The Franklin For All series continues with a discussion on Design Review - 05/30/23 (audio)

FM #1005 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1005 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the audio recording of the housing and zoning discussion with Brad Chafee, Melanie Hamblen, Cobi Frongillo, and Sam Williams. Most of us were in the Franklin TV Studio on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Cobi joined us via the Zoom conference bridge.

Consider this a continuation of the downtown zoning discussion from the “Franklin For All” project which is underway with review and discussion at the Economic Development Subcommittee Plus meetings that Melanie Chairs and for which Cobi is Vice-Chair.  

We were joined by Sam Williams for this session to include his insights as the Vice-Chair of the Design Review Commission.  

The conversation centered on design aspects of the ongoing Franklin For All discussion. Design Review had come up in a couple of the prior sessions so we decided to spend some time on it here with Sam. 

The recording of our conversation on zoning runs about 58 minutes. Let’s listen in. Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1005-franklin-for-all-7-talks-about-design-review-05-30-23

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The collection of Franklin For All zoning discussions can be found here ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/02/franklin-for-all-housing-zoning-podcast.html

Design Review page  https://www.franklinma.gov/design-review-commission 

Design Review Guidelines (established in 2005)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/guidelines.pdf 

Design Review Best Practices (as updated in 2016) https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/best_development_guidebook_sept_2016_1.pdf 

  

Sign guidelines mentioned but more likely to be part of a future discussion

https://www.franklinma.gov/design-review-commission/pages/sign-guidelines 

Note: the twice monthly Design Review meetings are usually scheduled for the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays each month. I personally haven’t been able to attend as this schedule conflicts with the School Committee meetings.

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

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!

------------------

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

The Franklin For All series continues with a discussion on Design Review - 05/30/23 (audio)

DPW Notice - Water Conservation Measures Now in Effect

DPW Notice - Water Conservation Measures Now in Effect

In accordance with the Town's Water Management Act Permit issued by the State, the following Water Conservation Measures are in effect as of Monday, June 5, 2023.

• LAWN WATERING IS RESTRICTED TO ONE DAY PER WEEK ON TRASH DAY
• No automatic lawn watering between the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• There is no Holiday delay for watering.
• Hand watering is permitted anytime.

Conservation measures are needed to limit the daily demand on the water system in order to ensure that adequate water is available to meet the public health and safety needs of the Town. This measure is necessary to maintain the water levels in the tanks for fire protection and normal consumption. During the summer months, the Town experiences excessively high demands for water due to lawn watering. There have been 24- hour periods during which water consumption has been more than twice our average daily water usage for the year. Because of the tremendous increase in the demand for water and State restrictions on the amount of water that can be pumped daily, the Town of Franklin must place mandatory water conservation measures in effect for lawn watering during the summer months. A total of 1-inch of water once per week from rain and watering promotes the healthiest lawns.

Conservation measures will stay in effect until the second Monday in September (September 11, 2023) unless a drought condition is present.
Non-compliance with these regulations could adversely affect public health and safety. Violators are subject to fines up to $200.

For additional information, visit the DPW website at www.franklinma.gov/public-works. Any questions should be directed to the Department of Public Works at 508-520-4910.

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/dpw-notice-water-conservation-measures-now-effect

DPW Notice - Water Conservation Measures Now in Effect

Franklin (MA) News Summary as of June 2, 2023

The Franklin Town Council approved the FY 2024 budget with a unanimous 9-0 vote on May 25, 2023. The Town has a balanced budget with minor increases to Police, Fire, and Senior Center funding. However, the Franklin school budget remains short $2.3M from what they requested.

Town Administrator Jamie Hellen has a plan to add about $700K to the school budget and that is up for Town Council vote on June 7, 2023. Assuming it passes, the schools still need to adjust their budget down by about $1.6M. The schools and Franklin are faced with hard choices.

It may seem like tough budget choices this year but according to the fiscal outlook it will get even tougher next year. Hence, now would be a good time to get involved and be part of the discussion to understand the cost drivers, and what can be done with what we have.

The one good item coming out of the Council and Finance Committee budget hearings seems to be a consensus on truly taking some action to resolve this systemic budget problem. The Joint Budget subcommittee will be tasked with that. The Subcommittee is composed of 4 Town Councilors, 3 from the School Committee and 3 from the Finance Committee. This group has its work cut out for themselves.

They don’t need to do it alone.

An informed resident can provide input to help this subcommittee make the best decision when it comes to advising the Town Council with our budget priorities for FY 2025 and beyond.

Also on the bright side, the 9th Annual Strawberry Stroll is scheduled for downtown Franklin Friday, June 9 from 4 to 9 PM (rain date June 10). Additional info on the event can be found on the Downtown Partnership page -> https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2023/06/many-activities-and-booths-set-for-june.html 

Subscribe to Franklin.news to get the info on all these discussions and links to the budget documents, the video, and audio replays of the meetings as they progress.

