Sunday, January 18, 2015

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Jan 21, 2015


A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 
September 17, 2014, June 18, 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

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 15-02: Authorization to join Bellingham for the FY 2015 CDBG Program Application
2. Resolution 15-03: Declaration of Town-Owned Land at 150 Emmons Street (Old Municipal Bldg. Property) as Surplus and Available for Disposition
3. Resolution 15-04:Authorization for Disposition (Sale) of Town Owned Land @ 150 Emmons Street(Old Municipal Bldg. Property)
4. Resolution 15-05: Appropriation: Town Administration: Legal Expenses
5. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 15-745: Amendment to Chapter 185, Attachment 7, Part VI, Use Regulation Schedule, Residential Uses, Office Zoning District – 2ND 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

150 Emmons St, Franklin, MA - subject of decision to sell or not
150 Emmons St, Franklin, MA - subject of decision to sell or not


The full set of documents released for this meeting can be found here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/012115.pdf

RESOLUTION 15-04: Authorization For Disposition (Sale) Town-Owned Land At 150 Emmons Street



RESOLUTION 15-04
AUTHORIZATION FOR DISPOSITION (SALE) TOWN-OWNED LAND
AT 150 EMMONS STREET (OLD MUNICIPAL BUILDING PROPERTY)

WHEREAS, Town owns a parcel of land containing 34,795 square feet more orless at the corner of Emmons and West Central Streets, shown on Franklin Assessors Map 279 as Parcel 36 (Title ref: Norfolk Registry Book 655, Page 411) containing the currently-vacant former Municipal Building, and 
WHEREAS, Town Council, by Resolution 15-03, has declared said parcel to besurplus and available for disposition subject to a reserved easement shown on “Exhibit 1” attached thereto for public green space to include a statue of Horace Mann, together with appropriate plantings and public amenities, and 
WHEREAS, pursuant to G.L. Chapter 30B, Section16, Town previously obtainedan appraisal and subsequently issued several Requests for Proposals (RFP's), thelatest being issued on or about September 10, 2014, which proposal contained aminimum bid price of four hundred, seventy-five thousand dollars, and 
WHEREAS, one prospective developer-purchaser Roger V. Calarese submitteda responsive proposal to the latest RFP and Town Council has evaluated said proposal and heard a public presentation from the developer purchaser, 
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE TOWN OF FRANKLINACTING BY AND THROUGH ITS TOWN COUNCIL: 
1. Determines that the proposal of Roger V. Calarese (hereinafter: “Calarese”) to pay the Town of Franklin the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars for the subject property and to construct either a single-story retail and office building thereon, as more fully described in his proposal and, more specifically, as shown on a conceptual plan captioned “Office and Retail Concept Plan of Land for 150Emmons Street in Franklin, Massachusetts” dated December 30, 2014, or, in alternative, to construct a single-story bank building with accessory vehicular drive through, as more fully described in his proposal and, more specifically, as shown on a conceptual plan captioned “Concept #7 Plan of Land for 150 Emmons Street in Franklin, Massachusetts” dated August 19, 2014 is advantageous to the Town and accepts same, subject to the provisions of the following paragraphs. 
2. Votes to dispose of the subject property by selling it to Calarese for the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars subject to a reserved easement on a portion of said parcel to maintain the public green space, including a statue of Horace Mann, together with appropriate plantings and public amenities in accordance with Resolution 15-03 and “Exhibit 1” thereto, conditioned upon Calarese's execution, within sixty days, of a purchase and sales agreement and/or landdisposition/development agreement containing terms and language consistent with Town's RFP and otherwise satisfactory to Town, both to ensure Town's timely receipt of the full purchase price and that the property is developed consistent with Town's RFP and Calarese's proposal within a reasonable time period; without limiting the foregoing, the agreement shall provide for exhaustion of reasonable efforts to develop retail and office building on property prior to proceeding with development of bank building, and shall prohibit any vehicular drive-through, except as accessory to bank building and operation. 
3. Directs the Town Administrator, with the assistance of the Town Attorney, to prepare and execute a purchase and sales agreement, land  disposition/development agreement, deed and such other documents as he determines to be necessary, both to effectuate the sale of the subject property by Town to Calarese and to ensure that the subject property is developed consistent with Town's RFP and Calarese's proposal and the provisions of this resolution. 
This Resolution shall become effective according to the rules and regulations ofthe Town of Franklin Home Rule Charter.

