Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Emmons St building discussion documents

The handouts from the meeting last week are available for reading and download.

Emmon St building seen from West Central St
Emmon St building seen from West Central St


From the American Planning Association "How cities use parks for ... Economic Development" (4 pages)




The Franklin Downtown Partnership input (2 pages)




The letter sent for the February meeting from Representative Jeff Roy (1 page)




Helen Chalk's suggestion sent to the Planning Dept via email (1 page)




Sue Sheridan's letter with the recommendation of a multipurpose cultural space (1 page)




The notes from the meeting last week on the future of the Emmons St building can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-emmons-st-public-meeting.html


Parmenter Music Program (PDF)

The Parmenter Music Program presentation document as scheduled for discussion at the School Committee meeting, Tuesday, March 11





The full School Committee agenda can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-mar.html

Senator Spilka: Updates from the State House


MARCH 2014
SAVE THE DATE

My annual Senior Health & Wellness Fair will be held at Keefe Technical School in Framingham on Saturday, October 18th, 2014.
EVENTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT

Ashland High School
Saturday, March 22nd
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.


Exploring options and opportunities for after high school? The Ashland Education Foundation and the Ashland Parent Teacher Organization are sponsoring a terrific event for students and families to learn about colleges and career paths. For more information, click here.

Sheraton Framingham
Tuesday, March 25th
5 p.m. - 8 p.m.



The MetroWest Chamber of Commerce and the MetroWest Tourism and Visitors Bureau present Taste of MetroWest, an annual event showcasing our area's best restaurants, caterers, gourmet and ethnic markets, wineries and brewhouses. For more information about this fun, inexpensive evening out in MetroWest, click here.


Framingham Centre Common
Saturday, April 26th


Learn about ways to conserve energy, make sustainable choices, support local businesses, preserve natural habitats, and reduce, reuse and recycle. The event includes live music, kids activities, local food, and educational workshops. More details here.


INTERN IN MY STATE HOUSE OFFICE

We are always looking for motivated individuals to work as interns in my office. This is a great opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of Beacon Hill and the legislative process. For more information, visit my website. To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume and short writing sample to Puja Mehta at Puja.Mehta@masenate.gov.

CONTACT ME

Office of State Senator Karen E. Spilka
Room 320, State House
Boston, MA 02133





Dear Steve,

With Spring hopefully just around the corner, I'm pleased to share news about recent progress in the Senate on my legislative priorities and highlights of the many exciting community events happening across MetroWest. These upcoming events are a great opportunity to spend quality time with friends, neighbors and family and explore the activities and attractions our region has to offer. For more updates, visit my website, follow me on Twitter and "like" my Facebook page.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or need my assistance at (617) 722-1640, or email me at Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov.

See you around MetroWest!


Senator Karen E. Spilka
2nd Middlesex and Norfolk
http://www.karenspilka.com

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Anti-Shackling and Safe Pregnancies

Last month, the Joint Committee on Public Safety reported favorably on my bill to prevent shackling and promote safe pregnancies for female inmates (S.2012). Shackling of women in labor is unnecessary and inhumane, and it can be detrimental to the health of the woman and baby. Read recent press coverage of this issue here:

Tax Fairness Commission

As part of last year's Transportation Finance Reform bill, I advocated for the creation of a Tax Fairness Commission to evaluate our state's system of taxation and find ways to ensure that the system is equitable and fair for all. The Commission issued its final report last week, making 5 recommendations for a more progressive tax structure. Read more here.


Electronic Privacy

Last month, the MA Supreme Judicial Court ruled that police need warrants in order to search cell phone records. The issue of the privacy of our electronic information is becoming increasingly critical, and now is the time to pass my Electronic Privacy Act. Read more about the SJC's ruling and the larger issue of data privacy here.

