Live reporting - actions (cont'd)

5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-639: Amendment to Chapter 185-5 Zoning map- 1st reading

motion to move to second reading, approved 8-0

6. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-640-: Amendment to Chapter 185-42: Biotechnology Uses- 1st reading
motion to move to second reading, approved 8-0 

Live reporting - audit

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS –
1. Presentation of Audit – Melanson Heath & Co.

The audit went well, no adjustments necessary
A significant estimate, an actuarial valuation to calculate the liability
Most readers will look to general and stabilization fund and not pay much attention to this unfunded liability

Page 14, 3rd number in the column
was 3.2 M is now 3.9 M virtually unchanged given the size of the overall operations

Page 16, 1st column, 3rd up from the bottom
$220,000 change in fund balance, given size of the budget this is an insignificant number

Page 16, 2nd column, stimulus money
amount coming in is the same as that expended

Page 18, budget vs actual page
attention to last column of numbers, midway down
total revenue and other sources 2.8 M less
most as result of cuts from 9c cuts of 3.5M
most of the offset was covered by the stimulus funds

effectively washing expenditures off against the stimulus

implemented the new accounting liability
Page 12 - designed to shown a long term perspective balance sheet
Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) liabilities, a little over 10 million
was always there but accounting standards are now requiring recognition
unrestricted funds decreased accordingly for this 10 M

management letter, a couple of recommendations
none of these rise to material weaknesses

1 - close some inactive capital project funds

2 - develop a more 'formal' risk assessment process, does assess risk currently, risk assessment is a key management function. department head meetings would be a good place to start this, to formalize this, would be how the Town would respond to this risk. Otherwise a very strong internal control structure

3 - tailings, tracks stale checks, one account has about $44,000 of uncashed checks
vendor no longer providing reconciliation services by end of fiscal year so this account will be closing

McGann - what is OPEB
Scott - described the term, basically retiree health insurance

McGann - what is the tailings account?
Nutting - we have written the checks, they have not been cashed by others

Scott - I don't like to compare clients, we did not need to propose any significant journal entries, we have only 3 minor recommendations, they do not rise to a significant or to a material deficiency

I am not involved in all our firms audits, I think this is a very good audit and much more timely than even two years ago.

Pfeffer - Page 32 do I read that we have
You do have some securities unsecured and unregistered, it is a rather high percentage, the notation is as of one point in time, it can change on a daily basis

Pfeffer - do you consider it dangerous or shocking?
No, there is some risk associated with some risks on investments but nothing unusual

I view some of my role to challenge my clients to not just provide the numbers but to go above and beyond

This year is much better, in 2007, we were here 11 months after the close
Gagner - that was somewhat do to the MUNIS conversion that we had just been completed.

We are not repeating any comments from prior years, this should be an important point to here.

Powderly - do you prepare fiscal statistics so we can compare ourselves to another
No, that would be the role of your fiscal advisors. You could do ten year trend information, largest employers, largest tax payers, etc.

Jones -what would you regard as an excellent goal
Gagner - no recommendations in the management letter

Live reporting - zoning bylaw amendments

F. HEARINGS - 7:10 PM
hearing opened

1. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-639: Amendment to Chapter 185-5 Zoning map
adding 11 parcels, removes one parcel which is part of the State Forest
Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend adoption of this
hearing closed

hearing opened
2. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-640-: Amendment to Chapter 185-42: Biotechnology Uses
this would remove the extra requirement of a Town Council special permit
the Board of Health would be required to hold a public hearing
It is in the interest of the Town to do this to help entice companies to operate here
hearing closed

these items are on the agenda for action to move them to a second reading later in this meeting

LIve reporting - Actions

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION –
1. Resolution 10-05: Property Tax Deferrals For Seniors – Gross Receipts Limit

Seniors can contact Karen Alves, Bob Fahey, the Assessors, the Town website for more informaiton on how to apply for this

motion to approve - passed 8-0


2. Resolution 10-07: Acceptance of G.L. Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 37A
increase from 437 to 500, about 20 folks currently take advantage of this



motion to approve - passed 8-0

 
3. Resolution 10-08: Property Tax Exemption G.L. Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 41C
Increases exemption to $750 (from $500 to $750)



motion to approve - passed 8-0

 
4. Resolution 10-09: Amending the Senior Citizen Property Tax Work-Off Abatement Program
senior citizens can use this work abatement for the equivalent of the minimum wage
program has been around for 10 or more years, a number of departments could not function without the support of the resources that work this way.

