Saturday, January 10, 2015

Five issues that will shape the news of 2015 - The Climate Minute Podcast




New post on Mass Climate Action Network (MCAN)

Five issues that will shape the news of 2015- The Climate Minute Podcast

by massclimateaction
What are the underlying issues that will drive climate progress in 2015? We discuss a Congress that denies global warming, low oil prices, the Trans-Pacific partnership, upcoming negotiations in Paris, and the impact of the Pope's views on global warming.
First, we note that Cape Wind is in jeopardy. There seems to be enough momentum behind the wind industry the progress in other areas is likely.
Congress is targeting the Keystone pipeline. Read Dave Roberts who says about the whole controversy that "This is the first time since cap-and-trade that the movement defined a clear fight specifically about climate. They picked something Obama could block and then set out making the case that he should block it. It was something that could could have passed without a blink from anyone, and they charged it with meaning. They marched, protested, organized, wrote, and marched some more. They got big money to enter political races behind the issue. They got key allies to speak out against it. They've managed to delay and delay it. They even got Obama to say that he'll reject it if it has any impact on greenhouse gases. (Imagine that standard applied to all future infrastructure projects!)"
It seems the President will veto the bill, but this is just the beginning of a long fight. Bill McKibben said "This is a tribute to the millions of people who have made this one of the center pieces of a fast growing climate movement. So far their desire to protect the land and climate have been a match for the fountains of dirty money that constitute the oil industry's only real argument." If you want to find your rep's phone number, click here, for your Senator, click here.
Robert Reich says this about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) "Even better for global companies, the tribunal can order compensation for any lost profits found to result from a nation's regulations. Philip Morris is using a similar provision against Uruguay (the provision appears in a bilateral trade treaty between Uruguay and Switzerland), claiming that Uruguay's strong anti-smoking regulations unfairly diminish the company's profits.
What does the acronym INDC mean? "Intended Nationally Determined Contributions." Say that three times fast! It is a statement of how much carbon each country will promise to cut in the preparation for negotiations in Paris at COP21 next December.
Pope Francis is said to be preparing an important statement on climate next year, but will likely anger some conservatives.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre
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Mass Climate Action Network
Mass Climate Action Network

You can listen to the podcast here or download it to your mobile device



One Simple Solution for Medication Safety (video)

New year, new year's resolutions, may be you do that. May be you don't.

Our individual health is important and this brief video has a good tip that everyone should follow.

Easy to do....




For more Dr Mike videos you can visit him on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/docmikeevans

or his webpage  http://www.evanshealthlab.com/



"we shouldn’t have to feel like we are being judged"


Those who attended the first public hearing for the change Wednesday and a few who watched from home felt the council came across as flippant in listening to their thoughts on the measure. 
If approved, the new zoning would authorize multi-family homes at the property, located off Interstate 495; hotels and office buildings are permitted there now. 
Councilors who support the measure say expanding the zoning will attract more developers, improving the town's chances of finally making much-needed revenue - in the sale of the land and from taxes - off the former sewer beds. 
But Wednesday, dozens of residents who live on or near Pond Street expressed concerns over the measure as it is written now. 
Most of the comments were about the prospect of increasing traffic on a roadway that is already nightmarish during rush hour. Residents also sought assurances from councilors that only a certain number of apartments or condominiums be allowed.
Continue reading the article at the Milford Daily News (subscription may be required): http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150110/NEWS/150119699/1994/NEWS#sthash.oKoKsM99.dpuf


My summary of the full Town Council meeting including audio recordings of the Pond St and Emmons St discussions can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/questions-were-raised-answers-sought.html


Friday, January 9, 2015

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 1/9/15 - THU 1/15/15

FRI 1/9   3:30pm   Science Friday “World of Engineering” - at Franklin Public Library. Registration required.
FRI 1/9   6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked at Franklin Art Center: Snowman

SAT 1/10   1pm-3pm   Zentangle Workshop at Franklin Art Center
SAT 1/10   7pm   Electric Youth at The Black Box
SAT 1/10   8pm   Brother Sun at Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, First Universalist Society Meetinghouse Franklin
SAT 1/10   9:30pm   Electric Youth at The Black Box (see link above)

SUN 1/11   1pm    Jazz4Kids, a free family concert at The Black Box Theater featuring Mark Poniatowski and Friends

MON 1/12   7pm   Candle Light Remembrance for Lexi and Sean Munroe at the Franklin Town Common. Donation boxes for Franklin Food Pantry will be set up.

