Franklin (MA) Matters

The Franklin (MA) School Committee met on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 as scheduled.  All seven newly elected members were present.Superintendent Lucas Giguere opened the meeting and after soliciting nominations for the Chair, conducted the vote to confirm Dave Callaghan as the new Chair. Superintendent then turned the meeting gavel over to Chair Callaghan.Chair Callaghan solicited nominations for a Vice-Chair and conducted the vote to confirm Dave McNeill.  No musical chairs tonight, they'll remain as seated for this session.The committee was sworn in by Franklin's Town Clerk Nancy Danello when they had gathered but just before the meeting began. The audio recording includes the swearing in while the TV video only began with the formal opening of the meeting and thus did not include this brief piece.Quick recapSuperintendent's report; full PD day on Nov 7. 56 students by this week expected across all levels; $104/day per student enrolled from the hotel environment. Coordinating with Town and local re

This session of the radio show shares my recorded conversation with Franklin School Committee member Dave Callaghan. We had our conversation in the Franklin TV & Public Radio studio on Monday, November 6, 2023. Our primary topic was a recap of the School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023.  We covered Meeting recap, superintendent's goals and District Improvement PlanComprehensive School Facilities Planning Subcommittee meetingClosing session of this termThe recording runs about 30 minutes so let’s listen to my “chalkboard chat” with Dave Callaghan.--------------Contact info for Dave Callaghan  callaghand@franklinps.net School Committee page => https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee School budget ->  https://www.franklinps.net/fy24budget Agenda doc  ->  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/scagenda_10-24-23.pdf       Meeting packet folder -> https://www.frank

This session of the radio show shares the Master Plan Update Committee meeting held on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.After an update from the subcommittee, they got into a review of the "Draft of Existing Conditions Report" which is a key data element for the report as per State master plan requirements. The actual doc runs over 175 pages.It should be available to committee members next week. The meeting lasts about 96 minutes.Agenda1. Meeting Minutes:2. Subcommittee Updates3. Update – Existing Conditions & Inventory (BETA/Barrett)4. Finalize Surveya. Deadline (30 days from launch)b. Incentives/Raffle Prizes5. Tabling and outreach for Survey6. Story Map ideasListen to the recording of the Master Plan Update Cmte meeting held on November 8, 2023. The meeting runs about 92 minutes.--------------The Master Plan update Committee page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/master-plan-update-committee Meeting agenda -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/master_plan_agenda_-november_

This session of the radio show shares the Finance Committee meeting held on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. They met as scheduled to review the adjustments to the FY 2024 budget. These adjustments are a checkpoint in the full budget process. Some assumptions made early in the process (i.e. for State funds) can now be adjusted to be more real as the State budget, still in development at the time Franklin's was developed, is now finalized. Well, almost but that is another item for another day.These adjustments are made each year before the Town Council tax classification hearing sets the rate later this month (Tues, Nov 21). The Town Administrator's memo outlined the adjustments to reduce new growth, local receipts, and among other items add $1,000 to the Disability Commission to enable the funding for the annual Disability Expo. For some unknown reason, they previously did not have a budget at all ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/11/fiscal-year-2024-fy24-budget-adjustment.htmlOne o

The Town of Franklin Biennial Election Unofficial Results as read off by Town Clerk Nancy Danello in the Franklin High School gym on Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023. A group of 40 or so candidates and their supporters were present to listen to the results.In the Town Council race, the 9 incumbents held off the one challenger. The Tri-County debt exclusion passedOnly 6200 voters cast ballots, a disappointing turnout Download a PDF of the unofficial results ->https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H_S0pqXRnVNvSGrJWWnqz6HV8M1B3tsl/view?usp=drive_linkThe “Election Collection” for 2023 -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/07/franklin-election-collection-2023.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 y

This session of the radio show shares the Town Administrator’s Report segment from the Town Council Meeting of Nov 1, 2023. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provides an update on the Migrant Housing status.  The report segment runs about 9 minutes. Let’s listen to this segment of the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, November 1, 2023--------------Town Administrator page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/administratorTown Council agenda doc ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/franklin-ma-agenda-for-town-council.htmlMigrant Housing Portal -> https://www.franklinma.gov/health-department/pages/migrant-dashboard-portal Prior updates on the Migrant Housing StatusUpdate from the Oct 18, 2023 meeting ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/town-council-segment-migrant-housing.htmlUpdate from the Oct 11, 2023 meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/town-administrators-report-migrant.html Update from Sep 20 meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/202

This session shares my conversation with Glenn Jones, incumbent candidate for Franklin MA Town Council. We had our discussion via Zoom on Sunday, October 29, 2023. We covered the standard set of questions for candidate interviews:What is your ‘Franklin story’? Tell us briefly about your road to Franklin, living & your involvement here.While the law does not require citizens to vote, voting is a very important part of any democracy. How important is it that we elect people who are active participants in the election process?What experience or background will help you to serve in this role? Or what do you bring to the table that helps to set you apart from the others?The Town Council approves the annual budget which sets the priorities for how Franklin operates. Faced with the reported fiscal challenges of the next several years, what are the financial priorities we need to address? How do you explain to the voters and residents what needs to be done?The recording runs about 30 minutes, so let’s listen