Find us at www.franklin.news/ and subscribe for one email per day.

Franklin News Summary as of June 2, 2023

This was originally shared via the United Regional Chamber of Commerce weekly newsletter. Businesses should consider becoming a member -> https://unitedregionalchamber.org/

Meeting schedule reminders: Board of Health, Economic Development, & Town Council

5:00 PM - Board of Health Meeting

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/06/town-of-franklin-board-of-health-agenda.html

5:45 PM - Economic Development Subcommittee meeting

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/06/economic-development-subcommittee.html

7:00 PM - Town Council Meeting

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/06/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-for.html

Meeting schedule reminders: Board of Health, Economic Development, & Town Council

Art Association Juried Exhibit Scheduled for Strawberry Stroll Friday, June 9

The Franklin Art Association (FAA) has a juried art exhibit scheduled for the Strawberry Stroll on Friday, June 9. The exhibit will be located at Escape Into Fiction.

Shared from https://www.instagram.com/p/CtFFVeuxY6R/

Art Association Juried Exhibit Scheduled for Strawberry Stroll Friday, June 9

Franklin Police Weekly Recap - May 28 through June 3

The attached google drive link has the Weekly Recap from May 28 - June 3. 

 This recap provides some greater detail about the calls we responded to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17llFnuT2dvxLe0McJJMvBxTms5M7popq/view?usp=sharing

 

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/franklinpolice/status/1666213113467752449

Franklin Police Weekly Recap - May 28 through June 3

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Wednesday, June 7, 2023

• wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Wednesday

9:00 AM 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio/FPS Voice – Steve Sherlock
Franklin and its local government, services and events  (repeats Saturday at 9 AM)

• This slot features the School Committee Budget Subcommittee meeting held June 5, 2023 to preview the budget cuts for FY 2024   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/06/school-committee-budget-subcommittee_01761092398.html

10:00 AM 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM  The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone    All about wine, its culture, lore and finer point.

• In this episode hosts Kim Simone and Mark Lenzi explore diluting wine with soda  https://soundcloud.com/user-492543397/episode-238-diluting-wine-with-soda

11:00 AM 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock

Franklin and its local government, services and events (repeats Saturday at 3 PM)

• This slot features my conversation with School Committee member Dave Callaghan as we talk about the school budget and hard choices   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/06/school-committee-member-dave-callaghan.html

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26) = WEDNESDAY

7:30 am     It Takes A Village: Hockomock Area YMCA

8:30 am     FPAC: Broadway in Franklin 2022

10:00 am DPW Stormwater Management 03-13-23

11:30 am Cooking Thyme: Red Pepper Soup

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Meatballs

12:30 pm Sandhya: Eclairs

1:00 pm     Eat Around The World: Peru

1:30 pm     Pizzapalooza: Meat-Lovers Pt. 2

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Summer 2018 Show 2

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 9

3:30 pm     Strawberry Stroll 2022

4:00 pm Veterans' Call: Steve Crouteau

4:30 pm     FHS Senior Awards Night 2023

7:00 pm     Ben Gardner's Boat

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28) = WEDNESDAY

7:00 am     FHS Jazz Cafe 2023

8:30 am     FHS Pops Night 2023

10:00 am SAFE Coalition: Woody Geissman

11:00 am Winning Ways with the MIAA: Shaun Hart Pt 1

12:30 pm FHS Girls Varsity Lacrosse: v Bishop Guertin 05-23-23

2:30 pm     FHS Varsity Softball: v Milford 05-22-23

5:30 pm     FHS Varsity Baseball: v North Attleboro 05-16-23

9:00 pm ArtWeek: Theater in the Open

10:00 pm FHS Boys Varsity Tennis: v Mansfield 05-15-23

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29) = WEDNESDAY

8:00 am Town Council: 05-24-23

2:00 pm Town Council: 05-25-23

5:45 pm Economic Development Subcommittee: LIVE Chambers 833 4805 8388

7:00 pm Town Council: LIVE Chambers 852 6247 5989

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

Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm)

You are invited to the Sculpture Park Rededication - Traveling School of Fish - June 7 at 5 PM

You're invited to join us on the evening of Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 at 5 PM at the Franklin Sculpture Park (rain date Thursday, June 8th at 5pm). For a rededication ceremony for the Franklin Art Center installation "School of Fish". 

The public art was installed in 2014 and will now receive a refresh with the help of the Franklin Public Schools Art Director Adam Gooder, Art Teacher Caroline Whelan, Jefferson Principal Stefani Wasik and local artist Amy Adams.

The refreshed installation will be updated yearly by new students and the work will be retitled "Traveling School of Fish".

