Franklin Matters

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Meeting notes archive for 2014

2014

Downtown Project status meeting
Dean College - July 10, 2014

Economic Development Committee
EDC - 12/17/14

Finance Committee

Budget hearing #4
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget_26.html

Budget hearing #3
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget_20.html

Budget hearing #2
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget_13.html

Budget hearing #1
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget.html

audio version (the meeting was not recorded by Franklin TV)
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/fincom-budget-hearing-mar-11-audio.html

Finance Committee - 04/01/14 (Capital budget review, final vote on FY 2015)
Finance Committee - 01/14/14

School Committee

(during 2014 I was on the Board of Directors for the Franklin Food Pantry and the Board meeting was usually a conflict with School Committee meetings)

Town Council

Town Council - 03/05/14

Town Council - 02/12/14

snow canceled the 1st Feb meeting

Town Council - 01/22/14

Town Council - 01/15/14

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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Franklin Annual Report 2014: Finance Committee

Our fiscal year, which started July 1, 2013, began with the departure of Jim Roche, our chairman for many years. Jim served the town of Franklin well and we wish him great luck in his future volunteer endeavors. We were privileged to witness Representative Jeff Roy recognize Jim’s long term volunteer efforts to our town with a citation from the State House. During the year, Brett Feldman, another dedicated and integral Finance Committee member, was elected to the Town Council. We wish Brett much success in his new role. Fortunately, great citizens offered to volunteer and we added Bill Dowd and George Conley to the committee.

It was another busy year for the Finance Committee, with much focus on the progress of the new high school construction project. During the year the committee met 12 times. Four of those meetings were focused on the Fiscal 2015 budget process, with the end result being the approval of a projected $110 million operating budget for the town. The budget allows the addition of 10 new teachers, one police officer, additional hours for the library to be open on Sundays as well as other increased municipal services. Throughout the year, many discussions related to the deteriorating condition of our public roadways led to the recommendation of an override proposal to the Town Council for FY 2015. Additionally, initial planning expenses related to a potential expansion project for our heavily utilized and space constrained public library were recommended for FY 2015.

Outside of our regularly scheduled meetings, we increased our participation in the Capital Budget and Economic Development subcommittees. We continued our participation in the active joint budget subcommittee meetings attended by Councilors, School Committee Members & Finance Committee members. Additionally, several members participated in the annual meeting of the Association of Town Finance Committees held at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School.

Our accomplishments over the year included the review of a 5 year long-term financial plan for Franklin and recommendations on revisions to the Town’s Fiscal Policies. And while towns must operate within Federal, State & local laws as well as municipal finance rules & regulations, continued focus and public debate enables progress and improvements.

Some improvements are less visible, like the favorable restructuring of town debt in a low interest rate environment. Other improvements are more apparent, such as capital expenditures and expansion of our public recreation space.

I am grateful for my fellow committee members and their ongoing dedication to continued improvements and the financial well being of our town.

Respectfully Submitted,

Susan Dewsnap
Chairman, Franklin Finance Committee

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/2014report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/

Franklin Annual Report 2014: Historical Commission

Continuing our walk through the Annual Report we arrive at the Historical Commission

Summary

Franklin Historical Museum (free) Location: 80 West Central St, downtown, near the fire station.

Hours: Thursdays 5 to 8; Saturday 10 - 1; Sunday 1 - 4

Monthly Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at the Museum and all are welcome to attend.

Overview

We have now completed our fourth year at the new museum and have been well received by the citizens of Franklin and surrounding communities. The museum continues to explore and celebrate the Town's cultural diversity, achievements and unique place in history.

Mission

Our mission is to preserve, protect and develop the historic and archeological assets of Franklin.

Membership

The commission is appointed by the Town Administrator and ratified by the Town Council. We have 7 full time members with voting privileges along with non-voting associate members. We invite all residents, with an interest in Franklin, to contact us to become associate members.

Hosting

All of our members take turns hosting at the museum at one time or another. We have continued to increase our hours of operation so that we are available to the public at diffi:rent times. We are always loolda& for people to belp as host at the mueeum. It is a fun, relaxing and a great learning expericiK:e. Try it ....... you'll like it!

Events

We held many events during this past year and had over 1,000 visitors at the museum. Some of the events included:

Birthday Party

We once again enjoyed celebrating Ben Franldin's Birthday.
We served a birthday cake and sang "Happy Birthday".

Wedding Gowns

Once again, we had our famous event exhibiting gowns from 1893 through 2010. Both young and old seem to enjoy this display.

Veterans Uniform Display

This is always a favorite display both with young and older residents. It's strriking to walk info the museum and see all the uniforms from all branches of the armed services standing at attention.

Sebool Participation

We encourage elementary and high scbool student visits to the museum to learn about Franklin throughout the year. It's important to see how Franklin "used to be" as compared to the present time. One student said "I wish I lived back then!" Teachers are welcomed to make arrangements with us to bring their class in for a visit.

Antique Appraisal Day

This is a very popular event that we hold each year at the museum. People are invited to bring up to three (3) items to be appraised. Very well attended.

Movie Night

One June 29th we showed the musical 1776. This was a first time event and enjoyed by all who attended. The popcorn was good too!

Annual Events of the Downtown Partnership

The Commission takes part in the annual events planned by the Downtown Partnership such as Harvest Festival (pumpkin carving contest) and Strawberry Festival. Our museum was opened and many first time visitors came by.

