Monday, December 21, 2009

Franklin's TJ Maxx to close

A reliable source amongst the Franklin Matters community passed along word that employees of the TJ Maxx store in Franklin were notified that the store will be closing Jan 16th.

With stores in Plainville, Milford, South Attleboro, Framingham and Natick currently on the map, Franklin will lose the convenience of having a location in town. Plainville, the newest store, likely would pick up some of the Franklin traffic.

If you have information to add to this story, please let me know.



Sunday, December 20, 2009

FM #52 - Week ending 12/20/09

This is #52 in the series of podcasts for Franklin Matters. Take about 10 minutes to keep up with what happened this week in Franklin, MA.


Time: 9 minutes, 35 seconds





MP3 File


Session notes:

This internet radio show or podcast is number 52 in the series for Franklin Matters.

Take about ten minutes to keep current with what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends December 20, 2009.
FM #52

In this session I’ll cover the
  • School Committee
  • Town Council
  • Outreach events for both groups took part in
  • And then close with some reflections on what I think we can take away from these events 
The School Committee meeting this past Tuesday was their annual self assessment session. On non-election years, this would work well as the full SC would have been together for the whole year. In this election year, two of the members were new and therefore disadvantaged in commenting on what the SC did during the year. Now, they could provide a view from the outside (and to their credit they did). I also took time to speak up on several points to provide my 2 cents as an observer and reporter of the School Committee.

The School Committee does produce several good information streams; the school department website, the School Committee website and separate blog, the Superintendents page, and each school has their own page. The various websites have been disconnected from the Town for over a year now. There were plans to do an upgrade but the issues around content management and then problems with the proposed vendor (which went out of business as I recall) have halted that work. They are now back to square one to start over and find web site technology that can enable regular and timely updates for all those within the district; Teachers, administration and School Committee.

There is plenty of information available. I don’t think that is a problem. How easily it is found is one problem. I would posit that the second problem is that there is not a clearly defined feedback loop enabled. The Superintendent gets phone calls and the individual members of the School Committee get emails and phone calls. However, the correspondence acknowledged as part of each SC agenda only covers printed items that come through regular mail.

Now as voters, you and I get a chance to provide feedback every two years. In this most recent election, there were seven candidates for seven positions. I believe the voters gave their feedback by (1) voting in the two newcomers with more votes than any of the incumbents (2) by not casting ballots for more than 3-4 individual candidates. This voting pattern said that voters were not pleased with the existing committee.

And then the School Committee holds their self assessment in a room where it is not broadcast to the community via cable or internet as their other meetings are. It is still an open meeting, Ashley Studley (Milford Daily News reporter) and I participated and were the only non-school district personnel to do so.

Now don’t construe what I say as negative about the School Committee. The School Committee is a fine set of engaged and competent people very much interested in doing what is right to provide the very best education for all of Franklin’s youth. For all that they do well; I believe that there is room for improvement.

More on what they do well was highlighted in a couple of other activities this week.

First: Jeff Nutting and at least three members of the Town Council (Scott Mason, Judy Pfeffer and Tina Powderly) held an open information session at the Senior Center on Tuesday morning. The event was well received, good discussions were conducted. The Town Council will return in February to do a similar session.

Second: Five of the seven members of the School Committee joined with six of the nine Town Council to visit the State House as a guest of Rep Jim Vallee. During the time there, they obtained insights into the operation of the state government as well as information on the current issues and future budget for the Commonwealth. In particular, how the budget could affect local aid for Franklin.

Third: The School Committee and Superintendent coordinated a tour of the ten schools in the district for any one of the School Committee, Town Council and Finance Committee who chose to participate. While targeted for the new folks on both boards, it was a well attended event. They made visited all the schools including a stop for lunch at the High School Cafeteria. The feedback from folks who participated included comments like “amazing” “eye-opening”. This kind of outreach is important. The folks who will be shortly determining budget priorities were able to see the schools, administration, teachers, support staff, and students in action.

