Friday, May 17, 2013

Hold the date - June 1 - "I spy" on the rail trail!


The Friends of the SNETT (Southern New England Trunkline Trail) are hosting host trail-wide events for National Trails Day® on Saturday, June 1st. The Friends of the SNETT consists of representatives from all six SNETT towns (Franklin, Bellingham, Blackstone, Millville, Uxbridge and Douglas), as well as regional planning and state agencies. Our goal is to improve and promote the use of the trail. 
Events may vary by town but include planting flowers and beautifying the trail entrance with the help of the public and the Boy and Girl Scouts, family friendly nature games, such as “I Spy Nature,” and both guided and non-guided trail walks.



"I’d like to get back to 50 personnel"


"I just don’t feel comfortable (with the current staff levels), and I’m speaking for our citizens,'' he said. "I don’t want to play Russian roulette when something happens." 
Semerjian assured Vallee that in the case of a major incident, the town would receive help quickly from neighboring departments. Also a regional SWAT team, if needed, could respond in under an hour. 
The same staff woes face the fire department. 
Its fiscal 2014 budget does not include Fire Chief Gary McCarraher’s request for four additional firefighters — the amount, he said, that the department needs in order to increase response times, fully staff its King Street quarters and reduce line-of-duty injuries.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1039443295/Franklin-council-OKs-FY-14-budget#ixzz2TXbeFrlM

For the complete back and forth discussion during the second Budget Hearing on Thursday check these notes
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/live-reporting-town-council-budget.html

"If you approach people intelligently and honestly"


"We are not even close to catching up," said DPW Director Robert Cantoreggi. "We are not even maintaining right now. Every year that goes by, the overall road condition deteriorates." 
The town has a list of all of the roads that need repair. Those in the worst shape are toward the top. 
Planning repairs a year to two years in advance, the DPW has managed to slowly chip away at the list. But there isn’t an unlimited source of funds. When the town uses up the state money, all that remains is whatever can be spared from its free cash.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1039443311/Franklin-officials-override-only-option-to-slice-away-at-backlog-of-road-repairs#ixzz2TXZTdTgb

Per the discussion during the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Jeff Nutting will work with the DPW to come back to the Council with a plan. They had already committed to integrating the road plan with the water/sewer plan which is scheduled to be completed before the end of the year. While the article implies an override is the only option, the Council asked to see a presentation that lays out the options.

You can find my notes of the discussion Wednesday in the section on the closing here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/live-reporting-closing_15.html

In the News: farming history, ice cream social, Tri-county, moving wall


The Franklin Historical Museum will be looking at the past, present, and future of farming in Franklin, Sunday, May 19.
Learn about Fresh Air Fund at ice cream social in Franklin, May 19
Fresh Air volunteers need your help to create another fun-filled summer for children from New York City.


Tri-County students win medals at state conference


Tri-County RVTHS students brought home 20 medals from the Massachusetts SkillsUSA Championships.



Vietnam Moving Wall coming to Medway


Medway was one of the country's first towns to erect a Vietnam War monument. Later this month, just after Memorial Day, its residents will have the opportunity to recognize every one of the 58,272 Americans who gave their lives in the conflict.


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Live reporting: Town Council - Budget hearing and vote

Present: Mercer, Dellorco, Kelly, Powderly, Vallee, Pfeffer, Jones, Bissanti, Roy (remote)
Absent:  none

A. ANNOUNCEMENTS – This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by Franklin Matters.

budget hearing
Deep in the numbers - Jeff Nutting, Jim Dacey and Franklin Town Council

B. HEARING - FY 2014 Budget Hearing – 2nd Reading
same process, reading line item budget and will acknowledge holds for further discussion

Holds on Treasurer/Collector and Town Clerk budgets had been held last night, were waived

Question on Facilities budget around a part-time person less than 20 hours, no benefits on the payroll through the construction period

Q - Are you undermanned?
Police Chief - yes, we are doing background on one individual now

Nutting - we have been up and down, we are hoping to get this one on by July after background checks pass etc.

Vallee - for a community our size, I don't feel we are well protected
Chief - we are fortunate with the people we have, maybe next year we could get
for the night shift, we have 3 with a sargent, with this one we can get back to 4 with a sargent

we do a forty percent replacement, if one goes out we don't replace them, if the second one goes out.

