Monday, May 30, 2016

Norfolk County Registry of Deeds: Promotes Protection Against Real Estate Fraud



Norfolk County Registry of Deeds

Register O'Donnell Promotes Protection Against Real Estate Fraud

Continuing his efforts to protect homeowners against dishonest individuals, Register of Deeds William P. O'Donnell reminds residents about the availability of a free on-line Consumer Notification Service offered by the Registry to protect Norfolk County property owners against fraud.

"The F.B.I. has reported that property and mortgage fraud is one of the fastest growing white collar crimes in the United States. Multiple jurisdictions across the country have reported individuals recording fraudulent documents and making it appear like they own another person's home or property. While we have been fortunate that this problem has not revealed itself here in Norfolk County, I want to make sure my office is proactively and vigorously protecting consumers," noted Register O'Donnell.

Any owner of real property in the twenty-eight communities comprising Norfolk County can sign-up for the Consumer Notification Service free of charge by doing the following: Go to the Registry's website, www.norfolkdeeds.org, and click on the Consumer Notification Service Get Consumer Alerts button to complete the initial registration. From there, follow the remaining sign-up instructions.

Once you have signed up for the service, each subscriber will be able to input two names, individual or business, and the corresponding city or town in Norfolk County for monitoring. They can monitor their real estate for such activities as changes in deeds, mortgages, non-mortgage liens, Homesteads or other land documents that might be recorded against their property.

If a document is recorded against one of the names inputted for monitoring, the subscriber will be alerted via email, usually within 24 hours. The person can check the Registry's on-line land research records at www.norfolkresearch.org as an option. If a subscriber believes a fraudulent land record has been recorded against their property, they should then immediately contact the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101. The subscriber would also be given a list of public safety referrals by the Registry.

Register O'Donnell concluded, "As your Norfolk County Register of Deeds, I take very seriously the Registry's responsibility to provide secure, accurate and accessible land records for all Norfolk County communities. I also want to be proactive in ensuring that there is no fraudulent activity related to land document recordings. By offering the Consumer Notification Service, we are able to provide a level of protection to the program's subscribers against unscrupulous individuals who would attempt to commit real estate fraud. We are delighted already to have more than 400 residents sign-up for the free service."

To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, like us at facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds.

The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, located at 649 High Street, Dedham, is the principal office for real property in Norfolk County. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101, or on the web at www.norfolkdeeds.org.


Register William P. O'Donnell
Norfolk County Registry of Deeds

phone: 781-234-3336

Sent by registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org in collaboration with
Constant Contact
screen grab of Norfolk Deeds webpage
screen grab of Norfolk Deeds webpage

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Town Council passes FY 2017 budget

The second budget hearing for the FY 2017 fiscal year took place on Thursday, May 26. The perfunctory reading of the budget line items, department, total salary, total expenses was interrupted three times with a request to put an item "on hold".

The 'on hold' items were then discussed in some more detail in a brief conversation between the councilor with the question and the appropriate department head. In the case on Thursday, Police Chief Semarjian and Police Chief McCarragher were questioned about their submittals for the budget.

After the brief discussion, the Council approved with budget by an 8-0-1 vote. Jones abstained from voting as Franklin has a portion of the Tri-County budget as part of the overall town budget and Jones is currently employed there as a teacher. You may recall that he had left the council after he got hired into this position to avoid the 'conflict of interest' as it had not been disclosed while he was running. He left, campaigned again in 2015 and was re-elected.




My notes captured live during the meeting:


concrete sidewalks were filled in where they had been either skipped or left aside earlier in the process
   The budget document can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/05/franklin-ma-town-council-budget-hearing.html



The video of the meeting can be found here
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=363

Town Council - Actions Taken - May 25

I missed the Town Council meeting on Wednesday due to a family commitment. The actions taken during the meeting were recorded by the Deputy Town Administrator as shown in the following document

The actions taken by the Town Council:




The full agenda and associated documents for this meeting



When the video of the meeting is available for replay by Franklin TV, the link will be shared here

The video of the meeting can be viewed here
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=361


brick pavers ready to be installed on the sidewalks downtown
brick pavers ready to be installed on the sidewalks downtown


From hydroponics to "Crazy Reading Ladies" all in one School Committee meeting

The School Committee meeting on Tuesday May 24 heard presentations from Parmenter and Horace Mann, reviewed three policy changes and received some updates from the Superintendent. The highlights and details follow.

  • Parmenter School provided an update on their hydroponic gardens and how that is being used to foster education and collaboration.

  • Horace Mann provided an update on the student efforts to help make transition to middle school better as well as the "All In" reading program. The reading program achieved major notoriety this year when the author heard of their efforts via Twitter, arranged to visit, and the brought along one of the surviving Coast Guard men who were part of real life "The Finest Hours." 


Co-author Casey Sherman and Coast Guard engineer Mel Gouthro
Co-author Casey Sherman and Coast Guard engineer Mel Gouthro with one of the "Crazy Reading Ladies"

  • The School Committee started the review of three policy changes and moved them to a second reading. Most of the material change is bringing the language current with legal and regulatory requirements.

  • Dianne Plouffe was announced as the new District Music Director replacing Nancy Schoen who is retiring after this year.


