Franklin raises a garden

Several groups in the community will be coordinating their efforts to build 11 raised gardens on 6 locations as part of the Earth Day activities, April 17th.


The Franklin Community Garden project began as a cooperative effort between the Franklin Hockomock Bernon YMCA, New England Chapel, and Franklin Foods Pantry. These groups share a common interest in the long term goal of developing a community garden in Franklin.


The purpose of community gardening is to develop a sustainable culture of food growth, to provide education for both children and adults, and to provide less advantaged community members access to fresh, healthy produce. Our first step to reaching the long term goal of a community garden is to accomplish the short term goal of developing 15 raised garden beds throughout Franklin. These community garden beds will develop relationships between community members and develop the infrastructure for a broader community garden.    We will be engaging community partners such as schools, faith organizations, other non-profit organizations and other committed community members to participate in the project.


This Community Garden project is partly funded by the Hockomock YMCA and $60,000 grant received by MetroWest Community Healthcare Foundation.


The project is also grateful for the following contributions:

• Lumber and building supplies are being provided and subsidized by Koopman Lumber Co.
• Compost and soil is being donated and delivered to the garden sites by Steve Nedoroscik from McIntyre Materials
• Laura Tangerini of Tangerini's Farm in Millis is donating seedlings and transplants in addition to help/advice as needed

The planning committee met at Cafe Dolce this past week:

• Deb Schwab, Ben Franklin Charter School
• Lauren Marciszyn, YMCA                 
• Ken Norman, Franklin Senior Center
• Robin McLaughlin, United Way
• Nicole Harter, Franklin resident & key contributor
• Jodi Koeman, New England Chapel
• Leann Danielson, YMCA
• Amy Cornwell, New England Chapel &  Cornerstone Christian Academy
• Sandy Bryant, Franklin resident & key contributor 

What will happen with the produce from the gardens?

Food/harvest obtained from the raised beds should be used at the sites for foods/meals and a portion of the food grown/produced will be donated to those Franklin community members with limited access to fresh produce via the Franklin Food Pantry. 

What will be planted?

Currently planning to have a gardener to work with each site to determine the crops to be planted, a planting schedule, regular maintenance plans, and harvest.  The hope would be that the gardeners would work with the sites to help meet their needs, but also to communicate with other site gardeners to share ideas and knowledge.

When will the raised beds be constructed?

The plan is to coordinate this with Earth Day on April 17th. Each bed location will be a building site. The building materials to be delivered to each site a couple of days prior.  

Where will be the raised beds be located?



Currently there are 11 beds planned at six sites in Franklin

• Hockomock YMCA
• Cornerstone Christian Academy/New England Chapel
• Ben Franklin Charter School
• Franklin Food Pantry
• Senior Center
• Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC)

What can I do to help?

If you are part of one of the sites where a bed will be located, there should be a contact person with information. Otherwise show up at the ECDC Senior Center for 9:00 AM. The ECDC Senior Center will serve as the "training" site for all groups. After the first raised bed is constructed, folks can return to each of their sites to construct their own.

Note: This information did change on 4/14/10. The original "training" site was going to be the ECDC, it is now going to be next door at the Senior Center.  

Note: The Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) is one of the schools that are part of the Oak St /Horace Mann Complex.


Note: This post was compiled based upon text provided by Lauren Marciszyn and Amy Cornwell i addition to my own notes from the meeting. Thanks for your input Lauren and Amy! And yes, I took the photo!

In the News - walk for multiple sclerosis

Almost two years after her diagnosis, the Franklin woman will walk for MS on Sunday to raise money for what she describes as a curable disease.

"I think there is a cure in my future, in my lifetime," Dwyer said. "The more money there is for research, the more we can figure out what causes this - and cure it."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Jodi Dwyer's fund raising page for the MS Walk on Sunday can be found here:
main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/jodidwyer




Franklin, MA

Curbside Yard Waste Collection

Franklin’s Curbside Yard Waste Collection will be held on Saturday April 17^th, May 1^st and May 15^th. 

Be sure to have all material in paper bags, trash barrels or cardboard boxes.  

Brush must be bundled and shall not be more than 4 feet in length and 6–inches in diameter.  

DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS THEY WILL BE REJECTED

Franklin, MA

HMEA 5K Race/Walk - May 23rd

What happens on May 23rd?

Who is HMEA?

Why you should help?

These questions and more can be answered in this brief video.




