Saturday, December 5, 2009

Davis Thayer Reading Challenge

Saw this sign out walking this morning:

Franklin: Davis Thayer reading challenge

Yea for reading!
Go Davis Thayer readers!



You need Social Media awareness

You need to be social media aware. With a little time to enable, it is free and easy to monitor.

Why?
Wouldn't you like to know what is being said or written about you? You can be a company, an organization, or an individual. It doesn't really matter. The need is there, the risk of non-awareness or non-response depends upon the nature of what is being said and what you do.

What do you mean?
According to a recent news article, some student let school officials know about a Facebook group that threatened a middle school assistant principal. The article goes on to say that some students maybe suspended for their actions creating the group.

How can I be aware?
The simple way to start is to set up a Google Alert. The alert can be set up for a specific term or combination of words. It will send an email to you each day with a summary of what it found the prior day.

Here is a screen shot of the alerts I use:



If you would like to know some additional ways to listen, let me know.

Resources:
The Milford Daily News article can be found here

Dr Scott McLeod has the Eight Stages of Listening here


Chris Brogan has Five Tools I use for listening

Beth Kanter has listening tools on her social media wiki here

Recycle update

Attached is a complete list of the types of large rigid plastic that is accepted at the Beaver St. Recycling Center.  This is a great program to take a lot of plastic out of the trash and recycle it.  Please help us keep the container clean - NO TRASH, VINYL, BAGS, SIDING, PVC PIPE or anything not listed on the attached sheet.

Think - Rigid - Plastic!


Chris White
Solid Waste Coordinator
Franklin DPW

The attached sheet is here:



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If you are not already subscribed to receive the recycling updates directly to your email, please consider doing so. You can subscribe on the Franklin website here

Note: For Franklin Matters email subscribers, you'll need to click through to the blog page to view the document attached.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Watch Know

The Internet is full of useful information, but it's disorganized and often unreliable. Despite its problems, the potential of the Internet for education is especially huge. Imagine tapping into that potential.

Imagine collecting all the best free educational videos made for children, and making them findable and watchable on one website. Then imagine creating many, many more such videos.

Just think: millions of great short videos, and other watchable media, explaining every topic taught in schools, in every major language on Earth.

Finally, imagine them all deeply and usefully categorized according to subject, education level, and placed in the order in which topics are typically taught.

WatchKnow—as in, "You watch, you know"—has started building this resource.
Click through to view the WatchKnow site here

A sample video on photosynthesis from Bill Nye - The Science Guy:



The one key advantage is that all the videos are categorized according to topic and age appropriate for viewing.

Enjoy!

Pay for performance

Pay for performance sounds so good, it conveys images of comfort like motherhood and apple pie. The devil is in the details.

How do you measure the performance?
Whose performance is measured?

When you try to apply these to the educational environment, this becomes troublesome. There can be a rational approach to this problem and should be a consideration as the School Committee, School Administration,  and the teachers sit down to begin to renegotiate their contract terms.
A much broader assessment of teacher performance was needed to capture the breadth of the teacher's role (Gratz, 2005). After four years and substantial effort, teachers and administrators collaborated to produce a new plan that the board, teachers, and voters ultimately approved. In the process, Denver expanded its definition of performance.

Denver's groundbreaking professional compensation plan replaces the traditional "steps and lanes" approach to compensation, in which teachers receive annual "step" increases as well as "lane" increases if they earn additional degrees. Only one of the new plan's four components directly addresses academic achievement goals—and that one is based significantly on teacher-set objectives, not just standardized test scores. In addition to student academic growth, the plan addresses teacher skill and knowledge, professional evaluation, and market incentives—compensating teachers who work in hard-to-serve schools or in hard-to-staff positions.

Note of caution: Since it took Denver four years to get to an agreement, I certainly would not expect any immediate agreement here. It would be nice to start the discussion and eventually get to something better than what exists.


In the News - Angel tree moved, Holiday Stroll

The Post Office finally realized they were breaking policy and the tree needed to be moved.

Friends of Franklin move angel tree to Shaw's

from The Milford Daily News News RSS
------

Organized by the Downtown Partnership, more than 100 people gathered in front of Dean Hall for a tree lighting ceremony before taking off to explore offerings at over 35 participating businesses.

"This is better than we ever expected," said Partnership Executive Director Lisa Piana. "I'm sure the weather has something to do with it."

Franklin Holiday Stroll a success

from The Milford Daily News News RSS






Thursday, December 3, 2009

Holiday Stroll, Dec 3rd from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Franklin, MA – ‘Twas the month before Christmas and the Franklin Downtown Partnership decided to throw a holiday party in downtown Franklin, and more than 35 businesses decided to join the fun!