This session shares my conversation with Ted Cormier-Leger, incumbent candidate for Franklin MA Town Council. We had our discussion via Zoom on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. We covered the standard set of questions for candidate interviews:What is your ‘Franklin story’? Tell us briefly about your road to Franklin, living & your involvement here.While the law does not require citizens to vote, voting is a very important part of any democracy. How important is it that we elect people who are active participants in the election process?What experience or background will help you to serve in this role? Or what do you bring to the table that helps to set you apart from the others?The Town Council approves the annual budget which sets the priorities for how Franklin operates. Faced with the reported fiscal challenges of the next several years, what are the financial priorities we need to address? How do you explain to the voters and residents what needs to be done?The recording runs about 30 minutes, so let’s

The ribbon cutting Friday at Schmidt's Farm acknowledged the purchase of over 200 acres of open space with CPA funds. A significant accomplishment for Franklin! Town Council Chair Tom Mercer opened the brief ceremony with a few remarks. (Most were caught on the audio recording):"Good morning. Thank you for joining us on this beautiful day to recognize the Town of Franklin’s recently acquired land at Maple Hill and Schmidt Farm for the purpose of preserving open space!I would like to take this opportunity to recognize John Schmidt of Schmidt’s Farm, who worked with the Town during the acquisition of the approximately 115 acres we are standing on today. I would also like to acknowledge Kathy Dalzell who is here representing the Dalzell family. The Dalzell family generously provided the Town with 15 acres of land connecting these two parcels - a gift we were extremely grateful for. Please express our gratitude to your family, Kathy. We are very excited to celebrate this marked occasion of the purc

This session shares my conversation with Mitzi Gousie, Programming and Outreach Librarian with the Franklin Public Library. We had our discussion at the Franklin TV Studios on Monday, October 16, 2023. We talk about Library events for November 2023All agesKiddos, or “littles”TeensAdultsThe show notes include links to the Library page and to the calendar of events where registration for some of the events is required/recommended..The recording runs about 30 minutes, so let’s listen in.--------------Event highlights we covered in this conversationhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1YnsqnOtneK-Ge0MGiDUWsTyOxyV8ZWC8/view?usp=drive_link Franklin Public Library page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library Library Calendar of Events ->  http://www.eventkeeper.com/mars/xpages/F/FRANKLIN/ekp.cfm -------------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 m

This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. This is one of a series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior 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 October 18, 2023: ok, what just happened? What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?We cover the following key topics(1) Town Clerk provided updates on the upcoming Oct 24 election for the new Tri-County school building and the Biennial Town election on Nov 7. Both votes will take place at the High School. Folks can vote early in the Town Clerk's office during business hours(2) the swearing in of the new round of hires (backfill replacements) for the Police Dept. along with the introduction of Kallie Montagano who returns to the Dept in a new role as the Co-Response Program continues to grow. And last but not least, the introduction of Frankie, the depar

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" session with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen. We had our conversation in the Municipal Building on Friday, October 20, 2023.  Topics for this sessionDavis Thayer “Expression of Interest”Ribbon cutting held for Brick School Renovation, scheduled for Schmidt’s Farm purchase, Oct 27 at 11 AMLa Cantina Winery/Brewery expansion, licenses approvedSAFE Coalition update from Jen Knight-LevineMigrant housing status updateNov 7 electionThe recording runs about 40 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie on Friday, October 20, 2023--------------Town Administrator page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/administratorTalk Franklin podcast page -> https://anchor.fm/letstalkfranklin Brick School ribbon cutting photos  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/brick-school-ribbon-cutting-oct-13-2023.html Schmidt’s Farm scheduled  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/open-space-ribbon-cutting-at-schmidt.html Town Council a

This session of the radio show shares the Town Council meeting held in Council Chambers on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. All 9 members  of the Council participated, 1 remotely (Frongillo). Quick recap:(1) Town Clerk provided updates on the upcoming Oct 24 election for the new Tri-County school building and the Biennial Town election on Nov 7. Both votes will take place at the High School. Folks can vote early in the Town Clerk's office during business hours(2) the swearing in of the new round of hires (backfill replacements) for the Police Dept. along with the introduction of Kallie Montagano who returns to the Dept in a new role as the Co-Response Program continues to grow. And last but not least, the introduction of Frankie, the departments new therapy dog(3) approval of the license changes to enable Bob Vozzella to expand into his new space and operate with his farmers licenses for wine and beer(4) impactful and moving update from Jennifer Knight-Levine, CEO and cofounder of the SAFE Coalition on