If you'd like to register to run or walk, you can go to HMEA.org.
If you'd like to contribute as part of my fund raising page, there is a widget on this page or here: http://www.firstgiving.com/stephensherlock

I hope to see you on May 23rd!

In the News - Clara Lodi

Even at 84, the Franklin resident helped out wherever she was needed - right up until her one-year battle with cancer ended Tuesday.

"She just would always do what needed to be done ... whatever she got involved in, she did to her fullest," said Lodi's oldest son, Ruston of Newton.

Read the full article about Clara Lodi in the Milford Daily News here

Franklin, MA

In the News - Override

The Milford Daily News does some funky things with their RSS Feed. Case in point this week, the article on the Town Council meeting Wednesday did not appear in their MDN feed but did appear in the weekly Franklin Gazette feed.

You can find the full text of the article here.

There isn't anything new in the article itself that wasn't already reported here. Of great interest is the list of comments from our fellow Franklin residents. Have fun reading them!

The one reason why there should be an override is for the voters to have their say. Do the majority of commenters represent the majority of voters? We'll see come election day.



Franklin, MA

"Our primary concern is not making candy"

The existing 55-year-old factory had been added to over the years, but its size makes for tight working quarters and its infrastructure is barely passing its health inspections.

"It's passing code, but it's not going to do that forever," Sister Mariann Garrity said.

Garrity said one reason for construction is the walls, which have a bumpy surface and cannot be washed - creating a sanitary issue.

"The most important reason we are building a larger candy factory is that we'd like to expand our production," she said. "The building now is too tight space-wise to be able to do that."

Read more about the Sisters candy operation and fund raising effort for their new building here


Franklin, MA

What does the health care bill have for MA?

I like the presentation. Input your state and the data from the state then fills out the script to make it your (state) story.

They don't provide the code to embed it here but you can follow this link to view it.

Don't get too distracted by it and forget to come back here though!



Franklin, MA

Town Council Mtg Smry 04/07/10

The collection of posts reported live from the Town Council meeting on Weds April 7th can be found here

• Live reporting - Adminstrator, closing
• Live reporting - legislation
• Live reporting - budget update
• Live reporting - Community Health Council
• Live reporting - license transaction
• Live reporting - Town Council - Apr 7, 2010

Franklin, MA

2nd Fund Raising Event for Abbey Candy House

FRIENDS of the ABBEY
In 

SPORTS AND SONG

Come join with us in Sports

MATT LIGHT

PATRIOTS Offensive Tackle

(Six Division Championships, Four Conference Titles,
Three Super Bowl Championships)

AUTOGRAPH SIGNING –  PATRIOTS MEMORABILIA

Come join with us in Song

AYLA BROWN

– former American Idol finalist from season 5:
(Boston College Eagles Basketball)

SILENT AUCTIONS, RAFFLES, DOOR PRIZE

ADMISSION: ADULTS $10.00

Children Free - Cash/Checks only

Where: Lake Pearl Luciano’s

When: April 11, 2010

2:00 to 4:00 P.M.

Creek St., Wrentham, Ma.

Mt. St. Mary’s Abbey – 300 Arnold St. – Wrentham, Ma. 02093

Phone: 508 528 1282 Web www.msmabbey.org

In the News - Graci, Downtown Partnership, NECPA

Kristin Graci remembered as vivacious friend, softball player

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

Downtown Partnership holding membership drive

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

NECPA plans E-Cycle Fundraiser

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Staff reports

Franklin, MA

Parmenter 5K Race/Walk - May 16th

The Parmenter Elementary School will be the start and finish for their 2nd Annual 5K Race/Walk on Sunday, May 16th.

You can visit the event website for detailed information here
http://parmenter5k.weebly.com/index.html

You can also register at Active.com here
http://www.active.com/running/franklin-ma/2nd-annual-parmenter-5k-for-all-ages-2010



Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Adminstrator, closing

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Online payments, coming next week
note the passing of Clara Lodi

L. OLD BUSINESS - none

M. NEW BUSINESS -
Kelly -Can we get a briefing on the sewer system for the new councilors?

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Powderly - precincts 2, 3, 4 special election on Apr 13th
Franklin Food Pantry running low on donations at this time
Based upon the budget discussion, try to get information, read the long range financial report
the more informed, the better we will be

Zollo - I would hope that the parties would be able to reach an agreement
it seems to be in the Town's interest to resolve this
on the budget issue, I supported the capital plan
you can suffer disproportionate consequences
for the same reasons that I supported the capital plan, I will look to support the human capital

Pfeffer - it is a great thing to visit the Senior Center, it is not limited to Tina, Scott and I

Jones - I'd like to apologize for my absence, I was in Haiti.

