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Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
MassBudget: How Do MA Business Taxes Compare to Other States?
Need your help finding scholarship candidates! Deadline is 3/31/14
Hello my Friends,
Franklin - based Women's Success Network (WSN) is looking for qualified candidates for our scholarship program.
Please see the attached for more information, or here's a link to forward: https://www.wsninc.org/scholarship-app
We're hoping to make a difference for women who can benefit from this!
Thanks & Kind Regards,
-L
Linda Waters
Founder
Confidence Beads and Beads for a Cause
www.confidencebeads.com |
beads for a cause |
Attention Senior Citizens - seminar Wed 3/19/14
State Sen. Richard Ross, R-Wrentham, and Rep. Jeffrey N. Roy, D-Franklin, will host an informational seminar on the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit at the Franklin Senior Center on Wednesday, March 19 at 1:30 p.m. They will be joined by Brian Lynch of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
Read the full article here (caution subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140317/NEWS/140316831/1994/NEWS
Monday, March 17, 2014
Tastebuds Fresh Marketplace now open for business
A new specialty market is now in operation here in Franklin. They are located next to the Dunkin Donuts in the Silver Maple Commons on King St at i495 Exit 16.
What is their story?
Open Monday - Friday, 10am - 7pm
Open Saturday - 9am - 4pm
Closed Sundays
You can visit Tastebuds on Facebook here
https://www.facebook.com/tastebudsfreshmarketplace/timeline
You can find Tastebuds at 470 King St, Franklin, MA 02038
Their phone number is -> 508 528 4100
Tastebuds Fresh Marketplace |
What is their story?
Tastebuds Fresh Marketplace is a dream realized by owners David and Donna Lanni. "Throughout the years wherever we traveled, we were always in search of small neighborhood grocers with a focus on unique, high quality foods delivered by knowlegeable, customer friendly staff. Finding that this vision was difficult for retailers to achieve, we decided to do it ourselves.
We love good food and we love sharing that food with friends and family. Tastebuds was created for customers who share our vision of quality and who depend on a staff that will assure that they receive exactly the foods that will best serve their needs.
We believe in delivering the best. Because of this, we pride ourselves on having brought together great foods with market fresh ingredients produced locally or in unique destinations across the world. Foods that you will be proud to serve to your family and delight your dearest friends.
That's why we called it Tastebuds; delivering flavor beyond description. Every day is a quest, a quest to develop and deliver new and unique foods to our customers. Come on the journey... it will be a great trip. We promise!"
Open Monday - Friday, 10am - 7pm
Open Saturday - 9am - 4pm
Closed Sundays
Tastebuds Fresh Marketplace |
https://www.facebook.com/tastebudsfreshmarketplace/timeline
You can find Tastebuds at 470 King St, Franklin, MA 02038
Their phone number is -> 508 528 4100
All Night party
The hearty bunch of students and parent volunteers collected mounds of cans and bottles on Saturday. The funds from their effort will go towards the All Night Party for this year's graduating seniors.
Part of the collection:
The team that was there towards the end of the collection period when I managed to make my drop off and get to take this photo (names to be added later)
If you missed dropping off on Saturday, you can continue to collect and schedule for May 10th. The group will be back in the parking lot at Franklin High School from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Additional info on the all night party can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/bottle-and-can-drive-franklin-high.html
Part of the collection:
bottles collected and bagged for pickup |
The team that was there towards the end of the collection period when I managed to make my drop off and get to take this photo (names to be added later)
All Night Party - bottle/can collection team |
If you missed dropping off on Saturday, you can continue to collect and schedule for May 10th. The group will be back in the parking lot at Franklin High School from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Additional info on the all night party can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/bottle-and-can-drive-franklin-high.html
why trust is worth it (video)
Thought provoking... amazing athletic movements ...
Just a bit over 3 minutes... you'll want to see it more than once!
'trust is something we build but it is also about letting go"
"such a tragedy when it is broken"
"trust is your relationship to the unknown"
"it is worth it to keep trying and it is not easy"
"so who do you trust and how can you grow it?"
Just a bit over 3 minutes... you'll want to see it more than once!
'trust is something we build but it is also about letting go"
"such a tragedy when it is broken"
"trust is your relationship to the unknown"
"it is worth it to keep trying and it is not easy"
"so who do you trust and how can you grow it?"
