Monday, January 18, 2010

"I have a dream..."

Martin Luther King's birthday and a national holiday. Time to watch once again "I have a dream".



Vote January 19th!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video.

Town Council - Agenda - 1/20/10

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - DECEMBER 16, 2009

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS
  • Public Land Use Committee  (Jeff Livingstone)
  • Finance Committee  (Christopher Quinn)
F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
  • Report on Charter Revisions
  • Update on Downtown Project - Weston and Sampson

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
   1.  Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-639: Amendment to Chapter 185-5 Zoning Map: Biotechnology Uses- Referral to Planning Board
   2.  Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-640: Amendment to Chapter 185-42: Biotechnology Uses- Referral to Planning Board
   3.  Bylaw Amendment 10-621: Chapter 82; Appendix A:  List of Service Fee Rates, Solid Waste and Recycling Fees - 1st Reading

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

Note: the quick look agenda does not include the two presentations (Charter revisions and Downtown Project) that are included in the full agenda and accompanying documents (PDF) on the Town Council. I am assuming that the full package is correct and that the quick look agenda will get updated before the meeting.


Franklin, MA: Municipal Housing Trust Announcement

The Franklin Municipal Housing Trust Announces

HOME OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM

DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTS


The Franklin Municipal Affordable Housing Trust is making available $480,000 to be paid in grants to income and asset qualified 1st time home buyers. 

Click on the link below for information on this new affordable housing program.
Sponsored by the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust

Trustees:
MaryAnn Bertone
Robert Gagnon
Maxine Kinhart
Jeff Nutting
Judith Pond Pfeffer
Susan Speers
Christopher Vericker


Sunday, January 17, 2010

Town Common Memorial - night view

The memorial on the Franklin Town Common is impressive at night





Franklin, MA: Department of Public Works (part 1)

The Department of Public Works (DPW) provides a wide range of services to the residents of
Franklin. It is organized into eight (8) divisions:
1. Administration
2. Engineering
3. Highway (including Highway Maintenance and Construction, Central Motors, Snow
and Ice Control)
4. Park and Grounds (Parks; School Grounds Maintenance and Forestry/Insect Control)
5. Water (including ground water withdrawals, water treatment and distribution)
6. Sewer
7. Solid Waste and Recycling (including the operation of the Beaver St. Station)
8. Street Lighting

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
The major functions of the Administrative Division include developing capital projects, long range planning, intergovernmental relations and compliance, grant writing, processing various private construction permits, drain layer licenses, DPW- purchasing, budgeting, accounting and payroll, and water/sewer/trash billing, sprinkler/hydrant billing and cross connection billing.

Capital Projects
The Administrative Division in conjunction with Engineering and the operating divisions develop major capital projects.

Design, permitting, bidding of I-495 Exit 16 Interchange has been completed.
Construction at this sight will commence fall 2009.

An extensive interview process was held and the engineering firm, Weston and Sampson was selected to work with the Town for the improved design of the Downtown area. Options and ideas are being considered to make the “Triangle” area more pedestrian and business friendly. Considerations include providing two-way traffic on route 140 again, underground utilities, period lighting, planters, sidewalk and cross brickwork, curbing and parking improvements and an improved transition with Dean College. The Town is still waiting for Funds to be released for this project. It is anticipated that “Survey work” will commence in fall 2009. Design work continued on Pleasant and Lincoln Streets, and survey work was undertaken on Grove Street.

The DPW continues to initiate, forecast, design, plan, fund and permit long-range projects with construction phased in over the next three to four years. Progress on specific capital construction projects is outlined in the respective Divisions’ portion of this report.

It is important to note, that many of these projects are preformed “in-house” without “bidding out” complete projects to “outside contractors”. To plan, design, permit, and construct these projects “in-house” is a very arduous and requires a lot of coordination and cooperation between each DPW Division and other Municipal Departments. By doing many of these projects this way, the Public Works Department is able to save substantial amounts of money that can be used on other capital improvement projects.