Whalen - the long range committee is projecting a deficit of about 6 million for FY 12 and we are also looking at a debt exclusion for the high school renovation

Mason - my condolences to the Lodi family
congratulations to Jones for returning safely

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
motion to go into executive session, not to return, passed 8-0



Franklin, MA

Live reporting - legislation

 I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION –

1. Resolution 10-12: Request for Special Legislation, RE: Amendment of Town of Franklin Home Rule Charter

motion to approve, passed 6-2 (Jones, Zollo voted no)
effectively two questions would come back to Franklin voters for approval in a future (Nov 2010?) election; one, to approve the technical changes; two, to approve the Treasure/Collector as appointed rather than elected.

Paul Cheli - I thought there would be a part for this to include the Clerk as well, did I miss a meeting?
Nutting - there wasn't a consensus

2. Resolution 10-13: Appropriation: FY 10 Capital Plan

motion to approve, passed 8-0
Discussion:
Pfeffer - the Capital subcommittee had qualms about spending money under the circumstances but if you don't take care of things now, it gets worse later. There are monies identified for this to help the roads. The Cable Commission has also contributed money to convert to a fiber network which will save the Town 50,000 annually.
Kelly - we worked hard to do the needs rather than the wants.
Whalen - I think we need to continue to do these routine maintenance, it gets worse if we don't. The amount of what is funded is about 10-15% of what is actually requested.
Nutting - from cable we receive money as part of their licenses from both Comcast and Verizon, it is a joint use of fiber and provides us a payback of about 50,000 per year. A win-win for the cable folks and for the town as well.
Whalen - what is the employee benefits encumbered account?
Nutting - it was money set aside for a bargaining agreement that has not come to fruition and not likely to in the near future.

Jones - as a member of the subcommittee, I agree with Judy and Matt. We need to take care of these now rather than pay more later.
Mason - this isn't anybody's Christmas list, these are real needs. The total of what they really need, it is far more. Not counting the Davis Thayer school we have 3 million dollars of need. We need to keep doing this.

3. Resolution 10-14: Appropriation: Capital FY 10 – Fire Truck

motion to approve, passed 8-0
Discussion:
Nutting: We have a replacement plan for police and fire vehicles, we don't have one for a fire truck so this gets us started on one.
Mason: If we don't buy a truck for the DPW, we don't get a road paved, if we don't buy a fire truck maybe we don't get a life saved. I'd like to see a presentation on the cost of a new truck.
Nutting: there is a lease purchase option, we looked at it for the Tower and can look at it again.

Chief McCarragher - we have two vehicles, one at 10 years and one at 20 years, we are trying to make the best of a bad situation

4. Resolution 10-15: Appropriation: Parmenter School Solar Panels

motion to approve: passed 8-0
Nutting - applied for and received grant for 100,000 with a ten percent match, this is the 10,000. Yes, there is an energy savings but that is a Mike D'Angelo question, I don't know the answer.
Jones - I think this is a great program, this is an exciting thing for the town

5. Resolution 10-16: Appropriation: Triennial Property Revaluation

Kevin Doyle, Assessor
motion to approve, passed 8-0
Discussion:
Board of Assessors have requested outside help for re-valuations this year for Commercial/Industrial
There are still monies in Fiscal 2008, 2009, to be further evaluated
Pfeffer - how much is left in 2008?
Doyle - About 100,000
Pfeffer - how much is left in 2009?
Doyle - about the same amount
Nutting - any amount released would go into the general overlay surplus and subject to Council approval

6. Resolution 10-17: Appropriation: Personal Property Revaluation

Kevin Doyle, Assessor
motion to approve, passed 8-0
Discussion:
We do this on a regular basis, we usually gain more in revenue than we expend in this manner

7. Bylaw Amendment 10-642: Amendment to Chapter 181-6:Wetlands Protection; Notice and Hearings – 2nd Reading

Moved to waive reading, passed 8-0
motion to approve, (requires roll call vote) passed 8-0
suggested changes to make things simplier

8. Bylaw Amendment 10-644: Amendment to the Code, Sewer Map Extension- 1st Reading

Mason, McGann - recuse themselves

Paul Cheli, John Collela
Don Neilsen

This bylaw is a very difficult bylaw, it is well crafted, one size does not fit all.
The Board of Health has condemned the property, Mr Dacey has it in tax title
Mr Collela is proposing to demolish the building and put in two single family homes, in a nice neighborhood