Nutting - if there is more people, the perception is that OT would go down, but it doesn't always work that way. From a crime stats, we were just named one of the safest communities.

The technology and the equipment make all those people more effective, even if it is not one time, it is not a sixty year cost. It would be nice to have more people in many places, if we have a deficit next year, what do we do?

Vallee - I am speaking for my constituents and I am not comfortable
Chief - if we want to do something, we should come up with a plan other than a time like this. You don't want to bring someone on when we may have to let them go a couple of years down the road.

Mercer - can you clarify? does this get to 44?
Chief - yes, we are at 43 and going to 44

Dellorco - What about the deputy chief?
Chief - we are working through that, this is a major decision. It is a minimal expense (i.e. increase) not an other body. We are talking with HR and should have something ready for the fall.

Nutting - we'd like to run the test for Franklin first and see what applicants we get.

Kelly - can we get a comparison report on who we stack with the other communities?
Nutting - we can do that

Kelly - I'm looking for stats that can be easily understood, how many people per square mile, etc.
Chief - we'd we right about 1.3 per thousand

Bissanti - i want to echo his sentiment, something happens during the night shift, what happens
Chief - if there are multiple accidents, Bellingham and Walpole will have a car there right away

Roy - from a public safety perspective, they do a great job, we were recognized as one of the safest communities in America. We are good shape, thanks for the good work by the Chief and dept

Jones - what would you say are the top three complaints the officers have
Chief - short on some shifts, not always sending people to training, lack of movement among the department

Powederly - I want to echo the great job that you and the Fire Dept does, across the board. I disagree with some of the comments about 'we have the money'. I think everyone would like to give staff back, we have lost 20% of our staff. you do a great job taking the pulse of the community and letting us know. I appreciate your efforts in trying to weigh those.

Vallee - Until we get back to 50, I will not be comfortable

continue the line item with the Fire Dept

Chief Gary McCarragher
optimal is 10 on shift and we are at 9
right around 400,000 for overtime

Nutting - the budget is under here because we don't have a collective bargaining agreement, we have one for every other union but not this one

Vallee - I am concerned that we are not providing 2 ambulances for our community
Chief - I share your concern, we are optimal with 5 people at each firehouse, we are one short and thereby it is a problem. We have the easy part of the budget problem, we can tell you what we need. You have to fill in the other details. We have a plan with the regional dispatch to allow us to re-position personnel to the line, we are competing for Federal dollars where Fall River is getting money over us where they are in danger of loosing 80 firefighters

Chief - 53% of the calls this year are the second call coming in when the department is already out on a call. We have call back so that helps immensely, those elements can become stressful. Fire rescue providers are the top stressful positions in America

Vallee - we are sitting with a stabilization fund and other money and I think we should do something

Pfeffer - we have nothing in this budget for the settlement?
Nutting - yes, we don't know when it will be could be the fall or next year, we don't know

Pfeffer - so it would come from free cash?
Nutting - likely, even if it is later this year, the Council still has to approve the deal when it is settled

Chief - removing the one person from the scene has a big impact

Powderly - I would like to respond to the comment of using the stabilization fund. We did use money from there in earlier years when it was significantly more. To dip into that now, relative to our budget, it is not good to use. The rating agencies look to that for our credit ratings. You can't keep dipping into that.

Vallee - my concern is not in saving money, it is in saving lives.

-----
on the schools budget line

Jones - Norfolk Aggie, a decrease?
Yes, two less students, at 2,000/student

Cultural Council
Roy - can we use the $1,000 extra in the budget and move that to the Cultural Council? The Council does good work and it seems an easy way to help increase the community in this arena
seconded, voted via roll call 9-0


C. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 13-37: Adoption of FY 2014 Budget

Motion to accept budget, approved via roll call,  9-0

Recycling stickers expire june 30th, can we post a notice to renew
Walk through for the new high school Jun 10th a building committee meeting at the high school 6:00 PM

D. ADJOURN
motion to adjourn, passed via roll 8-1 (Roy humorously voted no)


Town Council meeting summary - May 15, 2013

The Town Council had a busy session on Wednesday. If you turned aside for a moment you could easily get confused. There was a series of public hearings scheduled include the major one for next year's budget. Before getting into the budget, let's cover the zoning bylaw changes.

There were several sets of hearings covering different groups of bylaw changes.

