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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 *
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Important Information Regarding FiOS TV - FOX is back
MassBudget: FAQ on automatic income tax rate cut
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MassBudget |
Hockomock League boys soccer awards
Franklin senior midfielder Tim LaRowe has been named the third annual HockomockSports.com Boys Soccer Player of the year. LaRowe was also selected as a Hockomock League All Star, EMass All Star and named an All-State player by the EMSCA.
LaRowe was a big reason why the Panthers were able to claim their fourth straight Hockomock League Kelley-Rex Division title. He scored four goals and had four assists on the season, but his affect on the game went far beyond the stat sheet.
"Statistics don't really tell the story of how valuable Tim was to our team," Franklin head coach Fran Bositis said. "He was clearly an outstanding leader, someone who his teammates looked up to and responded to. He was like having a coach on the field, he was our organizer offensively and defensively.
Hockomock Sports photo of Tim LaRowe |
Hockomock Sports First XI
F - Andrew Allen, King PhilipThe complete listing of awards for Boys Soccer can be found here
F - Damian Kozak, Canton
F - Kyle Lameiras, Attleboro
M - Devante Teixeira, Foxboro
M - Tim LaRowe, Franklin
M - Matt Rodrigues, Attleboro
M - Joe Morrison, Foxboro
D - Jeff Melo, Foxboro
D - Ben LaBelle, Franklin
D - Chris Romero, Oliver Ames
G - Jason Ross, Attleboro
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/2014-hockomocksportscom-boys-soccer-awards
Blackstone River Theatre - FREE Holiday Craft Fair & Festival Saturday!
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Jane's Frames Events - Holiday Stroll - Dec4
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In the News: Holiday Stroll, funding OPEB
A Holiday Stroll will kick off Thursday evening at Dean College with carolers providing the festive background music for a tree-lighting ceremony.
The ceremony starts at 4 p.m. on the Dean College campus, 99 Main St., with the historic Dean Hall serving as the backdrop. The stroll then moves into the downtown, where more than 30 local businesses will provide entertainment, food and shopping until 7 p.m. for the hundreds of revelers expected to attend the Franklin Downtown Partnership annual event.
“The Holiday Stroll is a unique event that we feel really showcases our businesses," said organizer Gregg Chalk. "Our merchants stay open late and invite everyone inside. It’s a great opportunity to discover new businesses and have one-on-one conversations with business owners."Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News here (subscription maybe required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141204/NEWS/141208603/1994/NEWS
In recent years, Franklin and towns throughout the state have made it a mandate to put away more money for other post-employment benefits, also known as OPEB, which consists mostly of retiree health insurance.
Franklin has an $89 million unfunded liability that is continuing to grow. To date, town officials have saved about $1.2 million in a stabilization account, but the creation of a trust would give them more options to invest the money in hopes of shrinking the liability.
"If you establish a trust, you are allowed by law to invest in a much broader way, including equities," said Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting. "This is happening across the commonwealth."
The trust will be made up of five members, including Nutting and two residents appointed by the council.Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News here (subscription maybe required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141204/NEWS/141208523/1994/NEWS
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Live reporting: Legislation and closing
I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
Economic Development Committee did look at the RFP responses for the Pond St facility
one submittal came in late and was disqualified
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 14-84: Approval of Amendment to Solid Waste Disposal Contract
motion to approve, second, passed 5-0
negotiation of tip fee reduction from ~74 to ~64
will allow for avoiding a raise in the trash fees in the future
the other communities need to agree, the big one needed is Worcester
taking advantage of timing with the market
2. Resolution 14-85: Acceptance of Gift – Council on Aging
motion to approve, second, passed 5-0
3. Resolution 14-86: Approval and Adoption of OPEB Trust Agreement
motion to approve, second, passed 5-0
establishment of the trust could allow for a broader range of investment choices with higher return rates
5 members, Town Administrator, Comptroller, School Business Administrator and two citizens appointed by the Council
The Treasurer will invest the funds and report to the trust on the performance
Pfeffer - only one community has funded this (Wellseley)
I fear that the State would some how come along and say they'll fund it in some way and gather up the fund as they exist around the communities
Nutting - I look at that differently, the legislature needs to change the law for the future employees
not only are people living longer but health control costs are going up
this is a benefit that needs to fade into history