"the ones who have their developmental needs met, they do much better"
The article on kindergarten development has raised the issue of common core and standardized testing. The Boston Globe Ideas section has an article on another aspect of the current education situation.
“What the study underscored is the tremendous amount of potential here—they’re a national resource,” Lubinski says. “But it’s hard to separate the findings of this study from what we know about gifted kids in general. The genuine concern is, we know we’re not identifying all of this population. We’re not getting nearly enough, and we’re losing them.”
To people more worried about kids who are falling through the cracks altogether, doing slightly less than we could for the most gifted might not seem like a pressing problem. But if the study is right that exceptional youthful ability really does correlate directly with exceptional adult achievement, then these talented young kids aren’t just a challenge for schools and parents: they’re also demonstrably important to America’s future. And it means that if, in education, we focus on steering all extra money and attention toward kids who are struggling academically, or even just to the average student, we risk shortchanging the country in a different way.
“We are in a talent war, and we’re living in a global economy now,” Lubinski says. “These are the people who are going to figure out all the riddles. Schizophrenia, cancer—they’re going to fight terrorism, they’re going to create patents and the scientific innovations that drive our economy. But they are not given a lot of opportunities in schools that are designed for typically developing kids.”
Read the full article in the Boston Globe
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/03/15/the-poor-neglected-gifted-child/rJpv8G4oeawWBBvXVtZyFM/story.html (subscription maybe required)
This topic has come up during prior budget sessions and school committee meetings. With the focus on no child left behind and the legal requirements for those with special needs, the students at the high end and in the middle are getting squeezed.
What do we want for our children's education?
Horace Mann Middle School, Oak St Elementary School |
Disclosure - yes, my wife happens to be a kindergarten teacher here in Franklin.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Walking Saturday
Saturday gave us a teaser of spring with the temps getting into the 50's in the afternoon. I went for my walk in the morning and caught the following photos to share.
When you frame a photo, you are setting up a point of view. We all have a point of view. Some times we act and think like we don't but how we frame things definitely affects what we think and do.
A new senior living center is opening on King St in May. The Emeritus website is full of information on the approach they take for this time of life and the special needs associated with it.
The Emeritus blog has good articles. Recent articles include one on how to live to be 100
http://www.theseniorcareblog.com/post/how-live-be-100
and one on how to make exercise fun
http://www.theseniorcareblog.com/post/how-make-exercise-fun
I need to do some research on this person. Can anyone help provide me some insight on who William A Somerby Jr. was? He is recognized with this sign and a memorial in the park.Other than that he was a Colonel in the US Air Force the signs don't provide additional detail.
The basketball court looks too wet to play today but give it another day or two of this good spring weather and there'll be some folks gathering to play hoops
Sometimes the right amount of being there and patience brings a reward. I was able to catch this drop of melting snow! Did you get to take a walk on Saturday? Where did you go? What did you see?
Would you be interested in joining me for a walk some Saturday morning? If so, please leave a comment or send me an email. If there is interest, I'll schedule some time for a group walk and talk.
point of view |
Emeritus at 656 King St opening in May 2014 |
Emeritus entrance on King St |
The Emeritus blog has good articles. Recent articles include one on how to live to be 100
http://www.theseniorcareblog.com/post/how-live-be-100
and one on how to make exercise fun
http://www.theseniorcareblog.com/post/how-make-exercise-fun
King St Memorial Park sign |
ready for March madness? |
Community gardens in their snow blanket |
stream flows under King St |
lucky to catch a melting drop of water |
Would you be interested in joining me for a walk some Saturday morning? If so, please leave a comment or send me an email. If there is interest, I'll schedule some time for a group walk and talk.
Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Mar 19, 2014
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
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
– Hillside Nurseries
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS
»Historical Commission - Caitlin Coyne
»Municipal Affordable Housing Trust - Eric Buliung
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
»Brutus Cantoreggi, DPW Director – Presentation: Roads, Water, Trash, & Lincoln Street
»Wine & Malt Package Store License
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 14-14: Purchase of land at 92 Wachusett Street – Authorization and Appropriation – Requires 2/3 Vote
2. Bylaw Amendment 14-731:Amendment to Chapter 82, Appendix A, List of Service Fee Rates – 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
Franklin Municipal Building |
The full set of documents released for this agenda can be found here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2014/03192014.pdf
Franklin Art Association - Scholarship
The Franklin Art Association will award a $1000 scholarship to a qualifying high school senior residing in Franklin or attending a school in Franklin, or a senior whose parent, grandparent or legal guardian is a current member of the association.
