Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda for Nov 30, 2022 - 7 PM

FRANKLIN TOWN COUNCIL

Agenda & Meeting Packet

November 30, 2022 - 7:00 PM

1. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIR

a. This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon Channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by others.

b. Chair to identify members participating remotely.

2. CITIZEN COMMENTS

a. Citizens are welcome to express their views for up to three minutes on a matter that is not on the agenda. The Council will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during Citizen Comments. The Town Council will give remarks appropriate consideration and may ask the Town Administrator to review the matter.

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - None Scheduled.

4. PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS - None Scheduled.

5. APPOINTMENTS - None Scheduled.

6. HEARINGS - 7:00 pm

a. Franklin Tax Classification Hearing

i. Legislation for Action Items: 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f

7. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS - None Scheduled.

8. PRESENTATIONS / DISCUSSION

a. Presentation: Elks Riders Donation to Veterans’ Services Department

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/8a._elks_riders_presentation.pdf 

9. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

a. Resolution 22-76: Gift Acceptance - Elks Riders Donation to Veterans’ Services Department

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-76- Majority Vote)   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9a._22-76_gift_acceptance_vets.pdf

b. Resolution 22-77: Tax Classification Residential Factor

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-77 - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9b._22-77_tax_classification_residential_factor.pdf

c. Resolution 22-78: Tax Classification Open Space Exemption

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-78 - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9c._22-78_-_tax_classification_open_space_exemption.pdf

d. Resolution 22-79: Tax Classification Small Business Exemption

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-79 - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9d._22-79_-_tax_classification_small_business_exemption.pdf

e. Resolution 22-80: Tax Classification Residential Property Exemption

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-80 - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9e._22-80_-_tax_classification_residential_property_exemption.pdf

f. Resolution 22-81: Tax Classification Senior Means Tested Exemption

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-81 - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9f._22-81_-_tax_classification_senior_means_tested_exemption.pdf

g. Resolution 22-82: Declaration of Town-owned Property Containing “South Franklin

Congregational Meeting House” Located at 762 Washington Street as Surplus and Authorization for Disposition (Sale) to Old Colony Habitat for Humanity

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-82 - Two-Thirds Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9g._22-82_old_south_church_w_proposal_redacted.pdf

h. Resolution 22-83: Downtown Parking Lot Kiosks Authorization  

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-83 - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9h._22-83_parking_kiosks.pdf

i. Resolution 22-84: 2023 Town Council Meeting Schedule

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-84 - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9i._22-84_tc_schedule.pdf

j. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 22-887: Zoning Map Changes on or Near Lincoln Street and

Lincolnwood Drive (Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw 22-887 to the Planning Board - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9j._22-887_bylaw_amendment_zoning_changes_0.pdf

k. Resolution 22-85: Public Property Naming & Memorial Installation Policy

(Motion to Approve Resolution 22-85 - Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9k._22-85_naming_policy.pdf

10. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

11. SUBCOMMITTEE & AD HOC COMMITTEE REPORTS

a. Capital Budget Subcommittee

b. Economic Development Subcommittee

c. Budget Subcommittee

d. GATRA Advisory Board

12. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

13. COUNCIL COMMENTS

14. EXECUTIVE SESSION - None Scheduled.

15. ADJOURN

Note:

Two-Thirds Vote: requires 6 votes

Majority Vote: requires majority of members present and voting

Meeting agenda and documents released for this session ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/nov_30_town_council_agenda.pdf

South Franklin Congregational Meeting House

The Stanley Chilson film archives are now available online

On a random visit to the Franklin Historical Museum, you could walk in, find the movie screen down and one of the many Stanley Chilson films playing. Mostly black & white, the more recent ones in color, you could step back in time for a parade or emergency response by the Fire Dept. Now those films are available online and you can watch anytime you wish.

Via Franklin Observer:  

"Lifelong resident, Stanley Grant Chilson, was a graduate of Dean Academy in Franklin and Worcester Polytechnic Institute -- and he lived for photography. Still camera images he took in profusion, capturing in detail the activities of the Franklin Fire Department -- and other departments in the region. He also assembled an annual collection of film clips for each year from 1935 to 1963.  His films, preserved, and then digitized in the early 2000s, have now been made available online -- just  few clicks away -- on the Franklin Library's Internet Archive page, by Reference Librarian Vicki Earls.

You can access the collection at any time by  selecting Local History and Genealogy from the left hand menu on the Franklin Library website. From there, click on Stanley Chilson Films of Franklin online at the Internet Archive."

Continue reading the announcement online -> 

https://franklinobserver.town.news/g/franklin-town-ma/n/132667/franklin-librarys-chilson-time-machine-now-and-running

Who was Stanley Chilson? Another posting in the Franklin Observer shares some of the background on his life in Franklin.

