Monday, March 16, 2009

Jane's Frames - Inventory Sale

On Monday (3/16) and Tuesday (3/17), Jane's Frames will be conducting an Inventory Sale offering discounts of 50-80%.


Franklin: Jane'sFrames Sale


The inventory needs to move to prepare for a juried art show to be held on Thursday (3/19/09)

Additional information on the juried show can be found here:

Slideshow: Government and its role in the economy

Pictures from the panel discussion on Government and its role in the economy are now available.




The audio recordings were posted previously here.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

ENERGY BOARD VOTES TO APPROVE CAPE WIND ‘COMPOSITE CERTIFICATE’

On the renewable energy front, we find this press release:

MASSACHUSETTS ENERGY BOARD VOTES TO APPROVE CAPE WIND ‘COMPOSITE CERTIFICATE’
Friday, March 13, 2009
Cape Wind News Release

MASSACHUSETTS ENERGY BOARD VOTES TO APPROVE CAPE WIND ‘COMPOSITE CERTIFICATE’

MARCH 13, 2009, BOSTON, MA – In a unanimous vote, the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (Siting Board), the agency created by the Legislature to ensure the siting of needed and least environmental impact energy facilities, voted yesterday to grant Cape Wind a Certificate of Environmental Impact and Public Interest (Certificate) that effectively rolls up all nine state and local permits related to the electric cables into one ‘composite certificate’.

Note: The official transcript of the Siting Board's Hearing yesterday is available for download at:
http://www.capewind.org/transcript.pdf

Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said, “This decision represents a major victory for the people of Massachusetts who are waiting for the clean energy jobs from Cape Wind which will help us become more energy independent and make Massachusetts a global leader in clean offshore wind energy production.” “I am grateful for the assistance that the attorneys representing Clean Power Now and the Conservation Law Foundation provided as participants in the Siting Board process”, Gordon continued.

The Siting Board instructed Cape Wind to work with the Towns of Yarmouth and Barnstable to reach an agreement on reasonable and customary conditions for town permits related to Cape Wind’s buried electric cables and to present this agreement to the Siting Board. In the event parties cannot agree on conditions, the Siting Board will decide on what conditions are reasonable to include. The Siting Board expects to complete this process and take its final vote within 60-days which will conclude Cape Wind’s permitting at the state and local level.

Cape Wind was compelled to file for this Certificate following a denial by the Cape Cod Commission in 2007. The Siting Board also has the statutory authority to grant a comprehensive approval to an energy facility it has previously approved, where that facility has been denied a permit by any other state or local agency in the Commonwealth.

In 2005, the Siting Board approved Cape Wind’s electrical interconnection at the conclusion of a 32-month review of unprecedented length that included 2,900 pages of transcripts, 923 exhibits and 50,000 pages of documentary evidence. The Siting Board found that Cape Wind would meet an identified need for electricity and would provide a reliable energy supply for Massachusetts, with a minimum impact on the environment. The Siting Board’s approval of Cape Wind’s electrical interconnection was upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Cape Wind’s proposal to build America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal would provide three-quarters of the electricity used on Cape Cod and the Islands from clean, renewable energy - reducing this region’s need to import oil, coal and gas. Cape Wind will create new jobs, stable electric costs, contribute to a healthier environment, increase energy independence and establish Massachusetts as a leader in offshore wind power. For more information visit www.capewind.org.

Slideshow: Harlem Wizards vs Sullivan Rockets

The Annie Sullivan PCC held a fund raiser at Tri-County on Friday night featuring their own Sullivan Rockets basketball team playing the Harlem Wizards.

It was quite a night of entertainment. The picture slide show should capture some of the fun.




Enjoy!

School Committee meeting - pictures added

Pictures have been added to the following live reporting posts from the School Committee meeting on 3/10/09.

Parmenter School notice on half days this week

I believe report cards come out Tuesday.

The elementary schools will have half-days to provide time for parent conferences on the Thursday (3/19) and Friday (3/20).

Be resourceful, as you walk pick up recyclables along the way.

With spring coming up this week on the calendar, and hopefully in reality just as soon, there will be more time to get outside to walk and enjoy the fresh air.

Franklin will celebrate Earth Day on April 18th. You can help clean up Franklin without waiting for Earth Day.

When you go for a walk, take a plastic bag (or two) with you.

Walking is good exercise. Bending and stretching to pick up a bottle or aluminum can for the bag is even better. This is the one bag that I came back with from Saturday's walk. Sometimes I end up with two or three.

If all the walkers in Franklin added this to their walk, Franklin would be a cleaner place.

Tip - to the bend and stretch, add a stomp on the can to squish it and make it more compact for the bag. You'll be able to fit more that way.