Mason - thanks to Councilor Powderly for her work on this

motion to approve - passed 8-0
 

Live reporting - Town Council

Present: Kelly, Jones, Vallee, Whalen, Mason, Pfeffer, McGann, Powderly

Absent:  Zollo


A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Town Council meeting of Apr 14 has been moved to Apr 28
Special State Primary Election to elect the replacement for Scott Brown (Precincts 2-3-4 only) Apr 13th and election on May 11th
Rocking 80's Party at Cole's March 20th

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS
Historical Commission- Associate Member - Marlene Oliver
  motion to approve - passed 8-0

End the R-word

Spread the word, to end the word!

What word?
You know, the R-word.



More about the international event taking place on March 3!

Thanks to Susan Senator for the link

How many words in The Cat in the Hat?

On the importance of words:

Simpson’s interpretation is more complex than the story I’ll tell here, but basically he looks at the numbers of words in a piece of literature (for example) and then convenes the number of different words, deducing the actual and then relative density of word usage, which is pretty interesting (and verifies that pit-of-the-stomach feeling about which authors use more words in smaller space).

The study referred to calculated that Dr Seuss used only 236 words used to write The Cat In the Hat.

Read more about this study and review the listing of the 236 words here

Did you read The Cat in the Hat or any other Dr Seuss book yesterday?
You can always find one to read today!

In the News - YMCA, Dean

Y not help kids?

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

------

Dean wins basketball title

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Rock the 80's Party

There is a "Rock the 80's Party coming up this month.

 

80's PARTY/FUNDRAISER FOR THE AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER

Get out your leg warmers, lace bra, IZOD shirt, and don't forget your mullet & can of hairspray as you get ready for the PARTY OF THE SPRING!!

For a minimum donation of $15 (you can certainly donate more!) come dance, laugh, and have a great time while raising money for a great cause!

DJ, h'dourves, desert, cash bar, and lots of raffles & gift baskets!

When: Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 8:00pm

Where: Cole's Tavern, Washington St., Franklin MA

More info on Facebook here

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=1284925398564#!/event.php?eid=301299519199

"This book's gonna be a good book"

Every once in awhile, the beat catches you.

You get caught up in it!

"I have my book
Do you have yours?
What are you reading?"

...

"This book's gonna be a good book
to read!"



Enjoy!

What are you reading?


Thanks to the Teen Literacy Tips for the link

Maguro House - help wanted sign

The new Japanese restaurant downtown is looking for help: server, cashier, and dish washer wanted.

The restaurant website can be found here: http://www.magurohouse.com/

Survey says: new trash/recycle process - not a good thing for Franklin

Do you think the new trash/recycle process will be a good thing for Franklin?

Yes - 8

No - 11

This question comes out of the decision to lower the annual curbside fee and implement the new process in July 2010. The summary of the changes can be found in here: FM #58 - Week ending 2/21/10

The latest survey or poll question results are in. The Town has a communications opportunity on this item!

Senator Spilka Announces March 3rd Office Hours

Join Senator Spilka and Puja Mehta, Senator Spilka's District and Constituent Services Director, for coffee and conversation.  They will update constituents on the latest news and events, and answer any questions you may have.

Franklin: Franklin Senior Center
9:30 a.m -10:30 a.m.
10 McCahill Street, Franklin

Medway: Gaetano's Bakery
1:00 p.m -2:00 p.m.
74 Main Street, Medway


Holliston: Pejamajo Cafe
3:00 p.m -4:00 p.m.
770 Washington Street, Holliston

Framingham: Panera Bread
5:00 p.m -6:00 p.m.
400 Cochituate Road, Framingham

Natick: Morse Institute Library
6:30 p.m -7:30 p.m.
Room 2A
14 East Central Street, Natick

Town Council - Agenda - 3/3/10

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS
Historical Commission- Associate Member - Marlene Oliver

F. HEARINGS - 7:10 PM
1. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-639: Amendment to Chapter 185-5 Zoning map
2. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-640-: Amendment to Chapter 185-42: Biotechnology Uses

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS –
1. Presentation of Audit – Melanson Heath & Co.