"The term Paparazzi was just coming into existence toward the end of Stanley Chilson’s career as a photographer chronicling Franklin, his home town, as well as other towns in the region. The credit or blame for the term goes to Federico Fellini who’s La Dolce Vita included an obsessive photographer of that surname.

And while Chilson might have objected to the pejorative associations of the term, the general idea of an ever-ready photographer continually catching life as it was being lived fits him perfectly.

And who was Stanley Grant Chilson? For a man with a definite public persona, not much is apparent about him other than his early and consistent passion for photography, a passion only rivaled by his interest in the fire service, a topic he chronicled exhaustively.... there are literally hundreds of photographs of fire and rescue activities in the town in the years he was active."

Continue reading about Stanley online ->

https://franklinobserver.town.news/g/franklin-town-ma/n/132917/hometown-history-107-stanley-chilson-peoples-paparazzi

How to get to the film archives?

1. From the Library home page   https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library
2. To the Genealogy Club page   https://vbuchanio.wixsite.com/franklinlibgenclub/testimonials
3. To the Internet Archive page for Stanley Chilson   https://archive.org/details/@stanley_chilson_films_of_franklin

There is also a direct link from the Franklin Matters "Other Resource" section

The Stanley Chilson film archives are now available online

Franklin.TV: A Return to December

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 11/27/2022

A return to December? It’s what we do.

January is about beginnings.

Our start point for all things hopeful. 

Making the most of ourselves.

Or – at least we are resolved to try. 

We forge on.

Through February. Through March. 

Through whatever they may bring.

We take in April’s early warmth. 

Same and more with pretty May. 

Then – June/Jul/Aug/Sept,

We Saunter through Summer. 

Making the most of its longer days.

October, nature’s last hurrah. 

Ushering us on to longer nights,

and onward still – through November. 

Where we pause in gratitude.

Another year behind us, spent and gone, 

We return to December.

This destination month.

We return – to hopes, dreams, joys.

We return to family, friends, even strangers. 

We return to ‘The Season’

To moments of kinship and glad tidings. 

We return to find all that truly matters.

Questions? Call us. 508-541-4118. 

Thanks for listening to 102.9 wfpr●fm. 

And – as always – thanks for watching.

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf    

CommonWealth Magazine: "Time to come clean about COVID-19"

RATES OF COVID-19 vaccination in this country are too low. Less than half of those over 65 have received a second booster and ,among children under 5, the rate of vaccination with any dose is in the single digits. Uptake of the new bivalent booster is worryingly slow, with just 31 million Americans (10.1 percent of those eligible) having received it despite the Biden administration having ordered over 170 million doses. In a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, only a third of adults said they had received the new booster or planned to. 

Perhaps we should have expected this for COVID. After all, these are novel vaccines that were developed and rolled out under highly politicized conditions. But childhood vaccination rates for other conditions, including influenza, polio, and measles, are dropping as well, suggesting that people who would have vaccinated their children in the past are starting to think differently about vaccines. In addition to being a critical public health concern, this represents a serious issue with trust in public health authorities and their messengers. And it is these “science communicators” who need to take ownership of their messaging failures and fix the problem before it is too late.

To be clear, misinformation surrounding vaccines has had a damaging impact on vaccine acceptance. Claims that have absolutely no basis in reality, such as the presence of microchips in the formula, or the ability of the vaccine to make you magnetic, somehow gained traction among a proportion of Americans who believe those lies. Certainly, there also was already a base of true “anti-vaxxers” – often naturopathy-inclined politically left-leaning people in the years before COVID-19 vaccines came on the scene, and primarily far right-wing followers of Donald Trump since COVID vaccines became available. 

But it cannot be true that the over 90 percent of parents of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years who haven’t opted into vaccination are anti-vaxxers, or even that they have fallen prey to nefarious misinformation spreaders. The messaging from public health authorities, government officials and doctors and scientists like us who speak to the media is simply not working. What could we do better?

Continue reading the article online at CommonWealth Magazine ->

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/time-to-come-clean-about-covid-19/ 

CommonWealth Magazine: "Time to come clean about COVID-19"

Economic Development Subcommittee Steering Committee Meeting - Nov 30 at 5:45 PM

Economic Development Subcommittee Steering Committee Meeting

Agenda & Meeting Packet

November 30, 2022 - 5:45 PM

Agenda:

1. Discussion: Zoning

a. Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw

Agenda doc and remote connection info

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/2022-11-30_edc_agenda.pdf

The prior meeting started this discussion and as time ran out, the discussion resumes at this session. Catch up to the discussion before the meeting:

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/11/economic-development-subcmte-recommends.html

the "Plus" Cmte gets into housing density proposal

Spend a few minutes catching up with Jennifer Knight-Levine talking about the SAFE Coalition (audio)

FM #885 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 885 in the series. 