The Partnership will officially kick off the holiday season with the Holiday Stroll on Thursday, December 3, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A tree lighting ceremony, a visit from Santa and some of his elves, music, art and holiday treats are all part of the fun planned for revelers both downtown and around Franklin this year. Visitors can follow a trail of luminaries that light the downtown and each participating business will have a map detailing what special events and treats are being offered.

The Stroll starts at Dean College at 4:30 with a holiday tree lighting ceremony in front of Dean Hall. Enjoy free hot chocolate and plenty of singing to kick off the season.

The highlights of the evening will be an appearance by Santa at Simon’s Furniture on Summer Street from 5:00 to 7:00, while Santa’s elves will be at ARTBEAT from 4:00 to 6:00. Carolers will entertain the crowds by singing favorite seasonal songs as they stroll through the streets. Radio station 103.3 WODS FM, Boston ’s holiday music specialist, will ring in the cheer by broadcasting its festive blend of holiday favorites at the patio on East Central Street .

At Café Dolce, the coffee will be hot and the music will be playing as local artists from the Franklin Art Association set up their easels for a colorful night of painting. “Stop by, grab a cappuccino and watch local artists create paintings right in front of your eyes,” says Sue Sheridan, president of the association.

Residents are also invited to shop the new Handmade Crafts Gallery at Artbeat. The gallery features original art, unique jewelry and gifts created by local artist and will be open throughout December. “Artists will be on hand from 6:00 to 8:00 to talk about their art,” says owner Jan Whitted.

Visitors can see framed calligraphic art on exhibit at five locations downtown, including Jane’s Frames, Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, Franklin Center Commons ReMax Realty, Rockland Trust and Artbeat. Jane’s Frames will host an artists’ reception that evening, showcasing artwork by calligraphic artists who are members of Masscribes, a Massachusetts-based calligraphy guild.

“The Franklin Downtown Partnership created the Holiday Stroll to give everyone in the area another reason to come downtown and connect with our community,” says Lisa Piana, the partnership’s executive director and the organizer of the Stroll.  “In order to have a vibrant downtown, our stores and business owners need residents to eat, shop and spend time in Franklin .  These types of events are fun and hopefully remind residents to come downtown.

“We have many generous sponsors who make putting on events like the Holiday Stroll possible,” adds Piana.  “These events add so much to the community and we are very fortunate to have so much interest. The Partnership would love for the Holiday Stroll to become an annual event like the Harvest Festival.”

Holiday Stroll revelers will find maps at each participating business to help them navigate all the specials at the downtown and surrounding retailers.

On East Central Street, those businesses include:

A Cut Above Hair and Nails
, which has relocated to 56 E. Central St, will have cider and refreshments from 4:00 to 8:00. They will give 20% off cuts for new customers and complimentary eye and lip waxing for new and existing customers that night.

Party Paints and Pottery
will pass out their favorite holiday cookie, complete with a recipe card, to all visitors.

Café Dolce will offer coffee, holiday treats, live music and art demonstrations.

Jane’s Frames will be throwing a party with live music and refreshments. Enter a free raffle for a framed Patriot’s panoramic print and get a coupon worth 15% off framing in January. Stroll in and enjoy free samples from Tastefully Simple’s gourmet food collection.

H & R Block will hand out holiday treats and treat visitors to a free “Forward Looks” tax checkup and free “Second Looks” of prior years’ returns. Visitors can also enter to win a free tax return.

Sarapaan will have a holiday sale featuring 20% off all handcrafted jewelry (excluding custom designs). Get holiday presents for your loved ones or treat yourself.

ReMax Realty
invites downtown residents to meet and greet each other at its open house, where cheese and crackers and beverages will help to ring in the holiday season.

On Main Street:

Berry Insurance will give away hot chocolate to help warm holiday revelers.  Strollers are also invited to enter a raffle for a free gift basket.

Fitness Together
will serve fresh fruit and healthy holiday smoothies.

Hair @ Nail It invites visitors to enjoy hot cocoa while they get a free Christmas polish change.

Emma’s Quilt Cupboard
invites visitors to stop in and discover unique, hand-made gifts for the holidays. Come see a selection of quilts, wall hangings, table runners and baby quilts at their annual sample sale, going on the first two weeks of December.

The Spotlight Shop will invite patrons to enter a raffle to win two premium tickets to an FPAC holiday show of their choice:  either Nutcracker or Humbug!

The Franklin School for Performing Arts invites visitors to stop by the studios and watch performances in the recital hall throughout the evening. There will be three different performances you won’t want to miss.

Facial Rejuvenation
will give out free Jane Iredale Lip Drink SPF 15. This SPF zinc oxide broad spectrum lip balm has a macadamia nut oil base (not petroleum), antioxidants, green tea and vitamins C and E, and the flavor is a mix of lemon and orange oils.