This session of the radio show shares the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting held on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Chair: M Hamblen, C Frongillo (remote), P Sheridan, G JonesTown Administration: J Hellen, B TabernerBrief recapMy notes captured during the meeting:Economic development Cmte meeting about to begin, live reporting will commence with the meeting #edc10183 of the 4 members present in Chambers (Frongillo absent?)Home occupation proposal up for discussion only, no legislation drafted yet, looking to help understand the issue, pros/cons, to eventually bring something forward. Frongillo tapped in via Zoom. Follow along with agenda (link below)Bryan Taberner, Planning and Community Development, provides an overview on the home occupancy research, example of other communities; we don't have a specific bylaw for home occupancy but do have a section covering the items, and in comparison, we have what others doDiscussion around the nuances of the current regulation, most staff are happy with the c

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Ted McIntyre, Franklin resident and climate activist via the Zoom conference bridge Monday, October 16, 2023.  In this episode we cover the following topicsLegal challenges tossedInspector General editorialBrayton Point conundrumLinks to the articles we talk of are collected below.   This discussion continues our journey understanding the MA roadmap toward net zero and while it helps me “make sense of climate”, we hope it helps with your understanding as well. If you have climate questions or Franklin specific climate questions, send them in and we’ll try to answer them in a future session.  The conversation runs about 37 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Ted as we help ‘make sense of climate.’--------------Links to articles referenced:Legal challenges tossedhttps://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/legal-challenges-by-fishing-groups-to-vineyard-wind-rejected/Inspector General Editorialhttps://commonwe

This session of the radio show shares the Town Administrator’s Report segment from the Town Council Meeting of Oct 18, 2023. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provides an update on the Migrant Housing status.  The report segment runs about 14 minutes. Let’s listen to this segment of the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, October 18, 2023--------------Town Administrator page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/administratorTown Council agenda doc ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/franklin-ma-agenda-for-town-council.htmlPrior updates on the Migrant Housing StatusUpdate from the Oct 11, 2023 meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/town-administrators-report-migrant.html Update from Sep 20 meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/09/town-administrators-report-on-migrant_20.html Update from Sep 6 meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/09/town-administrators-report-on-migrant.html Notification on migrant temporary housing ->  https://

This session of the radio show shares a segment from the regularly scheduled Town Council meeting on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. The segment covers the guest presentation by Jen Knight-Levine of the SAFE Coalition. Jen, CEO and co-founder of SAFE, provides some statistics on the work being done to meet the needs of the community initially in substance abuse and mental health, and recently expanding to take a humanitarian approach to the migrant housing situation developing here in Franklin. The segment runs about 30 minutes including the Q&A with the Council members. Let’s listen to this segment of the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, October 18, 2023--------------SAFE Coalition -> https://www.safecoalitionma.org/ Town Council agenda doc ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/franklin-ma-agenda-for-town-council.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 di

This session of the radio show shares my recorded conversation with Franklin School Committee member Dave Callaghan. We had our conversation in the Franklin TV & Public Radio studio on Monday, October 16, 2023. Our primary topic was a recap of the School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, Sep 12.  We covered ECDC school improvement planJoint Budget Committee meetingTri-County election Oct 24 & Franklin Election Nov 7The recording runs about 31 minutes so let’s listen to my “chalkboard chat” with Dave Callaghan.--------------Contact info for Dave Callaghan  callaghand@franklinps.net School Committee page => https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee School budget ->  https://www.franklinps.net/fy24budget Agenda doc  ->  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/scagenda_10-10-23.pdf     Meeting packet folder -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/october-10-2023-sch

This session of the radio show shares the audio for the Davis Thayer Reuse Committee meeting held on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 in the Council Chambers. The committee discussed plans for the open house, additional advertising (use of the sign board at the school), capture ideas from visitors, etc.Members expressed interest in issuing an “Expression of Interest” to see what it could turn up and perhaps further the discussion. Would need to recommend for Council to authorize. Discussion on timing to issue in January and timed for the 100th anniversary of the building.Question raised and clarified that the deed search when the Town took possession from the School did reveal naming of the building needed to be Davis Thayer but there was no other deed restriction to the Town for anything, use etc.The recording runs about 66 minutes, so let’s listen to the Davis Thayer Reuse Committee meeting.--------------The meeting agenda -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/_2023-10-17_davis-

This session of the radio show shares the Town Council meeting held in Council Chambers on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. All 9 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers. Quick recap:Discussion: A Bylaw to Amend the Code of the Town of Franklin by Inserting Chapter 147, Snow and Ice, Removal Of  - the proposal failed to get moved to a second reading (by a 4-5 vote - 4 for, 5 against), it will go back for further work by Administration and come back for another first readingMigrant update – nothing major is newJoint Budget Subcmte Mtg• Brief update on FY 24, change in new growth coming, reduction of $250K, implications remain TBD• Schools updated some of their numbers, planning for FY 25, to include the 4 years after, due approx.. Mar/Apr; looking into comparable communities (i.e. Hockomock League)• Next Joint session in Jan 2024The recording runs 1 hour and 46 minutes. Let’s listen to the Town Council meeting on Oct 11, 2023. --------------The Franklin TV video is available for