Parmenter - Modular Units

Walked by the Parmenter School on Saturday to get pictures of the modular units before they get removed. According to the update at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday (8/7/12), the propane tank is scheduled to be removed first, then the units will come down. During the last week of August, the DPW will return the space below the modulars to useful land, seeding grass, etc.

What do the modulars look like?

From the outside, a walk around them produces the following views.















The tech department would probably not be happy to find that one of their computer cables was being used to hold the door open from time to time.

Closing Day for St Rocco's

Today marks the closing of the Olympics in London and St Rocco's Festival here in Franklin.

Annual fun at St. Rocco's in Franklin

by Derek McLean/News staff

Yes, the major reason for St Rocco's Festival is a fund raiser for St Mary's Church

"considered high quality by all standards"

Towns with a higher bond rating are more likely to be able to pay off their loans, and as such are often given a lower rate of interest on their bonds. 

"On smaller projects, a few (percentage) points isn’t going to matter too much," said Ballantine. "But if you’re building a high school, it can make a significant difference." 

Much like there are three main credit bureaus for personal credit scores, there are three main bond rating agencies — Moody’s Investors Service, Standard and Poor’s, and Fitch Group.

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x521655892/Despite-recession-area-municipal-bond-rates-in-good-shape#ixzz23KDAVE3B

Franklin has been able to maintain a very good bond rating with its overall budget management. This will be a major factor as the new high project goes out to bid for the bonds to finance the building. Of course, the timing for the actual construction bids will hopefully produce the lowest overall cost for the project as well.

Franklin is also aggressive in managing its debt to take advantage of the lowest ratings available. It was able to perform two refinancing exercises that substantially reduced the amount of interest that would be paid over the life of the bond. The most recent of these efforts was reported on during the FinCom meeting in April
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/live-reporting-fincom.html

The Parkinson's Voice Initiative

Do you know someone with Parkinson's? or maybe they are not sure they have Parkinson's?

There is a new service available that with a short phone call to record your voice, the analysis of the recording can determine and track progress of Parkinson's.

How do they do that? In this TED video, Max Little explains:




What is the phone number to call?

In the US, the phone number is 1-857-284-8035

You can visit the Parkinson's Voice Initiative web page for more information http://www.parkinsonsvoice.org/


What is Parkinson's Disease?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_disease

https://www.michaeljfox.org/understanding-parkinsons/i-have-got-what.php

Franklin Food Pantry

If you want to get to the Franklin Food Pantry website, use this link

Note: we are having problems with the redirection of our domain but the information on the website is available. So for the short term, you can use the above link and still get information about the Food Pantry.

St Rocco Festival

The 34th Annual St Rocco Festival is underway in Franklin this weekend. The Milford Daily News writes:

St. Mary Parish’s biggest fundraiser, the four-day festival raised $59,000 last year, with thousands attending. Father Michael Guerino started it in 1979 to honor St. Rocco, the patron saint of healing. 

Since then, a tight-knit group of church volunteers, old and young, have made sure the feast pushes on, August after August. They have managed it for so long, the setup has become a reflex. 

Indeed, their hard work was on display on the sprawling festival grounds.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1602170505/Franklins-fantastic-festival#ixzz238dz1gqk

In the News: dog bylaw, 4th Congressional, record notification, drunk driver

Town Council asks for second draft of new dog bylaw

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Due to the Census results, the Congressional Districts were re-aligned and Franklin ends up in the 4th. Rep Jim McGovern used to represent us, now Rep Barney Frank's seat is up for election. There are six candidates across the parties running for this seat.

4th Congressional District candidates' forums in Easton next week

by Will Richmond

Franklin Public Schools to destroy some records

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Repeat drunk driver from Franklin arrested again

by Matt Tota/Daily News staff

Free Soccer Camp

From the Yahoo Group for Franklin Area Parents come this posting worthy of sharing here

Do you know a child with an intellectual or physical disability that would enjoying playing soccer? We are hosting a free soccer camp in Franklin this August and are asking for your help to spread the word. 

The camp will be held from August 27th through August 30th, 5:00pm to 6:00pm each day at Carpe Diem Field on 34 Saxon Street. The camp is held indoors out of the sun and heat, in an air-conditioned facility.  

Many thanks to Franklin Soccer School and Carpe Diem Technologies for their generous donations allowing us to host this special and unique camp. 

Participants can be from any town, are asked to pre-register for the camp, and can find more information at: http://franklinsoccerschool.com/challengerform 

Thank you, 

Aaron Frongillo and Michael Katinas
8th Grade Students
Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School

Franklin Public Library: Animal World

 

 

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

 

 

Animal World

via Franklin Public Library by Franklin Public Library on 8/9/12

 

 

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• Subscribe to Franklin Public Library using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

Franklin Public Schools: Class sizes by school

August, preparing for schools to open this September. What will be the class sizes around the Franklin school district? The information as presented to the School Committee on Tuesday is shown here.