TUE 1/13   7:30pm   Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee public meeting at Franklin YMCA.

WED 1/14   6:30pm   Winter Fundraiser for Franklin Downtown Partnership at Pour Richard’s

THU 1/15   4pm   Lego Club (ages 3-12) at Franklin Public Library

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

Candle Light Remembrance For Lexi and Sean Munroe

From Facebook, via Gillian Monroe, I find this event scheduled for Monday night Jan 12th:

Lexi & Sean
Lexi & Sean
We will be having a candlelight remembrance for our daughter and son, Lexi & Sean Munroe. 
We will have candles, although you are welcome to bring your own. 
We'll also be releasing lanterns and balloons in memory of Lexi and Sean. 
Donation boxes for the Franklin Food Pantry will be set up. They are in need of toiletry items, peanut butter, tuna, chicken soup and shampoo. 
Thank you all.

This remembrance is scheduled for the Franklin Town Common at 7:00 PM


FM #108 - Emmons St RFP Discussion (audio)

The audio recording (podcast) for the Emmons St RFP discussion from Wednesday (Jan 7, 2015) night's Town Council meeting is available.

The run time is about 34 minutes.





You can also subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes = search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes
subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes


My notes from the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/live-reporting.html


Note: If you have any suggestions/corrections to make, please feel free to let me know.




Norfolk Library: Trivets/Hot Plates Exhibit


On view in the Library foyer for the month of January will be a special exhibit of over 50 wooden Trivets/Hot Plates designed and built by Peter Mulliken of Franklin. 
Mr. Mulliken taught basic woodworking at the Dexter School in Brookline, MA for 41 years, retiring in 2012.

The trivets were an "end-of-term" project for those students who completed their major woodworking project ahead of schedule. They could choose from a wide selection of designs Peter had on hand or could make up one of their own. 
Project plans and drawings for some of the trivets will be on display in addition to basic woodworking reference books Peter found helpful while teaching the students.

Parents, grandparents, teachers, scout and 4-H leaders (and kids!) should plan on stopping by to view this fun exhibit.
screen grab of Norfolk Library home page
screen grab of Norfolk Library home page


The Norfolk Library is located at 139 Main Street, Norfolk, MA 02056




FM #107 - Pond St Zoning Bylaw Discussion (audio)


The audio recording (podcast) is available for the Pond St zoning bylaw discussion from Wednesday's (Jan 7, 2015) Town Council meeting.

The run time is about 1 hour and 20 minutes.





You can also subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes = search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes
subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes


My notes from the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/live-reporting-public-hearing-pond-st.html

Note: If you have any suggestions/corrections to make, please feel free to let me know.


A double Panther basketball win over KP

Hockomock Sports provides the scores for the double win by the Panthers over rivals KP. Both games were played in the new Franklin High School gymnasium.


Boys Basketball
King Philip, 43 @ Franklin, 58Final - Marcus Giese had another double-double, this time notching 21 points and 16 rebounds while senior Markus Bohmiller dropped a career-high 16 points off the bench. James O'Brien had 13 points for King Philip and Ryan Layman added 10 points.
Franklin's Marcus Giese (42) drives to the hoop against King Philip's Erich Ryan (44). (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
Franklin's Marcus Giese (42) drives to the hoop against King Philip's Erich Ryan (44). (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
Hockomock Sports provides a more indepth report on the boys game here

http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/defensive-effort-in-middle-quarters-propels-panthers


Girls Basketball

King Philip, 35 @ Franklin, 65Final - Franklin's Jillian Spolidoro led all scorers with 15 points while Lexi Martin added 13 points and Aubrie Kutil chipped in with 10 points. Emily Sullivan led King Philip with 14 points.

