The construction at the Four Corners building is underway. Eventually, a Walgreens will operate from this location.
I'll try to report key milestones here from time to time as the work progresses.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Hey you can see the house now that the trees are gone!
"mandatory arbitration that would bind municipalities"
GHS
Embedded in the state Senate's budget, an insurance proposal is presenting a not-so-veiled ultimatum to municipalities: Curb your health care costs or else.
Essentially, the provision would force municipalities to reduce their health care costs to meet a state standard, lest they face an outside arbitrator coming in and settling matters with unions - to say nothing of the possible gouges to local aid.
The proposal is in Senate conference committee right now and could be tweaked, rejected, or given the go-ahead within the next month.
...
"We're very worried," said Jeff Nutting, Franklin Town Administrator and president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. "It's a huge step backward in the worst economy of our life."Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
"some of the best habitats are already occupied"
GHS
Last month, a breached beaver dam flooded Bob Szymanski's property in Milford. Several months before, it was a very intact one in Holliston that swelled the Hopping Brook so it nearly washed over a small bridge.
Beaver habitats routinely clash with those of humans in metro Boston. Other recent reports come from Westborough, Concord, Bolton and Andover, where a hasty dam breaching flooded a charity golf event.
The issue of beaver management isn't purely academic. Untimely dams can flood houses, or muck up sewer systems and roads - costly problems to repair. In Westborough, the town set aside $5,000 in this year's budget just to deal with beavers.
Beavers' ecological benefits are also substantial, as beavers, North America's largest native rodents, create wetlands that nurture other wildlife, control flooding and purify water.
Read the full article on the beaver dams in the Milford Daily News here
This is news of interest to Franklin. The condition of the dams on the DelCarte land was the subject of some discussion during the May 6th Town Council meeting. The 8-1 vote approved spending some money to get engineering estimates on how to correct the dams. A breech in one of the dams could result in down stream flooding. The estimates of damage were hard to quantify.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Yard sale Sat 6/6/09
Multi-family yard sale
Saturday, June 6th - 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Lawrence Dr and Susan's Way
"the Alumni Association is to be a conduit"
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
Giving the 2009 graduating class a glimpse into the distant future, the Franklin High School Class of 1959 reunited at a reception at Horace Mann Middle School yesterday. The tradition, which was started by former Principal Jack Lucas, dates back to 1998. However, this was only the second year that a reception was held for the alumni to gather and catch up on the 50th anniversary of their graduation.
Organized by the Franklin High School Alumni Association and the Franklin Lifelong Learning Institute, the event gathered 23 members of the 95-member 1959 class. It was a strong turnout, according to Lifelong Learning Executive Director Pandora Carlucci.
"Every graduate means a lot to us, no matter how long you've been out of school," Carlucci, the first of a handful of speakers, said to the lively crowd of alumni.
Read the full article about the FHS Class of 1959 in the Milford Daily News here
"Only those who risk going too far will know how far they can go."
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
In his last speech to the Class of 2009, Superintendent Wayne Ogden urged the 370 graduating seniors, "Educate your soul, and your spirit."
"I'm pretty darn sure the world has enough smart people - it (needs) people with compassion and integrity," Ogden said.
A "good, successful human being" is balanced, he said.
He told students now that they are graduating, they "can start the process of learning."
It may seem a strange bit of advice from a school superintendent, but he explained that for too many young people, the pursuit of a credential is substituted for the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.
"Seek knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. An associate's or bachelor's degree will fall into place," Ogden said.
To those who are not planning to go college, Ogden said, "you can learn a tremendous amount without going to school."
Read the full article on the FHS Graduation in the Milford Daily News here
The list of graduates can be found in the Milford Daily News here
Friday, June 5, 2009
"it's unlikely the bills were lost"
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
The town treasurer mailed excise bills in February, but about 600 residents never received them, and now they've gotten hit with late fees and interest penalties, said Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.
Nutting attributes the problem to a mailing error on the part of the U.S. Postal Service.