DISTRICT UPDATES

MetroWest Shop and Explore

I had a great time exploring Natick Center last week as part of the MetroWest Tourism & Visitors Bureau's 2nd annual Shop and Explore effort. I visited four terrific local businesses: Full Circle Arts, Renew Arts & Industry, COLORES KIDS and Five Crows Gallery and Handcrafted Gifts, and it was great to see so many examples of MetroWest creativity and talent in our community.



All of the beautiful art, accessories and crafts at Full Circle Arts (pictured above) are hand-made by adults with disabilities, as part of Justice Resource Institute's employment training program.

Click here to see more pictures from my Shop and Explore tour.

Share Your MetroWest Transportation Nightmares


Ten years ago, the 495/MetroWest Partnership and the MetroWest Daily News joined forces to report on the region's Top 10 Transportation Nightmares. A decade later, some issues have improved, but other problems still need attention:
As a follow-up to the 2004 survey and report, they are soliciting nominations for today's top "transportation nightmares." Knowing where the trouble spots are helps us all work to fix them. Reliable, well-maintained transportation infrastructure is key for quality of life and economic development in our community. This project is a terrific way to identify our region's top needs.

Make your voice heard: submit your nightmares by filling out this nomination form.




 


This message was sent to :
Office of Karen Spilka | Office of State Senator Karen E. Spilka, Room 511-C, State House | Boston, MA 02133
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In the News: testing equipment, Sunday sales, FHS performance


ProVerde has purchased most of its testing equipment from Waters. The Franklin location, while not ideal, has given DesLauriers and Hudalla a place to refine the many procedures, from testing for heavy metals to creating profiles for different strains. 
The marijuana they have used as samples came from licensed caregivers or people with permission from their doctor to use it, such as DesLauriers, because their staff cannot legally handle the drug. The state Department of Health has not released guidelines yet for the laboratories.
Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140311/NEWS/140319564/1994/NEWS


On voice vote and without debate, the House last Wednesday approved a bill (H 228) that would legalize Sunday morning alcohol sales starting at 10 a.m. - two hours earlier than allowed under current law.
...
The bill, also sponsored by Rep. Kevin Kuros (R-Uxbridge) and Rep. Steven Howitt (R-Seekonk), is now before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules, chaired by Sen. Stanley Rosenberg of Amherst.

Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140310/NEWS/140319683/1994/NEWS



Franklin High School students will perform "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" on March 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. at the Horace Mann auditorium, Oak Street. 
Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.

Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140311/NEWS/140319568/1994/NEWS

Monday, March 10, 2014

Franklin, MA: Finance Committee - first Budget Hearing - Agenda

Franklin gets the budget hearing season underway Tuesday evening with the Finance Committee meeting at 7:00 PM in the 3rd Fl Training Room.

The listing of the mostly small and central administration budgets to be reviewed on Tuesday can be found here. The actual budget document has not yet been posted to the Franklin webpage. Once it is available, I will share it.

What is the budget process?
Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator (TA) and Susan Gagner, Town Comptroller, gather all the requirements from each of the departments and make a recommendation. The working budget document usually displays the last several years of budget for each department, this years request, and then the TA recommendation.

The Finance Committee does its review of the budget meeting with each of the department managers to get into a detail discussion of their operation as it relates to the budget. What is driving the increase (if any)?

After the Finance Committee hears all the budget details, it makes its recommendation to the Town Council. The Town Council used to go through a similar process of meeting with the department heads but the last couple of years has gotten away from that. They simply read the budget line items, a member has an opportunity to put a 'hold' on any item which they then come back to for a discussion.

So if you do want to find out what is really in the budget, you need to follow the Finance Committee meetings. This is where the details are revealed.