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION –
1. Resolution 10-05: Property Tax Deferrals For Seniors – Gross Receipts Limit
2. Resolution 10-07: Acceptance of G.L. Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 37A
3. Resolution 10-08: Property Tax Exemption G.L. Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 41C
4. Resolution 10-09: Amending the Senior Citizen Property Tax Work-Off Abatement Program
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-639: Amendment to Chapter 185-5 Zoning map- 1st reading
6. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 10-640-: Amendment to Chapter 185-42: Biotechnology Uses- 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

Volunteers Needed – Saturday, March 27th

The Historical Commission is happy to announce that the new museum will be opening May 15th to the public.  The commission is very excited!

Your assistance is requested in moving some of the materials from the “Old” museum to the “New” museum on March 27th (Saturday) beginning at 10:00am.  Packing has already been completed and now we need help to remove boxes and items. 

If you have a van or truck “WE NEED YOU”.  We also need volunteers to transfer items into trucks and vans from the “Old” to the “New”.  You will be directed by Commission members during the move.

Please email dpellegri@franklin.ma.us  Let me know if you will be driving a truck or van/or if you plan to volunteer yourself with the moving of the items. 

Thank you in advance for your continued support of the Franklin Historic Museum.

"legislation can sometimes outstrip the resources available"

“In a time where most communities are financially strapped, I think the last thing any of us need are more reporting requirements and more administrative tasks that take away from the needs of other school functions,’’ said Jeffrey Roy, Franklin’s School Committee chairman.

The bill, which the House approved and sent to the Senate last month, would require new nutritional standards for food sold a la carte in school cafeterias, stores, and vending machines.

 Read the full article in the Sunday edition of the Boston Globe West section here

HMEA 5K Race/Walk - May 23rd

The Horace Mann Education Associates - HMEA, Inc. is located here in Franklin, MA but their effective service delivery is to over 100 communities in MA.

HMEA has a long history of providing innovative services in school, at work, at home and in the community and now serve over 2400 children and adults with developmental disabilities. Services include: Residential, Day and Family supports, and services for children.

HMEA's Employment Programs provides people with disabilities the opportunity to pursue meaningful employment either on a full- or part-time basis. For people in the Employment Program who work part-time, HMEA encourages volunteering for community organizations, or leisure and recreation activities to supplement their day.

HMEA's Employment Programs serve people 22 years of age and older who live within the commuting distance of program locations in the following cities and towns: Bellingham, Clinton, Hopedale, Plainville and Worcester

The annual fund raiser for HMEA is the 5K Race/Walk and Family Fun Day scheduled for May 23, 2010.

SAVE THE DATE...Sunday, May 23, 2010 HMEA's 9th Annual Independence 5K Walk/Run in the Park - MARK YOUR CALENDARS and grab your sneakers to participate in this "Fun-filled Family Day fundraising event...

This event, which is hosted by our good friends at EMC2 Corporation in Franklin, MA gathers 2,000 or more people to help HMEA continue its mission to make a difference in people's lives. AND, all the money raised is returned to the many programs at HMEA, which supports 2,400 children and adults with intellectual challenges and developmental disabilities.

Once again we have Gene Lavanchy from Fox News25 and tentatively Gail Huff from WCVB-TV Channel performing hosting duties for us. And our great friends and inspiration to many, "TEAM HOYT", Dick and Rick will be on hand again this year -- plus we're pretty sure there will be a few other celebrities and mascots on hand as well!

So come on down and participate in the fun...there's raffle prizes, food, tee shirts for participants (while they last), prizes, a Kids Corner filled with games and activities, a Kids "FUN RUN" and so much more... 