"When one person says they didn't get their bill, that's one thing, but when hundreds of people are coming in and telling the same story, you have to believe it's true," said Nutting.
"They've been coming in and saying, 'Why do I have to pay this? I never got an original bill,"' he said.
Read the full article about the missing excise tax bills in the Milford Daily News here
Four Corners sale complete
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
The town sold the former Four Corners School to Arista Development LLC and got the check for $2.5 million Tuesday, said Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.
Norwood-based Arista is replacing the building at the intersection of Rte. 140 and King Street with a Walgreens pharmacy.
About $1 million of the money will be used to pay the existing debt on the property, which the town bought for $1.32 million, Nutting said.
Town Council voted Wednesday to put the $1 million in an escrow account for that purpose.
The remainder of the funds can be used for any bondable expense, or capital project, such as building repairs, but cannot legally be used for operational costs, such as salaries or schools, and cannot be put into free cash, Nutting said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Thursday, June 4, 2009
"The retirees' loss will not be temporary"
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
The teachers union is slated to vote on a new proposal for wage concessions in the coming weeks, according to School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy.
The School Committee is asking the union to defer its negotiated 2.5 percent wage increase for one year, at which point the union will receive both a 2.5 percent raise, plus any new negotiated pay increase, Roy said.
The union has offered to take the wage freeze, as well as to forgo course reimbursements for one year, but demanded three permanent contractual changes in exchange.
The School Committee rejected that offer, and the union rejected a counter-proposal by the School Committee.
On June 15, the teachers union will meet to take a ratification vote on a proposal that strikes contractual language requiring teachers to give a reason for personal days, and eliminates one of the additional after-school meetings, in exchange for a 2.5 percent wage increase deferment, according to a copy of the proposal.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Since Bob McLaughlin was unavailable for comment to create this article, the quotations from him were taken from his posting to the teacher's website on Memorial Day, May 25th. Read his full posting here.
"the most fiscally responsible and educationally appropriate solution"
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
Slowly but surely, the plan to renovate or build a new Franklin High School is moving ahead, with a favorable vote from the Massachusetts School Building Authority allowing the town to conduct a feasibility study, according to School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy.
Yesterday, the authority's board of directors voted to invite the town to conduct the study to assess the needs of Franklin High School, said state building authority press secretary Carrie Sullivan.
The "invitation to collaborate" on a feasibility study does not mean the the organization has approved the project, Sullivan said.
"It is strictly an invitation to the Franklin school district to work with the (authority) to explore potential solutions to the problems that have been identified," she said.
Roy called the authority's decision "very significant, because we're now more in the pipeline."
Read the full article on this latest development in the FHS renovation process in the Milford Daily News
"It's a war, it's one we have to win"
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
Town Council last night suspended the liquor licenses of three establishments caught selling alcohol to minors in a police sting.
Police Chief Steven Williams told the Town Council that the sting on May 15 involved six officers and three teenagers working undercover to check all of Franklin's 31 establishments licensed to sell alcohol.
The teens were told to show their actual licenses, which indicate their date of birth, a phrase in red stating that they are under 21, and which are also vertical, also signifying they are underage, Williams said.
Although some councilors were sympathetic toward the owners of Devita's Market, 198 East Central St., and and J.B.'s Liquor World, 365 West Central St., both first-time offenders, they ultimately voted to stand by their precedent of suspending the liquor licenses for three days.
Devita's Market and Liquor World will lose their liquor license for one day Friday and have two days held in abeyance for two years, the council voted.
The council also took Williams' recommendation and suspended Teppanyaki Restaurant's liquor license for five days, starting Friday.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
NO Live reporting available tonight
Yes, hard to believe but true. I have a prior engagement this evening and won't be live reporting from the Town Council meeting.
You'll need to tune it to the meeting via cable or via the live webcast.
Of course, you also have the option of coming on down to the Municipal building to participate in person. The seat I usually occupy near the column behind the presentation table will be open (at least I won't be in it).
