Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Live reporting - Question and Answer period

Note: This reporting continues from the presentation portion of the meeting found
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/live-reporting-high-school-update.html


clarification on parking and driving patterns
can only go around to the left from Panther Way (no longer right toward where the tennis courts were)

grass circle in the front of the school has been transferred to parking to gain some space temporarily
Nutting provided kudos to the DPW for their work on the parking adjustments

substantially complete?
punch list items, cosmetic items, or something on the site that couldn't get completed

Fennell
Typical construction work hours 7:00 to 3:30, some come in at 6:00 and leave early
sent out about 500 letters to the abutters
construction gates should be closed and locked, if not, please alert us
will keep an eye during the summer months to prevent dust from leaving the site

if there is any activity after hours, please let them know

will there be some work on the weekends?
most Saturday's likely but not Sunday's
should stick to the 7:00 AM start for Saturday

will be some work to raise and lower the back fields

will there be permanent fencing around the fields?
yes

two of the fields will be light, both for the varsity fields

Will Oak St be repaved after the construction?
Outside this scope but likely could be done

sidewalks on both sides?
No, outside this project. Yes, for Panther Way on both sides
crossing guards will be in place during and after

structural steel done, mason work underway and likely to have roof up and done before the winter
spend the winter of 2013-14 doing the interior

if this is the worst phase of the parking, we are dealing with it quite well

If coming in Panther Way, police and fire dept will have access through the gates for safety reasons


Update - FHS Girls Soccer won 2-0, they go to the State final

The access road from Oak to the Parking Lot disappears for some time but does return after the project is completed

construction workers and vehicles are anticipated to be inside the area by 7:00 AM
major concrete deliveries will be avoiding the 7-8:00 AM and after bus pickup time periods

CORI checks are being done with the construction workers as well

meeting closes

Live reporting - High School Update

Present: Halter, Cafasso, Mullen, Fennell (OPM), Collins, Mercer, Feeley, Goode, D'Angelo, Nutting, Sabolinski, Jordan, Chagnon, Gilchrist

Mr Mercer provided an introduction of the Committee
A presentation (approx 20-25 mins) and then open for Q&A from the public

Financing
Construction estimate of $87,882,187... bid savings at $1.1M under budget
rebid a portion of the project, HVAC rebid, changed scope slightly and rebid, this came $554,000 under the
original bid, hence total $1.6M under budget at this point

J Nutting
financial cost gradual increase year over year up to the full cost 4 years out
$10,000 interest and 81 cents for FY 2013 (well under the $5 estimate)
interest on FY2014 under $11 thus far
with lower interest costs could get a total 25-30 dollars less per year, will be continuing to monitor

Project overview - Jim Jordan

Phase 1 now
Phase 2 - begins August 2013 until fall 2014 - major construction
Phase 3 - fall 2014 until July 2015 - take down old building build new fields
1600 parking lot spaces when all is said and done
video surveillance around building and lots

overview of digital classroom, 4 wireless access points, most installed in a building to date by architect
flexibility of teaching point of control either in front or back of room
infrastructure to support 1:1 laptop initiative
full security system built into the school, student access cards all access controlled, space specific

science labs - each over 1400 sq ft
center of room as open as possible, tables, etc. can be configured in any number of configurations

Library and Media Center
worked with FHS personnel to create a modern space
Panther cafe
"Geek squad" service counter, student run supporting 400 laptops
Fine art displays incorporated into the space

digital card catalogs
student work station space, computers spaced around not clustered as usually

Project team rooms
4 clusters on each of the 2nd and 3rd floors
so while the 1650 students in one building, operating in smaller clusters
highly visible educational space
furniture and chairs flexible and movable

Broadcast studio
largest designed to date 4200 sq ft on 1st floor
dedicated video and audio production studio, as well as additional editing space
two control rooms, more than any other design

Lecture hall
stadium style with tiered seating
80 students capacity, each seat data and power enabled for laptops

Auditorium
851 fixed seats
largest high school stage designed to date
full fly space on stage, no other has this design, cat walk above to enable lighting access
opportunities to rent space out
central control space, sunken floor for an orchestra pit
rear projection booth with second floor access

Band and choral classrooms
acoustical space designed
tiles may look haphazardly laid out but are designed to handle the sound properly

Green design features listed
(best shown on slide copies when those are available)
border line gold certification but strong silver is what is designed for

rain water used to flush toilets and save about 600,000 gallons of water a year

80KW to 100KW photo voltaic displays being designed for

light sensors for each room so as occupants leave, the lights would go off automatically

20% of the materials designed to contained recycled content

will loose 80 parking spaces during phase 1
pedestrian traffic will need to occur on Oak St (no longer cut through the parking lot)

work during the summer will lose further parking spots (about 300)
by doing this, the new parking spots will be available as the remainder of the construction continues


The reporting on this meeting continues with the Q&A Period here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/live-reporting-question-and-answer.html

Network With Franklin Downtown Partnership Members - Thursday, Nov 15

I plan on participating at this event, if we have not had the opportunity to meet, please make sure to say hi!


Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via Franklin Downtown Partnership by noreply@blogger.com (Franklin Downtown Partnership) on 11/13/12


We hope you can join us for a very special Franklin Downtown Partnership
Networking Event hosted by Six One Seven Studios

Thursday, November 15th - Starting at 5:00 but come anytime...before 8:00 and we will be there.
The event will be at Six One Seven Studios'state of the art film studio located at 25 Kenwood Circle in Franklin

Come and enjoy good company, delicious appetizers, beer, and wine as you tour the exciting new state of the art studios.
Please RSVP Joel Carrara at jcarrara@printsmartoffice.com

Learn more about Six One Seven Studios
Six One Seven Studios is a full service video production company based in Franklin, MA dedicated to telling your story through high quality video production.

Our experienced team of professionals has years of experience in the art of communicating through video. From videography, editing, scripting and all aspects of video production service, Six One Seven Studios represents some of the best in the field offering our services at competitive prices. 


Six One Studios is equipped with a 3,200 square foot soundstage, makeup and client area, state of the art editing suite and multiple offices.


We look forward to seeing everyone who can attend.




Things you can do from here:

Franklin gets on the AP Honor Roll


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Date: Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 4:00 PM
Subject: AP Honor Roll



A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Hello,

We wanted to share some good news ! 

Franklin Public Schools was selected to the Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Roll for the second consecutive year. A total of 539 districts across the U.S. and Canada are being honored by the College Board for increasing access to Advanced Placement courses, while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning a score of 3 or higher on AP exams. 

In Massachusetts, Franklin High School is one of the forty-six districts to earn this distinction. This honor is a credit to our students, faculty and administration for their commitment to high expectations for all students and to increasing equitable access to the most rigorous curriculum available. 

Franklin High School offers 17 AP courses with additional offerings available in an online platform. Through the leadership of our School Committee and administration and the commitment of the community to public education we can offer a variety of instructional opportunities to our students.

Thank You,

Maureen Sabolinski

This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at (508) 613-1777.

MBTA Commuter Rail: Mobile Ticketing

Arriving at North Station commuter lines first, this will come to the Franklin Line as part of the second phase scheduled for later this November.

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 11/13/12

MobileTicketing_webpromo_BBeginning this week, customers on four MBTA Commuter Rail Lines, north and west of Boston, will be able to use their smartphones instead of paper tickets to ride the train.

Under this first-in the nation mobile ticketing program, customers will be able to purchase tickets and passes using the MBTA mTicket app for iPhone and Android devices wherever they are. The tickets are displayed on the phone's screen as a digital 'flash pass' or encrypted barcode. The system uses the JustRide mobile ticketing platform from Masabi US Ltd.

"The new MBTA mTicket application is the latest innovation from MassDOT and the MBTA." said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey. "Customers will now have the ability to purchase tickets without waiting in lines meaning they get more time back in their day and more control over their commute."

With the new MBTA mTicket application, customers can purchase tickets in seconds via their smartphone. Once tickets are purchased, they will be stored digitally in their application's 'ticket wallet' on the phone. With this new application, customers don't have to worry about losing their ticket. If a smartphone is lost or replaced, tickets can be transferred effortlessly at any MBTA customer service location.

In the first phase of the pilot, MBTA commuter rail riders riding on the Lowell, Fitchburg, Haverhill, and Newbury/Rockport lines can purchase and use single or ten-ride tickets via their smartphone. The second phase of the pilot will expand the app to customers using the Commuter Boat and Worcester, Franklin, Fairmount, Providence, Greenbush, and Old Colony Commuter Rail Lines. Under the second phase of the pilot, which begins later this month, riders will also be able to purchase and use monthly passes via their smartphones.

Customers with smartphones will now be able to avoid the on-board purchase surcharge by using MBTA mTicket app. Additionally, the app eliminates the need to install new vending machines and lowers cash handling costs for the MBTA. To help combat fare evasion, all mobile tickets also have cryptographic validation. Train conductors will be checking tickets to ensure their validity.

Check out the video explaining mTicket.


Things you can do from here:

In the News: high school, holiday decorations, drug abuse, donation drive


Public meeting on new Franklin High School project set, Nov. 14


Eastern Massachusetts ranks high nationally in drug abuse

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

FAN BUS INFORMATION FOR GIRLS SOCCER STATE SEMI-FINAL GAME IN LYNN ON WEDNESDAY, 11/14/12


For anyone interested in supporting the FHS girls soccer run to the state championship this week...
Subject: FAN BUS INFORMATION FOR GIRLS SOCCER STATE SEMI-FINAL GAME IN LYNN ON WEDNESDAY, 11/14/12


Importance: High
To: FHS Soccer


In order to arrange a bus for fans to take them to and from the game, we need a firm commitment on the names and number of people that will want to take the bus.  