148 Washington St - located within 200 Ft of i495 overpass, looking to take one lot and subdivide it to two lots

The sewer extension begins towards Union St, requires two man holes would come up the side of the street, would not be near other utilities. 258 feet of sewer pipe

Bill Yadisernia

I did approve other extension because the sewer capacity was available for it
I don't have approval for this area. This could not be put in a worse area.
We have capacity problems with the Beaver St intercept. This is a 100 year old system. A new sewer system would be 10-15 million dollars
We have computer model simulations that show this system area will backup. Statistically in a 17 year event, sewer backing up into someones house is a health hazard.
I think what we are talking about here, when we have high ground water and rainfall, you don't want to put anymore water in it. The glass is already full. You run the risk of causing backups. 440 gallons a day.
We have spent a lot of money to reduce inflows, we have to limit residential development especially that is not needed.
I think they can still develop these lots and do onsite septic systems. If they can demonstrate otherwise, I'll consider it. I don't see a hardship here.

Pfeffer - Did Penny Lane meet the requirements?
Yadisernia - Penny Lane did meet the requirements by adding additional remediation to their property and paying additional I&I fees.

Zollo - Are we claiming hardship here?
Cheli - yes, there is a hardship, try buying a brand new house with a raised septic system in the backyard. Yes, we spend too much time testing and repairing. Mr Collela knows what he is doing, he knows this market. The septic system will fail it is a question of when.

Zollo - why is this the worst area of town to put this in?
Yadisernia - this area has a very steep sloop. It is discharging right into the bad area. The sewer system is really flat and doesn't flow well.

Zollo - I am sensitive to the issue of the raised septic. It is not insignificant. Are there any other things that can be done to make it more acceptable?
Yadisernia - I&I would be an alternative but effectively you don't get one here. The cost to the Town would be how to take the flow out.

Nutting - traditionally, those items are worked out in advance with the developer. The Town and DPW is opposed to the Board of Health position on septic systems.

Mark Cerel - clarifications on the bylaw, effectively this does not meet the hardship requirement, it would only be for a single house, not this set.

Yadisernia - I don't recommend any extension in this case, the glass is full.

Powderly - Are there mitigations that can be done?
Yadisernia - We have been working on this as a high priority, we have problems because we have put things into this system that we shouldn't have. We are far ahead of any other town in this area. That is the I&I that I would be looking for, it is not extortion.

Whalen - I couldn't be more in disagreement that there is extortion here.
Cheli - I spoke out of turn, I withdraw that comment.

motion to move to second reading, passed 6-0




Franklin, MA

Live reporting - budget update

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS –
1. Legislative Update by Representative James E. Vallee & State Senator Karen Spilka - unable to participate tonight

2. FY 2011 Budget Discussion

Jeff Nutting updates that

• Property tax will normally allow an increase of 1.8 million
• State Aid is currently expected to decline 1.2 million
• Therefore, net revenue would increase 600,000

Tri-County assessment is expected to increase about 550,000 due to an increase in Franklin student enrollment

Some numbers are still being developed before presenting to the Council not a level service budget but a level funded budget.

Over the years the Town and Schools have already cut their expense budgets, further cuts would come from personnel, the Town likely would loose 5-10 positions.

Whalen - what would be the level service budget deficit?
Nutting - about 3 million, the real request was in the neighborhood of 4 million, the schools have almost another 1 million of stimulus funds to offset this for one year.

Whalen - if we want a level services budget, we would have to cut 3 million to get to the balanced budget

Zollo - how many years have we cut?
Nutting - from 305 to 255 positions from 2001 to 2011, about 50 positions

Zollo - how many on the school side?
Sabolinski - we have been cutting since 2001, in excess of 100 positions
Mason - what has been the student growth in the same period?

Sabolinski - we are over 6100 students now
Nutting - we are paying for the rapid growth in the 90's, the overall population has grown but the school population has grown more
FY 11 may be tough, but FY 12 may be even tougher as the stimulus funds dry up. We are not unique, we will do the best we can with the funds available.

Powderly - The projections do not look at any rosier for the future. There are pieces of our budget that grow beyond our control.

Nutting -comparative numbers for Police, doing double the work with less folks. With folks retiring or leaving, we have not filled positions anticipating the budget problem.

Mason - I am very concerned of the trend. At least for every year, I have been on the Council your projections have been on the money. I am asking that we place an override discussion on the agenda for Apr 28th. I think we should have a decision on an amount to be determined.

3 minute recess


Franklin, MA