My notes captured live during the meeting can be found here




From the archives:

  •   The post recounting the visit of Casey Sherman and Mel Guthro
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/03/it-touched-me-not-because-you-loved.html

FHS baseball, softball drop non-league games on Saturday


Baseball


  • Franklin, 2 vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 5 – Final 

– Franklin scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game but LS responded with three runs in the top of the fifth to get the win. Ryan Hodgkins went 2-3 with a triple and a run scored, Josh Macchi was 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored, Mike Skaza went 2-3, Jason Ulrickson was 1-2 with an RBI and Alex Bissanti had a pair of hits for the Panthers.

Softball


  • Franklin, 0 vs. Abington, 3 – Final



http://hockomocksports.com/saturdays-schedule-scoreboard-052816/

FHS Panthers
FHS Panthers

Library Closed - Sunday/Monday for Memorial Day weekend

The Franklin Public Library has relocated to 25 Kenwood Circle while renovations on the building are conducted. It operates from Kenwood Circle for its normal hours. However, this Sunday and Monday it is closed for the Memorial Day weekend.


The Franklin Public Library will be closed on Sunday and Monday for the Memorial Day weekend
The Franklin Public Library will be closed on Sunday and Monday for the Memorial Day weekend

For additional information about the Franklin Library, visit them on the Internet at  http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_TownLibrary/index


HMEA celebrates an incredABLE 5K Walk, Run and All-Day Family Fun


HMEA celebrates an incredABLE 5K Walk, Run and All-Day Family Fun that raised much-needed funds to help those with autism and developmental disabilities live up to their potential and reach for independence

Michael Moloney, CEO of HMEA, and Massachusetts Representative Jeff Roy, were all smiles at the finish line of HMEA's incredABLE Walk, Run and All-Day Family Fun at EMC2 in Franklin, MA, on May 22
Michael Moloney, CEO of HMEA, and Massachusetts Representative Jeff Roy, were all smiles at the finish line of HMEA's incredABLE Walk, Run and All-Day Family Fun at EMC2 in Franklin, MA, on May 22

HMEA looks to its incredABLE future and finding an innovative way to deliver the services, supports and therapies families in Central Massachusetts desperately need.

The rain didn't stop hundreds of families and runners from celebrating the ABLE in all of us during HMEA's incredABLE Day on Sunday, May 22 at EMC2 in Franklin, Mass.
HMEA's incredABLE annual signature family event and fundraiser raise much-need funds so those with autism and other developmental disabilities have the services and supports they need to reach for independence!
"We want to focus on what people with autism and other developmental disabilities can accomplish and teach us," says Mike Moloney, chief executive officer of HMEA.  "Let's build on the strengths that we all have."
Moloney points to HMEA's array of services and supports that span an entire life. "Our whole-life services and supports begin in infancy and continue through adolescence and into adulthood," he says. "We not only help the person with autism or developmental disabilities, but we also support his or her family, too."
HMEA looks to pioneer policies that will improve 
health and human services in Massachusetts
Moloney sees HMEA not only as a health and human services agency but a family service agency, too.
HMEA's array of services aims to help families as soon as the need arises. "When we help an individual, we help a family. And when we help a family, we help to strengthen the community," he says.
The need is growing.
Autism currently affects one out of every 68 children and one out of every 42 boys in the United States Today, more than 1.5 million people have the condition in the United States — and most are under the age of 22. Central Massachusetts, like the rest of the country, lacks robust services and supports to help these families. When they age out of our school systems, families are left with uncertainty, sleepless nights, and, in some cases, having to give up their job to care for their child.
Before HMEA and other health and human services agencies can help these families, they must overcome some challenges — funding, advocacy and awareness. But according to Moloney, the biggest challenge agencies like HMEA faces is recruiting and retaining the dedicated people who can deliver the services and supports.
"Direct care workers make an average of $13 an hour, grouping them in a new economic class considered working poor," Moloney says. "Add the burden of student loan debt with low wages and it's a recipe for failure. Without a dedicated direct care workforce, we will fail the most vulnerable people throughout Massachusetts."
To face this challenge, Moloney is working with Massachusetts Representative Jeff Roy on House Bill 124 that allocates $750,000 to help alleviate human services workers' student loan debt.
Under the leadership of Senator Jennifer Flanagan, House Bill 124 has received a favorable response and has been assigned to the committee on Health Care Financing and is awaiting a hearing.
"Representative Jeff Roy, along with others on Beacon Hill, see the need and are working hard to alleviate the burden our direct care works face," Moloney says. "He believes in HMEA's mission and understands the important work our staff does every day."

About HMEA
HMEA, Inc. is a family and human services agency that offers hope, help and a bright future to those diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities throughout Central Massachusetts.
Founded in 1961, HMEA's mission is to help children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities reach their potential and become productive members of their communities. HMEA supports the family and advocates for greater acceptance.
HMEA's Children's Services, Adult Services, Family Supports, Residential Services and Employment Programs provide a continuum of care for people with disabilities from infancy through their adult lives. HMEA currently supports over 4,000 people and families in 110 Massachusetts communities. HMEA is headquartered in Franklin, Massachusetts. For more information, visit hmea.org.