Franklin's Jillian Spolidoro takes the ball to the hoop in the second quarter. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
Franklin's Jillian Spolidoro takes the ball to the hoop in the second quarter. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)


Hockomock Sports provides a more indepth report on the girls game here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/spolidoro-gives-panthers-triple-threat-against-kp


For all the results across the Hockomock League on Thursday you can find it here  http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-schedule-scoreboard-010815



The latest from Mass Poetry



Festival update, The Writers House, Common Threads,                                                   View in your browser
Poem of the Moment, U35 on Jan 20, and more

Mass Poetry Festival Update


We are in the process of finalizing the programming for the 2015 Massachusetts Poetry Festival, May 1-3 in historic downtown Salem, and the schedule will be up soon! In the meantime, learn more about one of our featured poets, Denise Duhamel.
Denise Duhamel's most recent book of poetry Blowout (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2013) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and winner of a 2014 Paterson Poetry Prize. Her other books include Ka-Ching! (Pittsburgh, 2009), Two and Two (Pittsburgh, 2005), Queen for a Day: Selected and New Poems (Pittsburgh, 2001), The Star-Spangled Banner (winner of the Crab Orchard Award, Southern Illinois University Press, 1999) and Kinky (Orchises Press, 1997.) She is the recipient of awards including fellowships from the Guggenhiem Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The guest editor for The Best American Poetry 2013, she is a professor at Florida International University in Miami.

The Writers House at Merrimack College

An installment in our Poetry Communities series


Since opening its doors in September of 2013, the Writers House has become a creative community for writers, filmmakers, playwrights and poets in North Andover, Massachusetts. As a part of Merrimack College, the Writers House creates a niche space for students to write, read and create. It is the "president of the college's investment of the imagination," says Andrea Cohen, poet and director of the program. The Writers House fosters imagination and ingenuity across several mediums. In order to reach out to  as many students as possible, the Writers House offers a variety of programs and workshops. Read more.

Join us for 2015's first U35!

Tuesday, Jan 20, 7 p.m.

The Marliave Restaurant, Boston

 

Featuring Alyssa Mazzarella, Matt Parker, and Victoria Thompson


RSVP & share the event via Facebook
Alyssa Mazzarella is an MFA candidate in poetry and a creative writing instructor at UMass Boston. In 2013, she received an Academy of American Poets Prize and a Mary Doyle Curran Creative Writing scholarship. She's previously taught at Baystate Correctional Center and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and holds a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College. Her poems have appeared in Freshwater and Common Ground Review.
Matt Parker has been an avid fan of poetry since his childhood, and used it as a life saver during his tumultuous adolescence. Matt began to share his poetry and encourage others to use it as a coping tool in his career field as a youth development professional; he is still learning and teaching poetry to students in schools & community settings, co-facilitating the Boston S.O.U.P. (society of urban poetry) project, and supporting community causes everywhere.
Victoria Thompson studied in the MFA poetry program at the University of New Hampshire. She currently teaches 4th and 5th grade English as a Second Language in Boston Public Schools and lives in Arlington, MA.

Poem of the Moment

Jennifer Markell: Montebello Road


How quickly they shut it down—
three men, a garbage truck,
cars backed up, leaves blowing wild.
A gust sends stink: pork rind, coffee
grounds, ferment of rotting pumpkins.
The men haul bags, heave bales,
bassinette, oven door.
They laugh and shrug, step up, jump down
Continue reading.

Common Threads has arrived!


We are thrilled to release Common Threads 2015, guest edited by Alice Kociemba, contributed to by Robert Pinsky, and graced with eight stunning poems by Massachusetts poets! It includes discussion questions, writing prompts and more, and boasts a complementary media package and a host of exciting events throughout 2015. Check out yesterday's official launch announcement for all the details.

This week is a good one to curl up with our updated list of favorite poems for winter nights, wouldn't you say? Happy new year and warm thoughts to you and yours!


 
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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Questions were raised, answers sought and opinions stated amid some tension

There was a full house in the Council Chambers on Wednesday evening. The meeting had officially opened at 6:00 PM and the Council went into Executive Session to discuss the negotiations on the fire fighter contract. Their meeting was held in the small conference room next to the Council Chambers to allow those arriving for the main meeting to enter the chambers. The Councilors filed in to the Chamber about 6:55 and got ready for the meeting.

The normal pledge of allegiance and moment of silence was skipped by Chairman Vallee as they "had already opened the meeting at 6:00".

The agenda was adjusted to include a motion by Councilor Kelly to officially vote on the Chairman. (Recall that the vote at the organization meeting in November was actually skipped at that time.

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/11/the-town-council-reorganizes-sort-of.html)

The minutes were approved from the Dec 17th session.

The change of manager for the liquor license for Artistry Kitchen was approved. As the use of the facility will be changing to a private function room until the new direction of the restaurant is ready to be re-opened, there needs to be an approval by the Planning Board. The use is different from that already approved. It is a minor deviation but does need to follow the process for approvals.