the problem is going to get bigger and bigger, this is a step to stem the tide
K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Introduce Judy Lezard,
Reminder on the Holiday Stroll Thursday 4:00
Thanks to the DPW and Chairman Vallee for the lights on the Common, additional trees added this year
The "All call for missing persons" was a success, they found the person walking on 495
Budgets being put together by dept heads and we'll get into budget season soon
L. OLD BUSINESS
none
M. NEW BUSINESS
none
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Mercer, the lights on the common look fantastic
P. ADJOURN
Live reporting: Franklin TV
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
Back Bay Restaurant Group TR, LLC dba Joe’s American Bar and Grill – Change of Manager
motion to approve, seconded, passed 5-0
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
- Cable TV
Ken Norman, Peter Fasciano
You can find out more about Franklin TV on their webpage http://franklin.tv/
old studio at Depot Plaza was 600 sq ft
the new studio located at 23 Hutchinson St is
added a second ADA ramp to make it more accessible
community room available to other non-profits
kitchen built into the facility is designed for TV so it can broadcast a cooking show for example
small studio and larger studio available
everything produced is now high-definition
fiber connections between the municipal building and Hutchinson St
donated $164,000 to equip the new studio at the High School
operating about $23K per month
2011 did 197 locally produced programs, \last year (2013) there were 423 programs
Franklin TV provides all the resources for technical and production
compared to regular public access charters
everyone has a right to high quality programming
40-50% of the day is devoted to community bulletin board messages
looking to upgrade the Council Chamber to HDTV as well as upgrade the streaming service
construct a new FM radio station (obtained a low band license last year)
WFPR.FM 102.9
coverage in Franklin and A grade coverage for 10 miles around
Nutting:
a public service video is in development to tout Franklin's highlights
negotiate the renewal with Verizon
Fasciano
if they site the tower during the summer, could be online by the Fall 2015
we have an obligation to provide a minimum of 8 hours of local program daily, while broadcasting 24 hours we should exceed the minimum
Norman
if cable subscribers leave Comcast or Verizon, it is a concern for out future funding
Mercer
thanks to you for all you have done to help with the High School
Fasciano
the larger studio is two story, events can be staged that couldn't be done in the 'normal' studios
allows to work in multiple studios
looking forward to working on the kitchen to develop cooking programs
Mass General Hospital has a legacy grant to produce a series, so looking at other sources of revenue that could be using the studio and equipment
the radio station could be a good source of info during future emergency situations
Live reporting: Town Council - Dec 3, 2014
Present: Padu;a, Mercer, Vallee, Pfeffer, Bissanti, Williams
Absent: Kelly, Feldman
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
October 1, 2014; October 15, 2014; November 5, 2014; November 19, 2014
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting is being recorded by Franklin Matters.
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
none
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
none
E. APPOINTMENTS
Council on Aging -
F. HEARINGS
none
Absent: Kelly, Feldman
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
October 1, 2014; October 15, 2014; November 5, 2014; November 19, 2014
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting is being recorded by Franklin Matters.
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
none
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
none
E. APPOINTMENTS
Council on Aging -
David M. Cargill
motion to approve, seconded, passed 5-0
Lester Quan
motion to approve, seconded, passed 5-0
F. HEARINGS
none
Friends of Franklin Library - Meeting Agenda - Dec 3, 2014
FOFL Meeting Agenda for Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Meeting time: 7PM
Meeting place: Franklin Library, Community Room
• Welcome and introductions
• Public Comments
• Library Director
• Library Board of Directors
• Acceptance of minutes from last (November) meeting
• Treasurer’s report
• Committee updates
o Membership
o Outreach – Facebook/Twitter
Content for next newsletter
Web site
o Downtown Partnership
Holiday Stroll December 4, 4-7PM
• Continuing items
o Update on FoFL offer to buy 20 chairs for the ground floor “quiet room.”
o Scholarship 2015 – subcommittee
Suggestions for a new essay question
o FoFL Bulletin board content, monthly themes
o Working with other town groups – subcommittee?
o Memorandum of Understanding – subcommittee needed to review BOD version (not yet received)
o By-Laws review and update – subcommittee (need volunteers)
o Creating a read-only “minutes” book to keep on file at the library
• New Items
o Fundraising 2015
o Supporting other town groups
• Downtown Partnership “12 Days of Donating” food for the Franklin Food Pantry (details at http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2014/12/12-days-of-donating-kicks-off-today.html
• The Heather Pierson Quartet will bring their popular Charlie Brown Christmas show to Circle of Friends Coffeehouse in Franklin on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m.
