Franklin (MA) Matters

This session of the radio show shares the Town Council meeting held in Council Chambers on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. All 9 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers.Quick recap:RecognitionElectric Youth 2023 were recognized with a proclamation and provided  song for the Council (and audience). They have a pair of 'Bob Voyage' concerts June 16 & 17 at THE BLACK BOX and then leave on their European tour the week afterAppointmentsThe Annual Reappointments of Boards and Committees was approved, there are a few positions still open, some are in process of being filled, some are still looking for candidatesDavis-Thayer Building Reuse Advisory Committee recommendations by year endPublic hearingsLicense corporate formalitiesZoning Bylaw for Accessory Dwelling unitsThe set of zoning bylaws was moved to a second reading with modification to one of the three measures in the set of three. There are three as one covers the bylaw language, one covers the definition, and one covers the use table. T

This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer in our Town Council Quarterbacking session. This is one of the series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior night’s Town Council meeting. Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England, this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting of June 7, 2023: ok, what just happened? What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?We cover the following key topicsPROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS Recognition: Electric YouthAPPOINTMENTS Annual Reappointments of Boards and Committees - a few positions still open Davis-Thayer Building Reuse Advisory Committee - recommendations by year endPublic hearings License corporate formalities Zoning Bylaw for Accessory Dwelling unitsFY 2024 Budget - Additional $736K for school budget Resolution 23-39: FY2024 Budget Adjustment  Resolution 23-40: MECC Stabilization Account Transfer to MECC Appropriation FY24&nb

This session of the radio show shares the audio recording of the Economic Development Subcommittee held on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 in the Council Chambers with all 4 members participating in the Council Chambers.Quick recap:Nu-Style property now has $600K from two sources; $100K from ARPA funds, and a new grant received for $500K. Thanks to Brian Taberner who has continued to write for grants for this brownfield project and persisted in that effortGeneral residential zoning changes initially proposed to increase the impervious coverage for the property and for the property plus parking would be increased as well as reducing the setbacks required for multi-family Discussion around what percent the amounts should be, was currently, initially proposed to increase to 35, 45. Amendment to change to 50, 60, second; after discussion amendment revised to be 45,55, seconded, passes 3-1 (Jones no)Recommendations as amended to move to the Council, passes unanimous 4-0Cannabis overlay district; this is literall

This session of the radio show shares the Town of Franklin Board of Health Meeting held on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. All three board members participated; Harris & Cochrane (in person), Chair Sweet (remote). Health Dept staff present were in the 3rd floor training room. Quick Recap:Vice Chair Tim Cochrane opens meeting with roll call of participants all in person; motion to approve minutes of May, second, passes 3-0Shaw’s/ AFC sushi issue addressed first; during regular inspection on Monday, it was revealed that testing of the rice was not being done, the individual couldn’t find the meter to perform the testing; operations were shut down. One Shaw’s rep, and one AFC rep participated in meeting; discussed steps taken to address issue, meter was on site apparently individual in question wasn’t aware of the location; 2 individuals to be staffed going forward, more oversight from Shaw’s to ensure AFC compliance with testing; assuming this is in place, the Board ok’s approval to re-open ThursdayPicked up

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.Note: the twice monthly Design Review meetings are usually

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.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 recapSuperintendent 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 7Business Manager Miriam Goodman provided additional details updating from the prior working session where they had five categories o

This session of the radio show shares my recorded conversation with Franklin School Committee member Dave Callaghan. We had our conversation in person in the Franklin TV Studio on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Our primary topic was the school budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 2024). The Finance Committee meetings are done, the Town Council held their budget hearings and approved the budget. Coming up at the June 7 are a couple of resolutions to add another approx. $700K to the schools budget. This still leaves the School budget short of what they were asking for and hard choices remain.One bright spot coming out of the hearing is that there appears to be agreement on trying to do something to address the systemic issues in the school and town budget.The recording runs about 40 minutes so let’s listen to my conversation with Dave Callaghan.--------------School Committee page => https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee School budget ->  https://www.franklinps.net/fy24budget Town A

This session of Franklin Matters Radio shares the audio of the Favorite Poem Project Reading held in the Franklin Public Library on Saturday, April 29, 2023. This was the second poetry event at the library for April’s Poetry Month.Each reader introduces themself, announces the poem and author, and briefly why it is their favorite (or among their favorite).The reading runs about 30 minutes. —------------Thanks to Camille Bernstein and Jamele Adams for conducting the workshop at the first April event.Thanks to all the poetry readers who stepped up to share. --------------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 neighborsIf you don't like something here, please let me knowThrough this feedback l