These numbers can also be found on the Franklin Schools web page here
http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_News/019309C3-000F8513

You can also view the School Committee meeting from Tuesday where these numbers were discussed.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?ecm=634800882920015000&indexSessionSKU=9nH/HANkgO8EKZ7iG4dGYQ%3D%3D&siteSKU=L7qhQ46xin/r3Z0jcDVCNw%3D%3D

"$100 fine for first offenders, up from $25"

If there is trouble with enforcement of the existing dog feces law, how will increasing the fine help? I missed the Town Council meeting last night but wish I had been able to ask that question (if no one else did).

And for all the items that were on the agenda, the dog bylaw is what gets into the paper first? Not the new contract for Town Administrator? Or the report from the Citizens Committee?

The town intends to strike the previous leashing bylaw and replace it with a longer one titled, "Regulation of Conduct." The section on leashing was largely unchanged. 

The bylaw proposal, presented to Town Council for the first time on Wednesday night, states that the chief of police will have the authority to order a dog muzzled or confined for a period of time if it bites a person or another pet or chases a vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian in a public setting. Council was expected to vote on the measure Wednesday night after discussion. 

"We are trying to be proactive," said Town Attorney Mark Cerel, who rewrote the bylaw proposal with help from former Police Chief Steve Williams and Cindy Souza, the animal control officer for Franklin and Bellingham. "We don’t want to have any issues in the future with vicious dogs."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x866122448/Franklin-council-takes-up-dog-bylaw-proposal#ixzz232Wwod1l

The full agenda for Wednesday's Town Council meeting and accompanying document can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/08/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-aug-8.html

In the News: tax holiday, Foursquare founder

Is interest in sales tax holiday on the wane?

by Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff

Foursquare founder, a Medway native, fosters innovation

by Jessica Trufant/Daily News staff

I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Dennis during a conference a couple of years ago. He was quite willing to talk about Foursquare, the lessons learned and to explore how else it could be used. Do you use Foursquare?

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Aug 8, 2012

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
– March 7, 2012

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Verizon, Comcast, and Franklin Matters

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS
Design Review Commission - Doug Newton
Zoning Board of Appeals - Sean P. Slater

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
- Citizens Committee

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 12-42(Amended):Authorization for DPW Garage/Storage Building
2. Resolution 12-63: Town Administrator’s Employment Agreement
3. Bylaw Amendment 12-686:Amendment to Chapter 165, Transient Vendors- 1st Reading
4. Bylaw Amendment 12-690: Amendment to Chapter 8, Council on Aging – 1st Reading
5. Bylaw Amendment 12-691:Amendment to Chapter 75, Dogs – 1st Reading
6. Bylaw Amendment 12-692: Amendment to Water System Map – 1st Reading
7. Bylaw Amendment 12-693: Amendment to Sewer System Map – 1st Reading

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


The set of documents for this agenda were posted to the Franklin, MA web page here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2012%20docs/080812.pdf

Business Tax Breaks in Massachusetts

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Business Tax Breaks in Massachusetts Tax breaks are a form of spending. Money that the state spends on tax breaks is money that it can't spend on education, infrastructure, or other forms of economic development. Our new report, Business Tax Breaks in Massachusetts, describes the various types of business tax breaks in Massachusetts and shows how much the state spends on each. It focuses most directly on what we call special business tax breaks, meaning those tax breaks which: 1) apply to businesses, and 2) have as their most basic rationale the effort to bolster economic development.* We find that: In FY 2012, the state spent $770 million on special business tax breaks. Since FY 1996, spending on special business tax breaks has increased 60%, adjusted for economic growth. To accompany this report, we are also releasing a two-page Factsheet which describes the major findings. READ BUSINESS TAX BREAKS IN MASSACHUSETTS * Other kinds of business tax breaks include those designed to minimize double-taxation and those which mirror the federal tax code. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

This email was sent to shersteve@gmail.com by nberger@massbudget.org |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

Wedding dresses weren't always white

The Milford Daily News has an article on the wedding dress exhibit currently showing at Franklin's Historical Museum. Wedding dress through the ages are displayed so you can see the changes and development.

"In Victorian times, everything was covered, whereas now — how do I put this diplomatically — everything is exposed," she said. 

In contrast to the symbolic bride of the present, who practically glows as she walks down the aisle in her milky white gown, Ferguson said gowns for much of the 1900s were beige or off-colored. 

Pure white gowns did not emerge until the 1960s, she said.

Franklin's Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central St.
http://www.franklinhistoricalmuseum.com/p/location-and-hours.html

Read more of the article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x866121845/Franklin-exhibit-traces-gowns-through-the-years#ixzz22weB6k19