1 - The first set was around impervious surfaces. A couple of these bylaws are still with the Planning Board for modification so it seemed confusing but all together the set will come forward eventually. There will be a hearing on June 5th to continue the discussion on this topic.

2 - The next set was some minor modifications to the adult entertainment zoning. These are being modified because the next set on medical marijuana is built upon the adult entertainment zoning. This set was officially the first reading of two readings by the Town Council. Hopefully, no one in the audience really wanted to speak on this and the next topic as the hearing were closed summarily without looking up to the audience at all.

3 - Next up was the set for the medical marijuana zoning. This would be provisioning the Town to handle a permit for a medical marijuana dispensary as approved by the voters in the last Statewide election. There are no current proposals but this prepares Franklin should one come forward. These were officially the first of two readings before being voted on by the Town Council.

Not covered by a public hearing were two items that were referred to the Planning Board. They are zoning adjustments and targeted to handle a possible RFP and proposal to utilize the long unused property on Pond St for an anaerobic digestion facility. What the heck is anaerobic digestion? Check out the wikipedia entry here to get some background info on this process.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion

The Planning Board is scheduled for a public hearing on Monday, June 3rd to review this. Per the meeting tonight, a bunch of information will be forthcoming so we need to wait for the hearing and pay attention to that one. Sitting the facility near the Tri-County Regional Voc Tech and in the middle of a neighborhood will generate some discussion for sure.

Having participated in the Finance Committee budget hearings there was nothing really new in this presentation by Jeff Nutting. You can find the detailed he shared in the full agenda document here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2013/051513.pdf

Jeff Nutting at the budget hearing
Franklin Town Administrator Jeff Nutting

The school budget was also the subject of a brief presentation and then the Town Council went into the reading line item by line item were some were held for further discussion on Thursday night.

I caught the Police and Fire budgets as the major ones held for discussion. I think I missed one or two others. We'll see for sure on Thursday.

There was significant discussion on the resolution to approve salary increases for the Town Clerk and Treasurer/Collector. They normally get the equivalent percent increase that everyone else gets. This year (and the first time in several years but the exact last time was not confirmed during the meeting)  there was a proposal to provide more of an increase to help make the salaries competitive. With the increase the salaries are 13,000 and 8,000 less than the average respectfully per the analysis done. The measure was approved by a roll call vote 8-1 with Judith Pfeffer the lone dissenting vote.

Under new business, there was discussion and we should see sometime in the future a presentation to consider funding options on how to get the roads into a better condition. There was also discussion on how to get a medical emergency facility located here in Franklin to better serve our community. More on this topic as it develops.

The full set of notes taken live during the meeting can be found here


Freshman Nets Hat Trick to Lead Panthers Past KP


The Kelley-Rex division champion Panthers have not been a free-scoring team this season, but every game it seems as though someone new steps up to grab the goals that they need to get the victory. On Wednesday night at King Philip it was Mackenzie Pleshaw. 
The freshman attacker buried a hat trick to lead Franklin to convincing 9-3 victory over its league rivals, ruining the Warriors Senior Night celebrations and continuing its perfect run through the Hockomock under first-year head coach Kristen Igoe. 
“That’s just confidence,” said the coach about Pleshaw’s performance. “She’s not afraid to go to net and start ripping corners. This is the perfect time for her to be coming on, so good for her.”
Read the full article on HockomockSports.com here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2013/05/freshman-nets-hat-trick-to-lead-panthers-past-kp.html?utm_source=feedly

Kennedy: Fund raising Recycle Day - reminder



J. F. Kennedy Elementary School PCC and Cub Scout Pack 126 Recycling Day Fundraiser - The J. F. Kennedy Parent Communication Council (PCC) and Cub Scout Pack 126 have joined together to sponsor a Recycling Day Fundraiser on Saturday, May 18 from 9 am -12 pm at the Kennedy Elementary School Parking lot at 551 Pond St., Franklin.



Please bring clean redeemable soda, seltzer, beer bottles and cans. Please, no water bottles, trash or regular recyclables.

A vendor will be on-site to accept computers, electronics and appliances for recycling. The vendor will erase all hard drives.

