Franklin Fourth of July Committee seeks volunteers, donations
The website for the 4th of July Committee can be found here http://july4thfranklinma.com/
Dean College Dance Team to perform Friday
Franklin, MA
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
In the News - 4th July, Dean dance team
The website for the 4th of July Committee can be found here http://july4thfranklinma.com/
Franklin, MA
Healthy Futures in Action!
From the Franklin Community Health Council:
We have some GREAT news to share. A few months back a number of Bellingham Memorial Middle School Students, in conjunction with our YMCA and Whole Foods Market Bellingham, entered the Let's Move! and USDA Recipe for Healthy Kids Challenge. The winners of the challenge receive $3000 and have an opportunity to visit the White House and prepare their recipes along side White House chefs! Amazingly, out of the 15 recipes chosen as finalists, BMMS was the only school with TWO recipes chosen as finalists.
We have some GREAT news to share. A few months back a number of Bellingham Memorial Middle School Students, in conjunction with our YMCA and Whole Foods Market Bellingham, entered the Let's Move! and USDA Recipe for Healthy Kids Challenge. The winners of the challenge receive $3000 and have an opportunity to visit the White House and prepare their recipes along side White House chefs! Amazingly, out of the 15 recipes chosen as finalists, BMMS was the only school with TWO recipes chosen as finalists.
We are asking you to get online and support the BMMS students! Please vote for your favorite BMMS recipe!
The link to vote is as follows: http://www.recipesforkidschallenge.com/submissions
Please help spread the word!
The official government press release is as follows:
USDA ANNOUNCES SEMI-FINALISTS AND OPENS PUBLIC VOTING PERIOD IN RECIPES FOR HEALTHY KIDS COMPETITION
Monday, March 14, 2011
How mobile devices are changing community information environments
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Pew Internet Rss Feed: Reports on 3/14/11
47% of American adults use their cellphones and tablet computers to get local news and information
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Pew Internet Rss Feed: Reports using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
FM #89 - Week ending Mar 13, 2011
Let's spend about ten minutes to find out what matters in Franklin, MA as the week comes to a close March 13, 2011.
Time: 10 minutes 6 seconds
MP3 File
Show Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast is number 89 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the week that was as it comes to a close Sunday March 13. Then we will look at what is scheduled for the week ahead.
The Financial Planning Committee met on Wednesday. They completed their review of the prior report and are now busy working on the list of questions that they think should be answered.
The Town Council is one of two stakeholders for this committee. They will reach out to the Council to get their input on the questions to answer to help the Council make their decisions during the budget cycle.
The citizens (and voters) of Franklin are the second of two key stakeholders for the committee. Respectfully, there are some who don't care and there are some who have already made up their minds. Those two groups should not be a primary concern for the committee. The committee should address the needs of those who are looking for information. Those who are looking for accurate information have the interest to listen and make a decision. Providing information that is accurate and reasonably understood is the goal of the committee.
My notes from the meeting can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/live-reporting-long-range-financial.html
I wrote about these three type of audience in what I called my “fire circle story” back in 2005. You have a choice to listen to the audio recording here http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2006/10/fire-circle-story.html
or read the text here http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2005/11/fire-circle-story.html
The week ahead of is Sunshine Week. a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Coinciding with sunshine week and building upon the PEW Internet study reported on here last week, I have begun a couple of new avenues.
One – There is a form for you to ask a question about the Franklin budget. Frequent commenters on the Milford Daily News articles about Franklin reference reading the Annual Report and suffering from a heart ache or some other physical malady. They rarely provide specifics as to what in the report is what cased this reaction.
