Town Council - 9/2/09 - Agenda

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS 

• Election Workers 2009-2010
• Finance Committee  (Linda Poole Huempfner)
  

F. HEARINGS       

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

• Change of Manager – Joe’s American Bar & Grill

H. DISCUSSIONS

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

1. Resolution 09-57: Dissolution of Franklin Housing Partnership
2. Resolution 09-58: Change of Name, Franklin Commission for Persons with Disabilities      

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

Do you know when Franklin's open space bylaw was created?

Franklin adopted its "Open Space Development" bylaw in 1987, Franklin Zoning Chapter 185-43. It applies to parcels in the Rural Residential I and II, and Residential VI zoning districts. It allows such parcels to be developed with the same number of lots as would be allowed with a conventional plan, but with one half the area, frontage, and yard requirements mandated by the underlying district. At least 25% of the parcel area must be reserved as open space and either conveyed to the Town or have recorded a restriction enforceable by the Town providing that the land remain as open space. By 1993, ten subdivisions had been approved for development in this manner resulting in the preservation of 236.57 acres of open space.

Read more in the Open Space and Recreation Plan found on the Town web site here (PDF)

http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Planning/2008plan

FM #45 - Summer Recap

This is FM #45, a recap of the summer months July/August. Give me about 10 minutes and I'll let you know what matters in Franklin MA.

Time: 11 minutes, 25 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

This is #45 in the series for Franklin Matters. Give me about 10 minutes and I'll let you what matters in Franklin, MA.

June came, school ended, you left Franklin for your summer respite. Hopefully you had a good time away.

It is the end of August and you're back in Franklin. School begins on Tuesday, September 1. Oh my, how time does fly! Perhaps you're wondering what happened while you were away.

If you were, I think the highlights would be covered by the following recap:

July

Jul 1 - The Town Council meeting was dominated by a presentation and discussion by the Charter Commission. The Council created a sub-committee to work on bringing the language of the report into something to put before the State Legislature who could approve it. With their approval, then the folks of Franklin would have a chance to vote on the changes proposed. One of the changes was to make the Treasurer's position an appointed one (instead of elected as it is today). The current Town Clerk position would remain an elected position (although the committee did make some valid arguments for making this an appointed position as well). What seemed to be the most controversial was the discussion on moving the Town Council to staggered terms. In the end because the Charter Commission could not come up with an agreement on how to implement it, they decided it wasn't necessary. Keep this on the radar. I believe the Town Council would still have to approve the final submission to the State Legislature when the sub-committee has done their work.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/town-council-mtg-070109.html

Jul 15 - The Town Council meeting was significant in that museum renovation funding was approved and the local meal and hotel tax options now offered by the State were approved. This is the first non-property tax revenue that has become available for the Town. It is estimated to raise about 1 million dollars for a full year. We won't be realize the full amount this first year but it will help going forward. Vallee was the only councilor voting against both measures. He had argued previously for enabling a revenue stream for the Town but in the end voted against as it was the wrong thing to do with the current economic conditions. The Dept of Planning and Community Development presentation is worth viewing. The presentation on the Water situation is also worth viewing. Approval of the funding for the museum was controversial, some arguing it was not a good time. In the end, because it was a good time to get the work done cheaply, the money was approved by a 7-1 vote (that Bartlett was the one voting against was a surprise).
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/town-council-mtg-smry-071509.html

Jul 16 - Shades N Place opened it's new showroom
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-do-you-go-from-stained-glass-to.html

Jul 16 - Third Thursday was held downtown
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-do-you-go-from-stained-glass-to.html

Jul 22 - The School Committee meeting left some questions unanswered. We left the Jun 23rd meeting with 60+ teachers notified and yet the final number ended up as 12 (all the librarians and a few others). How did we get there? I caught up with Jeff Roy to help figure out where I had missed the boat in following the numbers through the budget discussion.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/when-can-level-funded-budget-increase.html

The full School Committee meeting notes can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/06/school-committee-mtg-062309.html

Jul 27 - The Summer School art show was captured in a slide show
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/summer-art-institute-slide-show.html

Jul 31 - Yes, it is an election year this time around for Franklin. We will elect a Town Council, School Committee and sundry other positions this November. The full listing and key dates can be found here. There are still open slots for Town Council as four have been confirmed in taking out papers to run (incumbents Vallee, Mason, Pfeffer and new comer Glenn Jones). Tom Doak has acknowledged that he will not seek re-election.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/this-is-election-year-for-franklin.html