The cost would be $5.00 per person.  All students that wish to take the fan bus, would have to complete a permission slip and submit it with their $5.00 by 9:00AM Wednesday morning to the Athletic Office.  An announcement is being made at school today informing the students of the possibility of having a chartered fan bus to the game and permission slips will be made available to students at school today for those who are interested in taking the bus to the game. 

This email is to determine interest for the bus so we can give a count to Mr. Sidwell to determine if there is enough serious interest to charter a bus.  

Please respond back to Elizabeth Allen by 9:00pm this evening so we will have an accurate count to give Mr. Sidwell in the morning so he can make a determination on whether or not to order the bus.  At this time we have been told the bus will leave by 4pm.

Everyone who sends  to this email will receive a response back via email once a decision is made.

Thank you for your immediate response.

Elizabeth Allen

eallen719@comcast.net

 

Reminder: Tuesday events


  • The Hunger Dinner is being held at Dean College's Campus Center at 7:00 PM

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/dean-college-hunger-awareness-banquet.html



  • The Franklin Bellingham Rail Trail Committee will meet to discuss grants this evening at 7:00 PM at the YMCA on Forge Park Road.

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/trail-grants-up-for-discussion.html


Dean College: Fall sports have winning season


The first snowfall in Franklin, Massachusetts this week signaled the official end to fall sports on the Dean College campus. Both men’s and women’s soccer, along with the football team ended their seasons with winning records. Below are recaps of each teams season.

Football  

Head Coach Todd Vasey and his staff followed up leading the Bulldogs to the Valley of the Sun Bowl win in 2011 with another strong campaign, as the Dean College football team officially ended their season with 7 wins and 3 losses. The 7-3 record was good for third place in the Northeast Football Conference.

There were too many individual standout performances to list here, though it is worth noting that the Dean College passing attack easily led the conference in total passing yards with 2,404 and passing touchdowns with 21. This vicious attack was led by first year quarterback Trevor Vasey (1,848 passing yards, 15 touchdowns) and Sophmore Wide Receiver Shavarez Smith (43 receptions, 685 yards, 6 touchdowns).

On defense, Dean was second in the conference with 15 interceptions and also second in the conference in sacks with 25 on the season, led by Defensive End Rashard Simmons with 6 sacks on the season. Also worth noting Linebacker Marcus Pittard led the conference in solo tackles with 50.

Team and individual statistics can be seen on the Northeast Conference Football website by clicking here.

Women’s Soccer

Dean College women’s soccer team made an incredible leap in 2012, as the team officially ended their season with 9 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie, posting the first winning record for the program since 1998.

Many stellar individual performances contributed to the successful season, and four players were ranked within the top 50 in the country in NJCAA Division I. Sophomore Jessica Gelbman was ranked 6th in saves (147 saves) and 40th in save percentage (.821 percent). Freshman Morgan Mencio led the team in points with 42 (13 goals and 16 assists). She was ranked 9th with assists and 35th in points. Freshman Samantha O’Keefe had 15 goals and 7 assists on the season for 37 points, giving her a ranking of 49th with points and 47th in goals. Freshman Lauren Valdario was ranked 38th with assists, and had 12 goals and 10 assists on the season for 34 points.

As a result of this year’s success, Head Coach Laura Ray was named Region 21 Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year. This award is voted on by all NJCAA Division I and III Programs in Region 21. Dean College not only posted the first winning record since 1998, but tripled their wins from last season, as well as improved their overall goals for and goals against average. Congratulations, Coach Ray!

Men’s Soccer

Dean College men’s soccer team enjoyed quite a ride this season which included being ranked 17th in the nation, a Regional Championship win, and Divisional Championship game participation. Coach Jim Hopkins and his staff led the team to a 12 win, five loss and 2 ties season.

A big story this season which really drove the success of the team was Dean’s ferocious defense and goaltending, as the team held opponents to a 1.29 goals against average. Leading this effort was goaltenders Rafael Urbina (9 games played, 77 saves, 6 shutouts 1.87 goals against average) and Denzel Teleau (6 games played, 23 saves, 2 shutouts, 0.26 goals against average).

Offensively, Dean had a well rounded attack led by Gregory Smedberg (20 points, 8 goals, 4 assists), Paul Rocha Lima (16 points, 6 goals, 4 assists) and Michael Fitzgerald (12 points, 6 goals), along with great effort from Alex Bedrosian and Brandon Vasconcelos.