Applicants must submit an application, student portfolio, teacher's letter of recommendation and a transcript of high school grades to Franklin High School, 218 Oak Street, Franklin, MA between 2:00 and 3:30 pm in room G140 on Friday , April 4.An application may be obtained by contacting: tinaguarinoart@gmail.com
FEF Trivia Bee - Mar 19th
Franklin Education Foundation |
The Franklin Education Foundation Trivia Bee is Wednesday, March 19th @7 in the Horace Mann Middle School Mercer auditorium. The theme is MUSIC and will be a good time for folks of all ages!
Come for a fun time and you can pick up some great stuff at the raffle. Come cheer on your respective school or business to be the one to win the iconic FEF Trivia Bee Cup!
All proceeds go to Franklin Public Schools to support innovative educational programs.For more about the Franklin Education Foundation, visit their website http://www.franklined.org/
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Emmons St building discussion scheduled for Apr 2
From the home page of the Franklin, MA website comes this announcement:
Town Council Chairman Robert Vallee has postponed the discussion on the Old Municipal Building at 150 Emmons Street which was expected take place at the March 19 Council meeting. It will be discussed at the April 2 Town Council meeting.
This will allow all interested parties additional time to consider potential future uses of the property. Chairman Vallee encourages all interested citizens to attend the meeting.
Emmons St building - view from West Central St |
The notes recorded live during the public meeting on March 4
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-emmons-st-public-meeting.html
The handouts from the meeting were posted here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/emmons-st-building-discussion-documents.html
Girls Youth Lacrosse Clinic - Mar 18th
Franklin High School girls lacrosse coach Kristin Igoe assisted by members of the team will hold a lacrosse clinic on Tuesday, Mar 18th. Details in the flyer shown below.
Registration is available through the Franklin Recreation Dept webpage here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Recreation/online
Franklin High School, home of the Panthers |
Registration is available through the Franklin Recreation Dept webpage here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Recreation/online
"warnings went unheeded"
On the education front, the growth of the common core and standardized testing should be discussed.
A new University of Virginia study found that kindergarten changed in disturbing ways from 1999-2006. There was a marked decline in exposure to social studies, science, music, art and physical education and an increased emphasis on reading instruction. Teachers reported spending as much time on reading as all other subjects combined.
The time spent in child-selected activity dropped by more than one-third. Direct instruction and testing increased. Moreover, more teachers reported holding all children to the same standard.
Is this drastic shift in kindergarten the result of a transformation in the way children learn?
No. A 2011 nationwide study by the Gesell Institute for Child Development found that the ages at which children reach developmental milestones have not changed in 100 years.
What I find interesting is that the Univ of Virginia study covered the period 1999-2006. The trend they noticed has only increased since 2006. If one follows that logic, then we are worse off because of this.
You should continue to read the full article quoted here http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Lecker-The-disturbing-transformation-of-5256686.php
Oak St/Horace Mann school complex |
Disclosure - yes, my wife happens to be a kindergarten teacher here in Franklin.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 3/14/14 - THU 3/20/14
FRI 3/14 6:30pm March Madness Family Carnival. Free. Hockomock YMCA
FRI 3/14 6:30pm Art Night Uncorked at Franklin Art Center
FRI 3/14 7pm FHS presents: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at HMMS Franklin.
SAT 3/15 8am-1pm Bottle and Can Drive to benefit Franklin HS All Night Party.
SAT 3/15 9am 3rd Annual Shamrock Shuffle - Medway HS. Sign up HERE.
SAT 3/15 9am-4pm Franklin Public Library Book Sale
SAT 3/15 11am-5pm Irish Festival at Patriot Place.
SAT 3/15 7pm FHS presents: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at HMMS Franklin.
SUN 3/16 9am-12pm Franklin Public Library Bag Sale, $5 per bag of books
SUN 3/16 12-4pm Winter Carnival at Franklin HS
SUN 3/16 3:00pm FSPA performs at Showcase Live, Patriot Place as part of "A Broadway Review"
MON 3/17 Happy St. Patrick's Day!