If you have a similar question, you can ask it, and I'll get an answer. If you provide your email address, I'll be able to follow up to ask any clarifying questions as well as provide a direct answer. It is your choice. If you do provide your email, you get the response. If you don't, I can't guarantee a response.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/citizens-against-waste.html
Two – Many of you have a voice on the budget or any number of topics that matter to Franklin. You may not have the time to create your own blog. If you do have time to write a couple of paragraphs, and access to email, your voice can be published on Franklin Matters in a new “Voices of Franklin” section. Your written submission will need to abide by the editorial guidelines found below. You'll also need to be aware that anything published on Franklin Matters is subject to the Creative Commons License 3.0 for USA. Specifically, what is published can be shared with attribution but not for profit. More information about the editorial guidelines and creative commons license are found in the links below. If you would like to clarify something before sending your writing in, you can reach out to me (shersteve at gmail dot com).
Email address to send to franklinmatters.ma.myvoice@blogger.com
Editorial guidelines http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2007/12/comment-policy.html
Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/
Three – This is an election year. November 2011 will see an election of the the Town Council, School Committee, and other town positions. I will make the offer now to all candidates for election to have an interview published in Franklin Matters. I did this in 2007 and 2009. The format of the interview preferably would be in text or audio. If you want to do video, I'll consider it as well. Let me know if and when you are interested and we can schedule a mutually convenient time.
2009 offer http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/open-offer-to-franklins-candidates-for.html
2007 offer http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/09/franklin-open-invitation-to-franklins.html
As for town meetings this week
The School Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday. Amongst the agenda items are presentations on the FHS visioning process, program of study, and summer reading. There is also the first reading on the bullying policy.
The Town Council is scheduled to meet on Weds. Amongst the agenda items they have are an action item to put the four utility poles on Main St located between Depot and the Triangle underground.
Coincidentally, on Monday, Mar 21 is a workshop to discuss the proposed zoning bylaw changes for the signs and other building restrictions in the downtown area. This is an outcome of the proposals brought before the Council on Oct/Nov that were not well received. There was too much to cover and it was not clearly presented. The Dept of Planning and Community Development has gone back to the 'drawing board' so to speak, and this workshop should help address some of the issues around the proposals before they are brought forward once more.
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in writing about something that matters in Franklin, please let me know.
We have gradually been expanding the input here to include other contributors in Franklin and will have another announcement soon. There is still room for more, if you have something of interest to share, please let me know.
As always -
If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like this, please tell me.
This feedback loop is important. Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Franklin, MA
Time: 10 minutes 6 seconds
MP3 File
Show Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast is number 89 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the week that was as it comes to a close Sunday March 13. Then we will look at what is scheduled for the week ahead.
The Financial Planning Committee met on Wednesday. They completed their review of the prior report and are now busy working on the list of questions that they think should be answered.
The Town Council is one of two stakeholders for this committee. They will reach out to the Council to get their input on the questions to answer to help the Council make their decisions during the budget cycle.
The citizens (and voters) of Franklin are the second of two key stakeholders for the committee. Respectfully, there are some who don't care and there are some who have already made up their minds. Those two groups should not be a primary concern for the committee. The committee should address the needs of those who are looking for information. Those who are looking for accurate information have the interest to listen and make a decision. Providing information that is accurate and reasonably understood is the goal of the committee.
My notes from the meeting can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/live-reporting-long-range-financial.html
I wrote about these three type of audience in what I called my “fire circle story” back in 2005. You have a choice to listen to the audio recording here http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2006/10/fire-circle-story.html
or read the text here http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2005/11/fire-circle-story.html
The week ahead of is Sunshine Week. a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Coinciding with sunshine week and building upon the PEW Internet study reported on here last week, I have begun a couple of new avenues.
One – There is a form for you to ask a question about the Franklin budget. Frequent commenters on the Milford Daily News articles about Franklin reference reading the Annual Report and suffering from a heart ache or some other physical malady. They rarely provide specifics as to what in the report is what cased this reaction.
If you have a similar question, you can ask it, and I'll get an answer. If you provide your email address, I'll be able to follow up to ask any clarifying questions as well as provide a direct answer. It is your choice. If you do provide your email, you get the response. If you don't, I can't guarantee a response.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/citizens-against-waste.html
Two – Many of you have a voice on the budget or any number of topics that matter to Franklin. You may not have the time to create your own blog. If you do have time to write a couple of paragraphs, and access to email, your voice can be published on Franklin Matters in a new “Voices of Franklin” section. Your written submission will need to abide by the editorial guidelines found below. You'll also need to be aware that anything published on Franklin Matters is subject to the Creative Commons License 3.0 for USA. Specifically, what is published can be shared with attribution but not for profit. More information about the editorial guidelines and creative commons license are found in the links below. If you would like to clarify something before sending your writing in, you can reach out to me (shersteve at gmail dot com).
