Spruce Pond - Building Blue

The Charles River Watershed Association presentation on Monday evening (May 24) covered a study of the Spruce Pond area in Franklin. Spruce Pond is visible along King St and runs above ground behind Parmenter and portions eventually run in an underground culvert through the Fletcher St fields on their way to Mine Brook and eventually to the Charles River.

Background information on the project can be found on the CRWA page here
http://www.crwa.org/projects/blue_franklin.html

The map above outlines in the yellowish lines the area of the study along Spruce Pond and related streams.

Some of the work scheduled to be done this summer as Wachusetts St is rebuilt will include some waste water treatment on the grounds of the Parmenter School. Some of the run off from the street will flow into a rain garden on the grassy area in front of the school.

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Yes, the meeting was broadcast but the recording failed so it is not available for review. The presentation document is available here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/06/spruce-pond-building-blue-presentation.html


Franklin, MA

Sir Ken Robinson on education

For something inspiring, view the following video clip:



If you missed the original TED Talk from Ken Robinson, you can find it here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/01/creativity-should-be-priority.html

Franklin, MA

In the News - birthdays

By Ashley Studley/Daily News correspondent

Milford Daily News

Posted May 27, 2010 @ 12:45 AM

FRANKLIN —

Horace Mann Middle School students know a good party when they see it.

From Barbie Jeeps to Hannah Montana concerts, one group of students looked back on their special birthdays fondly yesterday afternoon, and remembered that not everyone is as fortunate.

That's why they raised about $500 for the Birthday Wishes charity to provide homeless children with birthday parties.

"You just threw an entire party," shelter coordinator Rachel Freeman said yesterday. "You just made a lot of kids really happy."

Franklin, MA

Bear seen in Hopedale today

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Bear seen in Hopedale today

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff on 5/26/10

A black bear was spotted around 12:30 p.m. today near the intersection of Hopedale and Dutcher Streets, police said.
Police said someone was running in the parklands section of town and spotted the bear near a bath house on the trail near those streets. The runner and the bear startled each other, police said. Police said the bear showed no signs of aggression.
Police are hanging signs in the area and urging residents to take down their bird feeders and cover their trash cans.
Last Friday, a large, adult male bear was spotted on Lynn Court in Bellingham going through backyards, said Franklin and Bellingham Animal Control Officer Tracey Taddeo.
Taddeo thinks there is more than one bear roaming around the area because last Thursday, another bear was spotted in Bellingham, but it only looked to be about a year old. Taddeo said a few Franklin residents called officials about bear sightings Sunday and Monday, and there is no way a bear could get from Franklin to Hopedale in only a few days.
People should keep an eye on their dogs, Taddeo said, because if they approach a bear, the bear will defend itself. Otherwise, the bears are not meat eaters, said Taddeo.
"They aren't interested in eating cats or humans,'' said Taddeo. "They're interested in sweets, bird seed, berries. They'll go through your trash looking for jelly or twinkies or HoHos."
Anyone who sees a bear should contact Hopedale Police at 508-634-2227 or the state Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at 508-389-6300.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Frequently asked questions: "Why should I give the town more of my hard-earned money?"

I have heard people criticize the way the town is run. If that’s true, why should I give the town more of my hard-earned money?

Not everyone agrees with every decision made by town and school officials. The facts show Franklin is relatively well run. Our students have excellent test scores and graduation rates, yet we spend below-average per pupil compared to similar-sized communities. Our crime rate and rate of fires are among the lowest in the state. Our recreation programs are hugely popular. Independent rating agencies give the town’s financial management high marks. Our tax rate is the lowest in the area. Our median home price is among the highest. Thanks to great representation on Beacon Hill, we receive well more than our share of state aid. Hundreds of volunteer citizens help keep Franklin a great place to live.


Since 1989, more than 3,500 Proposition 2 1/2 override votes have occurred in communities across Massachusetts. About 40 percent of the time citizens have agreed to raise their own property taxes for the good of their community.


No one likes to pay more taxes, especially in tough economic times, and people can debate any number of town and school decisions and policies. But the urgent issue Franklin faces is whether its voters want to pay about $1 more a day to retain our dispatchers and 2nd ambulance, keep staffing and book budget in place at the library, AND stabilize our educational programs and access to sports and extra curriculars.