In addition to working the road race registration table (and providing splits at the 2 mile mark), I have decided to help HMEA do some fund raising this year.

I love the quote from Horace Mann that they use on their History page:

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity"

You can help the HMEA make a difference with a donation. I have a widget in the center column of this and my other blogs, should you choose to donate an amount within your means.

I will appreciate it.
The HMEA clients you help will too!

-----

If you would like to register for the race you can do so here
http://www.hmea.org/events.html

If you'd like you can contribute in one of several options directly through the HMEA website here
http://www.hmea.org/donations.html

Events today: Winter Carnival, Maguro House

Franklin High School Winter Carnival - scheduled from noon to 4:00 PM today


Maguro House - the Grand Opening Party is scheduled for Sunday, February 28th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

In the News - Kilimanjaro

Franklin woman to attempt Mount Kilimanjaro

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

 Holcomb is using her climb to raise funds for The Water School, a Canadian non-profit organization with a mission to provide clean water in the developing world.

"I've done a lot of traveling and I've done some climbing, like the Blue Hills. But nothing like this," said Holcomb. "This was a challenge made to me by someone who told me about the Water School cause."

------

To support Holcomb's Kilimanjaro climb with a donation to The Water School, visit her Web site atwww.kili2010.com/tessa-holcomb.

Temple Grandin - "visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers"

We get our first view into the Schools budget during the School Committee meeting on 3/9/10. Apparently, the budget will initially focus on "level service" (based upon the update from the meeting 2/23/10).

Going from "level service" to "level funded" or less will be a challenge. This TED Talk by Temple Grandin is good at showing the different kinds of thinking we are capable of. The different kinds of thinking require different approaches.



Are we preparing a sufficiently challenging environment for all types of thinkers?

Are we prepared to fund it appropriately?

In the News - Cole's, state budget updates

Franklin police hope photo helps catch robber

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff


-----------


In one article meeting with librarians, Sen Richard Moore comments on the state budget:

The governor's budget includes revenue from his proposed soda and candy tax, which, Moore said, is not likely to pass, and Medicaid money from the federal government that Congress has not yet signed off on.


"So we already have to start making up for some money," said Moore. "It's not going to be a pretty picture ... This will be the worst fiscal year since I've been in office."




Read the full article here

Support for libraries urged

by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

In another article 

Moore said state aid could be slashed by 5 percent when lawmakers vote soon on a new budget, but he is hoping for less of a cut.

Read the full article here

Moore says aid cut may be less than 5 percent

by Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff  

Four Changes to Law

Phillip K Howard spoke recently at the TED Conference and it was captured in this TED Talk.

The land of the free has become a legal minefield, says Philip K. Howard -- especially for teachers and doctors, whose work has been paralyzed by fear of suits. What's the answer? A lawyer himself, Howard has four propositions for simplifying US law.

What are the four propositions?

1 - Judge law mainly by its effect on society, not individual situations.
2 - Trust in law is an essential condition of freedom. Distrust skews behavior towards failure.
3 - Law must set boundaries protecting an open field of freedom, not intercede in all disputes.
4 - To rebuild boundaries of freedom, two changes are essential:

• simplify the law
• restore authority to judges and officials to apply law

I do encourage you to view the video (approx. 20 minutes) as the arguments Phillip makes are quite compelling. 



What do you think? Do we stand a chance of getting somewhere with these proposals?

In the News: Closing the gap, winter carnival

Rep. Vallee votes to close obscene messaging gap

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Staff reports

 -----

Franklin High's Winter Carnival set for Sunday

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Maguro House - Grand Opening Party

The Grand Opening Party is scheduled for Sunday, February 28th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Harlem Wizards return to Franklin!

The Harlem Wizards, one of the greatest basketball show-team organizations to ever “lace it up and let’em fly”, will play our own Sullivan Rockets. This will be an entertaining night for kids of all ages (and adults too)!

From Franklin Matters

Did you miss their visit last year?



Don't miss it this year!

