Friday, November 20, 2020

Franklin's weekend Nov 21-22, 2020

A relatively quiet weekend to enjoy. Be safe, be social at a distance (and masked!)

Saturday, November 21
9:00am - Help decorate downtown Franklin
10:00am - Winter Farmers Market

Sunday, November 22
1:00pm - Historical Museum (open and free admission)



If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6
 
Community Calendar
Community Calendar


 

Town Council Budget Subcommittee - meeting recap - Nov 18, 2020

Quick recap:
  •  "incredibly good news" on FY 2021 budget compared to what had been feared in June 2020
  • Added back $75K to both Town Clerk and Recreation budgets based upon requirements and changes due to the pandemic
  • Adjusted new growth number back upwards and then recommended to set aside $850K in the Budget Stabilization account. This had been emptied by withdrawals to balance the recent budgets
 

Budget Subcommittee agenda and supporting documents: https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/budget_subcommittee_agenda.pdf

Photos captured during the meeting and shared with the Twitter thread can be found online https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ksn5Q4qwUrcJ3Eq36

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As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
 
The Twitter hashtag can be found online  #bsc1118

https://twitter.com/hashtag/bsc1118?src=hashtag_click

  • Chair Matt Kelly opens meeting reading protocol statement and connection info #bsc1118
  • Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provides update on FY 2021, "incredibly good news". 2 minor adjustments for budget to Town Clerk and Recreation budget lines. Also recommending putting $850K into budget stabilization fund #bsc1118
  • Major change in calculation comes from adjusted new growth over what had been the forecast at the beginning of the pandemic. Effectively, building for the most part has continued hence the growth adjustment #bsc1118 hotel/motel revenue down and no surprise there
  • Revenue sheet talked to by Jamie #bsc1118
  • Additional sheets with COVID federal funding accounted for which all dries up 12/31/20. #bsc1118 Federal action may happen but not willing to bet on it. Q on CARES act what happens in Jan, can still apply for FEMA reimbursement. At some point that will also run dry
  • Looking at run rate, we could need $1M to $1.5 M in the capital funding that we don't propose using until we know more. #bsc1118 global supply is getting tough, supplies are getting hard to come by. After winter with snow/ice behind us, we could look at capital
  • Otherwise we have the funding set aside to prepare for some contingency. Health insurance also a positive move and credit to the Human Resources dept and insurance group. Unemployment insurance is one area over budget #bsc1118 anticipating to level out over the year
  • Schools did have layoffs, town did some furloughs, likely to be able to bring the Library folks in Jan 2021. Q on maintenance contracts requiring extension in lieu of the capital budget on hold. No issues raised from department heads at this time. #bsc1118
  • Would still like to see equipment requests for capital rather than wait. #bsc1118 Kelly - we need to thank the town folks for asking the hard questions; making the adjustments. "We got $200k less than last year and Wayland gets more. I don't think they are fighting hard enough"
  • #bsc1118 thanks for keeping folks in Franklin out of an override once again. Memo coming to outline a budget calendar, we will get the full plan on capital requests. Will have likely in Jan, three votes in recommendations.
  • #bsc1118 motion to add $75k for recreation budget; motion to add $75k for town clerk budget; motion for setting $853k to budget stabilization fund; all three motions passed - possible vote 3-0 for sure, Kelly, Hamblen, Mercer, didn't see anyone else (Note: Pellegri is listed as a member, was at Town Council meeting after but did not speak or was shown via the broadcast for this meeting)
  • Motion to adjourn, passed (same 3-0) vote. Catch you shortly at Town Council meeting at 7. #bsc1118

 

sheet showing the two additions of $75 and the set aside of $850K
sheet showing the two additions of $75 and the set aside of $850K


Finance Committee meeting recap - Nov 17, 2020

Quick Recap:

  • The Finance Committee gets an update on the Beaver St interceptor, effectively a shorter and concise review of what the Town Council received at their Oct 21, 2020 meeting.
  • The finance options are expected to be ready in January 2021. It is likely that the sewer rate payers will absorb the cost of the project as it is user based. A better understanding of how much is due in January.
  • The balance of the meeting was discussion on topics for future meetings.