Here is what is at stake:

                 

Item	Override Fails	Override Passes
Personnel	Loss of: 7 elementary teachers 8 middle school teachers	Staffing remains at FY10 levels
Fees	Club and activity fees at middle and high school will double to $50.  Athletic fees will increase and move to a tiered system, resulting in fees ranging from $175 to $450 (up from current $125 fee)	No fee increases
Class sizes	Increases in class sizes in grades K-8, up to 30 students in a classroom,  and a shortened school day at elementary schools	No changes
Transportation	Elimination of 3 buses	No change in service
Police	Loss of three police dispatchers; potential implementation of recorded service for emergency call system; less coverage of parking meters and parking enforcement downtown.	No change in service
Fire	Loss of one firefighter; uncertainty on availability of 2nd ambulance; revenue loss from ambulance fees	No change in service
DPW	Needed roadway repairs delayed indefinitely; 3 less employees; slower response times	Road repairs begin
Library	Loss of one employee; reduction in book budget of over $60,000.	No changes

One of a series to address frequently asked questions
http://investinfranklin.weebly.com/faq-part-1.html


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The special election on June 8th gives Franklin voters the choice:

Increase taxes to continue to provide the services we have this year (and that does not restore any of the services already cut)

Or

Continue to cut municipal services for all and cut educational opportunities for our children

I'll help to provide the information. You need to do two things:

1. Make your choice
2. Vote on June 8th

You get bonus points if you talk with your neighbors about this and get them to vote!


Additional information on the override can be found here:

• http://investinfranklin.weebly.com/index.html
• http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/override-page/
• http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/budget-override-collection-fy-2011.html

Franklin, MA

School Committee - 05/25/10

The collection of posts from the School Committee meeting on Tuesday May 25, 2010 can be found here:

• Live reporting - Closing
• Live reporting - Action items
• Live reporting - Discussion only items
• Live reporting - School Committee Budget Hearing
• Live reporting - Latin recognitions
• Live reporting - School Committee Meeting

Franklin, MA

Business After Hours - June 8th

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce will have a Business After Hours at Hampton Inn, 735 Union St., Franklin, on Tues., June 8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

 In addition to the Hampton Inn, this event is hosted by Boston Sports Club, Country Gardens Bed and Breakfast, FASTSIGNS, Harry & David, j. durand Business Solutions, MetLife (Camille DelPadre) and Young’s Caterers, Inc.

The cost for this networking event is $5 for members or $10 for non-members. Register for the Business After Hours by calling 508-222-0801, 508-695-6011 or 508-528-2800.

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, business support organization serving the communities of Attleboro, Bellingham, Blackstone, Foxborough, Franklin, Mansfield, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Norton, Plainville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, and Wrentham.



Franklin, MA

"It's not an automatic, quick decline"

At the middle school, Peri said course offerings have drastically changed in recent years.

"People may not understand when I started in this district, kids were taking (over 500) sessions of a foreign language over three years," Peri said. "Now, it's (just over 100). Things like that are happening all over the place."

Committee member Sue Rohrbach said a frequently asked question is why the shared elementary and middle school buildings don't have a shared principal. 

"The differences between kindergarten and fifth grade and sixth through eighth grades are drastic," Peri said, explaining that students are facing different challenges at different ages.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x88775036/Franklin-principals-say-cuts-have-been-harmful

The full set of reporting from the School Committee meeting Tuesday May 25 can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/school-committee-052510.html


Franklin, MA

Franklin's choice

In response to a comment on a recent Milford Daily News article, I said:

Prop 2 1/2 provides for the voters of Franklin to make a choice. We either are satisfied with the services we receive and vote to maintain these services (police, fire, DPW, Library, etc.), or we are not and as a result we decide to do with less services.

No matter which you choose, make sure you do vote on June 8th. 

Comments don't count on June 8th, only votes do.

In response to a comment on a recent Milford Daily News article, I said:

The money on the museum comes from the 'capital' fund which cant be used for 'operations'. The capital money for the museum was small change made mighty big by contributions from volunteers and other organizations. Tri-County students built the shelves and displays. The move from Washington St to downtown was done by volunteers on a Saturday. The hours the museum is being kept open is staffed by volunteers, no expense to the Town.

The museum is actually a very good case for the creative 'thinking out of the box' approach that the Town has being doing to save us money and provide something to be proud of.

Franklin, MA

MA State Budget Browser

What does the budget look like at the State level? This email from MassBudget helps to dig into the details:

The Senate Ways & Means (SWM) budget proposal addresses a budget gap of close to $3 billion by recommending significant budget cuts and relying heavily on assistance from the federal government.  It does not include the Governor's tax reform proposals, or other new taxes.  Also unlike the Governor's proposal, it does not draw on the state "Rainy Day" fund.  It does, however, rely on some other temporary state revenue sources and some one-time savings. As the state enters the third year of a severe fiscal crisis brought on by the national recession, the SWM budget proposes a third year of serious cuts across state government, including in human services and health care, the second year of deep cuts in local aid, and new cuts in both K-12 and higher education (which had been spared deep cuts in prior years largely because of funding from the federal stimulus law, officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA). A new report, Budget Monitor: The Senate Ways & Means Fiscal Year 2011 Budget, examines the SWM budget by program area and describes how the spending levels compare to those proposed by the House and the Governor and to historic and current spending levels.

The full report is available here. See MassBudget's Budget Browser to explore Massachusetts state budgets from Fiscal Year 2001 to the present, as well as current budget proposals offered by the Governor and the Legislature.

Franklin, MA