The Town Council meeting on Wednesday evening was a short but important one to close out the calendar year. The TC took action to approve the Financial Guidelines that have been developed by the Town and accepted by prior TC’s. The TC also approved the meeting schedule for 2010. The important item was approval for the Housing Trust to proceed with creating affordable housing by using $400,000 from the Housing Trust Fund. Potential home owners could qualify for up to $80,000 to be used at their closing to purchase a home in Franklin. The amount would not be paid back. In return, there would be a rider attached to the deed to keep the house in an affordable state for the years to come. This helps the Town create affordable housing from existing properties (hence avoiding new housing).

While the School Committee struggles with the feedback loop as I discussed earlier, their activities working with the Town Council, Finance Committee, and Town Administration is all good. To the Town Council’s credit they have started their outreach with the Senior center session, I look forward to seeing more of this.

I am comfortable with how the groups have started doing business since the election. The budget year ahead of us will be a challenge. I am glad that these groups have started as they have, there is hope that we will get through the budget with improvement in the flow of information and substantial respectful discussions.

There are no more Town Council or School Committee meetings this year. I can take a break. You’ll probably appreciate the break as well. I have reported on a total of 65 meetings this year, all but one of them live and in real time. I hope that the information shared has been helpful for you to keep abreast of what is happening in Franklin.

As we close this year 2009, let me wish you all a joyful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or what ever holiday you choose to celebrate at this time of year.

Finally,

If you like what I am doing, please tell your neighbors

If you don’t like something, please tell me

Thank you for listening

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

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

I hope you enjoy!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to listen to the audio version.


Smalley's Cookies now on the web

I found and bought some Smalley's Cookies at the Franklin Farmers Market this summer. They are great tasting cookies!



As I talked with John in his tent at the market, I asked if they had a website I could link to. Alas, it was under development.

Until recently that is. You can now find them on the web at Smalley's Cookies.

From their About page:
Smalley's Cookies is founded on the principles of life, love and the unending pursuit of joy. We hope our cookies bring a sigh of happiness to everyone who takes a bite.


At Smalley's we are cookie fanatics. Our goal is to create the most amazing cookies on the planet! We searched the globe for the most delectable ingredients we could find: dark and semi-sweet chocolate from Switzerland, fresh pecans with just the right amount of "snap" from Georgia, Dutch-processed cocoa from The Netherlands, sweet dates, all-natural coconut, whole eggs, sea salt and unsalted butter and not one drop of trans-fat or artificial anything!


We know you'll delight in our cookies and feel good knowing that they're all-natural. And what breeds happiness more than reaching out to lend a helping hand? Nothing! That's why a percentage of our profits are donated to organizations which protect our natural resources, and which serve children and adults across our globe.


In the words of Simon Raven, "Life is short and the world is wide," so stop and enjoy a Smalley's Cookie and spread a little happiness along the way.
Some of the cookies I could get at the Franklin Farmers Market are no longer available. Although they tasted tested well, they did not sell well. This is likely because they contained nuts. You may have noticed that there has been an increase in nut allergies amongst the youth. Folks have decided to play it safe by buying cookies without nuts.




I talked with John recently to prepare this update and he was pleased with the company's growth. They went to five Farmers Markets during the summer. People liked the cookies. Word of mouth has enabled them to get into The Fruit Centers in Milton, MA. and Hingham, MA and recently, the Daily Bread Bakery in Whitinsville, MA.

I like their saying "Life is Hard, Have a Cookie!"

Keep up the good cookie making John!

Abbey turbine gets wings

The wind turbine at Mount St Mary's Abbey in Wrentham was installed this week. It is quite impressive even from a distance against a gray sky with the blades not turning.

It looks like a giant bird

or a funky hang glider

coming over the trees

until you get closer and the white tower appears.



It will be tested before turning on to generate power for the Abbey.

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to view the slide show.

In the News - cards for kids

Franklin junior designs cards for children in need

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS

Since the project began in November of this year, Burgess has successfully completed and delivered over 150 cards to children around the globe. Now more people are showing interest in helping her project grow.