Email address to send to franklinmatters.ma.myvoice@blogger.com
Editorial guidelines http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2007/12/comment-policy.html
Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/
Three – This is an election year. November 2011 will see an election of the the Town Council, School Committee, and other town positions. I will make the offer now to all candidates for election to have an interview published in Franklin Matters. I did this in 2007 and 2009. The format of the interview preferably would be in text or audio. If you want to do video, I'll consider it as well. Let me know if and when you are interested and we can schedule a mutually convenient time.
2009 offer http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/open-offer-to-franklins-candidates-for.html
2007 offer http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/09/franklin-open-invitation-to-franklins.html
As for town meetings this week
The School Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday. Amongst the agenda items are presentations on the FHS visioning process, program of study, and summer reading. There is also the first reading on the bullying policy.
The Town Council is scheduled to meet on Weds. Amongst the agenda items they have are an action item to put the four utility poles on Main St located between Depot and the Triangle underground.
Coincidentally, on Monday, Mar 21 is a workshop to discuss the proposed zoning bylaw changes for the signs and other building restrictions in the downtown area. This is an outcome of the proposals brought before the Council on Oct/Nov that were not well received. There was too much to cover and it was not clearly presented. The Dept of Planning and Community Development has gone back to the 'drawing board' so to speak, and this workshop should help address some of the issues around the proposals before they are brought forward once more.
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in writing about something that matters in Franklin, please let me know.
We have gradually been expanding the input here to include other contributors in Franklin and will have another announcement soon. There is still room for more, if you have something of interest to share, please let me know.
As always -
If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like this, please tell me.
This feedback loop is important. Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Franklin, MA
Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - 3/15/11
Vision Statement
The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.
Mission Statement
The Franklin Public Schools, in collaboration with the community, will cultivate each student's intellectual, social, emotional and physical potential through rigorous academic inquiry and informed problem solving skills within a safe, nurturing and respectful environment.
"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."
1. Routine Business
• Citizen’s Comments
• Review of Agenda
• Minutes: I recommend approval of the Open and Executive Session minutes from the February 15, 2011 School Committee Meeting, and the Budget Workshop minutes from January 29, 2011.
• Payment of Bills - Mr. Glynn
• Payroll - Mrs. Douglas
• FHS Student Representatives
• Correspondence
1. Budget to Actual
2. Guests/Presentations
a. FHS Visioning Committee – Peter Light, Team
b. FHS Program of Study – Peter Light
c. FHS Summer Reading – Peter Light, Chris Schmidt
3. Discussion Only Items
• Policy – First Reading: JICFB - Bullying
4. Action Items
a. I recommend approval of the RMS trip to the Providence Place Mall IMAX Theater on April 15, 2011 as detailed.
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $2666.00 from the Parmenter PCC for Field Trips.
5. Information Matters
• Superintendent’s Report
• School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
• School Committee Liaison Reports
6. New Business
• To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.
7. Executive Session
• Contractual Negotiations
8. Adjourn
Franklin, MA
FRANKLIN RAIL TRAIL COMMITTEE MEETING - Agenda - 3/15/11
FRANKLIN RAIL TRAIL COMMITTEE MEETING
Meeting # 26
Proposed Agenda for March 15, 2011
Location: Franklin YMCA 45 Forge Hill Road
Start Time: 7:30PM
I. Call to Order
A. Ask for volunteer to keep minutes of meeting
B. Introduction of new attendees
C. Review & approve minutes of previous meeting
II. Report from our representative from DCR
A. Need for signage disallowing motorized vehicles on trail
B. History of railroad for kiosk in progress
III. Membership Committee Report
A. Committee to report on membership activity
IV. Report from Finance Committee
A. Report from Treasurer
V. Report of Fund Raising Committee
A. Report of progress on the Road Race
B. Fundraising Activity
C. Ken to report on EMC connection
D. General preparations for the Road Race
VI. Report from Grant Writing Committee
A.
