Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Recycling Center Closure
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Wadsworth Diary - Jan 20, 1892
Pleasant & cold, 6 this eve, ground covered with snow. Sorted & carried Arthur Kasec a bbl apples & most 2 bus. speckled ones to Mr. Phelps.
In the 1850s, on a busy working farm in the southern part of Franklin, a man named George Wadsworth started writing in a journal about everyday events. When he filled that journal, he bought another, and filled that up too. Two dozen journals, and 27 years later, he had written about almost everything that can happen in a small New England town. His words were lost to history until 1986, when town resident Gail Lembo came across some of the journals at a yard sale.
From the Franklin Historical Museum website
http://www.franklinhistoricalmuseum.com/p/wadsworth-diaries_30.html
The FHS Campaign Web Site is UP!
Greetings everyone!
We're pleased announce the campaign web site for the Franklin High School debt exclusion – www.newfhs.com -- is up and open for business!
Because of your early support for the campaign, you are the first in town to get a look at the site – complete with our call to action: Vote YES for FHS! A Real Need. The Right Time.
A big thank you to the members of the Messaging Subcommittee who helped define and refine our cause. We think you'll find the web site to be a tremendous resource for the facts and arguments on why it is so critical to our children and the community that Franklin voters endorse this project. It offers a wealth of information and makes it easy for our friends and fellow citizens to get involved. It also tells folks how they can contribute financially to campaign. Donations are needed!
Over the next 24 hours, we'll be making town and school officials aware of the site, and you'll also start to see it promoted through our social media channels on Facebook and Twitter.
It's vitally important that you share the site address with as many of your fellow voters as possible, so feel free to pass it along to your networks in town, and encourage them to pass it along to others as well. The information on the site is only as good as the number of people who see it!
There's one more aspect of the web site we need your help on – the Supporters page (http://www.newfhs.com/supporters.php) If you'd like your name or your family's name listed on the site as supporters of the campaign, please reply to this email ASAP and let us know. With your permission, we will fill the Supporters page with an impressive list that will demonstrate the campaign's broad support in town. And we'll keep adding supporters straight through till the day of the vote!
Please visit www.newfhs.com and get to know what's on the site. Thank you and stay tuned for further updates!
And, remember: Vote YES for FHS! A Real Need. The Right Time.
Mike Doherty, Chair
Mary Jo Peterson, Treasurer
Jennifer Taddeo, Assistant Treasurer
Citizens for a New Franklin High School
Parking Ban Activated
Parking Ban Active through 5am Monday 01/23/12.
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN
CONNECTICUT...CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS...EASTERN
MASSACHUSETTS...NORTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS...SOUTHEASTERN
MASSACHUSETTS...WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...SOUTHERN NEW
HAMPSHIRE...NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND AND SOUTHERN RHODE ISLAND.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
WIDESPREAD SNOW SHOWERS TONIGHT ARE EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE OR TWO INCHES LIKELY. GIVEN
THE RECENT COLD WEATHER ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND
SLIPPERY QUICKLY. SNOW SHOWERS MAY MIX WITH RAIN ALONG THE SOUTH
COAST INCLUDING CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
THERE IS A MODERATE TO HIGH PROBABILITY OF ACCUMULATING SNOWS
SATURDAY ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. THERE IS STILL SOME
UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE EXACT TRACK OF THE STORM AND HOW MUCH
COLD AIR WILL REMAIN ENTRENCHED OVER SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND WITH
WARMER AIR OVER-RUNNING ALOFT. THEREFORE A WINTRY MIX IS ALSO
POSSIBLE.
THERE IS A LOW PROBABILITY OF ICY CONDITIONS FOR LATE SUNDAY INTO
SUNDAY NIGHT. AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS THROUGH THE REGION THERE WILL
BE THE POSSIBILITY FOR A LIGHT MIX OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN AS
TEMPERATURES REMAIN BELOW FREEZING AT THE SURFACE WITH WARMER
ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES OVER-RUNNING ALOFT.
_______________________________________________
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eReader workshop slated at Franklin Library
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 1/18/12
Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and more. Do you have a new E-Reader and would like to borrow ebooks from the library? The Franklin Library is offering eReader workshops on Monday, Jan. 23 for Noon, Sony and other readers from 10-11 a.m. and for Kindle from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Wicked Local Franklin News RSS using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wadsworth Diary - Jan 19, 1892
Warm & stormy, most the day, rain. Snowed some this PM, & is this eve. Have felt better to day. Fixed the light xpress wagon some & c & c. Willie not as well to day.
In the 1850s, on a busy working farm in the southern part of Franklin, a man named George Wadsworth started writing in a journal about everyday events. When he filled that journal, he bought another, and filled that up too. Two dozen journals, and 27 years later, he had written about almost everything that can happen in a small New England town. His words were lost to history until 1986, when town resident Gail Lembo came across some of the journals at a yard sale.