WED 3/19 9am-7pm Cupcakes for Cancer Fundraiser for Relay for Life at The Cake Bar in Franklin.
WED 3/19 1:30pm Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit Seminar at Franklin Senior Center.
WED 3/19 7pm Town Council Meeting, Franklin Municipal Bldg.
WED 3/19 7pm 17th Annual FEF Trivia Bee at the Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin.
THU 3/20 4-5pm Lego Mania at the Franklin Public Library, ages 6-12.
THU 3/20 7:00pm Finance Committee - Budget Hearing #3, Franklin Municipal Bldg
For more details on above events click HERE and select the event of interest.
*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com
FRI 3/14 6:30pm Art Night Uncorked at Franklin Art Center
FRI 3/14 7pm FHS presents: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at HMMS Franklin.
SAT 3/15 8am-1pm Bottle and Can Drive to benefit Franklin HS All Night Party.
SAT 3/15 9am 3rd Annual Shamrock Shuffle - Medway HS. Sign up HERE.
SAT 3/15 9am-4pm Franklin Public Library Book Sale
SAT 3/15 11am-5pm Irish Festival at Patriot Place.
SAT 3/15 7pm FHS presents: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at HMMS Franklin.
SUN 3/16 9am-12pm Franklin Public Library Bag Sale, $5 per bag of books
SUN 3/16 12-4pm Winter Carnival at Franklin HS
SUN 3/16 3:00pm FSPA performs at Showcase Live, Patriot Place as part of "A Broadway Review"
MON 3/17 Happy St. Patrick's Day!
WED 3/19 9am-7pm Cupcakes for Cancer Fundraiser for Relay for Life at The Cake Bar in Franklin.
WED 3/19 1:30pm Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit Seminar at Franklin Senior Center.
WED 3/19 7pm Town Council Meeting, Franklin Municipal Bldg.
WED 3/19 7pm 17th Annual FEF Trivia Bee at the Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin.
THU 3/20 4-5pm Lego Mania at the Franklin Public Library, ages 6-12.
THU 3/20 7:00pm Finance Committee - Budget Hearing #3, Franklin Municipal Bldg
For more details on above events click HERE and select the event of interest.
*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com
DelCarte Property - Winter wonderland (video)
Along the walk last Saturday, I stopped by the DelCarte Property. I captured some video from the dam and some photos as I followed a trail through the woods.
The video from the dam and a 360 degree view
DelCarte Open Space sign on Pleasant St |
I think I should have brought my sled! |
water and ice |
culvert view of the dam |
the swans found the open water |
the playground does blend in with the winter trees |
I can hardly wait for the snow to go sway so I can explore more of the trails.
FSPA: A Broadway Revue
Franklin Performing Arts Company Presents
March 16 ♦ 3pm
Showcase Live, Patriot Place, Foxboro
A Broadway Revue
featuring
Broadway stars Tyler Hanes and Tony Mansker
Opening number staged by guest artist Michael Raine!
Tyler Hanes' numerous Broadway credits include A Chorus Line, The Boy from Oz, Hairspray, Sweet Charity, Urban Cowboy, The Frogs and Oklahoma!
Tony Mansker made his Broadway debut as Bert in Mary Poppins, and his National Tour credits include West Side Story.
Special appearances by
FPAC's Nick Paone and Hallie Wetzell
FSPA Musical Theater Students
Electric Youth
Music from
42nd Street, Hairspray, Tommy, Memphis, Footloose, Barnum,
Seussical the Musical, and more!
Doors open at 2 PM for best seat selection.
Showcase Live pub menu and beverages available.
A Broadway Review |
In the News: distracted driving
The distracted driving program was presented at Franklin High School on Thursday.
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140314/NEWS/140317824/1994/NEWS
A portrait of an attractive young woman with blonde hair smiled at them from a projector screen.
The bright face belonged to Casey Feldman, who, her father Joel Feldman said Thursday, has become a heartbreaking example of the danger and pain wrought by distracted driving.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140314/NEWS/140317824/1994/NEWS
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Live reporting - Finance Committee - Budget Hearing #2
Present: Dowd, Conley, Fleming, Dufour, Dewsnap, Smith, Quinn
Absent: Huemphner, Aparo
Nutting, Dacey
Comment on tips for audio recording
1 - say name before speaking first time, when watching video folks can see who is speaking when listening without the name, they wouldn't recognize the voice
2 - take care with paper handling, the microphones pick up a lot
3 - table taps whether with fingers or pen/pencils also picked up
the combination of the background noises if repetitive can be distracting to the listener
Ryan Jette; Meghan Woodacre
Recreation Dept
over 300 programs a year effectively self funding, expenses generally covered by fee revenue
Q - has the usage gone up?