VII. Engineering Requirements of this project
A. Updates
VIII. Unfinished Business
A. Business plan status?
B. Bellingham connection – progress with the Lions Club – follow up needed
C. Kiosk possibility at Center St
IX. New Business
X. Set Date and place for Next Meeting and Adjourn
The website for the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee can be found here http://franklinrailtrail.org/
Franklin, MA
"something that puts Franklin on the map"
"The vision that the Conservation Commission has for the property is that it becomes a public place for passive recreation and hiking trails," Livingstone said. "Fixing the dams and stabilizing water levels is the first step."
Resident Ernest DelCarte donated the 130-acre property on Pleasant Street to the town after he died seven years ago. There are seven dams on the property, which was once used as a fish hatchery.
Some of the smaller dams, where water sometimes flows over and around the structures, will probably be removed. They were built to create small ponds for the fish hatchery that is no longer operating, Livingstone said.
The commission initially feared the project would cost several million dollars, but they have received proposals for as low as $1.2 million, Livingstone said, adding he hopes the commission will discuss plans with the Town Council in the coming months.Read more: Franklin commission may seek grants to fix dams
Prior posts on the DelCarte property
Photo tour of the property
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-ma-delcarte-tour.html
Where is it located?
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/where-is-delcarte-property.html
Town Council discussion in October 2010
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/live-reporting-delcarte-proposal.html
Franklin, MA
Sunday, March 13, 2011
"most can be reimbursed by the mile when driving for town business"
Some towns reuse retired police cruisers and other vehicles as take-home cars, but others, such as Ashland and Franklin, said repair bills and the cost of converting cars for civilian use can be high.
"They're just not cost-efficient," Franklin Town Administrator Jeff Nutting said.
Towns otherwise often buy vehicles through a state bidding process or at auction, including at Adesa in Framingham.
In Franklin, Nutting said he has phased out several take-home vehicles as employees with that benefit retired or otherwise left the town payroll.
"Some of those jobs we never filled, or as (new) people come in, they have to bring their own vehicle back and forth for work," Nutting said.
The town plans to cut two more next fiscal year, when the town engineer and deputy public works director are expected to retire.
But there are few cases left where take-home vehicles could be eliminated, Nutting said, echoing many managers who saw most arrangements as necessary.
"I'm running out of folks to scale back on at this point," he said.Read more: How many public employees take their work car home?
More about Sunshine Week - a national initiative to highlight open government, freedom of information, and transparency can be found here.
Franklin's vehicle listing as of June 2010 can be found here. (I'll get an update this week.)
Franklin, MA
Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Mar 16, 2011
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - February 16, 2011
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS - Conservation Commission
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
Longhorn Steakhouse – Alteration of Premises
Joe’s American Bar & Grill – Transfer of License
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS – Auditor’s Report
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION:
1. Resolution 11-08: Report of Franklin Town Council, Re: Advisability of Requiring Removal of Poles and Overhead Structures Along Main Street From its Intersection with East Central Street to Its Intersection with Depot Street
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
L. OLD BUSINESS
M. NEW BUSINESS
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
P. ADJOURN
Franklin, MA
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS - Conservation Commission
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
Longhorn Steakhouse – Alteration of Premises
Joe’s American Bar & Grill – Transfer of License
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS – Auditor’s Report
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION:
1. Resolution 11-08: Report of Franklin Town Council, Re: Advisability of Requiring Removal of Poles and Overhead Structures Along Main Street From its Intersection with East Central Street to Its Intersection with Depot Street
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
L. OLD BUSINESS
M. NEW BUSINESS
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
P. ADJOURN
Franklin, MA
Let the sun shine!