Franklin Municipal Building
Franklin Municipal Building


Dept - Budget - Page

Employee Benefits 910 G-10

Human Resources 152 A-21

Town Council 111 A-1

Town Administrator 123 A-2

Finance Committee 131 A-4

Comptroller 135 A-5

Assessors 141 A-10

Treasurer/Collector 147 A-14

Legal 151 A-19

Appeals Board 176 A-37

Central Services 196 A-50

Animal Control 292 B-56

Parking Meter 293 B-58

Memorial Day 692 F-12

Cultural Council 695 F-13

Debt 710/750 G-1

General Insurance 945 G-22



Franklin Newcomers Club: Jeffrey Roy to speak

From the Franklin Newcomers Club:
Franklin Newcomers Club
Our March speaker is our own State Representative, Jeffrey Roy. In addition, he is Chairman of the Master Plan Committee for an updated vision of Franklin. He will join us to speak about the vision for Franklin and to take any questions about what's new and exciting in our town. If there are any specific items that you would like him to address (i.e., any bills of interest at the State House), send him an email prior to our meeting at Jeffrey.Roy@MAHouse.gov and he will be sure to address it that night.

When and where does the Newcomers Club meet?

The meeting will be in the upstairs function room at '3' Restaurant Wednesday, Mar 12 at 7:30 PM. Light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages will be available as will a cash bar.

'3' Restaurant
461 West Central Street, Franklin


Hockomock League Basketball All Stars


Hockomocksports.com has announced the girls basketball all stars

Katherine TamulionFoxboro
Lexi MartinFranklin
Julianne PisaniFranklin

To see the full listing of all stars
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2014/03/hockomock-league-girls-basketball-all-stars.html


Hockomocksports.com has announced the boys basketball all stars

Marcus GieseFranklinC
Chris RodgersFranklinG


To see the full listing of all stars
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2014/03/hockomock-league-boys-basketball-all-stars.html

Franklin High School - home of the Panthers
Franklin High School - home of the Panthers

Price Reduced - How to Hire a Top Performing Salesperson

In our series on what businesses are based in Franklin, here is an email with an offer for help with your human resources needs.



Human Resource Management Strategies
for Growing Businesses
Email not displaying correctly?
The HR Engineers

Having Trouble Finding and Keeping
  Top Sales Talent?



We hear Cash exchanging handsa lot of stories where people are hired into sales positions and fail to produce. 
We also hear stories of companies having great sales people and then losing them when they move on to the next great thing.
Hiring the wrong salesperson can be very costly!


Plan now to attend:

"How to Hire a Top Performing Salesperson"

The price has just been reduced on our seminar
Now only $97-

When: Thursday March 13, 2014   from 9:30 AM to 12:00 noon EDT
Where:   25 Braintree Hill Office Park  Suite 200 Braintree, MA 
What is the cost for hiring the wrong salesperson?
•    You may or may not have paid a salary and benefits.
•     You have invested a lot of time in recruiting and training them.
•    The biggest impact is the cost for the sales you did not get.
And then there are the intangible costs associated with the bad attitude and behaviors that affect the others in your organization.  It's hard to risk going through it all again. 








 

Please remember to forward this email on to others whom you know who may have interest.

Thank you for your interest in The HR Engineers.

Best Regards,

Denise Noble  

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Sunday, March 9, 2014

RBWA - new term for the day (photo essay)

There is a management practice called 'managing by walking around' or MBWA. When I worked in a distribution center, responsible for the supply and inventory, this was critical to our success. By walking around, I was able to see folks in operations and if they had any questions, I could begin to address them right there on the spot.

For my regular readers, my weekend walks provide me the same opportunity. One to see what is going on in and around Franklin. Two to capture some of the sights so I can practice my photography and be able to share with you what I find. Come along as I do my "reporting by walking around" this time.

future home of Franklin TV
future home of Franklin TV
Located on Hutchinson St, the new Franklin TV studios are under construction. There will also be a small garage and studio building added to the property directly behind this one.

Nason St playground tree shadows
Nason St playground tree shadows
Nason St playground
Nason St playground
Nason St side view of playground
The Nason St playground is one of the better ones I have seen in providing some shade. There is a balance between sunlight and shade but the Dacey Field playground is not usable when in direct sunlight as the equipment heats up in the sun. The tree shadows (even without leaves) show there is some sun cover available here.

