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Two children escape fire in Franklin
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 *
The collection of meeting summaries for calendar year 2010
Budget Workshop 01/25/10
Conservation Commission 08/12/10
Finance Committee 02/02/10
Finance Committee 03/23/10
Finance Committee 05/04/10
Finance Committee 05/06/10
Finance Committee 05/10/10
Finance Committee 09/07/10
Financial Plng Comm 03/24/10
Financial Plng Comm 03/31/10
Financial Plng Comm 06/23/10
Financial Plng Comm 08/11/10
Planning Board 03/22/10
Planning Board 05/03/10
Planning Board 05/17/10
Planning Board 06/07/10
Planning Board 06/21/10
Planning Board 07/26/10
Planning Board 08/23/10
Planning Board 09/13/10
School Committee 01/12/10
School Committee 01/26/10
School Committee 02/09/10
School Committee 02/23/10
School Committee 03/09/10
School Committee 04/13/10
School Committee 05/11/10
School Committee 05/25/10
School Committee 06/08/10
School Committee 06/22/10
School Committee 07/20/10
School Committee 08/10/10
School Committee 08/24/10
School Committee 09/14/10
School Committee 10/12/10
School Committee 11/09/10
School Committee 11/16/10
School Committee 12/14/10
Town Council 01/06/10
Town Council 01/20/10
Town Council 02/03/10
Town Council 02/10/10
Town Council 03/03/10
Town Council 03/10/10
Town Council 03/17/10
Town Council 04/07/10
Town Council 04/28/10
Town Council 05/05/10
Town Council 06/02/10
Town Council - Budget Hearing - Part 1 - 06/09/10
Town Council - Budget Hearing - Part 2 - 06/10/10
Town Council 06/16/10
Town Council 07/21/10
Affordable Housing Strategy and Development Plan
Town Council 08/04/10
Downtown Improvement Project (Collection)
Town Council 08/18/10
Town Council 09/08/10
Town Council 09/29/10
Town Council 10/06/10
Town Council 10/20/10
Town Council 11/03/10
Town Council 11/17/10
Town Council 12/01/10
Town Council 12/08/10
Town Council 12/15/10
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Some charities, including the Franklin Food Pantry, will send donors letters acknowledging the gift rather than hand out receipts.
Anne Marie Bellavance at the Franklin Food Pantry said donations being dropped off and coming in the mail have picked up in the past two weeks.
"It's definitely on the minds of people the week before Christmas to ensure it does get credited as a tax donation (for this year)," she said. "We actually have a major donor who comes every year on Christmas Eve or it's mailed around that time and he does it partly to make sure it counts on that year's taxes."
The Franklin pantry is open until 2 p.m. Friday. Food donations are not assigned a monetary value but are listed by weight in a donation letter, Bellavance said. It's up to the donor or accountant to assign a value.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News
Section 170-62 Effect of Parking Ban. The parking of any motor vehicle within the layout or right-of-way of any public street or any roadway open to the public is prohibited between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. while a winter storm parking ban is in effect.
"It's a wooded environment and it's nature," said David Labonte, chairman of the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee. "We need to do a little sweat equity in paying for this thing upfront to have something for generations of people of all ages."
But, it could cost $2.8 million to improve and pave the 1.4 miles of trail in Franklin, which needs drainage work, grading and signs. A tunnel must also be designed and built under Prospect Street, Labonte said. Costs could be reduced with volunteer labor.
The path, which goes from Grove Street to Prospect Street before entering Bellingham, is mostly on state Department of Conservation and Recreation land and is open to the public. But many sections are overgrown, filled with ruts and otherwise unsuitable for bicycling, he said.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News or visit the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee website here.
In Franklin, the minimal staffing level is 10, which allows the department to staff two rescue engines and two ambulances, McCarraher said. The department has lost three firefighters and three administrative positions in the last several years, and the chief said federal stimulus grant money has allowed it to keep the staffing where it is the last two years.
McCarraher said Franklin's town government has worked hard to spread budget cuts fairly, and knows they are in a difficult position trying to decide where to save money.
"We're in the worst economy of our lives, and there are many competing interests," he said. "They heard the message, and they hired more people (when needed). They understand what's going on, and I think they have a very difficult job."
As public employees, teachers fall under the state's ethics reform law that was created in July 2009. That law prohibits public workers from accepting gifts valued at more than $50, and requires written notification of any gift that might lend an appearance of impropriety, according to the Ethics Commission.
"Most of the gifts that the teachers receive wouldn't fall into the category where they need a disclosure form," said David Giannotti, an Ethics Commission spokesman. "They're baked goods, or they're homemade holiday cards, or something small like that. You have to look all the facts, and whether a reasonable person would think the teacher could be influenced by the gift. Nobody is going to conclude that a teacher is going to go into the tank for someone for less than $10."
Earlier this month, the Ethics Commission revised the regulations to allow teachers to receive a gift from the entire class up to $150, so long as the gift amounts of each student or parent remained anonymous.
Staff Sgt. Johnny Saldana, a Franklin resident whose 11- and 5-year-old sons attend the school, donated the flag while he was home on leave after spending much of the fall in Afghanistan serving with the Massachusetts Army National Guard.
"This school was founded on the principle that serving other people does matter," Head of School Kevin O'Malley told the students before the flag was raised. "Sgt. Saldana has given us a flag we can all be proud of."
The Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) Charitable Foundation has announced the recipients of its annual community grants for 2010. The 32 grants are a record number and total $128,500, also a record amount for the foundation, which now has provided gifts totaling $1.3 million over its 14-year history.
The foundation, supported by the nearly 200 member banks of the MBA throughout Massachusetts and New England, is distributing the grants over eight geographic regions in Massachusetts, giving awards to deserving social service agencies.
“There is terrific need all across the region,” said Norman S. Seppala, chairman of the MBA Charitable Foundation and president of Granite Savings Bank, Rockport, “and there are so many deserving social service agencies. We’re pleased to be able to help support the work of so many individuals and organizations in their time of need.”The Franklin Food Pantry is blessed to be amongst the grant recipients.