A - new programs have been introduced to increase overall activity
flag football has almost 500
Q - on 4 - 3 drop
A - moved a full time secretary to a part time
Q - With fields being torn up by the high school
A - we have been working with Dean and Tri-County to use those fields. The college finishes early so that frees up their fields early. It was a bit of a crunch but it is something we can work with
Q - How do you get the money out of Medway?
A - registrations are online and electronically paid so it is automatically deposited in our accounts, no matter where they reside
Q - if it rolls over what happens?
A - generally within $10K and it would roll into the general fund; they also have established minimums to establish a program. The big programs can cover some of the smaller ones
Brutus Cantoreggi
DPW
All in all about $15M total for the budget (including the enterprise accounts)
start with general DPW budget #422
supported by local taxes
highway, central motors, Beaver St recycling
challenge for 2014 is increase workload, 6 less employees since he started
DelCarte and Sculpture Park for example
MassDEP regulatory requirements
HPP - Downtown improvement project
while the State is running the project, when residents have issues, they will likely will call us
basically a level service budget
tree removal increased, has been when it falls down, we pick it up, we'd like to be more proactive
would like to do more asphalt
the Beaver St recycling center is actually starting to look nicer, the folks are satisfied with what we are doing
the major element is storm water, when the EPA sets the regs, it will need to be dealt with
the primary part of most town budgets are personnel costs, my budget is 65% expenses (not personnel costs)
many of the turnbacks are from the employee side, it takes time to hire someone
3 employees are out on workers comp, can backfill until their situation is clarified
TIP money is really tight, there are 101 towns trying to split $45M
if you do the engineering and the standards change you need to re-do the work
need to front the money for engineering work
lions share of state money is going to RT 2
Work to reduce the width of the road, add a sidewalk and we could do it for less
There isn't much money in this budget for roads
the road money is in the capital plan which goes up and down
I have suggested something else to provide that revenue
with adding 2500 seniors, we ought to be building sidewalks
a critical component to health and welfare, it walking
sidewalks need to be in the mix
Q - snow removal, who is responsible for the removal
A - when the contractors are brought in, they supplement the Town work
The DPW personnel budget is overtime
Q - Where do we stand for 2014?
A - just shy of $1M, about $100,000 over budget
we have reduced the amount of salt we put out, if we do the whole town like today, it is about $30,000
if we do the 6 truck route, it is about $6,000
it is hard to show with the numbers but we really has reduced the amount of salt
on the wells, we see the salt go up in the spring time and we need to be careful
the sand goes in the catch basins and we have to pay to ship it away
if you're doing one thing right, something else is wrong
Q - highways salaries, a 15% increase in personnel?
A - actually filled some vacancies and partially due to the increase in collective bargaining agreement
Q - B12 - vehicle parts and accessories
A - we had looked at the averages, the 260 may have been a blip due to a unique event
we try to keep things repaired, when a sidewalk plow goes down, and it costs to fix it, we need to pay for it
we can move money from one line item to another
Q - how early do we bid for fuel?
A - we are participating with a bunch of other towns, we are bidding out a year at a time
we're currently paying $2.09/gal for gas, $3.39 for diesel (we don't pay taxes)
winter is our heaviest use for fuel
Q - on page D6, there is an equipment disposal?
