Lawrence Cash, MassDOT project manager for the project
Please sign on the attendance sheet to be part of the public record
Tom Emerick
Jerry Doherty
Gene Kegan,
Larry Bollanger
Melanie Sprague, transcriber of hearing
Page 4 of the handout covers the hearing procedures
Federal Aid funding, 80%, MassDOT does the remaining 20%
$5.8M expected total cost of project, construction expected in Summer of 2013
Right of Way Procedure (Doherty)
Franklin to acquire all necessary rights for the design and implementation of the project
procedures must follow Federal guidelines
right of way certificate is required before the project can be advertised
can answer any questions during the open hearing portion
Weston & Sampson to describe the project
improvement meant to allow folks to pass through Franklin center
mean to improve the aesthetics of the downtown, with plants, lighting, etc.
encourage private investment along the corridor, upgrade the surfaces, sidewalks and roadways through out the downtown
the geographic area is much greater than the Triangle originally mentioned 10 years ago
meant to bring back some life to the downtown area and improve the economic conditions
new sidewalks
raised crosswalk at Dean College to force traffic to slow down
pedestrians, bicycles and cars will be able to live together as one
one of the major changes is to return to 2-way traffic
traffic patterns currently crossing each other with directional flow to 495 and others coming the other way to head to the T station
40% of the traffic is attempting to get to 495 and that means down Main St to Emmons and then towards 495
with signaling and 2-way traffic it would improve the fire dept response time to the northern section of the community
intending to keep the existing improvements to water infrastructure and drainage that the Town has already accomplished
Hearing procedure
solicit input, may not be able to answer all the comments or questions
identify self, include spelling of last name
a mailing sheet is available for submitting additional comments
common practice to allow elected officials to speak first
Tina Powderly, Franklin Town Council
thanks for your work on this project for so long
how is the extra incidents driven by the project that the Police, DPW, etc would incurr be handled?
Traffic details would be handled by the project
Judy Pfeffer, Town Council
is the water trough part of the future of this project?
Yes, it will be just about in the same spot
how many lights will there be?
Four in the space of about 2500 ft
Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi, DPW director
this project would not have happened with out Sen Kennedy and Rep Vallee
The PWED project has provided a taste of what this will be like
MassHighway, your fun to work with at times but we get through it
The hearing is now open to the public
Brian Henderson, High St
potholes are all over High St, is that going to be covered as part of this project?
Cantoreggi - High St is planned for with Town funds, we'll work with the contractor to do it about the same time
Lisa Piana - Downtown Partnership
Been working on this for 7 years, thanks for the work thus far
very excited about the project, about 170 members and most of the downtown businesses
Brian Kelly, Dean College
we have been working with Franklin and very thrilled with the work being planned
the students are a big part of the pedestrian traffic and they should be safer with this
Ficco, Highland St
trying to like this project
large number of traffic signals a concern, Summer St inter-section is a problem
consider a roundabout? it would slow down the traffic, the traffic in the morning really flies by to make the lights at Cottage St
I question putting the monster traffic device in front of Dean
if the purpose of the device is to slow down, you hit a traffic sign shortly after
consideration should be made for pedestrian overpasses, the land is available
third domotory being added, consider an overpass there too
parking is a problem, it used to be with the 2-way, you could cruise one way, turn around and find a spot going the other way
Chris Bond, Murphy Business Office
how long will the metered spots be interrupted downtown during construction?
Larry - during construction, we would work with the town to phase the construction, provide alternatives, provide updates to know what is happening during the construction
Andy BIssanti, Town Council
Consideration for angled parking?
For a safety factor, the Federal funds wouldn't be allowed
Steve Cook, Crecent St
Who is ultimately responsible for timeliness of coming in and on budget?
We have it capped at roughly $5.8M, during the design phases, we would be monitoring the costs
Town designed project with Federal funds overseen by MassDOT
once it goes to construction, we assign a resident engineer, we also set the duration for the project, we will pay up to 10% over the budget but then the Town would pick up the remainder, we generally staying within the budget
Cantoreggi, water line planned for Crecent St this year, East St/West St just went to bid
there is a lot of money going on to improve the downtown
Glenn Jones, Town Council
I also live downtown, I would like a staffed communications function
we need to ensure everyone is aware of what's going on, any issues or problems with changes in service in the area. There are other things going on in Town at the same time so while it good to get it all done at the same time, it is also necessary to keep everyone informed. Discuss what forms or types of communication, Facebook, Twitter, town website, etc. keep up to date with schedules
Bryan Taberner, Director Planning and Development
in response to Councilor Jones, the Town Administrator assigned Maxine Kinehart as key contact during the PWED project, we'd like to use the same process, it worked last time
Any further questions or comments at this time?
