Memorial Day: honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military

Framingham will begin its Memorial Day observances at 11 a.m. Monday, May 25, with a program on the steps of the Memorial Building, 150 Concord Street, according to an announcement on the town’s website. On the agenda is the presentation of medals to the families of three late World War II veterans, Bernard Sullivan, Wilfred Mitchel, and Francis Moran; the latter two were killed in action while flying combat missions over Italy. Guest speakers will include state Representative Katherine Clark, and two Army captains, Douglas and Alissa Morrison.

Parents speak about the need for a safe dedicated skatepark

Jayden of Nobscott with mother and sister

From Heather Bachman ...
     "I am so encouraged to read that the need for a skate park in Framingham is a budding conversation! I live in Nobscott, and have a 12 (well, nearly 13) year old skateboarding son. He began skating when we lived in Atlanta at 4 years old. There were many, lovely public skate parks which we used to enjoy going to on the week ends along with a picnic. It became something of a "family" outing ritual. I loved seeing older kids helping him learn to skate and the "etiquette" of skating. It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet other parents, and enjoy conversation while our children of all ages, races and genders were being active!

My son, Jayden has now gotten a few of his friends here interested in skating and ironically just came to me last Friday to inform me that they want to do what's necessary to fund-raise monies to build a park here in Framingham. They had the thought of the former grocery in Nobscott plaza being transformed into an indoor park. They did have a point of utilizing "dead" space.

I would be happy to be involved in spearheading an effort to make, what sounds to be, many of our young residents dreams a reality. Anyone care to join?"


From  Katherine Lopez ...

Samuel, a young skateboarder
and student at Cameron School

"I recently became aware that there is a movement to have a Skatepark in Framingham. As a parent of an eleven year-old boarder, I was thrilled and eager to help this idea become a reality. As a skateboarder in Framingham, it is hard to practice your craft (die-hard skateboarders will say it is an art as well as an emerging sport) when there are no safe arenas to do so. For me to support my son in his endeavors, we must travel at least one-half hour to Acton, Hopkinton, Hudson, Sherborn or Waltham to find an outdoor park. This takes time and money (gasoline, food and drink for the boarder) that we would prefer to put into OUR community.

My son is not a football, soccer, basketball or baseball player. I have no doubt he could be good at any of these as he is a wonderful athlete. He chooses,

Possible Skatepark at Butterworth Park?

Improvements of conservation land at Cedar Woods approved by Town Meeting

Destruction of wetland setbacks at Cedar Woods (above) will be a thing of the past. Town Meeting approved monies for cleaning and protecting Cedar Woods for future walking trail.

Waverly Street gateway to Downtown Framingham: Sale of Silton Glass property and land swap offer great opportunities

Building suggestion at Waverly and Mellen Streets / George Lewis

Silton Glass at Waverly and Mellen Streets

Idea for the Waverly Street entrance to Cedar Woods Conservation Trail / George Lewis

Proposed landscaped entrance to Cedar Woods Conservation Trail is highlighted.
 Frontage of parking lots on Waverly Street should include trees and shrubs.

Voting and demographics: A point of view from 2005

NOTE: Although this news article was published in 2005, the subjects are very much current. Recently, there have been discussions regarding this year's very low voter turnout and disparity of citizen participation. Read for yourself and decide if the views in 2005 are the same today.

Was the political deck stacked against a new library in Framingham?
by Ray Hainer, Commonwealth Magazine, April 1, 2005

Route 9 slices the state’s biggest town almost perfectly in two, and the two halves have come to resemble each other less and less. If you live on the north side, chances are that you make more money than the average resident on the south side. You’re also more likely to own your home and have a college degree. And you’re far more likely to be a white Anglo, as Framingham’s growing immigrant population, most notably Brazilian, is concentrated in the town’s southernmost neighborhoods. Framingham residents may not think about the schism on a daily basis, but this geographical division may have cost the town $1.65 million in state aid, earmarked for the rebuilding of the McAuliffe branch library on the north side. At a special town meeting in March, library proponents won 95-51, but with a turnout of 150, that was five votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to move the project ahead—and the lack of support from south side representatives proved to be fatal.

Is Framingham Headed for Disaster?

Comments by Deborah Butler, TMM Precinct 7 

Eurie A. Stamps, Sr.

Listening to the plans for discretionary construction projects, as they are described to the Board of Selectmen and various committees, gives me an uncomfortable feeling like we’re arranging chairs on the Titanic! While I’m not advocating austerity budgeting I wonder if the Estate of Eurie A. Stamps, Sr. v. Town of Framingham case in Federal Court could leave the Town reeling to the likes of which we haven’t seen since the $1M SMOC settlement. Attached (below) is Judge Saylor’s summary judgment memorandum and order affirming two of the ten counts in the original complaint that causes me this angst. I’ve yet to hear a word from the CFO or Town Manager about the wisdom of curbing multi-million dollar projects such as Loring Arena and the Athenaeum until the Stamps case is resolved and the financial implications, if any, are known. Given the $1.6M gap in the school budget and a pending tax override vote can we really afford to continue down this path?