This session of the radio show shares the audio of the Town of Franklin Memorial Day ceremony held on the Town Common at the end of the parade on Monday, May 29, 2023. The day was gloriously sunny, with a gentle breeze. The crowd was mostly finding shade and in good voice when required.Veterans Service Officer Shannon Nisbett is the master of ceremonies and introduces each speaker. A copy of the program in PDF form is listed below.The ceremony runs about 40 minutes. --------------The Memorial Day Program (PDF) ->https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-a7EJgglakr-QIkNJT0fzcZobhu2Fukc/view?usp=drive_link My photos (for both the parade & ceremony) are found in one album -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/bWv3d6SUt3o7ZPk59 --------------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 ca

This session of the radio show shares the Town Council meeting held in Council Chambers on Thursday, May 25, 2023. All 9 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers.Quick recapPolice to add to their staff to alleviate a scheduling issue that should help reduce the overtime cost and help moral by reducing the amount of forced overtimeFire to add to their staff to help provide a third ambulance for coverage during four days of peak call volume. The staff increase is partially offset by additional ambulance revenuesSenior Center gets approval for a van driver for half the year as a step towards full time Town administration gets approval for a shift from an assistant town administrator to a Deputy Administrator along with a half year funding for an Arts & Culture DirectorThe Franklin school budget gets an increase of approximately $700K over the $1.1m initially allocated. These funds will be part of a two resolution vote being scheduled for the June 7 Council meeting. 24 school personnel

This session of the radio show shares the first of two FY 2024 budget hearings held by the Town Council in Council Chambers on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. All 9 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers.The recording of the first session is split into two parts. The total meeting runs 4 hours and 50 minutes. Part 1 has the opening of the meeting and the first bunch of departments held. Part 2 has the Franklin School budget and citizen commentsThe budget hearing was continued to Thursday night, resuming at 7 PM. That recording runs almost 4 hours and will be shared in one session.Part 1 - Town Administrator overview, budgets held for Town Council, Town Administration, Comptroller, Treasurer/Collector, Town Clerk, Facilities, Police, Fire, and Inspection** Part 2 ** Public schools and citizen comments advocating for the school budget--------------The full agenda and documents associated with it can be found online ->    https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyh

This session of the radio show shares the first of two FY 2024 budget hearings held by the Town Council in Council Chambers on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. All 9 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers.The recording of the first session is split into two parts. The total meeting runs 4 hours and 50 minutes. Part 1 has the opening of the meeting and the first bunch of departments held. Part 2 has the Franklin School budget and citizen commentsThe budget hearing was continued to Thursday night, resuming at 7 PM. That recording runs almost 4 hours and will be shared in one session.** Part 1 ** Town Administrator overview, budgets held for Town Council, Town Administration, Comptroller, Treasurer/Collector, Town Clerk, Facilities, Police, Fire, and InspectionPart 2 - Public schools and citizen comments advocating for the school budget--------------The full agenda and documents associated with it can be found online ->    https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vy

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" session with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen. We had our conversation via Zoom on Thursday, May 11, 2023.  Topics for this sessionBudget season  FY 2024Finance Committee budget hearings held May 8, 10, & 11Town Council hearings scheduled for May 24 & 25Quality of lifeTown role vs community role for “O” (override) wordThe recording runs about 27 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie on Thursday, May 11, 2023--------------Town FY 2024 budget page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-24-budget-materials Town Administrator page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/administratorTalk Franklin podcast page -> https://anchor.fm/letstalkfranklin --------------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

This session of the radio show shares the Finance Committee meeting and last of three budget hearings for the FY 2024 budget year. The meeting was held on Thursday, May 11, 2023. Eight members of the Finance Committee participated (1 absent - Koke); 6 present in the Council Chambers, 2 remote. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, Comptroller Chris Sandini, Treasurer/Collector Kerri Bertone. Quick recap:Police Chief TJ Lynch lays out the case for adding four officers to the total to address systemic issues with the schedule and to reduce overtime that results from itIdeally, he would add a minimum of 2 more (to remove the ‘bad’ shift remaining), along with 2 more dedicated to traffic control Fire Chief James McLaughlin makes the case for adding 2, 1 EMS Captain, and 1 firefighter/paramedic. This would be an interim step towards enabling a 3rd ambulance. Calls for 2022 exceeded 5,000 for the first time, 2023 on pace to exceed that total. 44% of the calls result in a patient transport to the hospital.