Fees for recycling, CASH payment only. $5 for Cameras – Photo and Video, Computer Mice, Computer Accessories and Keyboards, Phones, Walkmans, CD Players; $10 for Computer Monitors, CPU’S, Servers, Drives and Disks, Laptops, Fax Machines, Printers, Scanners, UPS Systems, DVD and VCR Players, Home Stereo Equipment; $15 for Microwaves, Air Conditioners, Refrigerators, Freezers, Dehumidifiers, Hot Water Heaters, Heaters and Stoves, Washers and Dryers, Dishwashers. Special Pricing for TV’s: in plastic cases under 27” - $17, in plastic cases over 27” - $25, in wood cases - $25, projection TV’s - $30.

Proceeds from this fundraiser will be used by the Kennedy PCC for educational programs for the J. F. Kennedy Elementary School students and by Cub Scout Pack 126 for programs for their members. For more information, contact Lisa Lipson at lisalipson@comcast.net.



In the News: budget woes, mosquito control


Franklin town administrator portends budget woes


All along, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting has presented the $95.1 million proposed fiscal year 2014 budget as a calculated step toward shoring up Franklin for greater fiscal challenges on the horizon.




Area residents are advised that he Norfolk County Mosquito Control District will begin the 2013 late evening ULV aerosol applications for mosquito control on or about May 28, weather permitting.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Live reporting: closing


K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
nothing tonight

L. OLD BUSINESS
nothing tonight

M. NEW BUSINESS
Vallee - discussion on road repairs
Nutting - discussion on amount for an ongoing repairs, how much could be done per year. Should be a dedicated override vs a bond issue. Payback on the bond issue would require 2M a year on a 5M bond
under the law now, you can earmark amount for an override with only a change due to another vote by the general public

Roy - I would an enjoy a presentation on the options that can be consider
what roads would be consider, what returns would be covered

Bissanti - frankly the road situation is not good, we have to address it, the citizens have been concerned and have been participatory, we have to address it. I don't like spending money but we need to review it

Mercer - not only the roads but the water and sewer are underneath it

Nutting - we can put something together

Nutting -  we have a road and sidewalk plan, and a water/sewer plan, we are putting them together to have a simple 'master plan'

Dellorco - if we are going to present it we have to do it right, otherwise they won't approve

Nutting - the good news is we would present the plan, the council would approve each year

Vallee - we can be reactive, we need to be more proactive

Vallee - the time the ambulance takes to drive to Milford or Norwood, why can't we get a small hospital in town? urgent care, to stabilize a victim before travel

Nutting - to site a hospital is likely a decade of work with permits, etc.

Powderly - it would be a long process, we could talk with the area facilities and see if they would consider opening a satellite facility here

Nutting - this is a business decision, not a charitable operation

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
none tonight

O.EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN
motion to adjourn, passed 9-0

Live reporting: legislation for action

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS 

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS 

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
Impervious Surfaces
1. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-716: Changes to Chapter 185, Section 3. Definitions – Referral to Planning Board
referral to planning board, approved 8-0

2. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-717: Amendment to Chapter 185, Attachment 9. Schedule of Lot, Area, Frontage, Yard and Height Requirements – Referral to Planning Board
referral to planning board, approved 8-0

Zoning Map:Old West Central Street
3. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-705: Amendment to Chapter 185, Section 5. Zoning Map – 1st Reading (this is actually the second reading) 1st reading was at meeting on 4/24/13
motion to approve, approved 8-0 (via roll call)
Economic development committee worked to make this change


Adult Entertainment
4. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-706: Changes to Chapter 185-5. Zoning Map, Adult Use Overlay District- 1st Reading
motion to move to 2nd reading, approved 8-0
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-707: Changes to Chapter 185-47. Adult Entertainment Establishment Districts – 1st Reading
motion to move to 2nd reading, approved 8-0


Medical Marijuana
6. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-708: Changes to Chapter 185-3. Definitions – 1st Reading
motion to move to 2nd reading, approved 8-0
7. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-709: Changes to Chapter 185-4. Districts Enumerated – 1st Reading 
motion to move to 2nd reading, approved 8-0
8. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-710: Changes to Chapter 185-5. Zoning Map, Medical Marijuana Use Overlay District – 1st Reading
motion to move to 2nd reading, approved 8-0
9. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-711: Changes to Chapter 185-7. Compliance Required – 1st Reading
motion to move to 2nd reading, approved 8-0
10. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-712: Changes to Chapter 185-49. Medical Marijuana Use Overlay District – 1st Reading
motion to move to 2nd reading, approved 8-0