From the Franklin Historical Museum website
http://www.franklinhistoricalmuseum.com/p/wadsworth-diaries_30.html
Vera Meyer and the glass harmonica returns
With the realization that the Patriots playoff game would be a conflict with this event, it has been postponed one week to Sunday, Jan 29th.
The Franklin Historic Commission will celebrate Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday by welcoming back Vera Meyer and her Glass Harmonica to the Franklin Historical Museum on Sunday January22nd.29th
The public is invited to the Museum to enjoy the sounds of this unique instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. It is based on the idea of simply rubbing a wet finger around the rim of a glass. Vera Meyer plays a variety of compositions on this beautiful glass instrument, some specifically written for it, including works by Mozart and Beethoven.
Ethereal, haunting, mystical and ghostly are just some of the words used to describe the sounds of this rare instrument. Come and hear it for yourself Sunday January 22 during regular museum hours 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Light refreshments will be served in celebration of our town’s namesake’s 306th birthday. The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, Franklin.
Related posts:
Jan 24, 2011
The Franklin Historical Museum celebrated Benjamin Franklin's birthday with a musical performance by Vera Meyer on the glass harmonica (invented by Ben in 1761. I'll have a more complete write up on the afternoon during ...
Jan 30, 2011
Those who came by were able to learn from Vera Meyer about the glass harmonica that Ben invented while listening to her play. I hope she is able to come back to the museum in the future. The instrument is special and her ...
For this one, you can skip ahead to about 9:00 minutes to hear Vera play the glass harmonica
Town Council - 01/18/2012
The collection of posts from the Town Council meeting on Weds, Jan 18, 2012 can be found here
Live reporting - closing
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Nustyle building was rebid and bids came in under by $60K, should be able to award the contract soon and have the building demolished (finally).
L. OLD BUSINESS
Jones - when will we see department presentations?
Nutting - Feb
M. NEW BUSINESS
Powderly - What is happening with the DelCarte property?
Nutting - as the engineers work on the plans for fixing the dams, they do have plans to incorporate improvements to the 1.5 acres where the house was.
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Bissanti - kudos to Mr Mercer for the presentation to the community the other night. Kudos as well to Michael Doherty for pulling together the meeting on this topic.
Mercer - The Building Committee will be meeting the MSBA on Jan 25th and with an approval we will be back here on Feb 1.
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – not required
P. ADJOURN
motion to adjourn, passed 9-0
Live reporting - action items
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
Roy - honored to be selected as Chair, the Master Plan committee met last night Bissanti (Clerk), Kelly (Vice-Chair)
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 12-03: Master Plan Committee
motion to approve, passed 9-0
2. Resolution 12-04: Creation of A Citizen Committee
motion to approve, passed 9-0
Discussion - seeking volunteers, contact Chair or Town Administrator, to be selected by Feb 15th
3. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-669: Amendment to Chapter 185-45 Administration and
Enforcement - Referral to Planning Board
motion to waive reading, passed 9-0
motion to s=refer to Planning Board, passed 9-0
B Taberner provided an intro
M Cerel indicates this was the re-write to clean up language and make it more clear and enforceable; Special permits are recognized by our zoning bylaws. This will be back before the Council for public hearing.
4. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-670: Amendment to Chapter 185-3. Definitions – Referral to Planning Board
motion to waive reading, passed 9-0
motion to s=refer to Planning Board, passed 9-0
B Dahlstrom provides an update on the next three all related to a sign bylaw, a complete re-write of the existing bylaw.
More succinct and easily readable, schedule of signs per district, a summary of the districts created
Clearly defines the Building Commissioner as the point of enforcement for all signs
major changes to temporary signs, defined the role of the design review commission
Pfeffer - objecting to one road (i.e. RT 140) not having the same bylaw all along it. It is an other level of bureaucracy, it is confusing things and not making it easier for businesses coming in.
Taberner - different sections of town have a different feel, and respectfully so. Overall, we already have a sign bylaw, this is an attempt to eliminate some of the problems with the existing bylaw. It should help to make it easier spelling things out. I won't say it will fix all the problems, in general, it lays things it out simply.
Vallee - what happens if a national company has specific colors, would they be prevented?
Dahlstrom - No, the Town Council has determined that for a national company, they would not need to abide by our color scheme. This has been vetted through a number of groups, Downtown Partnership, other businesses and town bodies.
Pfeffer - Design Review should be out of this completely, it is another level of the problem and shouldn't be there.
Bissanti - signs for businesses are very important, the gauntlet that they run through is not that easy. I applaud the hard work that has gone into this.
Nutting - I keep hearing that and yet when I meet with the developers and find that we are the easiest town to deal with, organized, easy to work with, I am dumbfounded that we are difficult to work with.
Kelly - I understand what you are saying, they will paint a rosy picture as they do not want to hinder their permit processing.
Nutting - There is a difference between being easy and letting people running over of you? Do you want a hundred different ugly signs? I don't think you do.
Bissanti - I don't think we are taking potshots at any departments. You are talking about some big companies, we are talking about the small and medium size projects to try and get it through the process. The Special Permit was a nightmare, I am glad we are cleaning it up.