Date:  Friday, March 19th, 2010, 7:00 PM
Doors Open 6:00, Game Time 7:00

Location: Tri-County Regional High School
147 Pond St, Franklin MA

Tickets: Click here to print ticket order form

Contacts: ayotte_k@verizon.net or erinclong@comcast.net

Sponsored By: Annie Sullivan Middle School PCC

School Committee Mtg 02/23/10

The collection of posts from the School Committee meeting of Tuesday, February 23rd can be found here

• live reporting - Superintendent report, closing
• Live reporting - Action items
• live reporting - policy changes
• Live reporting - presentations
• Live reporting - School Committee

In the News - Cole's, Junior Miss, school progress

Police still looking for Franklin robbery suspect

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

Franklin Junior Miss results

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

Franklin schools report progress

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

live reporting - Superintendent report, closing

5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
a. Ethics Laws
b. 2011-2012 School Calendar – 2 drafts
one drafted with a start before Labor Day, one drafted with a start after Labor Day
looking for review from School Committee, will be reviewed with principals Wednesday
will also be posted to the schools website for review
with a post-Labor Day start, the senior graduation day would have to be pushed back from the normal first Friday in June


• School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
Building Committee - Mar 1 is meeting to vote and approve the selection of the OPM, which will trigger the effort on designers (architects) to get one hired by fall

Space Needs - will be reporting out at next meeting

Budget subcommittee - FY 11 budget tweaked, revised to be reviewed with the full committee on March 9th to review the level service needs


• School Committee Liaison Reports
none

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

Trahan - FEF Trivia Bee on Apr 29th

Glynn - with the current events around cyberbullying, are we planning to do anything
Mullen - yes, the subcommittee is working on it, the Superintendent has been keeping us informed

Roy - providing feedback from the Univ of Hartford on theater students coming from Franklin who have been doing very well there.

7. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations


motion to enter executive session with no intention to return to open session
passed 7-0

Live reporting - Action items

4. Action Items

a. I recommend acceptance of the gift of an Electronic Snap Circuits educational kit by Elenco for the students at Oak Street. Value $65.00 kit that has over 60 pieces which allows the students to build over 300 electronic projects/experiments.

motion to accept, passed 7-0

b. I recommend approval of budget transfers as detailed.

motion to accept, passed 7-0


Note: the original item B was postponed for a future meeting per the agenda review at the beginning of this meeting
 

live reporting - policy changes

3. Discussion Only Items

Policy – First Readings (note follow the links to view the proposed policy documents)

1. EB – Safety Program

 motion to move policy EB to second reading - passed 7-0

2. EEA – Student Transportation Policy Services and Eligibility

 motion to move policy EEA to second reading, passed 7-0

3. EEB – Student Transportation Policy Services and Eligibility

 motion to move policy EEB to second reading, passed 7-0


Budget to Actual
 no questions

Live reporting - presentations

2. Guests/Presentations

a. Summary of Ethics Laws – Maureen Sabolinski

Ethics laws required for every municipal employee, online training required, approx. 20 minutes
signature page to be printed and kept in a file with the Town Clerk
working to do the online training during staff meeting time
elected officials are required to sign off on receipt of the update packet

b. Update Strategic Plan and District Improvement Plan – Maureen Sabolinski

This is the first of the scheduled updates on the Strategic Plan (disclosure, I worked on the team to develop the Strategic Plan Vision, Mission Statement and Core Values in a collaborative manner)

developing a systemic learning community based upon feedback
implemented the writing center at the high school, an assessment and report to NEASC is required
coordinated program review, received preliminary report, received many commendations, need to focus on English language learners (no surprise based upon self evaluation)
exploring the use of Google translator to help with translations of documents

utilization of data, part of growth model pilot program
Franklin is far and above other districts in use of data
data team, teacher driven, is moving forward
this group will develop the next district improvement plan based upon the data analysis
using MCAS and the growth model data
principals using the data to modify the instructional program as required
a week of intensive training in Natick sponsored by a collaborative

reading specialists and math CETs are working on developing enhancements for teachers in the classrooms to address the needs of low income and disabled students

building a local base of assessment data to add to the MCAS data

Student success team, kids that are at risk to drop out.
develop a protocol to look at their records, for similarities
developing strategies to get ahead of the curve to address these students

