The Green Reel: "Everything's Cool"

The Green Reel: a series of films for sustainable living will be shown on Sunday evenings this winter.

What: "Everything's Cool"

When: 7:00 PM on February 8, 2009

Where: Agudas Achim, 901 North Main St, Attleboro or directions here

Free and open to the public.
For more info: 508-695-2389

read more about the file "Everything's Cool" here

Sponsors:

Agudas Achim
Crystal Spring Center
Simply Keep It Local
Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary
Citizens for a Sustainable Local Economy
Murray Unitarian Universalist Church
Green Committee of First Universalist Society of Franklin
New Dawn Earth Center
Oake Knoll Ayrshires
Franklin Area Climate Team
White Barn Farm
St Mark's Episcopal Church-Foxboro

Uncle Nick’s Happy Fun Hour III

FRANKLIN - The Franklin Performing Arts Company will present its second free concert in the 2009 Family Concert Series, "Uncle Nick’s Happy Fun Hour III," on Feb. 8, at 300 PM.

The musical event, open to the public, offers children the opportunity to enjoy folk classics, blues, early rock and roll, sing-alongs, dance-alongs and special guests. Guests are invited to bring their love of music and join Uncle Nick for an afternoon of fun.

Uncle Nick played to a standing-room-only crowd for the past two years.

Call 508-528-8668 by Friday, Feb. 6, to make a reservation.

The third concert in FPAC’s Family Concert Series will conclude with Opera for Children on Sunday, April 5, at 3 p.m. Visit www.FPAConline.com for details.

FPAC’s Family Concert Series is sponsored in part by Berry Insurance and the Franklin Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

This was originally posted online here

Town Council - Agenda - 2/4/09

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

F. HEARINGS -Alcoholic Beverage Licensees
– for Failure to Pass Compliance Check - 7:10 PM

• Cottage Street Pub & Grill – 1st Offense
• Pepper Terrace Restaurant – 2nd Offense

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS –

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

• Charles River Pollution Control District

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

• Resolution 09-04: Onset Circle, A Private Way: Acceptance of Covenant with Developer

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

Defibrillators coming to Franklin Line

Automated external defibrillators will soon be available to passengers on the commuter rail system, which includes stations in Attleboro, South Attleboro, Mansfield, Norfolk and Franklin, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Co. were expected to announce today.

Read the full article in the Attleboro Sun here

Failure to pay attention

Pay attention to what you ask?

There were approx. 30 in the Attleboro hall to view the movie “Escape from Suburbia” and the discussion that followed versus millions in front of their TV to watch the Super Bowl.

How much oil/coal was consumed to power the Super Bowl and all the TVs to watch the spectacle?

Oil that a short while ago had risen to historic prices generating lots of talk but now that the prices have returned to lower levels, the issue seems to have passed.

It hasn’t.

What can I do? The problem is so huge.

“Conservation is one answer… conservation is economically more sustainable.”

Reduce your household energy use. Change out regular light bulbs for the energy saving kind. Take one small step at a time but keep at it.

“Action encourages optimism”

Take the 2 Mile Challenge!

Walk or use a bike (in the warmer New England weather) to the store for those small item errands rather than take the family vehicle.

“Community is our solution. We need to help one another.”

Get active in your community. There are a number of groups in the area that are working to address this issue. The Franklin Area Climate Team is one. Check out the sponsor listing for the Green Reel series for other groups in our area.

Talk with your neighbors, share the tips and tricks you pick up with each other.

Do something today!

Note: this was also posted today at Steve's 2 Cents

Note: The quotations in Bold were from the movie "Escape from Suburbia" as I took notes Sunday night.

Both measures would only affect sewer fees

For the first override, Medway's share of next fiscal year's budget would rise 23 percent to about $327,000, for example, according to information provided by the control district. The override, which would be the district's first since 1988, is mainly needed because the state has required two more people be hired at the treatment plant, and to pay for higher maintenance and chemical costs.

The debt exclusion override would raise Franklin's capital payments in 2015 from $102,000 annually to $1 million a year for the next 20 years. In Medway, the increase would be from $25,000 to $260,000 per year.

The Charles River Pollution Control District's treatment plant mainly serves Franklin and Medway, but also handles Bellingham's and Millis' sewer systems and septage tanks from Dover, Sherborn, Norfolk and Wrentham.

Only Franklin and Medway have votes on the increases. Their representatives on the district's commission unanimously approved them last month. District officials presented the plan to Medway selectmen last week, though they have not yet voted on it. The Franklin Town Council will hear a similar presentation in the next few weeks, said Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

Read the full article on the proposed Charles River fee increases in the Milford Daily News here

Early word on Franklin local aid cut

Officials in Franklin, which lost $299,676 in the local aid reductions, don't yet know where they will make cuts, said Council Chairman Christopher Feeley, "but we know it should not affect schools."

The news was not as painful as Feeley anticipated, he said.

"I thought it was going to be more dramatic. We've known this was coming, so there are some municipal positions that haven't been filled. Three hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, but it's not a lot of out a billion," Feeley said.

Read the full article about the effects of state aid cuts on local communities in the Milford Daily News here.