A message from your Town Clerk's Office,

There will be a Special Election held on June 11, 2024 at the Franklin High School from 6 AM to 8 PM. Absentee/Early Voting is being held now in the Town Clerk's Office during regular business hours.

Call 508-520-4900 with any questions regarding the Special Election.

This session shares my conversation with Town Councilor Ted Cormier-Leger. We had our discussion in person at the Franklin TV & Radio studios on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

We talk about

• The schools’ redistricting proposal
• Davis Thayer and ‘Expression of Interest’ proposals due at end of May
• Social media not the proper place for accurate info or civil discourse
• Unfortunate timing of multiple events coming together
• Budget & the override scheduled for June 11
• Affordable housing and the real estate market

The recording runs about 48 minutes, so let’s listen in.

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Contact info for Ted Cormier-Leger -> tcormierleger@franklinma.gov

Town Council page => https://www.franklinma.gov/town-council

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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!

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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"

This session shares my conversation with Jeff Nutting, former Franklin Town Administrator and now retired. Or really, having fun while ‘failing at retiring.’ We had our discussion at the Franklin TV Studios on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. He is keeping busy with interesting temporary municipal positions in a variety of communities.

We talk about

● His insights on the current Franklin situation

○ School redistricting plan

○ Override vote scheduled for June 11

○ Riding with Phat Tuesday in prep for his 18th Pan Mass Challenge

○ Various volunteer efforts

The recording runs about 47 minutes, so let’s listen in.

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Jeff Nutting’s PMC fundraising page -> www.pmc.org/jn0077

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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"

This session shares my conversation with School Committee Chairperson Dave Callaghan. This is a new episode of our continuing “Chalkboard Chat” series. We had our discussion via the Zoom conference bridge on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

We talk about

• The redistricting proposal scheduled for May 14 vote
• The school budget & the override scheduled for June 11

And we close with a recognition of mothers on this Mother’s Day weekend.

The recording runs about 30 minutes, so let’s listen in.

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Contact info for Dave Callaghan -> callaghand@franklinps.net

School Committee page => https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee

School budget -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/pages/1-fy2025-budget

Redistricting page -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/comprehensive-school-facilities-assessment

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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"

This session of the radio show shares the Franklin, MA Finance Committee budget hearing, the second of 3 sessions conducted on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The 3rd session is scheduled for May 15, 2024. Then the Town Council does their budget hearing over 2 nights, May 22 & May 23.

The departmental budgets covered were:

• Public Safety:
• 210 Police Department
• 220 Fire Department
• 225 Regional Dispatch
• 240 Inspection Department
• 292 Animal Control
• b. Department of Public Works (DPW):
• Departments: 422 Public Works
• Enterprise Funds:
• 450 Water
• 440 Sewer
• 434 Solid Waste
• 460 Stormwater

The meeting runs about 1 and 20 minutes. Let’s listen to the second of 3 budget hearings.

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The Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/live/kRJStUo28Q8?si=YQQ8EPTnnAz3XMJe&t=61

The agenda doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/_2024-05-08_finance_committee_agenda_.pdf

Follow along with the budget voting doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/fy25_ta_budget_book_v2.pdf

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

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 www.franklin.news/ or www.Franklinmatters.org/

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"

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 Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

We talk about

• Reviewed the regular open hours, and month ending holiday times
• Library events for May 2024
• Special events
• Kiddos, or “littles”
• Family
• Adults

The 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 20 minutes, so let’s listen in.

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Mitzi Gousie’s email -> mgousie@minlib.net

Franklin Public Library page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library

May Newsletter -> https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/news/may-2024-franklin-library-news-events

Library Calendar of Events -> http://www.eventkeeper.com/mars/xpages/F/FRANKLIN/ekp.cfm

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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"

This session of the radio show shares the Franklin, MA Finance Committee budget hearing, the first of 3 sessions conducted on Monday, May 6, 2024. The 2nd session is scheduled for May 8, the 3rd and final session scheduled for May 15, 2024. Then the Town Council does their budget hearing over 2 nights, May 22 & May 23.

Quick recap:

• minutes of the April meeting moved to May 15 meeting for approval
• discussion on the override and pledge doc, led to approval by 8-0-1 (1 absent, Grace) vote via roll call
• Committee then proceeded line by line through the departments, some questions raised, answered, some departments not questioned (Recreation for example touted as a 'net zero,' everything they are allocated for they return in fees raised)
• discussion on net school spending, how some budget expenses are on the Town side, some on the school side, all does get rolled up into net school spending annually by DESE with reporting from Town and School. The FY 2023 net school spending report coincidentally I had downloaded in answer to a question last week. The link is provided below

The conversation runs about 2 and a quarter hours. Let’s listen to the first of 3 budget hearings.

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The Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gUpsku8VOg

The agenda doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/fin_com_agenda_may_6.pdf

Follow along with the budget voting doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/fy25_ta_budget_book_v2.pdf

My notes captured in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xUBq2dVYhvNtq8VA3dREQESDo3U4awWM/view?usp=drive_link

The net school spending report for Franklin (so yes this does include charter school students) -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-flBF-M1oNTIzcOTMjc7CDmYR9QEkWt2/view?usp=drive_link

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

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 www.franklin.news/ or www.Franklinmatters.org/

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...

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Ted McIntyre, Franklin resident and climate activist. We met to record in the Franklin TV & Public Radio studio on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

We continued making sense of climate by working through a listing of article links accumulated since we had last talked. The links are included in one PDF shared 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 44 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Ted.

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** See the page that collects all the “Making Sense of Climate” episodes -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/02/making-sense-of-climate-collection.html

Links for our discussion in one PDF doc -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GNwjgXLcm3N3nmkjgApehEq0nITcRvz-/view?usp=drive_link

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

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 www.franklin.news/ or www.Franklinmatters.org/

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"