Pond Street Change of Zoning
11. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-714:Changes to Chapter 185-3. Definitions – Referral to Planning Board
motion to refer to Planning Board, approved 8-0
12. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-715: Changes to Chapter 185-7. Compliance Required – Referral to Planning Board.
motion to refer to Planning Board, approved 8-0

- Councilor Roy arrives -

public hearing being scheduled for Jun 3rd at Planning Board meeting
would allow Town Council to seek requests for proposals
look for a full explanation on Monday Jun 3rd, 7:30 PM

difference between lease and ownership options, if land is still owned by Franklin, they would maintain control over the details
also discourages private competition

big questions but current zoning limits this opportunity to only this spot
there is a boat load of information to be had during the public hearing
if this is desired to be repeated at the council meeting, it can be

if this goes forward, there would be an RFP for companies to put forward a proposal
the amount of revenue would be dependent upon the amount of electricity generated to the grid


13. Resolution 13-31: Appropriation- Remington Jefferson School
to fund repairs to the roof of the school
Asking for $500,000 for repairs during the summer

Will this correct the current leaks at the school?
Yes

affects 40% of the backside of the roof near the playground area
5 yr contractor warranty, 20 product warranty
(copy of plan to be added later)

14. Resolution 13-32: Salary Schedule Full Time Elected Officials
move resolution,  voted 8-1 (Pfeffer only no, via roll call)

needs to be voted separately as these are the elected officials
constantly adjusting and evaluating to maintain competitive salary
closer to the average both still well below the average salary
an effort to bring some parity to the positions

all collective bargaining agreements have gotten 2%

Pfeffer
for the 1st time, giving a raise of 4.6 and 5.3 percent and the others have not gotten this, I will not support this

Roy
if you do not offer a competitive salary, the move to making them more so is laudable, we do that for others. I would urge the Councilors to support this

Bissanti
I see the level of complexity we have vs some of the bedroom communities, the increases are justified based upon the work we do vs other communities


The next four resolutions are made annually to approve the establishment of such accounts

15. Resolution 13-33: Establishment of a Use of Facilities Account for Fiscal Year 2014
motion to approve, passed 9-0

16. Resolution 13-34: Establishment of a Fire Department Fire Rescue Training Revolving Account for Fiscal Year 2014
motion to approve, passed 9-0

17. Resolution 13-35: Establishment of a Council on Aging Supportive Day Program Revolving Account for Fiscal Year 2014
motion to approve, passed 9-0

18. Resolution 13-36: Establishment of a Council on Aging Senior Center Activities Program Revolving Account for Fiscal Year 2014 
motion to approve, passed 9-0


Live reporting: public hearing - zoning bylaws


F. HEARINGS - 7:10 PM
Impervious Surfaces
1. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-701: Changes to Chapter 185, Section 3. Definitions
hearing opened and closed,

2. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-702: Changes to Chapter 185, Section 36. Impervious Surfaces – To be Continued to June 5 at 7:10 pm.
3. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-703: Changes to Chapter 185, Section 40. Water Resource District – To be Continued to June 5 at 7:10 pm.

motion to continue to Jun 5th, 2nd, approved 8-0

4. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-704: Changes to Chapter 185, Attachment 9. Schedule of Lot, Area, Frontage, Yard and Height Requirements
hearing opened and closed, 

Zoning Map Amendment: Old West Central Street Zoning
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-705: Changes to Chapter 185, Section 5. Zoning Map 
hearing closed, 2nd, approved 8-0


Adult Entertainment:
6. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-706: Changes to Chapter 185-5. Zoning Map, Adult Use Overlay District 
7. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-707: Changes to Chapter 185-47. Adult Entertainment Establishment Districts 
hearing closed, 2nd, approved 8-0

Medical Marijuana
8. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-708: Changes to Chapter 185-3. Definitions 
9. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-709: Changes to Chapter 185-4. Districts Enumerated 
10. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-710: Changes to Chapter 185-5. Zoning Map, Medical Marijuana Use Overlay District 
11. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-711: Changes to Chapter 185-7. Compliance Required 
12. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-712: Changes to Chapter 185-49. Medical Marijuana Use Overlay District
hearing closed, 2nd, approved 8-0



Live reporting - Town Council - May 15, 2014

Present: Mercer, Dellorco, Kelly, Powderly, Vallee, Pfeffer, Jones, Bissanti
Absent: Roy



A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
April 3, 2013

moved to approve minutes, 2nd, passed by 8-0

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by Franklin Matters.