The team defeated Massasoit Community College in the Region XXI Championship game to advance to the District Championship tournament for the first time in 8 years. Despite a solid effort against #2 Monroe CC, Dean was defeated 4-1.

The bottom line

Dean College is very proud of the effort of all fall team student-athletes. Each and every player put in a tremendous amount of work and was rewarded with being part of a standout fall sports season.

For more about Dean visit their webpage:  http://www.dean.edu/

"it provides good information"

The Milford Daily News reports that the annual survey by the MetroWest Health Foundation is expanding this year. The expansion will cover all 25 of the communities covered by the Foundation.
The survey asks students about everything from their drug and alcohol use to their daily stress levels, providing schools and health officials with a valuable glimpse into their lives. Data gleaned from the questionnaire also influences where and how the MetroWest Health Foundation spends its program funding, which is another reason the organization wants as many towns as possible to participate, according to Donham. 
"In order to have good data to supply to us, they need to take the survey," she said. 
This year’s participants have until Thanksgiving to complete the survey. Many districts are already done. 
The 2012 version includes several new question topics, including bystander behaviors and peer support. The high school questionnaire also has more questions about dating violence and sexting.

Read more of the Milford Daily News article: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x35737837/Student-health-survey-gets-full-participation#ixzz2C6A3pKV3

Franklin has been one of the 25 communities to participate in the survey and use the data to direct program efforts. Some of the related posts on the survey data can be found here:

2007 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2007/12/metro-westedc-adolescent-health-survey.html

2008 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2009/12/live-reporting-metrowest-health-update.html

2010 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2010/04/live-reporting-community-health-council.html


For more information on the MetroWest Health Foundation visit their webpage here  http://www.mwhealth.org/


Monday, November 12, 2012

Veterans Day - 2012

As we celebrate Veterans Day, if you haven't been to the Town Common recently to walk among the monuments these photos can help make that walk a virtual one.



My father was a veteran of World War II having served with the US Marine 4th Division on Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. He was fond of saying that the real heroes did not come home.

On this Veterans Day, let's remember those who are among us and those who have mustered on!


Franklin, MA: Election Turnout Percent 2003-2012

The voter turnout results for elections from 2003 to the most recent November 2012 has been updated and charted as shown here:



Feed the Need - Turkey Trot - Nov 22



If you are a runner, or walker you can help the Franklin Food Pantry.



Registration, course map and additional race information can be found at http://www.feedtheneed.org/


If you would like to organize a collection in your neighborhood, you can print out this flyer to use


Girls soccer head to final four at State level

The Franklin High School Girls soccer team have advanced to the final four for the State soccer tournament. They lead Oliver Ames 3-0 before conceding two goals to make the final minutes a nail bitter.
Luckily for the Panthers, they did, winning 3-2 and clinching their second sectional title in three seasons. They will now travel to Lynn's Manning Field for a 5:30 p.m. date in the state's final four. 
The Panthers are now 20-0-1, and their pursuit of an unbeaten season is still intact. Oliver Ames, the 2011 Div. 1 South champs, ends its season at 17-4-1. 
"We never like to make things easy on ourselves," said a relieved Franklin coach Tom Geysen. "We came out with some formations that they didn't recognize and were able to get up early. We did a good job of staying hungry to close out the first half. We played okay in the second half for the most part and then made a few mistakes late that almost cost us. But at this point, a win is a win and now we'll look ahead to a very good Beverly team."

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/local_sports/x1272756157/Franklin-3-Oliver-Ames-2-Heartstopping-victory#ixzz2C0J1dNLG

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Dean College Hunger Awareness Banquet (Free Event)

Losing power seems to be a random event. Your residence loses power and folks on the next block still have power. Frustrating? You bet. During the recent storms, you can drive around Franklin and see houses with lights and power, and then rows of houses in the dark.

Hunger can be like that too. It is usually less visible. The person next to you looks normal. How can you tell if they are hungry? Dean students have set up this event to discuss hunger and its effects.
Taking a “can drive” one step further, Dean College invites the Franklin and surrounding communities to a public “Hunger Banquet” on Tuesday, November 13, in which participants will experience a meal either as an Upper Income citizen, Middle Income citizen, or Lower Income citizen. Dean Community Outreach students conceptualized and will emcee this learning experience where guests will be assigned a class upon arrival and will experience life as a member of that class for the duration of the program. Upper income class guests will receive a scrumptious meal served to them in an upper class setting at a roundtable. Middle income class guests will experience their meal middle class meal at rectangular tables, while the lower income class experiences their meal on the floor.

This event is free. Participants are asked to bring a canned good for the Franklin Food Pantry

Tuesday, November 13, 7:00 PM 
at the Dean College Campus Center


Info from the Dean College calendar
http://www.dean.edu/events/index.cfm?calid=4858

And Franklin Town News
http://franklintownnews.com/content/dean-college-hunger-banquet