeds
Project Manager, Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust

Plug for energy efficiency
http://www.masssave.com/

Background
Commonwealth Solar
Micro Wind
Larger Wind
Q&A

Over 1000 active projects generating renewable energy in MA

Solar PV - photovoltaic

Map showing 50 communities within MA that are not eligible for grants

Key goals of Commonwealth Solar

coordinate efforts with MA DOER
target of 250 megawatts (NW) installed
provide a streamlined rolling rebate process
maintain a quality control function

MA is achieving 8 MW now, the goal of 27 MW is set for 2011

Rebates for residential up to 5 kilowatt systems (average home uses 4 kilowatts)
They would rebate 20 to 40 % of the installation

refer to website for details on the step by step process to install and apply

www.masstech.org/solar/

Q - where do farms fall?
A - farms are non-residential

Initial installations of micro wind have not been yielding as much as had been expected.
Still a learning process, where does it make sense, where doesn't it?

The opportunity maybe in the neighborhood net metering process. A neighborhood would get together to install a larger turbine for the 8-10 neighbors to utilize instead of a single installation.

Some municipalities do have special permitting processes for turbines

Big Apple Farm is looking to install the same size turbine as the one announced for the Mount St Mary's Abbey.

Location is key for wind, solar actually provides a better ROI than wind.

Q - is there a website that would provide information on wind strength
A - yes, one of the first things they did was to develop wind maps. (link to be provided later).

Multiple questions, good discussion, hopefully the recording will catch these.

Data acquisition system can tie to a website to provide real time updates on energy generated.
(update later)

All the steps to the process of determining eligibility for a solar rebate through to the installation and successful operation can be found on the masstech.org/solar site here.

The second part of the evening covered a local installer whose service includes navigating the permitting and approval process for the home owner or commercial owner.

How to Avoid the Holiday Over-Eating Blues

As the holiday season gets busy, Christine Kane has some great advice on how to physically survive the parties. In particular, I see point #5 as being very important. I hope you enjoy this!

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Office parties. Family gatherings. Neighborhood open-houses. Like it or not, holiday time is party time!

Since the season is here, I want to introduce you to a concept that might just make your holidays a little more enlightened:

overeating

Nervous Food.

Nervous Food is my name for any edible thing we shove into our mouths when we're in social situations. Not because we WANT it. But because it's there.

Like the mushroom caps - stuffed with what could easily be described as Alpo. Or the crab puffs that we snarf down, as Hal from HR recites the latest office policy on Instant Messaging.

First, let me be clear: this is not about diets or weight-loss.

This is about going unconscious.

It's about leaving your present-moment awareness back in the comfort of your quiet home.

Here are a few techniques to help you stay conscious and connected in any social situation. Try them, and you might discover that you can leave parties feeling energized and purposeful. Not stuffed and buzzed.

1 - Take a pre-party temperature reading.

Take your "temperature" about social settings.

Are you uncomfortable at parties? Do you eat food without tasting it? Can you talk about anything with anyone? Or do you prefer an intense conversation with one or two people? Do you often feel left out or uneasy? Do you try to be in the know?

There are no right answers. This is to simply get clear about your desires and behaviors, and to honor that clarity. Self-awareness is the starting point.

2 - Set your intentions.

Prior to any social situation, set intentions.

What does this mean?

This means that you create your experience before you walk through the door of the event. It means that YOU set the tone for your whole evening.

Do this before you leave your house. Or while sitting in your car outside the party.

Simply intend who you will BE and what you will DO at this event.

Some examples:

I'm a great listener. I truly taste the food I eat. I delight in other people's passions and interests. I have lots of fun without overindulging. I attract the perfect conversations. I am loved.

Your intention is powerful and will act as sort of a beacon to guide you during the party.

3 - Give yourself permission to say NO

Most of us say a knee-jerk "yes" to every invitation we get without asking ourselves if we really want to go.

Saying no doesn't mean you're saying no to the party or the people. It might mean that you're saying "yes" to yourself.

Maybe you need to go to bed early. Or you want to spend a quiet night writing in your journal.

Sometimes we eat out of distractedness and nervousness because our deepest desires aren't being met. When we ignore our true desires, we might try to compensate by filling up on "shadow desires." Shadow desires often come in the form of food and alcohol.

4 - Attract, Don't Push

Parties can be highly charged. Sometimes we walk through that door and instantly feel ourselves trying to "measure up," or prove ourselves to anyone who seems hip.

If you're familiar with this behavior, try this technique:

Stop and take a breath. Intend that you attract the perfect people to you. Do it with a sense of service, and trust.

Attraction is a powerful principle. You might be amazed at how effortless the party becomes, and how surprising the conversations are! You might hear the perfect solution to a personal challenge. Or you might be an angel to someone who needs a listening ear.

5 - Become an Alcohol-Free Observer

Recently, I opted out of drinking the perfunctory glass of wine at a dinner party. I chose to be present and to simply observe. I actively listened to people and observed the conversations all around me. Not in an aloof way, but in a deep way. I had a great time!

Try it. Forego the alcohol and become an observer. Quietly and non-judgmentally witness your behavior. See how actively you can listen in conversations. Really taste the food on your plate. You might discover a whole new definition of fun!
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This is not the typical magazine advice on holiday overeating. But it does work! You really can let the holidays and the Nervous Foods teach you a thing or two about how to create awareness and space, rather than anxiety and over-eating!

Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her 'LiveCreative' weekly ezine with more than 4,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at www.christinekane.com.

WANT TO SEE HUNDREDS MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Christine's blog - Be Creative. Be Conscious. Be Courageous - at ChristineKane.com/blog.

Great video

I had the pleasure of being in the audience to hear Geoffrey Canada give this talk at the GEL Conference in 2006. It is now available in video, 23 minutes long and well worth watching.

Who is Geoffrey Canada?

In his 20-plus years with Harlem Children's Zone, Inc., Geoffrey Canada has become nationally recognized for his pioneering work helping children and families in Harlem and as a passionate advocate for education reform.

So what does Harlem have to do with Franklin?

The challenge that Geoffrey faces is very similar to one all students in MA face as well. The school budget is scrutinized relentlessly for every dollar because it costs too much, yet the prison budget is not given the same scrutiny nor are they given similar performance objectives.

Watch the video
Listen to Geoffrey
Listen to the argument he uses

There must be something in there we can use to change the approach to funding education in MA. Of course it won't be easy, but the time might be better now to try.

What do you think?