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

Budget:
13. FY 2014 Budget Hearing – 1st Reading

Town council meeting
Jeff Nutting presenting to Town Council

Jeff Nutting providing the overview on the FY 2014 Budget. The document used is in the agenda document previously released
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2013/051513.pdf

would need $3 million to fund the OPEB on an annual basis
Boston Globe listed area communities, Franklin was 8th of 49. Avg tax bill was 7,899, almost $3,000 more than Franklin average.

one of the challenges balancing the budget in future years, roads, OPEB, etc. nothing new

the forecast for 2015, 16, 17 and 18 show increasing deficit levels
and that doesn't include funding for roads, OPEB or storm water

Should consider a dedicated override to fund road repairs.


School budget overview
Paula Mullen, School Committee Chair
Maureen Sabolinski, Superintedent of Schools
Miriam Goodman, School Business Director

school budget presentation
School budget presentation

unfunded mandates a significant driver for the school costs other than the 'normal' salary and benefits for staff
$1.4M of federal funding could be affected by sequestration, exactly how much remains to be seen; could be about a 5% reduction

Under the State average on all 11 categories of per pupil spending, overall 19% below the state average

no questions from audience or councilors

Now reading the line items of the budget, as noted earlier, a item can be 'held' for further discussion
all items not held will be considered 'approved' and voted on once all the items (and potential adjustments) are totaled.

 held for Thursday night
Police
Fire
Schools - not held!
motion to approve budget as not held, 2nd, passed 8-0

- recess for a couple of minutes -




Lavenchy goes to the dogs?

Gene Levanchy of FOX25 meets with Clarity the Clown along with Doug MacPherson of HMEA to talk about the HMEA 12th Annual Independence Day Walk/Run/Stroll.

Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston


For more information on this event Sunday, May 19th  http://hmea.org/events.html


FHS - Construction update and quality check wall


Between the showers on Saturday, I stopped for some photos at the new Franklin High School.
FHS_Construction1
cranes in position to work

The framing of the walls is just starting. According to Building Committee Chairman Tom Mercer, they are on schedule to have the exterior complete before the winter sets in. The building walls, windows, doors and roof will be complete and what will remain will be all the interior work.

FHS_Construction2
walls getting framed
When I was here Apr 24, the yellow wall sections were just getting into place.

FHS_Construction3
the front corner getting a roof
Roofing sections are now being placed as well.

FHS_Construction4
The back corner
I was curious to see the 'quality wall' that Tom Mercer mentioned during his update at a recent Town Council meeting. This is a good and recent innovation by the MSBA. Each of the subcontractors works to do their thing to put this 'quality wall' together. The architect can then observe the product in this test section before they work on the real building.


FHS_QualityCheck2
quality wall
This allows the architect to confirm that the materials and process are being used as specified and that the end result is what they were looking for.


FHS_QualityCheck1
quality wall - side view
This quality wall will be taken down but serves a good purpose with minimal expense and effort!

In the News: syringe holdup



A husband and wife accused of holding up several doughnut shops last year with a syringe pleaded guilty in Worcester Superior Court on Monday to armed robbery.



Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - May 16 - budget hearing and vote


7:00 PM

A. ANNOUNCEMENTS – This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by Franklin Matters.

B. HEARING - FY 2014 Budget Hearing – 2nd Reading

C. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 13-37: Adoption of FY 2014 Budget

D. ADJOURN


The FY 2014 budget with the line items by department that will be used as the voting document

Franklin Elks Care 5K - road race results

The Franklin Elks Care 5K road race attracted over 140 finishers on Saturday. The full listing of results can be found on Cool Running here.

Franklin Elks Lodge - Pond St
Franklin Elks Lodge - Pond St

As mentioned the race benefited the Franklin Food Pantry and the Wounded Warrior Project

The start of the race looked like this. A few cars go by on Pond St and then the start is announced.




At the finish line, this is a few minutes of the mid-pack finishers



Our thanks to the Franklin Elks for being part of this event!


This was originally posted on the Franklin Food Pantry webpage
Franklin Elks Care 5K - Results