We have one entry thus far with multiple questions around substitute pay:
This query was sent to School Administration late Friday. With the School Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, I would expect to have an answer posted no later than Wednesday.
If you have a question on how Franklin spends its money, ask and we'll find out. The form to ask your question can be found at the top of the center column or by following this link.
More about Sunshine Week - a national initiative to highlight open government, freedom of information, and transparency can be found here.
Franklin, MA
How much total pay is made to substitute techers. I was surprised to see the number of substitue people and some of the amounts are pretty high. Are teachers paid straight salary? How is leave handled? Is excessive teachers absence accounted for?
This query was sent to School Administration late Friday. With the School Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, I would expect to have an answer posted no later than Wednesday.
If you have a question on how Franklin spends its money, ask and we'll find out. The form to ask your question can be found at the top of the center column or by following this link.
More about Sunshine Week - a national initiative to highlight open government, freedom of information, and transparency can be found here.
Franklin, MA
Saturday, March 12, 2011
"ensure greater transparency in government"
To ensure a continued and consistent focus on the Open Meeting Law, Coakley created the Division of Open Government to educate individuals about the law, enforce the law, and act as a readily accessible resource for members of public bodies, members of the public, municipal officials, and the press. The division has focused its efforts on educating members of public bodies and the public at large about the revisions to the OML, establishing a complaint process, and resolving Open Meeting Law complaints.
“The goal of the new law is to promote uniform interpretation of the Open Meeting Law and ensure greater transparency in government,” said Coakley. “As we move forward, we will continue to work with these governmental bodies, news media, and the public to ensure that we reach this shared goal of good governance.”
Read more: In first year, AG's office handled Open Meeting Law complaints, conducted training sessions
Franklin provides a "Visitor's Orientation to Meetings" focused on the Town Council but generally applicable to other committee meetings.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project released a report that showed:
"... government transparency is associated with residents’ feelings of efficacy and empowerment: Those who think their government shares information well are more likely to say that people like them can have an impact on government. It might be the case that signals from government that “we want to be open about what we do” make people think they can take advantage of that openness and influence the way the government operates."This report helps foster the activities that you and I have been taking here. Our engagement on the website, through the weekly and daily newsletters, and on Facebook are helping to encourage Franklin to do more in these areas. Franklin regularly wins an award for for government information sharing but it can still do better. One of the major issues with the budget crisis we face is the lack of trust in the information provided. Increasing the transparency will foster trust.
The full report can be found here:
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/08-Community-Information-Systems.aspx
Franklin, MA
In the News - Fenway, VFW
Franklin men's group hosts program about Fenway
Franklin VFW to celebrate 75 years
"I think for the VFW to succeed we're going to have to take in new members," said member Howard Crawford, 87, who served in the U.S. Army in World War II and Korea. He said he is confident soldiers from the Gulf War and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will become active as they get older.
"When people are returning from war (today), they are consumed with their family and want nothing to do with us. They just want to forget it."
Franklin, MA
Friday, March 11, 2011
Reach Out for Youth and Families
The Bernon Family Branch of the Hockomock Area YMCA will be holding a fund raising event at 3 Restaurant on March 22, 2011.
Details can be found in the flyer below. Please RSVP by March 15, 2011.
YMCA Invitation
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document.
Franklin, MA
Reach Out for Youth and Families
Details can be found in the flyer below. Please RSVP by March 15, 2011.
YMCA Invitation
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document.
Franklin, MA
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Citizens against waste
There are folks who complain about the money Franklin spends. This form will enable those Franklin residents identify an item where the expense is questioned.
You ask the question. I'll facilitate to get an answer.
(The collection of questions and answers can be found here)
This should at least get the discussion respectfully focused on facts and details.
The 2010 Annual Report can be found here (PDF)
Other reference links for the FY 2012 Budget can be found here
Franklin, MA
You ask the question. I'll facilitate to get an answer.
(The collection of questions and answers can be found here)
This should at least get the discussion respectfully focused on facts and details.
The 2010 Annual Report can be found here (PDF)
Other reference links for the FY 2012 Budget can be found here
Franklin, MA
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