Friday, May 28, 2010

How busy are the Police in Franklin?

If the three dispatchers do get cut, there is a chance that when you call 911 in the off hours instead of talking directly to someone, you will end up hearing a recording something like "You have reached the Franklin Police, please leave a message after the beep".

How busy are the police in Franklin? They post their Daily Log of activity, call by call each morning for the prior day. The weekends tend to be a shorter report; the week days a busier report.

Let's just pick Wednesday of this week for your review:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Police/may2010/may252010.pdf

You can choose a daily log from the monthly selection here:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Police/newlogs



Franklin, MA


Senator Karen E. Spilka Re-Election Reception & Food Pantry Collection

Senator Karen E. Spilka Re-Election Reception and Food Pantry Collection

Join us for a Reception & Food Pantry Collection* for Senator Karen E. Spilka, 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk District – Ashland, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Natick
Chair, Economic Development and Emerging Technologies

Monday, June 7, 2010, 5:30-7:00 PM
at Ken’s Steakhouse, 95 Worcester Road, (Rt. 9), Framingham, MA 01701

Suggested Donation: $25 - $50 - $100 – but whatever you can contribute is accepted with appreciation!

*Please bring an item to donate to the food pantry *


Franklin, MA

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Frequently asked questions: "What has the town done to try to eliminate waste and bring spending under control?"

What has the town done to try to eliminate waste and bring spending under control?


·   Streamlined operations


o Centralized administrative functions (e.g., facilities, HR, IT, accounting)


o Automated processes using information technology (e.g., payroll system)


·   Reduced employee benefits


o Increased employee medical co-pays, saving $200K per year


·   Increased volunteerism ( e.g., Senior Center reported 10,000 volunteer hours per year)


·   Enhanced revenue


o Residents passed a $2.7M override in 2007


o Leased space on water tanks for cell towers


o Increased fees for services (e.g., sports participation fees, bus service)


o Approved a 0.75% meals tax that will take effect in FY 2010


o Agreed to share recreation services and our library director with Medway


·   Spent cash reserves (e.g., used $7.5M 2005 to 2008)


·   Delayed repairs to the public way (e.g., roads and sidewalks)


·   Town and school employees agreed to defer pay increases in FY 2010


·   Reduced headcount


o Loss of more than 100 teaching positions


o Loss of 7 school administrative positions


o Loss of 32 municipal positions


·   Held the line on department recommendations to increase headcount. For example, the number of police officers remains the same today as in 1999, despite a 12% increase in town population and a two-fold increase in number of police calls.


The fundamental financial problems the town faces have not been caused by waste, but by Franklin’s rapid growth over the last two decades. That growth dramatically increased the need for services like professional, well-staffed police and fire departments, updated streets and sidewalks, sewers and water lines, additional recreational facilities, and better schools. But the town’s ability to raise revenue through property taxes is restricted by the state law, and fixed costs for things like contractual obligations, utilities and health insurance keep increasing.

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


------------


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:



Franklin, MA

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.

-------
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
Posted May 27, 2010 @ 12:45 AM
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


Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Bear seen in Hopedale today

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:



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

Black bear Bellingham
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:

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


------------


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:





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:






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

Chamber to recognize Teacher of Year, Top Local Students

TEACHER OF THE YEAR &
LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BE HONORED

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Spotlight on Education breakfast on Thurs., May 27 at Lake Pearl Luciano's, 299 Creek St., Wrentham at 7:30 a.m. At the breakfast, the Chamber will honor Seekonk High School teacher Linda K. Limperis with its 2010 Teacher of the Year Award.

Many students from the region also will be honored during the event. Eight students will be presented with scholarships distributed through The United Regional Chamber of Commerce. Students receiving the Jacqueline C. Stack Scholarship award will be William Brown of Attleboro High School, Liam Doherty of Bishop Feehan High School and Gabrielle Griot of Barrington High School. Students being presented with Metalor Technologies Scholarships are Jillian Miller of Medway High School and Taylor Briggs of Bishop Feehan High School. Recipients of the Attleboro Area Foremen’s Club Scholarship will be Brianna Medeiros of Coyle Cassidy High School and Tyler Cannon of North Attleboro High School. Accepting the NCAS Learning Center Scholarship will be April Pascucci of Foxborough High School.

Additionally, the top 10 seniors from the schools in The United Regional Chamber of Commerce service area are being honored for their years of hard work and achievement during their high school careers. Those students are:

Attleboro High School - Melanie Thibeault, Tiffany Berard, David Stevens, Marie Larouche, William Brown, Samantha Wood, Alexandra Vitiello, Thomas Cao, Meagan Fuller, Hannah Entwistle

Bishop Feehan High School - William Clerx, Kaila Dion, James McAllister, Anthony Lombardi, Samuel Dodge, Kendra Cheng, Bianca Peixoto, Christina Roberti, Elaine Martin, Anisa Arsenault

Blackstone Millville Regional High School - Ethan Hardy, Melissa Copeland, Julie Signa, Paige Yager, Devyn Oliver, Aline Fleuette, Brigid Thompson, Tiffany Armas, Cailin Boelke, Patrick Murphy

Foxborough High School - Taryn Laubenstein, Laura Herlihy, Jennifer Chalmers, Gina Kackloudis, John Slaby, Katelyn Olsson, Dominique Cammarata, Meghan Lowey, Christopher Kelm, Nidhi Vora

Franklin High School - Kimberly Takahata, Nicholas Melfi, Christopher Anderson, Rebecca Galasso, Kayleigh McGlynn, Sara LaFlamme, Kelly Vail, Susan Jacob, William Ceskavich, Alexandra Lonati

King Phillip Regional High School - Sarah Shipley, Michael Zagieboylo, Joanna Czyzewski, Elizabeth Williams, Elizabeth Allen, Marie Willman, Christopher Woodward, Nathan Kim, Kelsey Rieger, Dahnyoung McGarry

Mansfield High School - Rachel Johnston, Jennifer Giffels, Robert Snyder, Gianina Monestime, Christopher Frederickson, Andrew Calvario, Sangeetha Kavety, Brendan Boyle, Jeffrey Boyle, Kristen Spillane

Norton High School - Julia Marie Ariola, Kaitlyn Baird, Cassidy Gilmore, Alyssa Graham, Carolyn Le, Chad McAuliffe, Bradford McKeen, Priya Patel, Samuel Phillips, Erica Pundt

North Attleboro High School - Robin Armstrong, Ginny Tang, Neha Patel, Barrett Holden, Shweta Kitchloo, Nicole Hurd, MaryLucia Hedberg, Katherine Murphy, Kevin Fernandes, Kelli Brodbeck

Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School - Jeremy Harmon, Nicholas Cokonis, Chou Yang, Kyle Kebler, Elizabeth Braeley, Gregory Mitrano, Ashley Goode, Kristen Scoville, Amanda Furrh, Kimberly Sullivan

The Spotlight on Education breakfast is sponsored by Bristol County Savings Bank, Dean Bank, National College Assistance Services, Middlesex Savings Bank, Fisher College and HarborOne Credit Union.



Franklin, MA

In the News - Memorial Day, golf, museum, Tri-County

Franklin plans Memorial Day Parade

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 

Franklin Chargers to host golf tournament June 14

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 

Franklin Historical Museum now open

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 


School briefs



Franklin, MA