Pisani Shoes invites everyone to come shop for new holiday shoes and enjoy Mr. Pisani’s private art work on display.

Craig Roberts Studio will give out a free $25 gift certificate for a studio portrait. The certificate can be used for family, extended family and children’s portraits.

On West Central Street:

Hair Mania will offer a free holiday gift and 10% off all hair products.

The Fire Station will be holding a Holiday Fire Safety Expo and handing out holiday treats. Come learn safety tips on candles and Christmas trees lights.

On Cottage Street:

Franklin Pizza and Deli
suggests stopping in for dinner after the tree lighting. Buy any large pizza and get a small cheese pizza free.

On Summer Street:

Simon’s Furniture invites families to meet Santa and receive a holiday treat. Visitors can also enter a raffle for a Free 19-inch flat screen LCD HD TV!

ArtBeat Your Creativity Store Kids can help Santa’s elves make glittery holiday ornaments for free. They can also make gifts for family and friends starting at $10. From 6:00 to 8:00 the store will host a reception for the Handmade Craft Gallery.

Salon Sorella
invites everyone to come in and warm up with a cup of cocoa and start their holiday shopping with 15% off the purchase of gift cards.

Around Franklin

CVS Pharmacy will continue the holiday fun at both locations. Stop in for free product sample gifts.

Shades In Place
, located at 76 Grove Street , will throw an Open House that evening and give 15% off plus free installation to anyone who stops by.

DCU - Federal Credit Union
invites holiday shoppers to stop in for a free cup of coffee, tea or a checking account. DCU will also hand out candy at Simons Furniture during Santa’s visit.

Other participating businesses include:  Itch’s Stitches, Pretty Is Pink, Vallee’s Jewelers, Rick’s Restaurant, Rome Restaurant, Bamboo House, Central Pizza and Isabella’s Groceria. Stop by and enjoy some holiday treats!

Silver sponsors for this event are NHS Print, Middlesex Savings Bank, Rockland Trust and DG Ranieri Supply Company.  Bronze sponsors include Artbeat Your Creativity Store, CVS Pharmacy, Ficco’s Bowladrome, Rome Restaurant, Laura Lowe/Coldwell Banker, the United Regional Chamber of Commerce and Digital Federal Credit Union.

For more information on this event contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com or (774) 571-3109. The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is the revitalization of downtown Franklin . The FDP believes that a vibrant downtown is key to the economic success of the town of Franklin , and it organizes events like the Holiday Stroll to promote awareness and help the town prosper. For more information visit www.franklin.ma.us Community Links.

Town Council Mtg Smry 12/02/09

The collection of posts that were reported live during the Town Council meeting on Weds 12/2/09:





In the News - check your mail carefully

In October, Dacey sent letters to 800 delinquent bill payers, warning a lien may be filed on their property. He said the lien will be split evenly in the February and May bills, the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

He said people may wrongly assume the mortgage company and banks have paid their utility bills.

"I have a feeling a lot of people are getting these letters and think, 'I don't have to worry about this, the mortgage company is taking care of it.' It's wrong to assume that," he said.
Read more about this in the Milford Daily News here:

Franklin official: Pay your taxes or risk lien

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS




Senior Center Newsletter - December

This month's newsletter from the Senior Center:

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Note: For Franklin Matters email subscribers, you'll need to click through to the website to view the document.


Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Live reporting - closing

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Jeff thanks for all the sponsors for the Christmas lighting on Sunday

Snow and Ice budget is coming, negotiated to reduce contractor payment by $10/hr, reduced salt and sand use with new routes, part of consortium on salt purchase to reduce cost per ton


Hearing on Achorage Road last week, reducing roadway area and storm water runoff, residents pleased with plans underway


Legislature has gone to holiday without giving the Gov approval for reductions


Approval for the architect has been granted by the State
Building Committee meeting on Dec 14th at 6:00 PM




L. OLD BUSINESS
none

M. NEW BUSINESS
none

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Powderly reiterate to come up with some document on rationale
Holiday Stroll downtown from 4:00 to 8:00 PM

Zollo - If the Town were to pay the State's portion of the Quinn bill, about what would that be?
Nutting - About 150,000.


Zollo - commending student athletes at FHS 


Pfeffer - thanks for the Alumni Club sponsoring the breakfast before the Thanskgiving Game. 
Next Tuesday, Bob Fahey and wife will have been in Franklin for 50 years.


Kelly - attended the lighting at the Common, Santa showed up and the kids were happy.


Jones - took the tour of the Police, Fire and DPW very impressed with their services.
Plug the election next Tuesday and then Jan 19th, get out and vote
congratulations to the football team!


Whalen - championships tend to be few and far between so they should soak it in.