Join Jefferson students, families, faculty and more for a community celebration of art and engagement.

Event Date: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 - 5:00 PM

Shared from ->   https://www.facebook.com/groups/460474210785489/permalink/2551355905030632/?mibextid=Nif5oz

photo from 2015 of the "Art School of Fish"

School Committee Budget Subcommittee listens and clarifies details on how to balance the budget - 06/05/23 (audio)

FM #1004 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1004 in the series. 

This session shares the Franklin, MA School Committee Budget Subcommittee meeting held on Monday, June 5, 2023. The meeting was conducted in the 3rd floor training room. Remote participation was enabled for this session.  A few residents logged in to the meeting. 2 others were in the training room.

Chair Dave McNeill opened the meeting. School Committee members Dave Callaghan and Denise Spencer were present. Superintendent Lucas Giguere and Business Manager Miriam Goodman also participated.

Quick recap

• Superintendent Lucas Giguere started with a recap to set the stage for where the group was coming into the discussion tonight. He outlined the Superintendent's proposed budget, increased by the School Committee, Town allocation revealed a $2.3M shortfall ($3.4M vs. 1.1M allocation). The Town Administrator has a plan to add $700K to the schools budget which is up for approval at the Council meeting Wednesday, June 7

• Business Manager Miriam Goodman provided additional details updating from the prior working session where they had five categories of proposed cuts to bring about a balance, it was now down to three categories. 30 personnel were slotted for reduction, now with the additional funding, it will be 22 slotted for reduction ( a savings of 8 positions). 11 other involuntary transfers were made within the district to balance the staffing

• Discussion around the middle school late bus being one of the cuts. Apparently complicated by the lateness of the bus in its return run to the middle school, and apparently reducing its ridership (folks not waiting for it). Longer term, the complexity of bus schedule needs to be adjusted but for now, cutting the bus 

• Discussion on the contract requirements for teachers with more seniority and equivalent (or better) certifications to ‘bump’ those without professional teacher status (PTS). Hence, while middle school has 2 music teachers this year, next year they will still have 2 music teachers, but the people will be different than this year

• All notifications of personnel potentially affected by the reductions have been made. The final determination remains based upon the ultimate budget outcome

• Discussion on not increasing the athletic fees as that would potentially reduce the number of athletes, and thereby reduce the athletic fee revenue. Hence the decision to reduce the number of competitions for non-varsity teams along with associated other expenses to help create the amount of reduction required 

• Next step, based upon the Council decision on Wednesday, the proposal will be adjusted accordingly to bring to the full committee meeting on June 13 at which point the final budget needs to be approved and notifications confirmed for those individuals affected

The show notes contain a link to the agenda and to my notes.

The recording runs just under an hour, so let’s listen to the School Committee Budget Subcommittee meeting of June 5, 2023. Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1004-school-cmte-budget-subcmte-mtg-06-05-23

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Budget Subcommittee agenda for June 5

 https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/agenda-budgetsubcom-6-5-23.pdf 

FY 2024 Budget information -> https://www.franklinps.net/fy24budget 

Town FY 2024 budget information -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-24-budget-materials 

My notes in this ThreadReader PDF -> 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KEZdIg_g-o_U9HZ3qjeCRfKiYo5UIF-F/view?usp=drive_link 

The show notes for School Committee member Dave Callaghan’s recent interview includes links to the Town Council and Finance Committee budget hearing if you need to catch up on any of those

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/06/school-committee-member-dave-callaghan.html

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

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!

------------------

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

School Committee Budget Subcommittee listens and clarifies details on how to balance the budget - 06/05/23 (audio)

FHS baseball, softball, and boys lacrosse teams all post wins on Monday to advance in playoffs

Via HockomockSports.com and Twitter, we share the results of the spring sports competition for Franklin High School on Monday, June 5, 2023. We also provide the link to the full set of Hockomock League results below.

Baseball = Division 1 = #32 Lexington, 1 @ #1 Franklin, 5 – Final

– Franklin jumped out to an early lead and Alfred Mucciarone took care of the rest as the Panthers started their postseason run with a win over Lexington. The Panthers plated a pair in the bottom of the first inning and tacked on three more in the second inning. Mucciarone allowed just one unearned run on five hits and two walks, striking out in a complete game effort for the win. A two-out walk from Eisig Chin sparked the hosts in the first inning; Chin stole second and came home to score after a single from junior Henry Digiorgio, who made it all the way to third after an error. Ben Jarosz followed with a base hit of his own to bring Digiorgio home for an early 2-0 lead. After Mucciarone retired the side in order in the top of the second, Franklin cashed in with two outs once again in the bototm half. Rex Cinelli singled and Ryan Gerety singled, and after a wild pitch and a stolen base helped moved the runners along, Jase Lyons delivered a clutch hit with a two-run single. Chin was hit by a pitch, Digiorgio singled to load the bases, and Jarosz brought another run in with a walk. Top-seeded Franklin will host #17 Walpole on Wednesday at 7:00.