The Oct 21, 2020 Town Council meeting segment with the Beaver St interceptor presentation and discussion  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/fm-372-town-council-mtg-102120-part-2.html

The Finance Committee posted agenda including the interceptor project presentation document  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/franklin-ma-finance-committee-agenda_14.html

Photos of the meeting shared via Twitter can be found in one album

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As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
 
The Twitter hashtag can be found online  #fincom1117

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Fincom1117&src=typeahead_click

  • #fincom1117 meeting starts on time
  • Town Administrator Jamie Hellen also remote for this meeting #fincom1117
  • Jamie provides an overview of the presentation and introduces Brutus who will get into the details. Finance plan desired for Town Council discussion on Jan 2021 #fincom1117
  • Interceptor over 100 years old, did well but is in need of repair/ replacement before something major happens. Couldn't have been built in a worse spot. I&I has overtime taken 1m gallons of flow out of the pipe. #fincom1117
  • Interesting slide depicts the flow high to low, all gravity fed. Also the brown on top shows how deep the pipe is, and an indication of the trouble to repair (i.e. access to it) #fincom1117
  • #fincom1117 three options/alternatives for work: attempting to do pro/con analysis for the options to develop a weighed average
  • Catching up to this meeting status, distracted by hearing about the #schcomm1117 workshop that was canceled and I did not find out about. Brutus did finish his overview, stay tuned for the real finance details sometime in Jan 2021. Now on discussion of future topics
  • Mention of SchComm budget workshop now scheduled for December 1. #schcomm1117 #fincom1117
  • #fincom1117 question for future SchComm update can cover; what are steps and lanes? also how are we keeping the three small schools when we have lost about 1200 students over the years? buildings are expensive, principals are also?
  • "This is must see TV" the tax rate hearing may generate interest. #fincom1117 discussion on getting interest, this is where it happens. Motion to adjourn, seconded, passed So that will be all for tonight folks. One full meeting and one partial wait for, catch you next time

key slide shows the gravity flow of the sewerage along with the depth of the service access points
key slide shows the gravity flow of the sewerage along with the depth of the service access points


Panther News Friday, November 20, 2020

Panther News Friday, November 20, 2020

Video link = https://youtu.be/3sAXSd7BsJo

Thanksgiving Food And Wine, What To Serve With The Bird 2020 (audio)

The Wonderful World of Wine (WWW) = Episode 138
Topic:  Thanksgiving Food And Wine, What To Serve With The Bird 2020

Released by:  The Wonderful World of Wine (WWW)

Audio link: https://soundcloud.com/user-492543397/episode-138thanksgiving-food-and-wine-what-to-serve-with-the-bird-2020

You can listen to The Wonderful World of Wine on wfpr.fm with Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone. All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points

  • Wednesday's at 10:00 AM / 1:00 PM / 7:00 PM     Saturday's - 1:00 PM

 

Winter Farmers Market - Nov 21

Our first Winter Farmers Market begins this Saturday! Mark those calendars from 10 AM - 2 PM.

Who is as excited as we are?

Take a peak at some of our amazing (and more) vendors that will be here this weekend. Make sure to come on down!

  • 𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕓𝕪 𝕙𝕓𝕜
  • Eric's Sharper Edge
  • Boston Sword & Tuna
  • Medway Community Farm
  • Simply Simple Farm
  • Pangea Cuisines...and so many more! 

 

Find updates at the Fairmount Farm Facebook page

Winter Farmers Market - Nov 21
Winter Farmers Market - Nov 21


"Red communities double; Lawrence cases keep rising"; Franklin rising too

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"THE NUMBER of communities considered high risk for COVID-19 doubled again this week, while the number of deaths statewide continued to creep upward at a much slower pace.

Three weeks ago the Baker administration revised the metrics it uses to determine a high-risk community, which caused the number to drop from 121 to 16. Since then, the number of high-risk, or red, communities has started rising again, going from 16 three weeks ago to 31 a week ago to 62 on Thursday.

Lawrence, where state and local officials have been trying for weeks to rein in the disease, continued to slip out of control. The municipality reported a whopping 108.1 cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks and a positive test rate (positive tests divided by total tests) of 13.01 percent. Last week, Lawrence was at 82.6 cases per 100,000 people with a positive test rate of 11.78 percent."

The Franklin case numbers continue to climb rapidly. The Town chart updated as of 11/18/20 shows 104, the State chart updated 11/19/20 shows 116.  https://www.mass.gov/doc/weekly-covid-19-public-health-report-november-19-2020/download

The Franklin chart   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/covid-19_case_counts_17.pdf


The Franklin COVID-19 case numbers continue to climb rapidly
The Franklin COVID-19 case numbers continue to climb rapidly