A - a shift to road construction with chip sealing towards the end of the year
Q - what is the size of the fleet
A - about 250 registered vehicles and a bunch of other lesser vehicles
you are welcome to come down, we are fortunate to have 3 mechanics who do great work
we are in the process of designing the new building, in order to move the equipment and then take down the old building, also loosing space at the high school so the new one needs to be ready to replace it
Enterprise Funds 450/440/434 Section H
Water/Sewer
looking to get another $7.5M bond to continue water work without increasing rates
we have fundamentally changed how we are budgeting
we prepare for the worst, which is what we do
with declining sales of water due to water conservation, the treatment plant is very expensive to run
able to turn facility off about 3 months a year, which reduces the costs
with more water sales, then we would need to turn all the wells on and increase the expenses
manganese, EPA and DEP are looking at it, our system is fine but they are looking at individual wells so we might need to add another treatment plant
eventually it will increase the water rates when the reg are set but we want to be prepare for it
decline decreasing, about 7-8% for unaccounted for water, leaks, fires, hydrant flushing
the biggest savings has been fixing the leaks, new buildings coming in with more efficient appliances
Garelick used to be even bigger, they are reducing their usage
we need to have reserve compression for fire supression
engineering deficit is calculated, if all are running at max, what do you produce? take the max well off line, can you meet that number? if not, that is what you need to reach
water smart development is water efficient development
rain gardens, grey water used for toilet flushing
MA is unique and ahead of other states, 43 inches of rain so we are able to use it
water we can capture from rain it is cheaper than pumping it up
water rain barrels were sold, not sold now as there is no demand
a new grant for rain gardens, new program coming (was a naming contest but not sure what the final name is)
The new fields when the high school comes down, they will be real turf fields
they are smart gadgets to ensure we water when we need to and not over water
Sewer
down a little, just received the Charles River tonight
will spike in 2016 by about $700K due to the sewer system renovations
we did up the sewer rates last year in anticipation of this coming, so we are hoping that we will have enough to cover the increase
reduced a lot of inflow in our pipe to the Charles River, we are sending less waste
also means that ground water stays in the ground which helps our wells
26 lift station and personnel but the lion;s share is the flow
Trash/Solid Waste
cost is going up by the escalator in the contract
proposing a $4/year increase to the Council
the increase would be to $216 so we would still be below what we were 5-6 years ago
this has been a very successful program for the Town
contracts with escalator clauses
these are also enterprise accounts so the extras go back into the fee remediation
mostly based upon fuel costs
All the rest of these budgets are status quo budgets
Planning - 177 A-38
personnel increases are due to negotiation wages
personnel numbers themselves stay the same
no real changes otherwise
NuStyle building used to exit, one building was taken down
another fell down and we need to finish the demo
we know there is asbestos there
used to be a jewelry manufacturing place
Inspection 1- 240 B-53
minor salary increase due to certifications achieved
Health - 510 E-1
salary adjustment to make the position more competitive relative to our peers
Public Health - 525 E-7
VNA used in lieu of hiring our own staff
Veterans 543 E-18
30 hour position
out reach work shifted
old business - none
Q - DPW biggest percent of the budget is non-personnel cost
can you comment on the payment controls?
A - street opening permit, sticker for landfill, Jim and Susan have worked to put controls in place
We audit to ensure they are following the right procedures, don't take cash at the Beaver St, everything is check or credit card
the accounts payable is controlled whether it is DPW or not, anything over $2500 needs a purchase order, no bills paid without proof of services rendered, controller, treasure, and my signature required
School have their process but the final payments til come trough us
new business
next meeting here at Mar 20th
motion to adjourn
passed
Absent: Huemphner, Aparo
Nutting, Dacey
Comment on tips for audio recording
1 - say name before speaking first time, when watching video folks can see who is speaking when listening without the name, they wouldn't recognize the voice
2 - take care with paper handling, the microphones pick up a lot
3 - table taps whether with fingers or pen/pencils also picked up
the combination of the background noises if repetitive can be distracting to the listener
Ryan Jette; Meghan Woodacre
Recreation Dept
over 300 programs a year effectively self funding, expenses generally covered by fee revenue
Q - has the usage gone up?
A - new programs have been introduced to increase overall activity
flag football has almost 500
Q - on 4 - 3 drop
A - moved a full time secretary to a part time
Q - With fields being torn up by the high school
A - we have been working with Dean and Tri-County to use those fields. The college finishes early so that frees up their fields early. It was a bit of a crunch but it is something we can work with
Q - How do you get the money out of Medway?
A - registrations are online and electronically paid so it is automatically deposited in our accounts, no matter where they reside
Q - if it rolls over what happens?