August

Aug 1 - The PanMass Challenge rode through Franklin with a water stop at the Remington-Jefferson complex. A slide show of some of the event featuring local riders can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/pmc-franklin-water-stop.html

Aug 5 - The Town Council meeting was barely held as five councilors were present, just enough for a quorum. The only legislation passed was local ordinances that allowed the Board of Assessors to index the Senior exemptions officially. They had in fact been indexing but due to a change in legislation, the local authorization to do so had not officially been granted.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/town-council-mtg-smry-080509.html

Aug 11 - The School Committee meeting approved the recommendations from the Strategic Planning Committee. The School Department is now operating under an updated mission statement, vision, and core values. School handbooks dominated much of the discussion as they reflect some changes to bring some more consistency to the operations of the individual schools.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/school-committee-mtg-081109.html

Changes at the high school are covered in detail on Principal Peter Light's blog
http://franklinhighschool.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/fhs-update-and-amendment-to-the-program-of-studies/

Aug 19 - The Town Council was a shorter meeting than the one on the 5th with a skinny agenda. Only two councilors were missing.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/town-council-mtg-smry-081909.html

Aug 19 - With a short Council meeting, I was able to attend and record notes for the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee meeting. This committee is working to enhance the portion of the SNETT that starts in Franklin and runs through to the Douglas State forest.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/citizen-rail-trail-committee-meeting.html

The Citizens Rail Trail Committee brochure is available for viewing and download.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/franklin-citizens-rail-trail-committee_22.html

The Boston Globe covered the efforts of the committee in this article
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/08/30/franklin_bellingham_join_effort_for_regional_recreational_trail/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Globe+West

Aug 20 - Third Thursday was celebrated again. The Brothers McCann drew a good crowd to the breezeway alongside of Cafe Dolce.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/third-thursday-82009.html

Aug 25 - The second School Committee meeting of the month had some interesting policy discussions. The School's Legal representation was present for the discussion on the electronic use policy revisions proposed. Bottom line, there is more work to be done to bring the wording into agreement with the intent of the group. The initial District Improvement Plan was presented for review and ultimately accepted. The District Improvement Plan document is available within the meeting notes. Renee Danho, from Dean College, introduced a new program to help foster the collaboration between the School District and Dean. The presentation copy is available within the meeting notes.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/school-committee-mtg-082509.html

Around town you may have noticed that the Four Corners building is gone and work is well underway on the new Walgreens. The new turn lanes were added to the intersection of King/140 (or East Central)
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-turn-available-at-king140.html

The annual St Rocco's Festival enjoyed some good hot summer weather for a change.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/scenes-from-st-roccos.html

Did I miss something? 

If you have something to add, please let me know.


If you have a question, please feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer it.


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This podcast is provided as a public service to my fellow citizens and voters of Franklin, MA.


If you like what you hear and read, please let your neighbors know. Subscription is free.


An informed electorate will cast a good vote this November!


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The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008

In the Globe - Rail trail, kindergarten

The Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee's effort to get funding to work on the SNETT is the subject of this article in the Boston Globe West section today:

Plans for regional trail are gaining ground

from Boston Globe -- Globe West by Rachel Lebeaux, Globe Correspondent

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From the Boston Sunday Globe Magazine section comes this article on kindergarten

Pressure-cooker kindergarten

A new emphasis on testing and test preparation -- brought on by politicians, not early education experts -- is hurting the youngest students.

 

Did you know?

A stated common vision facilitates decision-making for everyone, Town and State officials as well as developers and private landowners. This update of the 2001 plan is intended to help provide that vision. The 2008 OSRP is being prepared with attention to Franklin specifically, rather than a three-town region as in the past because Franklin has become a thriving suburban community in need of specific open space and recreation planning guidance. Coordination and cooperation in planning between Town Departments and government agencies may lead to improved resources throughout the Town. The 2008 Open Space and Recreation Plan will act as a policy guide for the decision and policy makers of Franklin, resulting in improved management and enhancement of recreational opportunities and preservation of much of the Town’s significant open space.

The Open Space and Recreation Plan can be found on the town web site here (PDF)

http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Planning/2008plan

In the News - game inventor

Franklin inventor planning to start game board business

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Heather McCarron/Daily News staff

Franklin Area Climate Team - active blog

I have been working with the Franklin Area Climate Team to update their blog and enhance the communications around their efforts.