• The Franklin pantry is also getting gearing up to distribute Christmas bags, to be handed out on Dec. 17. Instead of turkeys, clients will be given hams, Weiss said.
• Claire Griffin has 50 works of art on display at the Norfolk Public Library for December. There will be an artist’s reception on December 6th from 1 - 3:30 PM.
• “Giving Tree” at Forge Hill YMCA
• Special Election for Town Council on December 16th
o Winter FoFL meetings
o Other
Ben Franklin statue at the Franklin Public Library |
MBTA: This weekend: Franklin Line shuttle
Buses replacing all Saturday and Sunday outbound Franklin Line trips between Forge Park and Franklin Stations on December 6-7. Delays of 10-15 minutes may occur.
Due to necessary track work, buses will replace all outbound Franklin Line trains between Forge Park/495 and Franklin/Dean College Stations on Saturday, December 6, 2014, through Sunday, December 7, 2014.
Regular Franklin Line train service will resume at the start of service on Monday, December 8, 2014. All shuttle bus stops are accessible for persons with disabilities.
Shuttling the following stops:
Franklin
Forge Park / 495
Last updated: Dec 02 2014 11:00 AM
Due to necessary track work, buses will replace all outbound Franklin Line trains between Forge Park/495 and Franklin/Dean College Stations on Saturday, December 6, 2014, through Sunday, December 7, 2014.
Regular Franklin Line train service will resume at the start of service on Monday, December 8, 2014. All shuttle bus stops are accessible for persons with disabilities.
Shuttling the following stops:
Franklin
Forge Park / 495
Last updated: Dec 02 2014 11:00 AM
screen grab from DPW Presentation on emergency repairs |
The Town of Franklin will take advantage of the scheduled track work to coordinate repairs to the Beaver St connector (sewer line). The work was discussed and approved at the last Town Council meeting.
The presentation to the Town Council can be found on the DPW webpage here http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_DPW/Town_Council_Presentations/Beaver_St_Culvert_presentation.pdf
Hockomock Field Hockey and Volleyball Awards
Hockomock Sports has announced the Field Hockey and Volleyball players of the year, first team, and other awards.
Franklin is represented on the the Field Hockey team by
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/2014-hockomocksportscom-field-hockey-awards
Franklin is represented on the Volleyball team by
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/2014-hockomocksportscom-volleyball-awards
Franklin is represented on the the Field Hockey team by
Maddie Bressler, 1st teamFor the full listing of Field Hockey awards, visit this link
Emily Jeffries, 2nd team
Samantha Jones, 2nd team
Lisa Cropper, Honorable mention
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/2014-hockomocksportscom-field-hockey-awards
FHS Panthers |
Franklin is represented on the Volleyball team by
Aubrie Kutil, 2nd team
Dayne McCue, 3rd teamFor the full listing of Volleyball awards, visit this link
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/2014-hockomocksportscom-volleyball-awards
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
"12 Days of Donating"
Help the Franklin Downtown Partnership member businesses and the Franklin Food Elves collect goods for the Franklin Food Pantry. The "12 Days of Donating" collection campaign started Monday!
some of the Franklin Food Elves at the Food Pantry |
Elves will be collecting in neighborhoods for the next two weeks. You can also donate at these participating locations:
- Auerr, Zajac & Associates, LLC, 29 Dean Ave.
- British Beer Company, 280 Franklin Village Dr.
- DCU, 500 West Central St.
- Dean Bank, 21 Main St.
- Dean College, Campus Center
- Drama Kids of Metro West, 19 Dean Ave. (call for drop off schedule)
- Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, 12 Main St.
- Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, 9 East Central St.
- Jane’s Frames, 11 East Central St.
- Keefe Insurance Agency, 51 West Central St.
- Murphy Business, 15 East Central St.
- Pour Richard’s Wine & Spirits, 14 Grove St.
- RE/MAX Executive Realty, 308 West Central St., Suite E
- Yellin & Hyman, P.C., 693 East Central St., Suite 201
Thank you for your support of the Franklin Food Pantry and the Franklin Downtown Partnership
This was shared from the Downtown Partnership page here
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2014/12/12-days-of-donating-kicks-off-today.html
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