Reminder on the last sheet as a mail in sheet, send it within 10 business days
Before I close this hearing we will be here as long as you are interested
thank you for attending and providing this meeting room
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 *
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Franklin, MA: 4th of July - schedule
The schedule of events beginning Friday, Jun 29 and running through the 4th of July can be found on the 4th of July Committee webpage here http://july4thfranklinma.com/default.asp
Additional info on the 4th of July celebration can be found in this article
Franklin celebrates July 4 with annual festival
Additional info on the 4th of July celebration can be found in this article
Franklin celebrates July 4 with annual festival
by Heather McCarron/STAFF WRITER
"I’m interested in anything that will save the town and residents money"
During the hot-in-place paving process — developed in the late 1970s — a special machine moves over the pavement, melting, scratching and lifting it up. Then, the collected asphalt is mixed with new oil and materials and redistributed over the road.
Another rig rolls over the new surface, packing it down and smoothing it. Cars trailing the rolling machine can drive on the surface without having to wait for it to cool.
The crew will work on one lane a day, so the road will not have to close. Still, residents should expect delays.
The hot-in-place method is cleaner in part because crews do not have to tear up the road, which produces dust. And because the asphalt does not have to be hauled anywhere, there are fewer trucks involved.
According to Department of Public Works Director Robert Cantoreggi, the hot-in-place method will save the town almost half of what it would cost to do normal road reconstruction.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x345284538/New-type-of-greener-faster-cheaper-road-work-in-Franklin#ixzz1z535TlUt
The process described is being used on the stretch of Washington St from South St to the Bellingham line as noted in the earlier road construction alert.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/06/road-construction-washington-st.html
In the News: auto racing, heroin charges
Franklin’s Erica Santos gets Midget spot at Stafford
by Lou Modestino/GateHouse News Service
Franklin pair arrested on heroin charges
by Norman Miller/Daily News staff
Road Construction Alert: Grove St
As posted on the Franklin website
Beginning July 2nd, 2012 the Town of Franklin Department of Public Works will begin construction on the replacement of a water main in the vicinity of Grove St, Old Grove St and Forge Hill Rd. Construction will occur between the hours of 7am – 4pm and the project is anticipated to be completed by the end of October 2012. Minor delays at times may be experienced so please plan accordingly.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Going to Boston? Parking, MBTA schedules
The Tall Ships are coming to Boston to add to the festivities for the 4th of July. The MBTA has posted an update on the commuter rail, Silver Line and other pertinent schedules to encourage the use of public transit.
In addition, the Massachusetts State Police, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, MassDOT, and Massport have announced traffic and parking restrictions for state roads and reservations for the upcoming Tall Ships Festival-1812 Bicentennial Event and the July 4th Esplanade celebration.
You can find the details on what streets have traffic and/or parking restrictions here
http://transportation.blog.state.ma.us/blog/2012/06/tall-ships-1812-bicentennial-july-4th-traffic-parking.html
To accommodate the additional holiday ridership, bus, subway, and Silver Line trips will be added throughout the holiday weekend and on Wednesday, July 4, 2012. Tall Ships special event shuttle buses will run from JFK Station to Castle Island over the weekend and on July 4. A complete holiday service summary is available at mbta.com.
In addition, the Massachusetts State Police, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, MassDOT, and Massport have announced traffic and parking restrictions for state roads and reservations for the upcoming Tall Ships Festival-1812 Bicentennial Event and the July 4th Esplanade celebration.
You can find the details on what streets have traffic and/or parking restrictions here
http://transportation.blog.state.ma.us/blog/2012/06/tall-ships-1812-bicentennial-july-4th-traffic-parking.html
Edible wild plants walk planned in Wrentham, June 29
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 6/26/12
Naturalist John Root will lead an edible wild plants walk at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 29 at Sawyer Farm, 458 South St., Wrentham.
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