This session shares my conversation with Jennifer Knight-Levine, Executive Director and Co-founder of the SAFE Coalition. We had our conversation via conference bridge.

We caught up on a number of topics 

• Starting with the relocation of their offices to Franklin. 

• Service offerings; something almost everyday

• Fund raising efforts introduces an Annual Campaign

• Tree of Life

• Jack Frost Jubilee

The recording runs about 20 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jen

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-885-safe-coalition-j-knight-levine-11-15-22

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​SAFE Coalition, www.safecoalitionma.org, 

Visit their webpage to find the “Donate” button if you would like to contribute to the cause

Tree of Life fund raiser -> https://www.safecoalitionma.org/treeoflife

Jack Frost Jubilee ->  https://www.safecoalitionma.org/jubilee

SAFE Radio podcast ->  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5jYXB0aXZhdGUuZm0vc2FmZQ

Franklin Public Schools Substance Abuse Taskforce  https://www.franklinps.net/district/substance-abuse-education

SAFE Coalition Support Line: 508-488-8105

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) on the Franklin (MA) FM dial at 102.9. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

 

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Spend a few minutes catching up with Jennifer Knight-Levine talking about the SAFE Coalition (audio)

Franklin Veterans: December 2022 - Coffee Social - Dec 7 at 10 AM

Join Us for Coffee & Conversation!

Please join us for coffee and conversation with fellow veterans on Wednesday, December 7 at 10:00 a.m. at the Senior Center!

The Franklin Silvertones will perform a short program of holiday and patriotic tunes for your enjoyment!

December 7 is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day...

 

Shared from ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/veterans-services/news/december-2022-coffee-social

Franklin Veterans: December 2022 - Coffee Social - Dec 7 at 10 AM

Reporting by walking around: Photos this week 11/21 - 11/25/22

Found a couple of the hydrants from the painting contest conducted earlier this year.  DPW page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/water-sewer-division/pages/join-fun-and-enter-franklins-fire-hydrant-painting-event

hydrant from the painting contest 1

hydrant from the painting contest 2

A 10-unit apartment building under construction on Chestnut St

Project documents reviewed by the Planning Board

https://www.franklinma.gov/planning-board/pages/122-chestnut-street

A 10-unit apartment building under construction on Chestnut St

Some trees along the shoreline at DelCarte were removed, new trees are planted and picnic tables are arranged.

trees along the shoreline at DelCarte were removed

Friendly reminder on the Christmas Fair coming up next weekend at St John's Episcopal Church.

Friendly reminder on the Christmas Fair

Friendly reminder on the Tree lighting and Santa's arrival to the Town Common at 4 PM on Sunday, Nov 27, 2022

Friendly reminder on the Tree lighting and Santa's arrival to the Town Common

Business Insider: "These 6 common vegetables are actually all the same plant"

Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) tweeted:

You may never have heard of the plant Brassica Oleracea, but six vegetables you can find in any grocery store and you eat on a regular basis are actually all from this one plant and they're all human made products of selective breeding [source, read more: https://t.co/ZFHFAjSjpT]

 Shared from Twitter ->  https://t.co/9txK8GNGWT

Business Insider: "These 6 common vegetables are actually all the same plant"

Franklin's Event Outlook: Nov 25, 2022 to Dec 2, 2022

Santa arrives via fire truck Sunday at 4 PM. If you miss that, the Dean College tree gets light up on Thursday at 4 PM. In between those festive events, there is plenty going on here in Franklin.

Friday, November 25 

10:30am -Santa Storywalk - (DelCarte Recreation)

6:00pm - Laura May Duo (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

7:00pm - FSPA Homecoming (ticketed event) (THE BLACK BOX)

Saturday, November 26

10:00am - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

10:30am - Nutcracker Storytime (cast of FPAC’s performance) (Escape Into Fiction)

1:00pm - Magic with Scott Martell (Franklin Public Library)

1:00pm - Open House (free) (Creative Corner Art Studio - 15 Main Unit 6a)

4:00pm - Dom DeBaggis (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

5:30pm - John & Tyler (live music) (67 Degrees Brewing)

Sunday, November 27

1:00pm - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

4:00pm - Santa arrives - Concerts on the Common (Franklin Town Common)

Tuesday, November 29

6:00pm - Book Club (bring your own book) (Escape Into Fiction)

Wednesday, November 30

6:00pm - Poetry for the People (Escape Into Fiction)

Thursday, December 1

4:00pm - Tree Lighting (Dean College)

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The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Find the full Community event calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events      https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/pages/calendar

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

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26 

Community Calendar

Franklin School Committee meeting video available (11/22/22)

The Franklin (MA) School Committee meeting of Tuesday, November 22, 2022 is available for video replay via YouTube (thanks to Franklin.TV).

