Boston Marathon runner of the day: Laura Dombroski
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Neighbors not happy as Big Y gets favorable recommendation
Franklin, MA
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Are you looking to make a real difference in your community? If so, join a group or form your own to clean up trash throughout the Charles River Upper Watershed. You will be helping us improve the appearance and health of the waterways in our region.
If you live in the Upper Watershed please consider volunteering a few hours of your time to help us protect this unique and valuable natural resource. The large majority of our the cleanup sites are land-based, but we have a few on-water sites for experienced paddlers who can supply their own canoe or kayak.
Did you know? The Charles River stretches for more than 80 miles from Hopkinton to Boston. It originates and flows for nearly 37 miles here in the Upper Watershed. In our region alone the Charles is fed by 45+ miles of waterways including seven major tributary rivers, brooks, and streams.
The School Building Authority will also visit Franklin's Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School today to look at problems with their hot water and air conditioning systems.
Superintendent-Director Barbara Renzoni said upgrades to those systems could cost a minimum of $350,000.
"I was just (on the roof) looking at the (water storage tanks) and they are all corroded and rusted and leaking," she said.
Both systems are at the end of their life cycles at 33 years old, said Renzoni. The systems are original to the building, she said, and the school has been "nursing them along" for the past few years.
The school's two 250-ton air conditioner "chillers" are so old that they are difficult to fix because their parts are rare, said Renzoni. The refrigerant the chillers use has recently become regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, Renzoni said.
"Contractors are now obligated to disclose how and why they're using it, and the quantity (we use) would not be acceptable," she said.
Renzoni is hoping the School Building Authority can help offset the cost of these capital projects.
"And because Tri-County is sensitive to the 11 member towns' fiscal constraints, the school is only asking the towns for their minimum contribution to the school, which is a number the state determines," said Renzoni, "it further enhances our need for assistance."Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
At a forum hosted by Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, and the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, executives filled a training room at Franklin's EMC office yesterday morning to discuss the highlights and needs of the IT field.
"An educated work force is the lifeblood of these companies," said Joyce Plotkin, president emerita of the Mass Technology Leadership Council.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Long Range Financial Planning Committee - Brendan Morrison
Cultural Council - Helen Reebenacker
1. Legislative Update by Representative James E. Vallee & State Senator Karen Spilka
2. FY 2011 Budget Discussion
3. Presentation by The Community Health Council
1. Resolution 10-12: Request for Special Legislation, RE: Amendment of Town of Franklin Home Rule Charter
2. Resolution 10-13: Appropriation: FY 10 Capital Plan
3. Resolution 10-14: Appropriation: Capital FY 10 – Fire Truck
4. Resolution 10-15: Appropriation: Parmenter School Solar Panels
5. Resolution 10-16: Appropriation: Triennial Property Revaluation
6. Resolution 10-17: Appropriation: Personal Property Revaluation
7. Bylaw Amendment 10-642: Amendment to Chapter 181-6:Wetlands Protection; Notice and Hearings – 2nd Reading
8. Bylaw Amendment 10-644: Amendment to the Code, Sewer Map Extension- 1st Reading
At best, parents are lumped together among the many “stakeholders" who provide “letters of support" in the Race to the Top applications. Here at home, the 180-page Massachusetts application rarely mentions parents, even as it concedes that “strong parent and community engagement is a critical lever of school turnaround."
The near-omission is shortsighted, especially because you know who will get the blame — from teachers, principals, and politicians — if the achievement gap fails to narrow. Those ignorant, uninvolved parents! Underscoring this mindset is President Obama himself, who in February boasted that he had not missed a parent-teacher conference and says, “I don’t care how poor you are, you can turn off the television set during the week."Read the full article here
So how did the state still manage to place a discouraging 13th overall out of 16 finalists?
By coming in very last place in the application’s most important section: improving the teaching profession.