150 Emmons St
150 Emmons St


The text of resolution 15-04 was copied from pages 18-19 as released for the Town Council agenda for Jan 21, 2015
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/012115.pdf

RESOLUTION 15-03: Declaration Of Town-Owned Land At 150 Emmons Street as surplus




RESOLUTION 15-03

DECLARATION OF TOWN-OWNED LAND AT 150 EMMONS STREET
(OLD MUNICIPAL BUILDING PROPERTY) AS
SURPLUS AND AVAILABLE FOR DISPOSITION
WHEREAS, Town owns a parcel of land containing 34,795 square feet more or less at the corner of Emmons and West Central Streets, shown on Franklin Assessors Map 279 as Parcel 36 (Title ref: Norfolk Registry Book 655, Page 411) containing the currently-vacant former Municipal Building, as shown on "Exhibit 1" attached hereto, and 
WHEREAS, Town is not currently using and no longer intends to use said parcel for municipal purposes, with the exception of an area immediately abutting the intersection of Emmons and West Central Streets shown on said “Exhibit 1” which Town intends to develop as a public green space to include a statue of Horace Mann, together
with appropriate plantings, and public amenities,
 
NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Franklin, acting by and through its Town Council, declares the parcel of Town-owned land described above and shown on "Exhibit 1" to be no longer needed for municipal purposes, except for the area of said parcel also described above, and therefore to be surplus and available for
disposition, subject to a reserved easement on said parcel, of the area immediately abutting the intersection of Emmons and West Central Streets shown on “Exhibit 1” which Town intends to develop as a public green space to include a statue of Horace Mann, together with appropriate plantings, and public amenities.
 
This Resolution shall become effective according to the rules and regulations of the Town of Franklin Home Rule Charter.

150 Emmons St, the subject property
150 Emmons St, the subject property


This was shared from page 16 of the document released for the Town Council agenda for Jan 21, 2015
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2015%20Complete%20With%20Documents/012115.pdf

"no evidence that mastering these standards in kindergarten rather than in first grade brings lasting gains"

One key concept being lost in the educational discussion is "developmentally appropriate." This article from the Washington Post highlights a report showing no studies supporting the Common Core and reading requirements for kindergarten level students.

The Common Core State Standards call for kindergartners to learn how to read, but a new report by early childhood experts says that forcing some kids to read before they are ready could be harmful. 
Two organizations that advocate for early childhood education — Defending the Early Years and Alliance for Childhood — issued the report titled “Reading in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose.” It says there is no evidence to support a widespread belief in the United States that children must read in prekindergarten or kindergarten to become strong readers and achieve academic success.
Brian Peyes-Mendez participates in a test with Kendra Sarris as kindergarten teachers assess students with new tests, on Oct. 30 in Accokeek, Md. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

The report summary outlines the following:

  • Many children are not developmentally ready to read in kindergarten, yet the Common Core State Standards require them to do just that. This is leading to inappropriate classroom practices.
  • No research documents long-term gains from learning to read in kindergarten. 
  • Research shows greater gains from playbased programs than from preschools and kindergartens with a more academic focus.
  • Children learn through playful, handson experiences with materials, the natural world, and engaging, caring adults.
  • Active, play-based experiences in language rich environments help children develop their
  • ideas about symbols, oral language and the printed word — all vital components of reading.
  • We are setting unrealistic reading goals and frequently using inappropriate methods to accomplish them.
  • In play-based kindergartens and preschools, teachers intentionally design language and literacy experiences which help prepare children to become fluent readers.
  • The adoption of the Common Core State Standards falsely implies that having children achieve these standards will overcome the impact of poverty on development and learning, and will create equal educational opportunity for all children.

You can find the full report here



FHS Basketball: Coaches vs. Cancer

The Franklin Boys Basketball teams and Cheerleaders will be running a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser on Friday, January 23rd. 
There will may be a dress down day for teachers and staff (for a small donation) and There will be events and activities at all three basketball games later that day. 
The freshman play at 3:30, JV at 5:00, Varsity at 6:30.

FHS Panthers
FHS Panthers

Senior Center: A new edition of The Franklin Connection is available



A new edition of The Franklin Connection has been published on the Town of Franklin web site. 
Click the link below to read the latest edition
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Senior/Feb15connection.pdf
Franklin Senior Center
Franklin Senior Center



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In the News: Franklin's birthday party, Scouts help seniors


The memorable man on the town's seal turns 309 today (Saturday - 1/17/15). 
And as it has for the last few years, the Historical Commission will celebrate Benjamin Franklin's birthday on Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the 80 West Central St. museum.
Franklin Historical Museum
Franklin Historical Museum

Continue reading the article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150117/NEWS/150116998/1995/NEWS#sthash.ppNuNwV1.dpuf



With his troop by his side, Boy Scout Mike Hurley read a short story to senior citizens at the Franklin Health and Rehabilitation Center. 
For the seniors, it was all about spending quality time with Troop 126, who devoted their afternoon to the seniors Saturday. 
At the community service event, the Scouts and seniors took part in knot tying, played bingo and made origami cranes. 
“It’s wonderful. We look forward to it,” said Donald Adiletto, adding the seniors have days the Boy Scouts visit marked on a calendar in the main office.
Continue reading the article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150117/NEWS/150116848/1994/NEWS#sthash.rpy2BDup.dpuf