A - generally within $10K and it would roll into the general fund; they also have established minimums to establish a program. The big programs can cover some of the smaller ones
Brutus Cantoreggi
DPW
All in all about $15M total for the budget (including the enterprise accounts)
start with general DPW budget #422
supported by local taxes
highway, central motors, Beaver St recycling
challenge for 2014 is increase workload, 6 less employees since he started
DelCarte and Sculpture Park for example
MassDEP regulatory requirements
HPP - Downtown improvement project
while the State is running the project, when residents have issues, they will likely will call us
basically a level service budget
tree removal increased, has been when it falls down, we pick it up, we'd like to be more proactive
would like to do more asphalt
the Beaver St recycling center is actually starting to look nicer, the folks are satisfied with what we are doing
the major element is storm water, when the EPA sets the regs, it will need to be dealt with
the primary part of most town budgets are personnel costs, my budget is 65% expenses (not personnel costs)
many of the turnbacks are from the employee side, it takes time to hire someone
3 employees are out on workers comp, can backfill until their situation is clarified
TIP money is really tight, there are 101 towns trying to split $45M
if you do the engineering and the standards change you need to re-do the work
need to front the money for engineering work
lions share of state money is going to RT 2
Work to reduce the width of the road, add a sidewalk and we could do it for less
There isn't much money in this budget for roads
the road money is in the capital plan which goes up and down
I have suggested something else to provide that revenue
with adding 2500 seniors, we ought to be building sidewalks
a critical component to health and welfare, it walking
sidewalks need to be in the mix
Q - snow removal, who is responsible for the removal
A - when the contractors are brought in, they supplement the Town work
The DPW personnel budget is overtime
Q - Where do we stand for 2014?
A - just shy of $1M, about $100,000 over budget
we have reduced the amount of salt we put out, if we do the whole town like today, it is about $30,000
if we do the 6 truck route, it is about $6,000
it is hard to show with the numbers but we really has reduced the amount of salt
on the wells, we see the salt go up in the spring time and we need to be careful
the sand goes in the catch basins and we have to pay to ship it away
if you're doing one thing right, something else is wrong
Q - highways salaries, a 15% increase in personnel?
A - actually filled some vacancies and partially due to the increase in collective bargaining agreement
Q - B12 - vehicle parts and accessories
A - we had looked at the averages, the 260 may have been a blip due to a unique event
we try to keep things repaired, when a sidewalk plow goes down, and it costs to fix it, we need to pay for it
we can move money from one line item to another
Q - how early do we bid for fuel?
A - we are participating with a bunch of other towns, we are bidding out a year at a time
we're currently paying $2.09/gal for gas, $3.39 for diesel (we don't pay taxes)
winter is our heaviest use for fuel
Q - on page D6, there is an equipment disposal?
A - a shift to road construction with chip sealing towards the end of the year
Q - what is the size of the fleet
A - about 250 registered vehicles and a bunch of other lesser vehicles
you are welcome to come down, we are fortunate to have 3 mechanics who do great work
we are in the process of designing the new building, in order to move the equipment and then take down the old building, also loosing space at the high school so the new one needs to be ready to replace it
Enterprise Funds 450/440/434 Section H
Water/Sewer
looking to get another $7.5M bond to continue water work without increasing rates
we have fundamentally changed how we are budgeting
we prepare for the worst, which is what we do
with declining sales of water due to water conservation, the treatment plant is very expensive to run
able to turn facility off about 3 months a year, which reduces the costs
with more water sales, then we would need to turn all the wells on and increase the expenses
manganese, EPA and DEP are looking at it, our system is fine but they are looking at individual wells so we might need to add another treatment plant
eventually it will increase the water rates when the reg are set but we want to be prepare for it
decline decreasing, about 7-8% for unaccounted for water, leaks, fires, hydrant flushing
the biggest savings has been fixing the leaks, new buildings coming in with more efficient appliances
Garelick used to be even bigger, they are reducing their usage
we need to have reserve compression for fire supression
engineering deficit is calculated, if all are running at max, what do you produce? take the max well off line, can you meet that number? if not, that is what you need to reach
water smart development is water efficient development
rain gardens, grey water used for toilet flushing
MA is unique and ahead of other states, 43 inches of rain so we are able to use it
water we can capture from rain it is cheaper than pumping it up
water rain barrels were sold, not sold now as there is no demand
a new grant for rain gardens, new program coming (was a naming contest but not sure what the final name is)
The new fields when the high school comes down, they will be real turf fields
they are smart gadgets to ensure we water when we need to and not over water
Sewer