Making whoopie
Making whoopie
In addition to the Cake Bar (which also was originally located in this space before moving downtown), Making Whoopie bakes all sorts of decadent whoopie pies. Some big, some small, all delicious!

Emmons St building
Emmons St building
The building was the subject of Tuesday's meeting. There will be more discussion before a decision is made. The building was originally a school and renovated to become the municipal building. The Town Council chambers were located in the left section looking at it from here. As one of the prime spots entering downtown Franklin what is will be is a good discussion.

More photos will be shared from my walk on Saturday. As the weather gets better, I'll schedule some time for a you to join me on the walk. We can meet somewhere around town at 9:00 AM and spend some time walking and talking.

Representative Roy Announces Office Hours for March


State Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) announced today that constituent office hours will be held in Medway and Franklin for the Month of March on the following days:
Medway – Saturday March 22nd, 9:00-10:00AM, Coffee Sensations – 116 Main St. Medway, MA 
Franklin – Thursday March 27th, 9:00-10:00AM, Franklin Food Pantry – 43 W Central St. Franklin, MA
Franklin Food Pantry
Franklin Food Pantry

Christopher Yancich, his legislative aide, will be accompanying him.

Representative Roy stated that all office hours are open to any residents of Franklin and Medway who may have questions or concerns that they wish to bring to his attention. Walk-ins are welcome; no appointment necessary. He looks forward to hearing from you.

He also invites all constituents to call him at his State House office at (617) 722-2400, stop by Room 134 in the State House, or email him at Jeffrey.Roy@MAhouse.gov.

Make a placeholder: Last walk through of FHS - TBD

via Facebook from Ed Cafasso:
Good morning everyone. As a member of the Building Committee for the new Franklin High School, I wanted to let you know that there are plans in the works to have an open house at the current high school after this academic year ends. Many FHS alumni are hoping for a last chance to walk the halls. As soon as a date and schedule are finalized, I will be sure it's posted here.

Beatles mural in H wing of FHS
Beatles mural in H wing of FHS

Franklin can use your help

May be you have just the background and interest to help on one of the following Committees:

  • Library Board of Directors - Felicia Oti 508-520-4940
  • Franklin Housing Trust Fund - Maxine Kinhart 508-553-4886
  • Zoning Board of Appeals - Send letter of interest and resume to Town Administrator Jeff Nutting, 355 East Central Street


If you are interested in serving on the committee, please complete the form (shown in the link below) and return to the Town Administrator's Office.

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01B2AF2D-000F8513.0/TOWN%20OF%20FRANKLIN%20VOLUNTEER%20FORM.pdf

Franklin Municipal Building
Franklin Municipal Building

Summer Camps Around Franklin, MA


Looking for a summer camp in Franklin, MA area? Renata has the answers for you.
Summer camps
Summer camps

Many registrations are open now. Check out her listing of Franklin area summer camps
http://franklinliving.blogspot.com/2014/03/summer-camps-around-franklin-ma.html




Casino Night - Franklin Youth Baseball - Mar 21

Franklin Youth Baseball
Franklin Youth Baseball




Franklin Youth Baseball (FYBO) is holding a Casino Night on March 21.


Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased from any board member.


Franklin Youth Baseball
Franklin Youth Baseball

Find Franklin Youth Baseball on the web here
http://www.franklinyouthbaseball.com/

or on Facebook here
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Youth-Baseball-Organization/297843190245685

In the News: assault at Dean


Police arrested a 20-year-old man on Friday after receiving a report of a sexual assault at Dean College. 
Connor W. Elliott, 20, of 55 Pinewood Road, Plymouth, was charged after police were called by Dean College at 10:55 a.m. to address a report of an assault. 
Elliott was charged with rape, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over and assault and battery, police said.
Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140308/NEWS/140306694


Note: The MDN website is still experiencing script errors and inconsistencies. While they may be trying to implement a 'paywall', they are having trouble doing so. I will keep the paywall and my readers experience in mind as I think about how to handle this situation.