The Ropes Course at the high school is being looked at to get it licensed for use as an instructional tool for leadership training, also to be used in FHS Summer program

MassInsight training, a shift in instructional program, added rigor, getting students to be ready to take advanced placements courses at the high school

Teenangels, getting to the point where the teenangels will take their information and training on the road within the district.

handbook updates scheduled for May School Committee meetings
work to begin with principals to prepare the drafts to be ready

lockdown training to include the pool of substitute teachers

school community relationships
Hockomock Y - nutition detectives
did walk a through with all the cafeterias
supplements the loss of health in the overall program

Community Health Council (meeting Thursday, March 4th)

Dean partnership, exploring ways to partner with Dean on how to work better together

transparency on budget items
MSBA, just submitted another update on enrollment projections
on agenda to approve the hiriing of the OPM which would then get to hiring the architect
should all be done by March 1

Q - How is open circle going?
A - All the elementary schools are using it, building based training currently in place

Q - the acceptable use policy is in the handbooks in the personnel section, should it be moved?
A - yes, we can address that as we get into the acceptable use for the adults, using the Town acceptable use policy

Q - what are we doing on those at risk for dropout, are we bringing in the parents?
A - we have done some work at the high school due to some data and have made some changes there, we need to extend that work throughout the system

Q - We there any ah-ha moments?
A - Yes, there were several, one of them at the high shcool was the detention and punishment policy. The kids were amazing, we did focus groups and they provided the feedback on who was engaged and interesting. The feeling of being connected to the school community. How do they get involved so that they can build the emotional connection and remain.

Live reporting - School Committee

Present:  Douglas, Cafasso, Rohrbach, Mullen, Roy, Trahan, Glynn
Absent:  none


1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments  none

Review of Agenda  Add an action item for budget transfers, remove original action item B for discussion at a future meeting

Minutes: I recommend approval of the Executive and Open Session minutes from the February 9, 2010 School Committee Meeting. - motion to approve, passed 7-0 

Payment of Bills                    Mr. Glynn
motion to pay warrants - passed 7-0

Payroll                            Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence:  none

Rail Commuter Lauds "Real-Time" Information

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Rail Commuter Lauds "Real-Time" Information

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 2/23/10

Real-time arrival information now available along the MBTA commuter rail network is making a positive difference for commuters.
After taking the Fitchburg Line home earlier this month, customer Selena Tan told the T, "the new GPS notification of train arrival at the platform is excellent!  It makes all the difference to know whether to scramble to catch a connecting bus around the corner or just wait patiently because the train is a little late.  Thanks!"
The installation of Global Positioning Satellite equipment on the Commuter Rail network allows the MBTA to provide customers waiting on the platform with a six-minute countdown displayed on electronic message boards.

Real-time arrival information became available on the Fitchburg line on February 11 and is now available on all MBTA commuter rail lines with two exceptions.  The Newburyport & Rockport line will receive the service next week, and the Providence/Stoughton line on March 9. 
Visit MBTA on the web and learn more.

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

"What I hear is, protect education at all costs"

Selectman Richard Dunne asked the lawmakers if a 5 percent cut is realistic, or if the town should consider a 10 or 15 percent cut to local aid instead.

"Wait even just a few weeks," said Spilka. "If we don't hear anything by then ... it could be 10 percent."

Vallee said he is optimistic that Chapter 70 education money will be level funded.
"What I hear is, protect education at all costs," said Vallee.

While these comments are from a meeting with Medway, the State picture likely would apply to Franklin as well. The Governor's budget was already announced, The House and then the Senate versions are forthcoming before we get to the final numbers.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here:

Legislators say 5 percent cut in aid likely

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

Revere recycling

Thanks to a loyal reader, I got pointed to this video and article on WBZ.tv

article:
http://wbztv.com/local/revere.recycling.recyclebank.2.1504270.html

video:
http://wbztv.com/video/?id=86880@wbz.dayport.com

It all sounds so good but there are no specifics on what the dollars would be.

You have heard of TANSTAAFL of course. No, then you should check it out.

