Saturday, December 28, 2013

Where in Franklin? - 2013 05

The answer to yesterday's "Where in Franklin?" photo was correctly identified by Candi Lawrence Leeseberg on Facebook as Panther Way. Franklin signed an easement with Vendetti Motors earlier this year. The sidewalk is planned to be completed as part of the new high school project.

Panther Way - to get a new sidewalk as part of the high school project
Panther Way - to get a new sidewalk as part of the high school project

For today's photo - "Where in Franklin" would you be?

Where in Franklin? - 2013 05
Where in Franklin? - 2013 05


Send an email, or leave a comment with your answer. 
First correct answer is the winner. 
Complete guidelines for "Where in Franklin?" can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/2013-where-in-franklin.html


Annual Report 2013: Franklin TV

Continuing our series of sharing sections of the 2013 Annual Report of Franklin, MA we have Franklin TV

In November 2011 the town of Franklin incorporated Franklin Community Cable Access, Inc. (FCCA) d/b/a Franklin TV as an educational, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to run the community’s three local cable channels. In taking up the charter of the cable committee, we are submitting this report as a nongovernmental body that maintains a close working relationship with municipal agencies, other nonprofit organizations and civic groups.  
In February 2012 a seven member board of directors was elected to run the corporation. In March, 2012 the town funded FCCA through the licensing fees collected from Comcast and Verizon. No taxpayer dollars are used to maintain and operate the community cable access studios.  
In April 2012 the board hired Peter Fasciano as its executive director to run the day to day operations. The first order of business was to stabilize our technical operation and brand our three channels. 
Our channels are:
Franklin All Access TV,
Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26),
Franklin Pride,
Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28),
Franklin Town Hall TV,
Our Government Channel, (Comcast 11, Verizon 29). 
Throughout the past 16 months, Franklin TV has upgraded its equipment and broadcast signal. We continue to work with Comcast to have them carry our channels in a digital format. Our cameras are now recording programs in HD, waiting for Comcast and Verizon will provide HD channel support. 
Franklin.TV is our web site. Our weekly programming schedule is posted along with information about the station and contact information for posting messages to our Community Bulletin Board (CBB). 
In February 2013 we purchased the market building at 23 Hutchinson St to serve as our new home and broadcast studios. Construction will soon be underway to renovate the building and add a 1200 Sq Ft studio in the rear. The site will provide Franklin and its residents with a free, open access, state of the art Media and Arts Center. 
The Corporation is fully committed to serving the community. In April 2013 we entered into a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the town, becoming the first nonprofit organization to do so. We have also installed three small live TV facilities (video control systems and audio mixers with three cameras at each location) at two middle schools and at the high school. In June we awarded our $1,000 scholarship to Andrew Cyr, a deserving Franklin senior studying Communications. We are active members of the Downtown Partnership and Greater Attleboro Chamber of Commerce. We are working closely with other nonprofit and benevolent groups in Franklin to promote their mission goals and good works.  
We are very thankful to the cable committee and local officials for their prudent planning and foresight in managing the access studios in the years prior to our formation, thus insuring a bright future for both Franklin TV and the Franklin Community. 
Respectfully submitted, 
Ken Norman,
President, FCCA, Inc.
one of the three channels, Franklin Town Hall TV



The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at

Franklin Matters: Year in Review - June 2013

Strolling through the archives for 2013, we find ourselves in June

Tension did rise during the discussion about the Cook's Farm proposal
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/tensions-rise-over-cooks-farm-and.html




The Town Council put forward the question on whether we should have a mayor or not?
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/should-franklin-have-mayor.html

Construction on the new high school brought out the bricks!
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/yes-there-are-bricks.html

Across town there was construction on the solar farm at Mount St Mary's Abbey
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/mount-st-marys-solar-farm.html

BMAC's campaign to go down under caught a lot of attention
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/franklin-town-council-sends-bmac-down.html

An for the time being at least, anaerobic digestion was tabled
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/anaerobic-digestion-tabled-in-franklin.html

Franklin Matters: Year in Review - May 2013

Stepping back into the archives for Mary 2013 we find

Photos of the parade on Memorial Day
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/memorial-day-parade-photos.html

The new word added to our vocabulary was "anaerobic digestion"
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/anaerobic-digester-presentation-town-of.html

The Historical Museum had a good talk on the farming in Franklin
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/farming-in-franklin-then-and-now-photo.html

Construction on the new high school continued and the 'quality' wall was built
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/fhs-construction-update-and-quality.html



There were choices for road races to be run this month. The Elks 5K raised funds for the Franklin Food Pantry and the Wounded Warrior Project
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/franklin-elks-care-5k-road-race-results.html

This one action by you will reach 3800 people with disabilities


Hello
2013 is winding down, December 31st is just a few days away and you can make a dream come true for one or more of the 3800 children and adults with disabilities who are supported by 600+ caring and committed HMEA staff throughout the year. By taking any one or more of the actions below, you will be supporting individuals with autism and special needs and helping them realize their fullest potential at home, in school, at their job and in the community. 
How? Do any one of these. It only takes a minute….

  • Sponsor a Holiday Party at their home or program site
  • Purchase occupational or physical therapy equipment and supplies
  • Underwrite a community outing
  • Provide unrestricted funds to benefit programs throughout the year
  • Make a pledge to support HMEA by writing me (below) or responding to this email.

Thank you and here's to a healthy, prosperous an very Happy New Year!

Take care,
 
Doug MacPherson 
Vice President, Development and Public Relations
HMEA, 8 Forge Park East

Franklin, MA 02038


Friday, December 27, 2013

Where in Franklin? - 2013 04

The correct answer to yesterday's photo challenge was provided via Facebook by Karen Cauble-Pina. The marker is located at Fletcher Field.