The Franklin Area Climate Team (FACT) is a locally organized group committed to fighting the climate crisis by promoting carbon-reducing practices in our homes and communities. We are an ever-expanding group of citizens from Bellingham, Foxborough, Franklin, Norfolk, Plainville, Wrentham, and other area towns.

Consider visiting the Franklin Area Climate Team site to find information on climate change, energy savings, and more about the world-wide effort to reach 350:

Become a fan and loose weight (CO2 weight)
11 Steps to save money and reduce your energy use
Cutting through the hype (video)
350 is the number!

Consider subscribing to the Franklin Area Climate Team blog to keep up with their activities. You can subscribe to receive updates via email or RSS feed.

Franklin Kindergarten Schedule

For some reason the correction in the printed version of this weeks Franklin Gazette STILL gets the information wrong. The correct information is listed below.

What is the kindergarten schedule?

• Orientation for all kindergarten students at each elementary school on Sep 1
• 1/2 the kindergarten class comes to school on Sep 2
• The other 1/2 of the kindergarten class comes to school on Sep 3
• The full kindergarten class comes to school on Sep 4

Which half goes when?
You will be notified in a letter as to your first day of kindergarten. The beginning of the alphabet will be on Tuesday and the end of the alphabet will be Wednesday. All kindergarten students first full day together will be Friday.

Why the split schedule for kindergarten?
This schedule helps to ease the new students into the kindergarten routine.

Odd Fellows - Yard Sale

The Franklin Odd Fellows will be hosting a Yard Sale at 330 West Central St. at the Odd Fellows Lodge property. Date will be August 30, 2009 and the time will be 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.


What: Yard Sale

Where: Franklin Odd Fellows

When: August 30th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Financial Planning Committee - no show

The Town website said there was a meeting. This notice outside the Town Clerks door said there was a meeting. But while folks were continuing to arrive for a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting in the Council Chambers, Room 205 remained empty. So I left. Nothing else to report about this committee at this time.

Phase one of rail trail to open Sat.

While the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee is beginning work on the section in Franklin, this appeared in the Globe West edition on Thursday:

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Phase one of rail trail to open Sat.

via Boston Globe -- Globe West by Jennifer Fenn Lefferts, Globe Correspondent on 8/26/09

After nearly 25 years of planning, funding constraints, environmental obstacles, and privacy concerns among abutters, the first phase of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail will officially open Saturday.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Boston Globe -- Globe West using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

In the News - Vallee remembers, police dog

Vallee had special connection to Kennedy

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Angel Roy/Daily News staff

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Franklin Police dog gets final tribute

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Angel Roy/Daily News staff

The Franklin Police press release on Chase can be found here

New turn available at King/140

There is a new left turn/drive straight lane alongside a right turn only lane when you travel King Street approaching 140.

This picture shows the lane markings with no cars blocking the view (yes, a lucky bit of timing).



An even luckier bit of timing shows this picture with a red light for the King St traffic. The right lane is making a right turn as the West bound 140 traffic is turning on to King St while the East bound 140 traffic is sitting at their red light.



The pedestrian and traffic light island was shortened to widen the intersection allowing the three lanes (one going out King St to i495, and the two lanes heading from King towards Chestnut St).

This is part of the traffic preparations for the Walgreens to open on the corner later this year.

Farmers Market: Nourse Farm

One of the farms frequently found at the Farmers Market on the Town Common is Nourse Farm. This photo from June depicts Samantha Nourse explaining the process for their fruits and pies.


The strawberry picking season is over but you should find something good at the Nourse Farm table each week at the Farmers Market.

Visit the Nourse Farm web site for more information on their organic growing process. They also offer tips and tricks for growing your own garden.

Buy local!

The Farmers Market is held each Friday until October
on the Town Common from noon to 6:00 PM.

Senior Center Activities - Sep 2009

The Senior Center has a whole lot of things happening. Take a gander through the listing for September!

The first page alone covers activities from the Men's Club, to having your hearing screened, to card games, to driver training, and to credit counseling.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

If you can't find something to do, maybe you can get something together for next time!

If your parents are living in Franklin, do they utilize the Senior Center (assuming they qualify by being over 60). If they don't use the Senior Center, I would be curious to understand why.