Mason - congratulations to the Dean College football team


Pfeffer - move to go to executive sessions, not to return to open session
passed 8-0





O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required


P. ADJOURN


Live reporting - Action items

5. Resolution 09-78: Appropriation – Veterans’ Benefits
Thanks to Bob Fahey for providing this service to our veteran citizens

motion to approve - passed 8-0

6. Resolution 09-79: Appropriation – Employee Benefits - Unemployment

see notes from Finance Committee meeting 12/1/09 for background

With the State extension on unemployment, will that affect us?
Yes


motion to approve - passed 8-0


7. Resolution 09-80: Appropriation – Elections Budget
motion to approve - passed 8-0


8. Resolution 09-81: Grant utility easement on Oak St property


motion to approve - passed 8-0

Live reporting - License transactions

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS –  Annual Alcohol License Renewals

recommending acceptance of the listing (pending three for outstanding fees)
motion to approve - passed 8-0



H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS  none


I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS  none



Live reporting - action items - taxes

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 09-74: Classification Tax Allocation– Residential Factor
motion to accept contingent upon DOR acceptence - passed 8-0


2. Resolution 09-75: Classification Tax Allocation – Open Space Exemption
motion to accept contingent upon DOR acceptence - passed 8-0

3. Resolution 09-76: Classification Tax Allocation – Small Businesses Exemption
motion to accept contingent upon DOR acceptence - passed 8-0
 
4. Resolution 09-77:  Classification Tax Allocation – Residential Property Exemption  motion to accept contingent upon DOR acceptence - passed 8-0

Live reporting - Tax Classification hearing

F. HEARINGS  -        Annual Tax Classification Hearing – 7:10 PM

DeBaggis, Norman, Doyle, Feeley


Tax rate increase from 11.17 to 12.03%


When property values go down, why does the rate still go up?
Basically, the Town takes the prior tax levy and adds 2.5%, including the new growth and debt exclusions results in the total new tax levy for the Town budget.


How is the value of my house not reflected in the assessment?

Dealing with the 2008 calendar year data for this cycle. 2009 is not complete as we are only in December, so the State mandates use of the prior full year data. There is a lag in the data used.


Assessments will go online in the next couple of days and should be available on the Town Assessors website.


Q - Powderly - If we are constrained by prop 2.5% why is my bill going up more than 2.5%
A - the Prop 2.5 is applied at the Town tax levy and not at the individual residence level.


Q - Zollo - How come you don't get good assessments for commercial/industrial properties? I have heard that there is the lag effect and lack of comparable data points.

A - Those are comments I have heard about 3-4 years ago. I don't think there is an inequity now. 


Q - Most citizens believe that the assessed values are close to fair market value, but there are commercial properties where there might be some differences.
A - Residential is assessed at the fair market value so it is easy to compare. Commercial property is assessed on a number of factors (cost, market, industry) only one of which is the fair market value. The full valuation process is determined by the State. There may be a perception or feeling that we might have missed something but the values have to be qualified.


Q - I am hearing these frequently. The most important thing we can do is to fight to change the perception.



Nutting - I want to reinforce Assessor Feeley's point on the commercial process being an apples to oranges approach compared to the residential process. The assessors follow all the rules and regulations and then the State validates the numbers. Could one property be out of whack, it is possible.


Q - Whalen - a theoretical example to help get to the point that Councilor Zollo is making. 
A - on that, for the benefit of the public, it is the rent and not the business entity that is the difference.


Q - How do we compare in assessment valuation dropping?
A - The jury is still out as other communities are going through the same process now.
Franklin has shown a less significant decline in residential valuation based upon the housing sales over the last 18 months.


Q - Last time you didn't want to make a recommendation on split vs. single?
A - We are not in the position to do so, our role is to provide the data.


Q - Have there been recommendations for split tax before?
A - No


Debaggis - Continue with the single tax rate as the school portion of the budget as the commercial/industrial does not benefit from the major portion of the budget.


Feeley - I concur with Mr DeBaggis for his point and I'd add two more. With the 80/20 split that we have, the commercial industrial contribute about $10M of the $50 million. The Police and Fire depts budgets along are close to this amount. Third, the split tax rate is not good for business especially when you consider the small businesses.


Whalen - Based upon the analysis I have done, Franklin has a lower single tax rate than most communities with split tax rates.


Mason - mentioned that Attleboro just passed their tax rate which is split and provided a lower rate to businesses to stem the loss of 107 businesses over the past year.


I spoke up about the single vs split is not the issue, we need to grow the pie. The economic development efforts of the community to grow the tax levy as sustain the level of services we want.



Zollo -

Powderly - I would like the argument articulated in a single pager for citizens to reference.


Motion to close the hearing
Approved - 8-0