School Committee - Agenda - 2/23/10

Vision Statement
The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.

Mission Statement
The Franklin Public Schools, in collaboration with the community, will cultivate each student's intellectual, social, emotional and physical potential through rigorous academic inquiry and informed problem solving skills within a safe, nurturing and respectful environment.

1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the Executive and Open Session minutes from the February 9, 2010 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills                    Mr. Glynn
Payroll                            Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence:  none

2. Guests/Presentations

a. Summary of Ethics Laws – Maureen Sabolinski
b. Update Strategic Plan and District Improvement Plan – Maureen Sabolinski

3. Discussion Only Items

Policy – First Readings (note follow the links to view the proposed policy documents)

1. EB – Safety Program
2. EEA – Student Transportation Policy Services and Eligibility
3. EEB – Student Transportation Policy Services and Eligibility

Budget to Actual


4. Action Items

a. I recommend acceptance of the gift of an Electronic Snap Circuits educational kit by Elenco for the students at Oak Street. Value $65.00 kit that has over 60 pieces which allows the students to build over 300 electronic projects/experiments.
b. I recommend approval to establish the Franklin Arts Academy (FAA) using the small learning community model, at FHS for the 2010-2011 school year.

5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
a. Ethics Laws
b. 2011-2012 School Calendar – 2 drafts

• School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
• School Committee Liaison Reports

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

7. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations

8. Adjourn

FM #58 - Week ending 2/21/10

The winter school break is ending, the Olympics are underway, let's just take about ten minutes to keep current with what matters here in Franklin, MA as the week ends February 21, 2010

In this session I’ll go back to cover the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Feb 10. In particular, their decision to reduce the annual curbside solid waste and recycling fee and implement minor increase to fees for Beaver St and to handle specific large items.

Time: 12 minutes, 48 seconds





MP3 File

Session Notes:

This internet radio show or podcast is number 58 in the series for Franklin Matters.

The winter school break is ending, the Olympics are underway, let's just take about ten minutes to keep current with what matters here in Franklin, MA as the week ends February 21, 2010

In this session I’ll go back to cover the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Feb 10. In particular, their decision to reduce the annual curbside solid waste and recycling fee and implement minor increase to fees for Beaver St and to handle specific large items.

Who would have guessed that reducing the fee to implement a new automated trash and recycling system would generate so much interest?

More than 20 citizens turned out on a snowy evening to participate in the Town Council meeting raising a variety of questions. None of the questions ended up swaying the Council. They voted 5 for – 2 against – 1 abstained (the ninth councilor was absent) to reduce the annual curbside fee from 244 to 233. There is still a proposed action to reduce the fee further to 220 by using some of the solid waste enterprise fund surplus. Per Jeff Nutting, this will come before the Council as part of the regular annual budget discussions.

Franklin Matters contains a number of links around this topic.

The original slide waste presentation of January 20^th can be found here:

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-solid-waste.html

the questions and answers from the meeting of Feb 10^th here:

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/live-reporting-legislation_10.html

I summarized my analysis of the pros and cons here:

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/solid-waste-proscons.html

As I got questions from a couple of Franklin Matters readers, I updated the pros/cons posting to answer those questions (catching a math error of my own in the process):

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/solid-waste-proscons-updated.html

I also spent time finding information on all the communities referenced in the original DPW presentation on Jan 20^th and summarized those links here:

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/trash-research-what-other-communities.html

What I'd like to do with the remainder of this update is to walk through the changes that I see my household making when this new system is scheduled to come into effect in July. My household already recycles a good amount. What will need to change is some of the processes around how we currently do our daily activities.

Today's recycling process:

We have a pile for the daily Boston Globe and the weekly Gazette in the family room for ready reference. Sometimes Dolores will see an article that I miss, or I will see one that she'll miss. Having the pile at hand makes it easy to flip back through to keep current. When Saturday morning rolls around, I tie up the bundle with twine and bring it to the garage in preparation for the trash/recycle pick up normally scheduled for Wednesdays.