Operational
The DPW was slightly re-organized last year. With the Public Works being tasked with the additional responsibility of maintaining all outside areas of school buildings and associated fields, a “Park and Grounds” division was created in D.P.W. All though no new employees were hired, it was felt to improve and standardize conditions of Town properties, one division and manager should be responsible. The new Park and Grounds Division is responsible for the outside maintenance of all Town of Franklin buildings whether a School, the Town Municipal Building, water stations, parks, etc.

Grant Writing
The Town received a $130K grant for Storm Water Improvements and a $5K grant for recycling programs. Much of the credit for the Town’s success in obtaining highway funding and other grants goes to the Town’s legislative delegation, including Rep. Jim Vallee, Sen. Scott Brown, Sen. Karen Spilka and Congressmen James McGovern.

Permits and Long Range Planning
The Town successfully was able to mitigate a Water Management Act Permit with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (D.E.P.) that covers “Permitted” water use. This permit governs how much water the Town can use annually. D.E.P. had proposed radical changes without recognizing all the work and monies that the Town has spent in the past to improve the infrastructure of the distribution system. The State has also failed to recognize the significant past and future growth of the Town and the conservation efforts of all the residents of the Town of Franklin particularly during the summer months. The Town of Franklin submitted a more realistic permit plan and was able to negotiate a solution that recognized the Town of Franklin as a leader in water conservation that meets the future growth needs of Franklin. The Town of Franklin continues to take a lead and work with other area Towns to insure that the region’s water supplies are protected.

The Town of Franklin continues to follow and implement the new “Phase II” Storm Water Permits as required by the E.P.A. Phase II required the Town to highly regulate and monitor storm water throughout the Town. The Department will continue to refine and improve adopted regulation to continue to improve the Storm Water in Franklin.

Long range planning is critical in the area of Public Works and must be accomplished consistently in order to ensure that the Town’s water, sewer and roads can support the needs of our residents. The Town’s Master Plan, the 1993 Water Distribution System Study, Sewer System Evaluation Study and the Sewer System Master Plan studies are important sources of planning information, which are utilized to support this planning effort. In October 2001, Tata & Howard of Westborough completed the distribution system update to the 1993 Water Master Plan. This identified approximately $40M in water system needs. The ‘20/20’ plan allows the Town to address the most critical of these needs.

Even though the Town of Franklin presently has a long-term trash disposal contract with Wheelabrator Corporation in Millbury The DPW continues to “look outside the box” to improve town wide recycling and collection procedures. The Town is in the process of negotiating a new long-term trash-hauling contract with various contractors. All options are being considered for collection, including “pay as you throw”, single stream, automation and any combination of them. We continue to work with the School Department and the Recycling Committee to reduce the amount of tonnage into the “Waste Stream” and increase recycling.

The DPW continues to work with both D.E.P. and the Massachusetts Department of Recreation and Conservation to facilitate the final closing and capping of the Beaver Street Landfill Site.

Hails and Farewells
The Department was fortunate to add the following people to its staff last year: Mr. Carlos Rebelo as the new Park and Grounds Superintendent, Mr. Alan Tetreault to the Highway Department. Mr. Robert Costanza, Mr. John Bedoya, Ms. Ann Durham and Mr. Philip Vondras transferred from the School department into the new Parks Division. Ms. Valerie Carrachino joined the office staff.

With gains, there are always losses. The greatest loss of the Department was the retirement of Mr. Phillip Brunelli as the Superintendent of Highway Department. Phil had a long career with the Department and moved up the ranks to “Superintendent”. Above all, Phil was a great “Snow Boss”. During the winter months, the roads in Franklin were always safest and best around with Phil running the snow program. Ms. Denise Zambrowski, the Town’s Environmental Affairs Coordinator, left for job opportunity in the “Private Sector”. Ms. Yvonne Tran was laid off as a result of budget cuts.