I'll catch up with the meeting when the video is posted to the web.
If you find any good spots during the meeting let me know.
You'll need to tune it to the meeting via cable or via the live webcast.
Of course, you also have the option of coming on down to the Municipal building to participate in person. The seat I usually occupy near the column behind the presentation table will be open (at least I won't be in it).
I'll catch up with the meeting when the video is posted to the web.
If you find any good spots during the meeting let me know.
FSPA is growing up
The Franklin School for the Performing Arts is growing up to become the New England Center for the Performing Arts.
Visit their updated website to check out what's happening!
Visit their updated website to check out what's happening!
Business: Patco Performance Engineered Tapes
FRANKLIN, MA, June 02, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ --
Meeting specialty tape needs for precise applications requires the right balance of experience, know-how, resources, and innovation. Patco, a division of Berry Plastics, is the industry's leading "go to" resource for the formulation and production of performance engineered tapes and delivers this very set of skills with each new product innovation. Patco has been meeting the pressure sensitive tape needs for a wide variety of industries including aerospace, medical, manufacturing, safety, construction, electronics, general industrial, and automotive for more than 44 years.
"Patco offers solutions for today's applications and the needs of tomorrow. Meeting the client's specifications and performance criteria are the starting points for product development," says Mr. Ernie Giordano, Director of Sales and Marketing, Performance Engineered Tapes, Berry Plastics Tapes and Coatings Division. "Recognizing the emerging environmental demands and the future regulations for products is an additional value component that the team excels in incorporating," he adds.
Patco's unique manufacturing and insightful formulations are demonstrated in some of its most recent products. "Ski tape," developed for use during the manufacture of snow sports equipment, provides a high temperature protective mask. UV-Protek, a new outdoor grade tape with a first-to-market regenerative U.V.I. system, combats and blocks 100% of the U.V. rays from the surface on which the tape is applied. And when the aircraft industry needed a unique tape to meet environmental regulations, Patco engineered a flame retardant protective tape free of Halogen and PBDE's.
"We are very proud of Patco and the exceptional products that are ingeniously developed by our formulators. We are committed to producing the optimal products to meet the most challenging applications." states Mr. Ernie Giordano. "Patco boasts an impressive track record with hundreds of unique performance engineered tape solutions for client applications," he adds.
All Patco products are manufactured domestically in its certified ISO 9001:2008 facility and offer the unique combination of high performance, competitive pricing, and engineering support that are unmatched by other specialty tape manufacturers.
For further information on how Patco can meet your application needs please contact Ernie Giordano at erniegiordano@berryplastics.com or by calling 508.918.1684.
About Berry Plastics
Berry Plastics is a leading manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products. Berry Plastics is a major producer of a wide range of products, including open top and closed top packaging, polyethylene-based plastic films, industrial tapes, medical specialties, packaging, heat-shrinkable coatings, specialty laminates, and FIBCs. The company's 13,000 plus customers range from large multinational corporations to small local businesses. Based in Evansville, Indiana, the company has 66 manufacturing facilities worldwide and nearly 13,400 employees. For more information, please visit www.berryplastics.com.
---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com
NO live reporting for Town Council Mtg
Yes, hard to believe but true. I have a prior engagement this evening and won't be live reporting from the Town Council meeting.
You'll need to tune it to the meeting via cable or via the live webcast.
Of course, you also have the option of coming on down to the Municipal building to participate in person. The seat I usually occupy near the column behind the presentation table will be open (at least I won't be in it).
I'll catch up with the meeting when the video is posted to the web.
If you find any good spots during the meeting let me know.
Enjoy!
You'll need to tune it to the meeting via cable or via the live webcast.
Of course, you also have the option of coming on down to the Municipal building to participate in person. The seat I usually occupy near the column behind the presentation table will be open (at least I won't be in it).
I'll catch up with the meeting when the video is posted to the web.
If you find any good spots during the meeting let me know.
Enjoy!
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