down a little, just received the Charles River tonight
will spike in 2016 by about $700K due to the sewer system renovations
we did up the sewer rates last year in anticipation of this coming, so we are hoping that we will have enough to cover the increase
reduced a lot of inflow in our pipe to the Charles River, we are sending less waste
also means that ground water stays in the ground which helps our wells
26 lift station and personnel but the lion;s share is the flow
Trash/Solid Waste
cost is going up by the escalator in the contract
proposing a $4/year increase to the Council
the increase would be to $216 so we would still be below what we were 5-6 years ago
this has been a very successful program for the Town
contracts with escalator clauses
- disposal of the rubbish
- collection of the rubbish
- school bus contract
- school lunch contract with Whitson
these are also enterprise accounts so the extras go back into the fee remediation
mostly based upon fuel costs
All the rest of these budgets are status quo budgets
Planning - 177 A-38
personnel increases are due to negotiation wages
personnel numbers themselves stay the same
no real changes otherwise
NuStyle building used to exit, one building was taken down
another fell down and we need to finish the demo
we know there is asbestos there
used to be a jewelry manufacturing place
Inspection 1- 240 B-53
minor salary increase due to certifications achieved
Health - 510 E-1
salary adjustment to make the position more competitive relative to our peers
Public Health - 525 E-7
VNA used in lieu of hiring our own staff
Veterans 543 E-18
30 hour position
out reach work shifted
old business - none
Q - DPW biggest percent of the budget is non-personnel cost
can you comment on the payment controls?
A - street opening permit, sticker for landfill, Jim and Susan have worked to put controls in place
We audit to ensure they are following the right procedures, don't take cash at the Beaver St, everything is check or credit card
the accounts payable is controlled whether it is DPW or not, anything over $2500 needs a purchase order, no bills paid without proof of services rendered, controller, treasure, and my signature required
School have their process but the final payments til come trough us
new business
next meeting here at Mar 20th
motion to adjourn
passed
FinCom Budget Hearing Mar 11 - Audio
The audio recording for the first budget hearing at the Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 11.
My notes for this session can be found here:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget.html
The second budget hearing is scheduled for Thursday Mar 13. The agenda is available
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/franklin-ma-finance-committee-budget.html
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to listen to the audio podcast.
My notes for this session can be found here:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget.html
The second budget hearing is scheduled for Thursday Mar 13. The agenda is available
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/franklin-ma-finance-committee-budget.html
Franklin Municipal Building |
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to listen to the audio podcast.
Franklin, MA: Finance Committee - Budget Hearing #2
The second in a series of budget hearings will be held Thursday evening, Mar 13 beginning at 7:00 PM. This session will be held in the Council Chambers on the 2nd Floor of the Municipal Building.
The published agenda for this session is shown here:
The notes from the first budget hearing, Tuesday, Mar 11 can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget.html
The published agenda for this session is shown here:
The notes from the first budget hearing, Tuesday, Mar 11 can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget.html
Patriots' Pancake Breakfast- Saturday, March 22
The eighth grade class at the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School will host a pancake breakfast at the Franklin Elks Lodge (1077 Pond St) on Saturday, March 22 from 9-12. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
As an enrichment to their US history curriculum, the students will travel to Washington, DC in April. Proceeds from the breakfast will offset the students' cost to participate in the educational trip.
The breakfast is $5 per person or $15 per immediate family.
Veterans and those serving in the military will be seated at a table of honor as the students' guests (no charge).
Please invite our local heroes to attend the breakfast.
Those wishing to sponsor a veteran's seat or table can send donations of any amount (marked "Veterans Breakfast Sponsor") to history teacher and veteran, Mr. Ed Callahan, at BFCCPS, 201 Main St. in Franklin, or donate at the door.
Bottle and can drive - Franklin High School
Bottle and can drive to be held THIS Saturday, March 15th at the Franklin High School from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM (rain or shine). The bottle/can drive will help raise funds for the All Night Party.
Just in case you aren’t entirely familiar with the All Night Party, it is a substance free party that is hosted by parents at the high school for the graduating seniors. There are activities from 11 pm - 5:00 a.m. This event provides the graduate with non-stop activities, unlimited food and drinks and they have the opportunity to win fantastic prizes. This is such a wonderful event of which 90+% of the students attend and thanks to approximately 500-700 volunteers we are able to pull it off!
new Franklin High School |
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