Franklin Matters

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Real time reporting - Legislation (part 1)

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS - YMCA – Darkness to Light Program (postponed to future meeting)

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 11-46: Authorizing Tax Increment Financing Hamilton Storage Technologies Inc, 3 Forge Parkway

Brief 5 minute presentation by the company about what they do and how they have developed. They are in high technology and particularly in biotech. Novartis and Roche Pharmaceuticals are their top two customers

The Tax Increment Financing (TIF) allows Franklin to collect the normal set of taxes on the base value of the property and then a declining additional portion on the increase in incremental value of the work being done to improve the plot/building.

A good deal for Franklin as we tax revenue, they get an incentive to come here (from Hopkinton and Milford). Their incentive is a declining additional tax over a ten year period.

motion to accept, seconded, passed 8-0

The full set of documents for this agenda can be found here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2011tc%20Complete%20With%20Documents/09-28-2011agenda.pdf

Real time reporting - Town Council - 9/28/11

Present: Kelly, Jones, Vallee, Whalen, Mason, Pfeffer, McGann, Powderly
Absent: Zollo

(missed opening minutes, can catch them later via the on-demand video)

E. APPOINTMENTS
Cultural Council

Mary Beth Fraser
Janet Norman
Judith Needell
Judith Prueitt-Prentice

motion to approve, seconded, passed 8-0

Design Review

Nancy Coleman

motion to approve, seconded, passed 8-0

School Building Committee

Paula Mullen

motion to approve, seconded, passed 8-0

The full set of documents for this agenda can be found here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2011tc%20Complete%20With%20Documents/09-28-2011agenda.pdf

"we approach education collaboratively"

Following a salary freeze two years ago, raises for last year remained at zero, while raises for this year go up 1 percent at the beginning and 0.5 percent on the last day of the contract.

Negotiations for a new contract will have to begin soon, school officials said, but School Committee members say they are upbeat. Union leadership, they said, seems committed to a less confrontational approach than in the past.

"There is agreement by both sides to review the salary structure," School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy said.

"It represents closure for me and a move away from the negotiation table," committee member William Glynn said of the brief hiatus between negotiations. "We don't often talk about the deep-seated problems, the systemic problems."

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

"we're at the point where that's no longer possible"

But the budget cuts that took effect July 1 caused the department to drop from 10 on-duty firefighters to nine. Three firefighters are left in the King Street station on a fire engine, but everyone else has been moved into the downtown station, which, Allen said, has caused problems already.

"Am I concerned? Absolutely. I continue to advocate the best system is an ambulance and an engine in each fire station," Fire Chief Gary McCarraher said at the Sept. 14 Town Council meeting. "We can't afford that right now, and we're doing the best we can with what we've got."

At that meeting, McCarraher said response times could be delayed, but he does not have conclusive evidence yet after going through less than two months of data.

"The simple, brass tacks are we have been cut year after year," Allen said. "We need the public to know that we are having a difficult time helping them."

How hungry are you?

Take the Hunger Quiz

How much do you know about hunger in America? Take Feeding America's hunger quiz to get more information on the issue.

From TakePart "How to Help Hunger Awareness Month"

"We will put those numbers out to the public as soon as they're available"

"I think it's a really well thought-out and efficient design," said Sabolinski, adding that the building will also save money in heating bills and other operational costs. "We're not building something just for today. I think it's very utilitarian and it ... will also stand the test of time."

The first suggestion the School Building Committee gave was that space, including larger classrooms, be added throughout the design, since Whitman-Hanson has 1,350 students, and Franklin has 1,650.

The School Building Committee-approved modification that received the most discussion was the gymnasium, which would replace the current field house. The field house is 30,000 square feet, Ai3 principal architect Scott Dunlap said, although it has only 22,000 square feet of usable space. The gymnasium in the proposed new school could have 23,000 square feet of usable space.