Dolores also has a box near her desk in her home office for recycling individual sheet paper. I'll add to it with items from the post office delivered mail. A lot of the junk mail and catalogs end up getting recycled. When the box fills, I'll take it to the garage and bundle the papers tying them with some twine.

Cooking tends to generate recyclables. Cereal boxes, 100 Calorie snack boxes, pasta boxes and other cardboard boxes get flattened to go into one of our two recycling containers in the garage. We have the two containers positioned along side the landing for the steps coming from the garage into the house. It has been easy to walk onto the landing, reach over the railing and then drop the boxes into the container below. Yes, you learn to be accurate, otherwise, it is a walk to pick them up.

The same process is used for the yogurt containers, catsup containers, milk jugs, and other plastic or canned goods. For the glass jars and bottles, sometimes I am daring and will attempt a drop (knowing there is something sufficient below to cushion the fall) but most times I do walk down the stairs to deposit them into the container to ensure that the glass does not break.

The kitchen has a trash basket with a plastic bag liner for the remaining trash items. As it fills, the bag is removed, tied up and then deposited into one of two trash barrels in the garage. The barrels are also positioned near the landing. And yes, many times, it is a simple toss of the bag into the barrel with no additional harm or damage done to the contents (or the barrel).

There is an “extra” barrel that we have used for large family parties that currently holds a large black trash bag. It collects the plastic soda bottles that can be refunded for cash. As these bags fill (much less frequently these days as many of us have cut out soda from our diet), they get bound and stacked in the garage waiting for either a bottle drive to contribute to or if the stack gets too large before we find a drive, then one of us will spend some time feeding the bottle refund machines. As the girls were growing up, this was a good thing for them to do and to 'earn' some spending money. Alas, those days are just treasured memories now.

On Wednesday morning, the task of moving the two recycle bins, the bundled newspaper and the trash barrel usually takes at least two trips, sometimes three.

How will the process change with the new automated system?

Not a whole lot fortunately. We'll still pile the papers but I won't have to tie them. Once a week to ensure a good fit into the totter, I'll put the papers in with the other recyclables. Likewise with the box of papers from the home office, we'll save on twine and just add the paper to the totter.

Assuming the totters themselves fit along side the landing in the garage, I'll likely position them there. With the lids up and open (inside the garage there is not much of a risk for wayward animals as the items are already either cleaned or bagged). This will allow for a continuation of the drop over the side process we have for much of the items today. The glass items may still get a walk down to ensure good non-breakable placement.

Come Wednesday morning, it will be two trips, one each with a totter to the edge of the driveway to position them properly. Oh, I”ll also likely need to move one car out of the garage to move the totters themselves. I won't know for sure until I get the real items but given the constraints of the garage as it is, this is likely.

So the Sherlock household will save on some twine purchases (no longer needing to tie the papers together) and will likely have two trips to the roadside instead of three to move the totters down weekly.

I can image those Franklin residents without a garage will need to figure out if the totters will fit in the space their existing trash barrels occupy, or will they require more room?

A recent email also raised the question on how animal proof the totter lids are for those who would be storing them outside, and hence prone to visits from raccoons and other visitors. Maybe the DPW or Recycling Committee has a ready answer for that question.

I think there is still some work to be done to fine tune a “welcome kit” with explanations of each step in the process, there are several good examples from the survey I did of the other the communities.

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  Frequently asked questions,
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  the procedure for requesting a different size (either smaller for the potential situation of lower usage) or an additional totter for the larger families.
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  The local merchants or locations where the additional trash tickers can be purchased will need to be defined and stocked.

There is plenty of time before the new system is implemented in July. Send your suggestions on how to make this change better directly to the Recycling Committee or to me.

Change can be difficult but with proper planning, change can be managed to provide a good experience.

Looking ahead

The School Committee meets on Tuesday

The agenda has presentations scheduled on the ethics laws, and then the Strategic Plan and district improvement plan update on the school year thus far.

The School Committee also continues it review and update standard policy documents with three more scheduled. The details of each policy to be considered are contained in links on Franklin Matters that will be posted Monday morning with the full SchCom agenda.

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As I close this session this week, let me remind you that

If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and 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!