This session of the radio show shares the Finance Committee meeting and second of three budget hearings for the FY 2024 budget year. The meeting was held on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. All 9 members of the Finance Committee participated; 7 present in the Council Chambers, 2 remote. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, Comptroller Chris Sandini, Treasurer/Collector Kerri Bertone. Norfolk Agriculture & Tri-County covered their budgets and answered questions followed by the Franklin School budget. Quick recap:John Martin, Superintendent Norfolk Aggie; John Wallace, Business Manager, Norfolk AggieNorfolk Aggie, 365 acres, inc in 1916 first campus in Weymouth #fincom0510 four courses of study, explore frosh and soph year then choose major for junior and senior studies Animal science is the most popular of the four studies, about 560 total, 16 students from Franklin this year, 3 seniors, applications are open for next year40 students from Boston making it the largest sending community. There is demand f

This session of the radio show shares the Franklin, MA School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: all of the School Committee members, school district personnel along with some of the public in the Council Chambers. Some members of the public participated via Zoom conference bridge.Quick recap:The School Committee met on Tuesday night at their regular meeting. They heard an update from the Keller Elementary School, an update on the District Improvement Plan, and voted 6-1 on an amendment to the original motion, to effectively do nothing for redistricting. The 6 votes all talked of the need for the master facility plan, but although that was included in the original proposal before them, the minor adjustment now was passed on in favor of doing nothing. The entered Executive Session and did return to approve a contract reached with ESP/LPN bargaining unit before closing out the full meetingLinks to the meeting agenda and associated documents rel

This session of the radio show shares the opening 35 minutes or so for the Finance Committee meeting (and first of three budget hearings for the FY 2024 budget year). The meeting was held on Monday, May 8, 2023. Quick recap:The first 35 minutes or so are a “must listen” for any Franklinite to understand the scope of the revenue and cost drivers for the FY 2024 budgetTown administrator Jamie Hellen walks through the revenue and cost drivers for the budget effectively in 35 minutes or so The “must listen” recording runs 37 minutes, so let’s listen to the Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provide the intro to the FY 2024 budget discussions at the Finance Committee meeting May 8, 2023.--------------Meeting agenda document ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/may_8_fin_com_agenda_0.pdf FY 2024 budget information -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-24-budget-materials My notes ->   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y71rUvK3Sdu79B7D

This session of the radio show shares the Finance Committee meeting and first of three budget hearings for the FY 2024 budget year. The meeting was held on Monday, May 8, 2023. Eight members of the Finance Committee participated (1 absent - Hansen); 6 present in the Council Chambers, 2 remote. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, Comptroller Chris Sandini, Treasurer/Collector Kerri Bertone and all the department heads except for those associated with public safety (police, fire dispatch, & inspection) scheduled for Thursday (5/11). Quick recap:The first 35 minutes or so are a “must listen” for any Franklinite to understand the scope of the revenue and cost drivers for the Fy 2024 budgetThat segment will be made available separately just because it is such a good summary, it should not get forgotten or lost in any other shuffleMany interesting tidbits of info along the way from this or that departmentThe meeting recording runs 2 hours and 5 minutes, so let’s listen to the Finance Committee meeting Ma

This session of the radio show shares the Town Council meeting held in Council Chambers on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. All 9 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers.Quick recapAll alcohol license approved for Sierra's Brick Oven PizzaCorporate record license changes for both Longhorn Restaurant and the 99 Restaurant were approvedFinancial Audit report for FY 2022 reveals a clean report, no actions, no management letter, the Town maintains their AAA rating statusPresentation from the Charles River Pollution Control DistrictUpdate on the long awaited Beaver St interceptor, bids came in below expectations, sewer rates will rise and remain to pay for the 20 year borrowing costs of this major infrastructure projectPFAS regulation increases proposed by EPA can cost us significantly. Well 7 is currently offline, more wells may be in jeopardy of shutdown due to increased monitoring. Yet, PFAS is still being made, is a forever chemical and is major concern for future water supply quality and cost th

This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer in our Town Council Quarterbacking session. This is one of the series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior night’s Town Council meeting. Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England, this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting of May 3, 2023: ok, what just happened? What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?We cover the following key topics7. LICENSE TRANSACTIONSa. New Section 12 Restaurant Common Victualer All Alcohol License and Approval of Katrina Psikarakis as the Manager - Here Come Two Greeks, LLC d/b/a Sierra’s Brick Oven Pizza & Pub, Located at 370 King Street   b. License Modification - Change of Manager: Rare Hospitality International, Inc. d/b/a Longhorn Steakhouse; Located at 250 Franklin Village Drive, Franklin, MA 02038   c. License Modification - Change of Officers/Directors/