Click on photo to read document

Flashback to a health issue

July 2, 2011: Business owner says messy conditions don't affect the quality of his work. The mess, he said, doesn't get in the way of him making a good product. What was it that caused an uproar?

Experiences of dual property tax rates in Worcester

Revaluation Results Lead To Questions About Process
Worcester Business Journal, May 29, 2012

For cities like Worcester, Fitchburg and Marlborough, with dual property tax rates, the triennial state-required property revaluation can get complicated, as evidenced by the recent uproar over Worcester's latest assessments, which more than doubled the values of some commercial and industrial properties over 2011.

“I can tell you that the feedback from our clients is really of shock. Most of them are completely shocked and confused, and it's really a tough blow to landlords that have been really struggling for the past five years,” said Matthew J. Mayrand, vice president of real estate brokerage firm Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates Inc. of Worcester. “I think there's almost a perception that you're dealing with all these extremely wealthy business owners and in many cases, it's small businesses that are struggling.”

Marathon 2015: Enjoy but be wise

Get on board. The 2015 Boston Marathon is passing through Framingham on April 20.

Join the fun, but be mindful of guidelines set by the Department of Home Security's "If you SEE Something, SAY Something" national campaign while attending the Marathon race this year. Spectators are being asked for their cooperation in following reasonable and common sense guidelines that will help ensure the safety and security of participants, volunteers and spectators.

Antique postcard (c: 1910) and Marathon runners (2013) composite

Spectators intending on watching the 2015 Boston Marathon from anywhere along the 26.2 mile course should expect a significant presence of uniformed and plain clothed police officers. Spectators approaching viewing areas on the course, or in viewing areas on the course, may be asked to pass through security checkpoints, and law enforcement officers or contracted private security personnel may ask to inspect bags and other items being carried. To avoid delays, spectators are encouraged not to carry any of the items listed below.

Cedar Woods: Recent photographs

http://framinghammatters.blogspot.com/2014/09/eye-towards-cedar-woods-trail.html

Decayed tree trunks are natural safe havens for birds and small animals

Signs of spring when Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) flowers start to make an
appearance. The insects that pollinate it are attracted by its odor,
which resembles decaying flesh.

Hoarding in a New Age

Drowning in Email, Photos, Files? Hoarding Goes Digital
by Melinda Beck,  from Wall Street Journal 

Digital hoarding is a huge problem. There is so much available storage, we don't have to make decisions anymore. The problem isn't that it slows down your computer—it slows down your brain,"

since each of those photos, links and folders demands some mental energy.
 

Of course, plenty of people manage to keep vast collections of emails, files and digital media organized and accessible, cutting down on physical clutter in their lives. Kathy Riemer, a communications consultant in Chicago, says her "digital retentiveness"—including 2,400 Word documents and 39,575 business emails, divided into 69 file groups—enhances her productivity and gives her peace of mind. "Saving it all helps me avoid recreating an already-built wheel and enables me to provide historic context for long-term projects," she says.

There isn't a set number of emails in an inbox or photos saved that defines a hoarder. Accumulating crosses the line into hoarding, experts say, when it is disorganized and dysfunctional and gets in the way of other relationships and responsibilities.

Framingham Taxpayers Association holds well-attended event

(Information about Saturday's Framingham Taxpayers Association meeting at Heritage House to come)

Take The Needle Out Of Our Vein

"There's no crisis in Framingham", at least in taxes, according to comments said to be made by some Town insiders. Indeed, property taxes will be remain relatively stable, so say reports attributed to officials in the Administration. But, to the rank and file of taxpayers, it would be most wise for them to remember the biblical story of Joseph in ancient Egypt, and its warnings about how to prepare for problems in the immediate future.

Larry Schmeidler,
Pct 4, FTPA Board Member

The Framingham Taxpayers Association (FTPA) will once again play Joseph -- as it did in 2012 -- basing its statistical analyses on data provided in budget and tax projections, benchmarking of other towns and cities, corrective action taken by Worcester in eliminating manual overrides (special discounts), to name just a few elements. This effort will not be just a one-shot deal. It will be carried over into the Annual Town Meeting, a planned Special Town Meeting, and a possible town-wide referendum on an issue, if necessary.

It will also and hopefully be carried forward on social electronic media -- YouTube, Facebook, Twitter; blogs, and other electronic media -- so that the average taxpayers can ask questions and have a say on how their money is spent. News and commentary will thus not be "managed" in the traditional manner.

Promising news for a skatepark

At last night's meeting of the Standing Committee on Ways and Means, Judith Grove, Town Meeting member, Precinct 15 Chair and a member of Ways and Means, presented a Town Meeting Article of the Skatepark.  The slide presentation provided a great amount of researched information and statistics. Mrs. Grove expects the Skatepark to cost $350,000 with the Town providing $175,000 and Framingham Skateboard Committee raising $175,000.