Thanks
As the Director, I as always owe many thanks to my staff that make this whole department work and serve all residents in a timely manner. Everyone is committed to providing extraordinary service to the Town in the most cost-effective manner possible. The Town Engineer Mr. William Yadisernia, Office Manager Mrs. Paula Lombardi, Deputy Director of Operations Mr. Anthony Mucciarone, Water and Sewer Superintendent Mr. Alfred Boone, Highway Superintendent Mr. Kenneth Gormley, Park and Grounds Superintendent Carlos Rebelo, G.I.S. Coordinator Mr. James Esterbrook and Engineering Aid Mr. Warren Groth are all dedicated professionals that put in so much extra time and effort to make this Department a success. The Town and I are very fortunate to have such talented individuals to work with. I would also like to thank Linda Feeley, Paula Juarez, Sandy Wedge, Faith Flaherty and Valerie Carrachino who support the Administration Division. These individuals respond quickly and with courtesy to hundreds of requests for assistance and information throughout the year.

I would especially like to thank the “Crew” and the mechanics that work out of the D.P.W. garage. These are the ladies and gentlemen that are not always seen but provide the day-to-day services that are taken for granted. They pump, treat and deliver safe drinking water, they care for parks and ball fields, and they maintain the roadways, repair and sustain not only Public Work’s vehicles but also all Town owned vehicles and handle all our wastes. They are always available, day and night, working long hours to assist in any emergency situation whether it is snow removal, water breaks, sewer backups, wind/electric storms, flooding, etc. They are all extremely professional and dedicated to their jobs; I cannot thank them enough.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert A. Cantoreggi II
Director of Public Works

Paula M. Lombardi
Office Manager


From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.  Additional departments of the DPW will be reproduced here soon.


You can visit the DPW pages on the Town website here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_DPW/index


Franklin, MA: Franklin Public Library

Committed to Excellence in Customer Service

Community Vision Statement

Franklin strives to create a welcoming community:
Alive with a sense of neighborhood
Committed to the delivery of the highest quality education and lifelong learning opportunities
With a desire to maintain the welcoming character of a New England town and a vibrant downtown center
Where all residents can find convenient access to strong municipal services and enjoy a sense of security and physical safety
Where the professional and business community can find support and growth
Where residents accept and value their diversity and work collectively to enhance the well being of the community and
The library is regarded as the place for innovation, entertainment and information.

We value:
Customer service excellence
The people we serve, their opinions, capabilities, needs and interests
Freedom of expression and the free flow of ideas
Equitable access to library resources and services
Creative solutions and innovation
Our proud history and rich heritage
Our skilled and knowledgeable staff
Building on Solid Accomplishments
Through strategic planning, targeted service delivery, enhanced technology, productive staff and collaborations with other Town departments, the Franklin Public Library has accomplished large and small improvements in both external and internal operations in the past and current fiscal years. This report is sprinkled with a few of the countless positive comments we receive from a very grateful public. Our customers are many and varied in their needs. They comprise the very young, seniors and many in-betweens. Some come in daily to read the newspapers and magazines, while others come for computing, access to the Internet and electronic databases, quiet study, participate in book discussions, instruction, attend programs, place requests or check items from a vast collection of over 99,000 books, audio books, books on CDs, music CDs, DVDs, games and etc. They also appreciate the fact that they can obtain items from other libraries in a timely manner. In FY09 Franklin residents borrowed 4000 items from other libraries. The positive effect on the many that use library resources and services can better be summed in the words of one satisfied customer “I would be orphaned without this Library.”

Work on securing the building envelope is almost complete. The Town’s Facilities Department was very instrumental in this regard. The installation of security cameras and security access points now provides patrons with a greater sense of security. Entrances are welcoming. Interior spaces are warm, inviting and comfortable with many designated quiet spaces and collaboration areas for groups that are not necessary quiet. Many of our customers are very pleased and have enormous praise for the two contrasting yet complementary environments. An environment with accommodation for all: quiet havens and learning spaces for people who just sit and think or do computing, read a book, or magazine, or newspaper, or write. There are areas for active engagement with others such as studying in groups, conversation groups, instruction sessions and much more.