Former FinCom member Phyllis Messere Malcom was appointed to the Historical Commission.


"Community Development Grant"

There was a brief discussion on the possibility for Franklin to join in a "Community Development Grant" application. Bellingham is the lead community handling the paperwork and administration. Franklin and Hopedale are also possible partners. The measure will return to the Town Council in two weeks for approval.


Pond St zoning public hearing

The Pond St zoning public hearing opened. My notes from the long discussion are linked to. In brief, many of the questions and concerns raised were to gain assurances on what would be done. Right now, with the zoning change only, it is too early to say. Many folks don't understand the full process and the Council along with Jeff did not do a great job of explaining the process. My attempt at an overview would look like this:

  • There is a second hearing for the zoning change. 
  • If approved, the Economic Development Committee would then meet to draft the revisions to the new Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP is the official offer by the town of the property for sale. It would specify what could be done (within the zoning for the property) and what additional restrictions the Town may make to the purchaser.
  • The RFP would be posted for a period of time.
  • Responses, if any would be reviewed at the end of the period
  • Depending upon the responses, there would be additional meetings at the EDC to make a recommendation to the Town Council to proceed with the sale or not
  • If proceeding with the sale, then the Town Council would still hold meeting or meetings to decide (as done with the Emmons St property)
  • All that before the developer would go before the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals and other town organizations to obtain the necessary permits and approvals.

There were some tense moments during the discussion as some of the answers to the community were not appropriate and some of the community objected (rightly so) to the body language of some of the members of the Council. Councilor Kelly addressed this during the Councilor Comments at the end of the meeting but long after much of the crowd had dispersed.


The Town Council did approve to move the zoning change to a second reading.

The audio recording for the Pond St discussion can be found here  https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/Hc9V86zk






Emmons St
Emmons St
former councilor Glen Jones and Town Administrator Jeff Nutting
former councilor Glen Jones and Town Administrator Jeff Nutting


Emmons St discussion

The Emmons St discussion took a surprising turn. It was anticipated to be perhaps a more contentious discussion as the drive through option seemed to be a 'done deal'. However, as revealed by Jeff Nutting. A meeting by the developer, Mr Calarese took place on Monday morning and the proposal was changed to removed the food drive through. He would like to retain rights to a bank drive through. That revelation took the wind out of most of the sails and those that spoke appreciated the change in face of significant community objection.

How the change will really look as the 'final' negotiations take place remains to be seen. The deal will come back before the Council to require a 2/3 vote. We'll be able to see how well the legalese is drafted to meet the community desires and the need for the town to obtain additional revenue.


The audio recording for the Emmons St segment of the meeting can be found here   https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HyDbqXQk






Town Administrator Reports

Almost lost within the events of the evening were the real drivers to the selling of the town property at both the Emmons St and Pond St locations. Jeff Nutting provides updates on the overall town goals and objectives for 2015, showing much progress and accomplishments. He also laid out the objectives for this year. He provided updates on the Master Plan and the Five Year Financial Forecast.

The forecast says FY 2016 should be ok but FY 2017 is another budget year where balancing the budget will present some problems.

This financial reason is the driving factor behind the moves to sell both the Pond St and Emmons St properties. The town needs to expand its taxable base to bring in additional revenue. The link to the agenda for the financial forecast can be found here  
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/property-taxes-will-continue-to-be.html


The set of notes recorded live during the Town Council meeting can be found here:

"We're happy to that the food drive-through is now no longer on the table"


The local developer seeking to purchase a downtown property has changed his proposal to only include retail space after concerns were raised about the possibility for a drive-through restaurant at the site. 
Roger Calarese, developer of the Franklin Village Mall, submitted a proposal to raze the current building at 150 Emmons St. and replace it with a 5,300-square-foot commercial property. He had considered building a drive-through on the property, but cut it from the proposal in response to complaints from downtown business owners and residents. 
Calarese, who bid $500,000 for the property, has since taken the prospect of a restaurant drive-through off the table. However, he could still have a drive-through business there, such as a bank. His negotiations with a possible bank tenant, though, had fallen through. And it is unclear what type of retail business he now has in mind.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150108/NEWS/150107578/1994/NEWS#sthash.lSTkeHrx.dpuf