Yesterday's photo:

Where in Franklin? 2013 03
Where in Franklin? 2013 03


The larger view of the marker and playground

Fletcher Field on a rainy day
Fletcher Field on a rainy day

And the new challenge - Where in Franklin would you find this?

Where in Franklin? - 2013 04
Where in Franklin? - 2013 04

You can get bonus points for identifying how this picture will change?

Annual Report 2013: Building Inspection Department

Continuing our series sharing sections from the Annual Report 2013 of Franklin, MA  we have the Building Inspection Department.

The Building Inspection Department is a multifunction office responsible for the construction, demolition, alteration, repair and occupancy of all residential, commercial, business and industrial uses for both existing and new construction in accordance with the Massachusetts Building Code. The department is responsible for the administration, interpretation and enforcement of the following codes:
  • Massachusetts State Building Code - 780CMR
  • Town of Franklin Code - Zoning – CH 185
  • Mass. Electrical Code – 527 CMR
  • Mass. Plumbing and Gas Code – 248 CMR
  • National Fuel Gas Code – NFPA 54-2002
  • Sealer of Weights and Measure – G.L. CH 98
  • Architectural Access Board – 521 CMR

Hours of OperationThe Building Inspection Department’s hours are
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 8:00a.m.-4:00p.m.,
Wednesday 8:00a.m.-6:00p.m. and Friday 8:00a.m.- 1:00p.m. 
For your convenience, you may visit our website: at www.franklin.ma.us/inspections. This site contains a series of forms easily accessible and available to download. The website provides permit applications, sample plot plans, sign regulations, swimming pool instruction manuals. Shed/barn instruction manuals, zoning criteria and other information necessary to process a permit or to simply provide information to the public.  
Building Department Staff
Building Commissioner/Zoning Officer: Lloyd Brown
Inspectors:
Inspector of Wires: Bernard Mullaney
Asst Wiring Inspector: James Laughlin
Plumbing/Gas Inspector: Richard Cornetta
Asst Plumb/Gas Inspector: Richard McCormick
Local Building Inspector: Stephen O’Neill
Sealer of Weights & Measurers
Comm. of Mass. /Div. of Standards
Staff Assistants
Barbara J. Curran
Nancy Danello/Zoning
Judy Demers 
Lloyd Brown, Commissioner of Buildings, is responsible for all construction trade inspectors, municipal maintenance and supervision of all construction, zoning interpretation and determination, pre-planning and review of all subdivisions and proposed construction and improvements and general input for all other municipal departments and construction-related inquiries.  
Fiscal Year 2013 brought many changes to the department. In August Stephen O’Neill was hired to the fill the Local Building Inspector position and Nancy Danello became the Zoning Board Administration Secretary and Building Department staff assistant in September.  
Building Permits
Fiscal year 2013 was a continuation of strong permit activity, with the new high school being at the top of large projects that we oversee. Agastini Construction is the contractor building the new high school and they are on schedule. New home construction was up by 10 units and alterations of homes and businesses also increased.  
This year the Building Department issued a total of 1257 building permits and the revenues collected were $449,987.00  
The following is a breakdown of the past years building permit activity:
Single Family Residence 35
Attached Town Houses 7
Apts. Or Stacked Condos 24
New Building Commercial 6
Building Misc. $671.00
Accessory Dwelling Units 5
Addition(s) 30
Alteration(s) 672
Amended Permit(s) 1
Deck 64
Swimming Pool(s) 23
Garage(s) 3
Shed(s) 13
Foundation(s) Only 2
Demolition(s) 11
Tent(s) 17
Sign(s) 55
Woodstove(s) 32
Carnival(s) 2
Fence 3
Earth Removal 2
Repair(s) Rehab 107

Certificates of Inspection
Inspection and certification of specified use groups shall be inspected annually in accordance with Table 110 of the Massachusetts State Building Code. This year the staff issued 82 certificates of inspection and the fees collected for the certifications amounted to $18,240.00. 
Certificates are issued for all public and private schools, churches, day care centers, nursing homes, funeral homes, bleachers, restaurants, alcoholic beverage establishments, multi-family dwellings (3or more units), movie theaters and other places of assembly. The Fire Department has assisted our department in assuring compliance with the Fire Prevention Code. The purpose of these inspections are to ensure the public safety and well being of the general public. 
Certificates of Occupancy
The Building Inspection Department issues a certificate of occupancy in accordance with the Massachusetts State Building Code. All buildings/structures shall not be used or occupied in whole or part until a certificate of occupancy is issued.  
This department has issued a total of 118 certificates of occupancy and the total fees collected amounted to $8,250.00
Electrical Permits
The total number of electrical permits issued was 963, the total fees collected and deposited amounted to $103,640.00. 
Plumbing Permits
The total number of plumbing permits issued was 859, the total fees collected and deposited
amounted to $109,439.00. 
Gas Permits
The total number of gas permits issued was 874 and the total fees collected and deposited amounted to $34,767.00 
Division of Weights and Standards
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations, Division of Standards provides this service on behalf of the Town of Franklin. The Department of Weights and Measures is responsible for providing the services of testing, adjusting, sealing and handling all complaints regarding commercial weighing and measuring devices within the Town of Franklin. The department investigates consumer complaints regarding unit pricing laws; spot-checking prepackaged items for compliance with all weights and measures laws.  
Inspections were conducted by the State and the total fees collected and deposited amounted to $8,393.00 Total Revenues Collected: $733,387.00  
This past fiscal year was my first as a building commissioner and the help from my staff, citizens and town workers made the transition a great experience. I look forward to continuing to serve the Town of Franklin. 
Respectfully, 
Lloyd Brown
Commissioner of Buildings
Franklin Municipal Building
Franklin Municipal Building


The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at