Franklin MAtters: Changes to be aware of

I spent some time at the Community Garden on Saturday talking with a few of the folks that came to tend their gardens. The better part of the time it was just Chris Clay and I chatting as we both took pictures and he explained this or that about the garden and plants. In the course of our conversation we got around to comparing notes and we found we have much in common.




With Irene providing the time, and the conversation with Chris providing the inspiration, I have done some clean up here on the website. You may notice that there are less navigation tabs. Yes, I removed a few.

The Welcome page has been updated to remove the audio option. The effort to produce that was not generating enough of an audience to continue. You can subscribe to receive updates as they are published via email daily or weekly. Your choice.

Why Franklin Matters - remains

I am resuming my Weekly Summary as a text only summary (no audio) so that tab remains.

I have combined all the Meeting Notes into one tab. On this page, the meetings for 2011 are at the top with those from 2010, 2009 and 2008 below as you continue to scroll down.

The Important Links tab provides easy access to some key pages. For example, I just added a link for Election 2011 to collect all the election information as it is published.





I hope these changes will be helpful. If you have suggestions for things I should do more (or less) of, please feel free to comment or send me an email.

How will you decide?

When you have an election ballot in front of you, you have a list of positions, a listing of candidates and a marker to fill in a circle next to one or more names. Or you may have a ballot question to answer yes or no. How do you decide to cast your vote?

To help you make your choice, I have offered to meet with all the candidates. My purpose is to hear directly from them about their background and their views on the issues Franklin faces that that they will work to resolve on our behalf.

This is not an endorsement of any candidate. This is an information sharing exercise.

I will ask the same set of questions of each candidate so that you should have some common ground to make your decision. The questions I propose to start with are as follows:

1 - Tell me a bit about yourself, your family and your life here in Franklin?

2 - What experience or background will help you to serve in this role? or What do you think makes you a good candidate to fulfill this role?

3 - What do you see as your role’s biggest challenge and do you have any suggestions on how we can resolve it?

If you have some suggestions, I’d like to hear them. I may find during the course of the interviews that I should tweak the questions. If I do that, I’ll post the updated questions here.


Election information
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/08/franklin-election-details-are-now.html

Drop off, Donate and Volunteer - Stuff Harvest

Stuff Harvest Fest

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011 from 9:00am - 1:00pm

8 Aurora Street Providence, RI 02908 Map

A special event is coming up that may interest you - a great opportunity to bring in donations, volunteer and show your support of Free Geek Providence.

Stuff Harvest Fest is our name for a recycling/donation day organized in partnership with the Furniture Bank, a non-profit that takes in furniture and other household items to redistribute. It's a day when we can rescue those unwanted items from the dump and turn them into real treasures for needy families.

We will accept all kinds of household furnishings and electronics including beds, bureaus, tables, computers, laptops, PDAs, cell phones, mice, keyboards, and other peripherals,networking equipment, cabling, flat screens, CRT monitors, stereo equipment, telephones, cordless phones, wide screen / tube televisions, batteries (car or gel cells), and other appliances and just about anything else you wish to donate.

Free Geek Providence rescues computers from the landfill by restoring them with open source software and donating them to organizations and individuals who cannot otherwise afford them.

The Furniture Bank operates as a redistribution center by soliciting donations of good quality furniture and household items from individuals and businesses statewide. These items are passed on to qualified individuals and families who have been referred to our program by a member network of more than 85 social service agencies which include homeless and domestic violence centers, CAP agencies, drug/alcohol rehab programs and community centers.

A $10 disposal fee is charged for mini-fridges, household air conditioners and dehumidifiers. WE CANNOT ACCEPT hazardous materials, such as paint, firearms, mattresses, or any type of light bulb or disposable alkaline batteries.

Drop off, donate, volunteer - and make a difference!

---

Click to view this email in a browser If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or simply click on the following link: Unsubscribe

---

Free Geek Providence PO Box 603109 Providence, Rhode Island 02906 US Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.

All Commuter Rail Lines/Routes Alert

All service on all Commuter Rail Lines/Routes has been suspended for Sunday, 8/28/2011 due to Hurricane Irene.  Full service is expected to resume on Monday, August 29, 2011.

Current updates can be found on http://www.mbta.com/

NationalGrid: Hurricane Irene Preparedness

National Grid has employees prepared to work around the clock to ensure reliable service throughout the storm.  We urge customers to take all necessary precautions to ensure their safety. An easy way to prepare is to have an emergency kit on hand. Visit our website to learn more about what we are doing and what you should do to prepare. If you would like to receive mobile updates from National Grid on the storm restoration efforts, Text Irene to 50101. Power outages can be reported online or by calling 1-800-465-1212 in New England and 1-800-867-5222 in New York. Unsubscribe | Update Profile * For text messages, standard carrier message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Text HELP for help. This email was sent by: National Grid One MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, U.S.A.

Big Y takes some action

When running along East Central St one morning this week, I found that it looks like the Big Y is finally starting to do something with their proposed location.

A public auction of the restaurant contents will be held on Aug 31, 2011. This is probably to help clear out the building so the remainder of the demolition steps can proceed.

Community Garden Walkabout - August 27th 9am-11am

Hello Everyone,


This Saturday August 27th the garden coordinator Chris Clay will be in the garden from 9am-11am to give tours of the garden for community members and answer any questions gardeners may have.  If you want to know what the spots on your tomato leaves mean, what that bug on your broccoli is, or anything else this is your chance to ask!


Cheers,


Chris Clay

--

www.franklincommunitygardens.org

Visit us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Community-Gardens/152040424825578

Follow us on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/#!/FRKLNCommGarden