Franklin 5, Lexington 1. WP-Alfred Mucciarone (CG, 7inn, 5H, 0ER, 2BB & 10Ks). Offensively, Gerety (1-2, R,BB) Lyons (1-3,R, 2RBI) Chin (R, 2BB) DiGiorgio (2-4,R,RBI) Jarosz (1-2,2RBI, BB) Cinelli (3-3, R). Next up: MIAA Rnd 16: Wed. 6/7 Franklin (Home) vs Walpole at 7pm.

https://twitter.com/FHSCoachZBrown/status/1665901416379023367

Softball = Division 1 = #19 Franklin, 12 @ #14 Westford Academy, 2 – Final

– A six-run second inning set the tone as Franklin upset Westford Academy in convincing fashion with a 12-2 win. The Panthers had five of their 17 hits in the second inning, resulting in an early 6-0 lead over the Grey Ghosts. Reece Allen (double) and Katy Liberman (error) both came to score on a one-out double from Dana Stott, who came home to score on an RBI from Avery Chalk. Sarah Boozang delivered a big two-out single to bring another run home and Carly Johnson-Pellegri followed with a two-run home run to center to stake a 6-0 lead. Westford Academy got on the board with a run in the bottom half, and tacked on another in the third, but Franklin scored once in the fourth, pulled away with four runs in the fifth, and tacked on another insurance run in the fifth. Boozang finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and a run, Kiera Kotwicki (two runs) and Chalk (four RBI, run) each chipped in with three hits, and Allen (two doubles) and Stott (two RBI, two runs) each had two hits. Kotwicki allowed two runs (one earned) in the start, scattering six hits and one walk, striking out three in three innings. Sophia Sacramone closed the door with four scoreless innings in relief, allowing three hits and no walks while fanning five batters. #19 Franklin takes on a familiar foe in the next round as the Panthers will travel to #3 Taunton on Wednesday at 7:00.

Great way to start playoffs!! Solid 12-2 win against Westford Academy!! Not done yet! Let’s go blue!

https://twitter.com/CoachShafferFHS/status/1665858957754216449

Boys Lacrosse =  Division 1 = #29 Methuen, 0 @ #4 Franklin, 20 – Final

– Franklin came out flying in its playoff opening, finding the back of the net 13 times in the first quarter on its way to a convincing win over Methuen. Tyler Sacchetti had three goals and three assists in the Panthers’ big first period while Luke Davis scored a hat trick. Jayden Consigli (one assist) and junior Dylan McEvoy (three assists) each chipped in with a pair of goals for Franklin. #4 Franklin will host the winner of #13 Needham and #20 Natick, who are playing on Tuesday at 6:00.

Sacchetti: 3G, 3A

Davis: 3G

Consigli: 2G, 1A

O'Brien: 1G, 1A

McEvoy: 2G, 3A

https://twitter.com/FranklinHSLax/status/1665860817898594309

For other results around the Hockomock League

https://hockomocksports.com/mondays-schedule-scoreboard-06-05-23/

FHS Panthers

Tri-County RVTHS schedules Community Meeting to provide a building project update - June 15 at 6 PM

Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School

Community Meeting No. 04

June 15, 2023 at 6.00 PM

Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School 

147 Pond Street, Franklin, MA 02038

The meeting will be broadcast live to Franklin residents on Comcast channel 93, and Verizon channel 28.

Following the meeting, the recording will be accessible on www.northtv.net, and www.tri-countybuilding.com.

For any questions, please email Christina Dell Angelo cdellangelo@doreandwhittier.com

Shared from -> https://twitter.com/TriRvths/status/1665993543607894016

Tri-County RVTHS schedules Community Meeting to provide a building project update - June 15 at 6 PM

Franklin LGBTQ Alliance selling t-shirts all month long

Franklin LGBTQ Alliance will be selling our shirts all month long. Get yours early so you can wear it to Celebrate with Pride on June 25, 10-4 PM.  

You can email us at franklinlgbtqalliance@gmail.com and/or visit our table at one of the events below.  

The shirts are a $25 donation (www.givebutter.com/celebratewithpride).  

We have adult unisex, adult tapered, and kids sizes available! 

Bellforge Pride Event

Saturday, June 10, 12-7 PM

https://bellforge.org/event/pride-celebration-at-bellforge/ <-- Check out all the fun!!!

Franklin Farmers Markets

Friday, June 16, 2-6 PM

Friday, June 23, 2-6 PM

Franklin LGBTQ Alliance selling t-shirts all month long