Video link -> https://youtu.be/spuii1gG-Uo

Agenda document with remote connection info ->

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/scagenda_11-22-22.pdf

Meeting packet (documents released for this meeting) (note not all docs are released before the meeting) ->  https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/november-22-2022-school-committee-packet

Franklin School Committee: Nov 22, 2022 meeting

FHS football comes back to top KP on Thanksgiving 29-28 to take back-to-back Hockomock titles (video)

Via HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the fall sports competition for Franklin High School on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24, 2022.

Franklin, 29 @ King Philip, 28 – Final 

• 1st Quarter: (F) Jase Lyons 69-yard pass to Luke Davis, Garrett Portesi XP good; (KP) William Astorino 2-yard rush, Matthew Kelley XP good.
• 2nd Quarter: (KP) W. Astorino 12-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good; (F) J. Lyons 6-yard pass to L. Davis, G. Portesi XP good.
• 3rd Quarter: (KP) W. Astorino 2-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good; (KP) Tommy McLeish 26-yard pass to W. Astorino, M. Kelley XP good; (F) J. Lyons 19-yard pass to L. Davis, G. Portesi XP good.
• 4th Quarter: (F) Mike Davide 3-yard rush, J. Lyons 2-point pass to L. Davis.

Josh Perry, Managing Editor of HockomockSports.com, provides the game recap:

"King Philip got the ball back up by seven points with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter of Thursday morning’s holiday matinee at Macktaz Field and went back to work with the ground game that had been nearly unstoppable for most of the game.

After running more than seven minutes off the clock, KP had first down from the Franklin 30 and looked like it was maybe one or two plays away from clinching the title-deciding showdown.

Rudy Gately (21 carries, 116 yards) was stopped for a loss of three by Emmett Lackey. Quarterback Tommy McLeish took the next snap and went on a sweep around the left side, but Franklin read the play and pried the ball loose. Devine Johnson pounced on it at the 34 to give the visitors a chance with 6:11 on the clock.

Mike Davide (11 carries, 40 yards) broke free for a 13-yard gain into KP territory and Jase Lyons (20-of-27, 232 yards) hit Josh Ribeiro on the sideline. Ribeiro refused to go out of bounds, cutting back infield and eventually gaining 17 to the KP 28. After back-to-back completions to Luke Davis, Lyons kept it himself, looking for contact in the secondary and being brought down at the three. Davide finished the drive to bring the Panthers within one."

Continue reading the game recap:

https://hockomocksports.com/franklin-football-wins-back-to-back-titles-after-comeback-at-kp/

For a photo gallery from this game ->

https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2022-2023/Fall-2022/King-Philip-Franklin-Football-11-24-22/

For the video via Franklin.TV -> https://youtu.be/E9ndNLG4U6g

Boston Globe coverage (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/24/sports/late-2-point-conversion-propels-franklin-past-king-philip-squeaker/

Franklin senior Luke Davis (6) hauls in a two-point conversion with 2:46 remaining, which lifted the Panthers to a come from behind win at rival King Philip and to a second straight Kelley-Rex title. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Magic with Scott Martell at the Library, Saturday Nov 26 at 1 PM

Magic with Scott Martell at the Library, Saturday Nov 26 at 1 PM

Magic with Scott Martell at the Library, Saturday Nov 26 at 1 PM

Reminder from DPW: Fall Curbside Yard Waste Collection Scheduled for Week of December 5, 2022.

Notice from the Department of Public Works:

Fall curbside yard waste collection will now run the week of December 5, 2022.

Shared from ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/notice-dpw-fall-curbside-yard-waste-collection-scheduled-week-december-5th-2022

Notice from the DPW: Fall Curbside Yard Waste Collection Scheduled for Week of December 5, 2022

No, that’s not the IRS texting about a tax refund or rebate. It’s a scam.

No, that's not the IRS texting about a tax refund or rebate. It's a scam.  By Gema de las Heras IRS impersonators have been around for a while. But as more people get to know their tricks, they're switching it up.  So instead of contacting you about a tax debt and making threats to get you to pay up, scammers may send you a text about a "tax rebate" or some other tax refund or benefit.  Here's what to know about the new twist. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/11/no-thats-not-irs-texting-about-tax-refund-or-rebate-its-scam

No, that’s not the IRS texting about a tax refund or rebate. It’s a scam