The Friends of the Franklin Library has been instrumental in updating and upgrading the appearance of the Library with classic furnishings and ergonomic workstations. While we wait for phase two of the renovation project, small steps to restore the original splendor of 1904 are underway.

We have replaced the oblong tables in the reference room with round mahogany ones and the tall shelving blocking the view of the murals with much lower shelves. This has changed the feel of the reference room, created more space for the entire magazine/ newspaper section and added to the grandeur of the lobby. Additionally, round tables are more conducive to group study. The Library patrons are genuinely thankful for our vast collections, responsive services and the comfortable surroundings. This description by a patron of the new magazine area by the fireplace reflects the general mood. “I have always appreciated your collection of magazines but this new setting is so relaxed. It makes you want to kick your shoes off and just stay in the library forever”.

Usage
13,416 reference questions were answered by librarians at the Reference and circulation desks. Customers made 213,781 visits to the Library. The Library filled 43,314 Interlibrary Loan request.

Circulation Statistics

The Library continued to experience extraordinary increases in use. Library stats, usually considered a key indicator of success are a fitting tribute to an exceptional and hardworking staff. They paint a glowing picture of our overall performance and point to a thriving, vibrant and relevant public institution. Big jumps in circulation, 12%, were the norm in the last fiscal year. From July – November of 2008, circulation rose again another 21% putting the Library on the top 10 increases in circulation in the State, on the front page of the Boston Globe (January 4th) and also on the front page of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners newsletter.
Note: This was written in mid-year 2009. The work on the exterior of the library building was completed. Work on the interior will be on the capital funds listing awaiting priority.

The Future
Once again, the Library faces an uncertain future. The library staff is committed to maintaining fundamental library services. However, significant cuts of the Library’s budget unravel much of what has been accomplished in the last five years. America’s Star Libraries have one common denominator – secured funding. Dedicated library funding translates into a better collection, more computers, more public programs, and more hours open, all of which contribute to outstanding public library service.
From the 2009 Town of Franklin Annual Report. This is available in a printed version at the Municipal Building or online at the Town website here.

The Library website can be found within the Town website here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Library/index



Saturday, January 16, 2010

Survey says "Keep plowing"


The recent poll question closed Friday night with the following results:

Should the Town consider saving money by plowing the streets less well than they currently do?

Yes - 5

No - 14

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These results will be added to the results of the prior polls conducted here.
If you have a suggestion for a poll, please let me know.


School Dept fiscal review comes out clean and with praise (updated)

Based upon feedback from School Committee Chair Jeff Roy, the following, originally published on Thursday Jan 14th, has been updated.

It was not too long ago, it seemed like every time you turned around, something or someone was chipping away at the block of trust that citizens had in Franklin's government. The low point probably occurred just before Thanksgiving 2007. The School Committee released information that irregularities in the School budget had been discovered by the Town Comptroller. This appeared to be a "classic release bad news before the holiday move". However, this was not a story to be buried. This was the most serious of several incidents that had residents of Franklin questioning who they could trust. The January 9 2008 Town Council meeting was actually a joint one as the Town Council sat along with the School Committee to hear the auditors present the details of their findings.

Sorry to have brought the bad news back up but I want to put this real good news in the proper perspective. The Town (including the Schools) budget has been audited since then by the Town's regular auditors and the results have come up clean. Policy and procedures have been revised and implemented to improve the financial operations with appropriate checks and balances. The "trust" issue from a budget perspective should have been put to rest.