"Since I made the Web site, lots of people have wanted to help me," Burgess said. "Girl scout troops, youth groups and senior centers. Every wants to get in on it."

For more information about helping Haley, visit the Cards for Kids Web site at cardsforkids.weebly.com or contact her directly by e-mail at cardsforkids524@gmail.com.

Cards for kids is looking for handmade cards made from construction paper or card-stock that include a personal, handwritten message. Burgess asks that you please refrain from including identifying information or asking questions as the children will most likely not have the opportunity to write back.





Saturday, December 19, 2009

Jane's Frames

Need a last minute gift?

Still looking for ideas?

How about framing that certificate, award or great photo?



Check out Jane's Frames for a great selection.

Jane Curran is very active in Franklin as part of the Downtown Partnership. Support your local businesses this holiday season.


Pulaski Blvd Construction in Spring 2010

Heads up for those who travel Washington St to Pulaski Blvd in Bellingham:

Bellingham- Pulaski Boulevard

The $13 million federal stimulus Bellingham project will reconstruct 2.2 miles of Pulaski Boulevard from Moody Street to the Franklin town line, including rehabilitation of the bridge over Peter's River.  The project will improve safety and enhance convenience for motorists along the Boulevard, an important commuter route to I-495 in Franklin.  Construction is expected to begin in the spring.


From the Commonwealth Conversations Transportation website
Follow the link to read more about the announcement yesterday and follow links from that story directly to the project details website.

In the News - Food Pantry, Senior Center

Fund raising for the Franklin Food Pantry


Christmas concert to raise funds for Franklin Food Pantry

from The Milford Daily News News RSS


-----



The annual Christmas lunch provided by the Franklin Police at the Senior Center


Franklin seniors enjoy police luncheon

from The Milford Daily News News RSS




Historical Commission is looking for help

The Historical Commission is in need of your help.

The Historical Commission is in the process of planning the move of the Franklin Historic Museum from Washington Street to West Central Street and they are looking for assistance.

On December 29th, they are planning a work session at the Washington St. Museum. Your assistance is requested to help pack, label and box items for transfer to the new museum.

If you are able to offer some time, please contact Alan Earls at 508-528-6930 or alan.earls@comcast.net or Del Arnold at 508-528-0867 or delarn@aol.com for more details. Thank you.


Friday, December 18, 2009

Laughter will keep you warm

One way to keep warm is with laughter. Laughter comes naturally with fun. Bernie DeKoven, the Funsmith, has a collection of quotes on fun that is purely delightful:
"Ask not what fun does for you. Ask rather what you do for fun." - the Oaqui

"The more fun you have, the greater your value to yourself and to your society. The more fun you share with others, the more fun you have." - the Oaqui

"For every Way there's a way of following that Way that's fun" - the Oaqui

"The Path that is best for you is the Path that keeps the best of you in play" - the Oaqui
For more quotes from the Oaqui, click through here.

If you have a quote that could be redone to make it more fun, please send it on to Bernie.


Cold and frosty

The window at Berry Insurance provided a holiday scene on the cold and frosty Thursday morning:





Meeting summaries

The last official Town meeting I will attend during 2009 completed Wednesday evening. If you need to recall some detail from a meeting of the Finance Committee, Financial Planning Committee, School Committee or Town Council, the archives are available here.

My published notes are not perfect as they are captured real time (and updated as necessary). If you don't find the detail you are looking for, please ask me.

You can also view the video archive for most of these meetings on the Town website here

My meeting summaries:



By the way, the meeting summaries for 2008 are contained in the far right column.

Express LIne #4

The latest Express Line is available.


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You can subscribe to this newsletter and other email notifications on the Franklin Town website here

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Town Council Mtg Smry 12/16/09

The live reported posts from the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Dec 16 can be found here:




In the News - affordable housing, Abbey wind power

A good use for the money that has accumulated in the Housing Trust Fund. This creates affordable housing for folks wanting to live in Franklin by using houses already on the market rather than creating new housing.