Demolition Requests

Under the demolition bylaw passed by the Town Council, the Commission is instructed to review any demolition request of a property 60 years and older. We look into the property to see if there is any historical significance and then write a review. In some instances, we ask that a plaque be displayed representing what existed on the parcel of land. Developers are very agreeable to this.

Audio Conversion Project

We are working with a FHS student, Micbael Labine and instructor Mark: Brady who spearheaded this project. We are converting all our old record albums to digital status. The turntables being used are fimded by a grant from the Teacher's Association secured by Mr. Peacock. It's great to be able to work hand in hand with Town and School personel. Thanks to all involved in this project.

Old Museum on Washington Street

We continue to look into possible uses for the "'Od Museum" on Washington Street. Any thoughts, give us a call.

Frieads of Historical Museum

The Friends, along with our regular and associate members, work very bard to bring special events to the museum. Without their support, we could not bring these special programs to the museum. Donations are always welcomed!

In conduslon, we feel that the Franklin Historical Museum has reached so many of its goals and we look forward to offering the residents of Franklin continued years of enjoyment. We are grateful for your support and look forward to another exciting year.

Respectfully submitted,
Franklin Historical Commission

Deborah L. Pellegri, Chair
Delwyn Arnold
Bob Percy
Marlene Oliver
Mary Olsson, ViceChair
Colette Ferguson. Treasurer
Connie Lawson

Associate Members

Mary O'Neill
Kai Olsson
Alice Vendetti
Minessa Konicki

Franklin Historical Museum

screen grab of Franklin Historical Museum webpage

You can also find more information on the Historical Museum webpage here

http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/

TED Talks: 2014 Ideas

I have shared a TED Talk or two here and with this review, I am finding that there are more that I could have watched and possibly shared.

As you watch this overview or summary of some of the best ideas TED has shared this year, you can also watch the individual videos they reference. Click through to the YouTube page. The links to each video are listed in the details.

Enjoy!

TED Talks: Ideas from 2014

You can also find the year in ideas queued for you here
http://yearinideas.ted.com/2014/

Monday, December 29, 2014

Franklin Annual Report 2014: Community Garden

It’s hard to believe that we are already into our fourth season at the King Street Community Garden! We are continuing to succeed in our mission to provide Franklin residents with a place to meet, learn, and grow, by providing a healthy space in which we can share the joy of growing organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

In partnership with the Town of Franklin, the Recreation Department and the nonprofit Friends of Franklin Community Gardens,

Your Community Garden Committee:

• Identifies appropriate locations
• Coordinates design and construction of new gardens
• Develops and enforces rules and regulations for the gardens
• Oversees the plot lottery, gardener registration and plot distribution

We pledge to continue:

• Supporting our community in growing local food
• Providing locally harvested food to those in need
• Promoting increased social interaction through gardening within our community
• Developing an educational garden for all ages

We are proud to report that in 2014, for the first time since the garden began, every single one of our 50 garden beds is occupied and growing and our waitlist for beds is empty. Five of those beds are producing fresh food for the Franklin Food Pantry and the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry, allowing us to share the harvest with everyone.

Our work is paying off in more than just produce. Recently, we learned from a past-season gardener that with the knowledge she gained from participating in the Community Garden last year, she was able to build and maintain a raised-bed garden this year at her own home.

Our system of biweekly work days, in which gardeners help out with general garden maintenance, is continuing to prove effective. Our gardeners’ dedicated efforts to mulch and weed early in the season have resulted in the clearest paths we’ve ever seen. Thanks are also due to the Franklin DPW for their regular donations of wood chips.

We look forward to many more harvests to come! If you would like to join us for the 2015 season, please visit the Franklin Recreation Department in person or online. For more information about the Community Garden, contact us at franklincommunitygardens@gmail.com or visit our website at www.franklincommunitygardens.com.

*******

The Community Garden Committee meets the First Monday of the month at Town Hall. Check the Town of Franklin Meeting Calendar for details.

If you are interested in serving on the committee, please contact any committee member or visit the Town Clerk’s office.

Christopher Clay, Chair
Bonnie Kaiden, Vice-Chair
Kiernan Reed, Secretary
Amy Acevedo, Member
Rich Clauser, Member

Respectfully Submitted,
Kiernan Reed

one of the raised beds in June 2014

FHS Boys Hockey win

From HockomockSports we find the results of the FHS boys hockey game in the Mount St Charles Tournament:

FHS Panthers

Franklin, 6 vs. La Salle (PA), 2 (@ Mount St. Charles Tournament) - Final - Alec Borkowski scored two goals and had two assists for the Panthers who took fifth place at the tournament.

For all the results across the Hockomock League on Sunday, check here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-schedule-scoreboard-122814

Tips to celebrating New Year's Eve safely

From the MA Gov blog we find tips on celebrating New Year's Eve safely:

From all-day festivals in Pioneer Valley to breathtaking firework displays on the Charles River, New Year’s Eve is an exciting and fun holiday in Massachusetts. Friends and family gather to mark the turning of the calendar in one of the most festive celebrations of the holiday season in the Commonwealth.

While communities come together to kick-start 2015, it’s important to stay safe while celebrating. The Highway Safety Division (HSD) and the Department of Fire Services (DFS) of Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) provide tips and resources to make sure you and your family safely ring in 2015.

photo from MA Gov posting

Continue reading to find the safety tips
http://blog.mass.gov/blog/holidays/celebrate-new-years-eve-safely-in-massachusetts/

First Night Boston - http://www.firstnightboston.org/