If someone was still looking for another source to confirm the Town auditor's findings, I think we have one. The School Department was recently the subject of a "fiscal review" by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and received praise for their operations.
The Franklin Public School has done well in maintaining a comprehensive system of written internal policies and procedures relative to its operations of the School Business office. Implementation of a comprehensive system of internal controls ensures that funds are expended in compliance with state and federal regulations and are used for the intended purposes of the grant.
Franklin Public Schools has a number of best practices being performed. Management and other department personnel should be commended for not holding credit cards in the name of Franklin Public Schools.
Additionally, the school district does not have an administrative petty cash fund, while most districts find this a necessity; Franklin Public Schools has done well in eliminating this potentially risky practice.
The credit for this commendation goes to the work of Miriam Goodman who came into this role specifically to address the problems and create good practices. Kudos to the School Committee for the hiring process that resulted in approval of Miriam for Business Administrator.

Miriam has done great work, she shows integrity in her work and the Town is better off for it.

Thank you Miriam!

The full text of the letter is shown below:

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io




Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the web site to read the document.


Friday, January 15, 2010

Watertown Multi-Use Path Construction Set

This should be of interest to Franklin area walking enthusiasts, in particular the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee:



Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:







via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 1/15/10

Watertown Bike Path Before 2 15JAN10 Governor Deval Patrick today announced construction of a multi-use path and intersection improvements in Watertown will move forward this spring.
The Charles River/Alewife Connector project in Watertown will construct a multi-use path along an abandoned rail corridor, left, from School Street to the Arlington Street intersection at Nichols Avenue, Coolidge Hill Road and Crawford Street, with a spur connecting the new path to Arsenal Street across from the Watertown Mall parking lot.
The $847,000 project will include removal of existing railroad rails and ties followed by construction of a ten-foot wide asphalt path with grass shoulders over a distance of approximately two-thirds of a mile. 
In addition, a $1.4 million project approved in late December will resurface the intersections of Spring and Summer, Mount Auburn and Summer, and Arlington and Nichols at the eastern limit of the new multi-use path, including new traffic sensing devices and more accessible sidewalks with wheelchair ramps.




Things you can do from here:



In the News - two connections with Haiti

Recent candidate for Board of Health, Koren Kanadanian, is on his way to Haiti


Franklin man rushes to the rescue

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 

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Communications with four members New England Chapel which operates in Franklin have been confirmed. 


Hearing from loved ones in Haiti

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 

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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

School Committee Mtg 01/12/10

The collection of live reporting from the School Committee meeting of Jan 12, 2010 can be found here. The order is in reverse order of the meeting, earliest points of the meeting on the bottom of this listing, ending points of the meeting on the top.



Teen Angels pledge can be found here http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/teen-angels-pledge-text-think-send.html

Teenangels - Pledge "Text ... Think ... Send"

The pledge as presented at the School Committee meeting Jan 12, 2010 along with some background information on the local chapter of Teenangels can be found in this document.

TeenAngel Notes Pledge


The remainder of the Teenangels presentation was covered in this
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-teen-angels.html


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

In the News - crash on Pond St, Grant program, absentee ballots

Driver hurt in Franklin crash

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 

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Franklin schools to skip grant program



Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Live reporting - Information matters/Closing

5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report
a. Race To The Top  (covered already)

b. H1N1 approx 1200 residents attended the recent clinic

c. DESE Financial Review
When the DESE visited they also did a financial audit. Miriam had only a few hours of notice. They liked the policies and procedures put into place. Thanks to Miriam for the credibility and integrity for the procedures you have put into place to make the Business office a success.

d. Snow Fallout / Sidewalks

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
Cafasso - T Raposa gathering options on a web site solution, would be good to have as part of the budget discussions

School Committee Liaison Reports
Trahan on Community Health Council - this committee has been taking on important topics and would encourage parents to come forward and take part. Thanks to Lisa Keohane for her work with the Teen Angels.

6. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

Trahan - April 29th - FEF Trivia Bee - themed for a focus on history

motion to move to executive session, not to return to open meeting
passed 7-0 by roll call