Franklin to offer grants to first-time homebuyers

from The Milford Daily News News RSS





Abbey has wind turbine installed

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS







Wednesday, December 16, 2009

live reporting - closing items

K.  TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Express Line #4 published
Maxine did good work on this

recycle holiday wrappings, etc
Tree pick up Jan 9th

H1N1 Flu clinic
last week and today, thanks for all helping
well attended moving smoothly
a huge success


10-12 year history on snow budget

highlight in Express Line
in 1998 vs 2009 police statistics
more calls with less folks
thanks to the employees for doing this

Fire Dept calls are up, DPW road miles have grown

DPW is down 6 positions so handling the snow will be a little be slower this time around
trying not to fill jobs until the budget picture clarifies in a couple of months

belt tightening across many departments
some positions are critical and can't go unfilled but for others we are waiting to see what the numbers from the State will be

Community Development
application scoring increased from 83 to 89 (need to check the numbers)
this helps with grant applications


L.  OLD BUSINESS - none

M. NEW BUSINESS
Powderly - request to examine tax waiver and see if this can be increased from $20K to 40K

N.  COUNCIL COMMENTS
Powderly - tour of the schools today, very amazing and eye opening
Zollo - thanks to Rep Vallee for the visit to the State for insight into State finances
Pfeffer - holiday wishes to all
Jones - thanks to Rep Vallee for lunch and the info yesterday, thanks to Roy and Sabolinski for the world wind tour of the schools today
Vallee - Merry Christmas to all
Mason - Senior Center first councilors forum, was a great event. Will be back. This Senior Center is so well liked, it draws seniors from other towns. We will be back in February

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

P.  ADJOURN
motion to adjourn, passed 8-0

Live reporting - Legislation

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS  - Municipal Housing Trust
funding to create at least six low income housing units from existing housing not to be used for new housing

I.  SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS - none

J.  LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 09-82: Legal Notices
motion to approve - passed 8-0

2. Resolution 09-83: 2010 Town Council Meeting Schedule
motion to approve - passed 8-0

Whalen - question on the April schedule
Nutting - this was done to avoid the school vacation schedule, it can be changed

Mason - there are no special meetings scheduled
Nutting - we can schedule them as needed, rather than schedule them and cancel them if we don't need them

3. Resolution 09-84: Endorsement of Fiscal Policies
motion to approve - passed 8-0

4. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 09-637: Amendment to Chapter 185-3. Definitions – 2nd  Reading
motion to approve - passed 8-0 (via roll call vote, all yes)

Beth Dahlstrom, Nick Alfieri attending to answer questions


vote re-done to clarify the motion
 
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 09-638: Amendment to Chapter 185-39. Uses Accessory to Dwelling – 2nd  Reading

motion to approve - passed 8-0



Live reporting - Town Council

Attending: Kelly, Jones, Vallee, Whalen, Mason, Pfeffer, Zollo, Powderly
Missing: McGann

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – November 18, 2009
motion to approve, passed 7-0

B.  ANNOUNCEMENTS  - none

C.  PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - none

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS - none

E. APPOINTMENTS - none

F. HEARINGS - none

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS – Change of Manager – Shaw’s
motion to approve - passed 8-0 (Vallee arrived)



K12 Online Conference

There is a great conference om K12 education occurring using the Internet this week. Three good links for presentations that occurred yesterday can be found here. Each link will take you to the individual page where you can see the video or listen to the audio of the presentation along with additional reference links.

1 -

Parallel Play or Collaboration–Leveraging the Wiki Platform for High Quality Work

from K12 Online Conference 2008


Thriving in a Collaborative Web 2.0 Classroom: The “Great Debate” and “Student News Action Network”

from K12 Online Conference 2008


Engaging Our Youngest Minds

from K12 Online Conference 2008







School Committee Mtg 12/15/09

The live reporting post from the School Committee meeting on Tuesday Dec 15th can be found here:



This was the annual self evaluation session for the Committee. 5 of the 7 had filled out the form prior to the meeting. Jeff Roy presented what the feedback on the survey was for each point. Then it was open for discussion to add anything.

The self evaluation form:

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Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to view the document.