Roy - I want to switch gear a little, I was hoping we would get out of regulating political signs. It still says we have to have them removed 7 days after the election. The better way would be to try and get the political groups (Democrats and Republicans), we have already meet. I think it would be better to allow the groups to do so.
Cerel - no one has a right to any activities in the public way except by bylaw or common use. People are prohibited from posting signs but they are not prohibited from holding a sign.
Roy - I think we have an opportunity to draft specific language to help resolve this situation.
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-671: Amendment to Chapter 185-4. Districts Enumerated – Referral to Planning Board
motion to waive reading, passed 9-0
motion to refer to Planning Board, passed 9-0
6. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 12-672: Amendment to Chapter 185-20. Signs – Referral to Planning Board
motion to waive reading, passed 9-0
motion to refer to Planning Board, passed 9-0
Live reporting - Town Council - 1/18/12
Present: Mercer, Dellorco, Kelly, Powderly, Vallee, Pfeffer, Jones, Bissanti, Roy
Absent: none
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Verizon, Comcast, and Franklin Matters
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - none
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS - none
E. APPOINTMENTS - none
F. HEARINGS - none
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS - none
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS – Discussion of Remote Participation
Nutting recommendation to hold off on this for now, would require additional technology to provide for all meetings to have this benefit. If critical discussions need to be had, the agendas can be adjusted and have been. This is not just for the Town Council, it would also need to be made available for the other 25 committees.
Roy - The Attorney General did study and allow this. In my opinion this would be at no cost. You can do audio and video or just audio. The technology we have is already here. If we don't do remote participation as a board, we prohibit every other group from doing so. It would inhibit participation in the government. Mansfield, Weston, Natick, and others have already passed. Was able to participate remotely via a laptop connection with a FHS committee. I don't think we should pass it up.
Nutting - there is a cost, we would need to put additional technology into the rooms where meetings are held. There is an expense. It is a complication that we don't need now. As volunteers, we understand we won't make all the meetings.
Mercer - I would support remote access for two reasons, it might allow for more participation for those who travel a lot. I travel to China and speak with meetings here a lot.
Powderly - Not sure that approving this now has such a dramatic effect for the other committees. It is like our moving to electronic documentation, we are trying it now. It is not saying all the others have to do so.
Kelly - I agree with my fellow councilors, I don't see a reason why we would not be able to do this.
Nutting - but you got to do it everywhere. If you miss a meeting, it is not the end of the world.
Bissanti - I would like to be part of a group to try this.
Jones - I don't think we should help foster a remote participation just because it is not available.
Bissanti - if we are not the first community to do this, can we make some calls to see how they are doing it?
Roy - I am not advocating for us to spend any cost on this, I believe it can be done without cost.
Jones - If it is all possible to have a demo on the simplicity of the process.
Nutting - I think it is a lot easier here than some other rooms we have and the knowledge of the users. I'll get the get some additional info and costs.
Nutting - it is the Chief Executive Officer who decides (in our case the Town Administrator)
Absent: none
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Verizon, Comcast, and Franklin Matters
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - none
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS - none
E. APPOINTMENTS - none
F. HEARINGS - none
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS - none
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS – Discussion of Remote Participation
Nutting recommendation to hold off on this for now, would require additional technology to provide for all meetings to have this benefit. If critical discussions need to be had, the agendas can be adjusted and have been. This is not just for the Town Council, it would also need to be made available for the other 25 committees.
Roy - The Attorney General did study and allow this. In my opinion this would be at no cost. You can do audio and video or just audio. The technology we have is already here. If we don't do remote participation as a board, we prohibit every other group from doing so. It would inhibit participation in the government. Mansfield, Weston, Natick, and others have already passed. Was able to participate remotely via a laptop connection with a FHS committee. I don't think we should pass it up.
Nutting - there is a cost, we would need to put additional technology into the rooms where meetings are held. There is an expense. It is a complication that we don't need now. As volunteers, we understand we won't make all the meetings.
Mercer - I would support remote access for two reasons, it might allow for more participation for those who travel a lot. I travel to China and speak with meetings here a lot.
Powderly - Not sure that approving this now has such a dramatic effect for the other committees. It is like our moving to electronic documentation, we are trying it now. It is not saying all the others have to do so.
Kelly - I agree with my fellow councilors, I don't see a reason why we would not be able to do this.
Nutting - but you got to do it everywhere. If you miss a meeting, it is not the end of the world.
Bissanti - I would like to be part of a group to try this.
Jones - I don't think we should help foster a remote participation just because it is not available.
Bissanti - if we are not the first community to do this, can we make some calls to see how they are doing it?
Roy - I am not advocating for us to spend any cost on this, I believe it can be done without cost.
Jones - If it is all possible to have a demo on the simplicity of the process.
Nutting - I think it is a lot easier here than some other rooms we have and the knowledge of the users. I'll get the get some additional info and costs.
Nutting - it is the Chief Executive Officer who decides (in our case the Town Administrator)
MassBudget's FY13 Budget Preview
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