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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Nov 25 2008, 06:50 AM
Mailbox!
That’s right!
You read that correctly.
A target on my mailbox.
There's a stretch of road south of 35th and Puetz that had been worked on by city workers off and on for what seemed like months recently. I know it was worked on in October, and I believe it carried over into November. You just never would know what day you could drive on 35th Street. Would there be a crew there? Would they be grading the road? Paving it? Working on the side of the road? Burying pipe? Finally it was finished, and the sides of the street were covered with a hay-like covering.
Yesterday it snowed and guess what...right in the area near 35th and Puetz, after being graded and having hay covering...the plows came by and tore up the area. The plows come by and already, with this slight snow storm couldn't judge where the road began and ended and tore up work that was just completed.
Which brings me to my target. Last winter, my mailbox, along with who knows how many other Franklin residents, had their mailboxes torn up on a day when it wasn't necessary to be having snow plowed and pushed back off the roads (not the first time). Was it just busy work for an overstaffed DPW? I was tempted to find out just how much taxpayer money was spent reimbursing residents for mailbox replacements, but I figured I wasn't going to waste any staff time at city hall with my request for a blog. They have better things to be doing.
So, I wonder, should I just put the target on my mailbox just to make things easier? Just to let the plows get it over with? Or will they pay closer attention this year? Time will tell.
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Nov 23 2008, 03:27 PM
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I don’t want to cut down a Franklin business, but I call them how I see ‘em.
You may drive through Taco Bell on S.76th Street in Franklin more often than actually go in if you want a quick taco or burrito for a good price. The drive thru if almost always packed with cars. Especially on a weekend. That’s how it was today at noon. The line was long so I decided to run inside.
I admit it, I’m observant in restaurants regarding service, cleanliness and management. And I watch what’s going on. My family owned a restaurant. My husband, years ago, used to travel and train and help set up restaurants. I don’t like the fact that most restaurants nowadays have seemed to skip training servers in some proper etiquette.
Back to Taco Bell. The first thing I noticed when I entered were some irritated customers waiting for their food. I wasn’t ready to order so the manager, who was taking orders at the cash register, left and went to the drive thru register and began taking orders. She handled money and then proceeded to go and handle food with her bare hands, folding it and wrapping it, and putting it in bags, and then giving it to drive thru customers and taking money. She did this several times and then came to the register to take my order.
There was one other employee that I could see, and this was a very patient guy preparing food on the line, wearing gloves. I could see no other employees in the open, back area.
The young manager, who appeared to be under a lot of pressure, but just the same was cheerful and composed, came and took my order, handled my money, and gave me change. I then asked her if she was aware that she was not supposed to be handling money and handling food? She said, “I know.”
She did not handle my food that way, but appeared to have my order rushed through. As I was eating, another customer asked for her card, and we heard him say he was going to call Taco Bell regarding a complaint.
It appeared there were two employees running a fast food restaurant that at a minimum, considering how busy they were, should have had one employee at the drive thru, one at the front register, one on the line, and another on the line/doing prep/clean-up in the back area. As I was leaving, one additional employee showed up, and before she got her coat off, and without washing hands, asked, “is everyone taken care of?”
For all of the customers of Taco Bell on S. 76th St. in Franklin who ate food that was partially prepared by hands that handled dirty money, dirty cash register keys, and by a manager who admitted, “I know,” and also proved she lacked common sense and good judgment, I hope no one gets ill. Part of the blame falls on the shoulders of the franchise owner. Hopefully this manager had called him or her saying she was in trouble, that she did not have enough employees to run the restaurant that day and had no business being open with two employees and it was a risk to the health of customers. A risk not only because of the handling of the food, but who knows what other health practices weren't being followed today due to the lack of staff? Were food temperatures being followed properly? Were food containers in the kitchen being washed and maintained, and rotated properly? Who knows?
This isn't the first restaurant I've been in where food is being handled improperly, and it won't be the last. What astounded me today was that food was handled improperly, the manager acknowledged it, and there weren't enough employees.
For a city that has recently lost several businesses, perhaps it’s time to shape up and take extra care of your customers. If you own a business, wake up.
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Nov 20 2008, 01:18 AM
At the Common Council meeting on Tuesday, the 18th Alderman Sohns brought forward some issues regarding the Environmental Commission (EC). Some of you may recall the EC was a hot topic on these blogs one year ago. That was when current Alderman Kristen Wilhelm was Chairman of the EC and the Mayor had thrown out there that perhaps it would be better if the Environmental Commission was not…maybe it would be better if it was a Committee instead. During that time, former FranklinNOW blogger, Greg Kowalski was Vice Chair of the EC, and current Common Council President, Steve Taylor was just appointed as a member of the Commission. And some in this blogging community, including myself, highly criticized the EC for “not getting anything done.”
The first time I met Kristen Wilhelm, briefly, and chatted with her one year ago, she didn't make much of an impression on me. I based my commentary back then on blog comments rather than on personal interaction. I’ve learned a lot in the past year in this blogosphere. Partly because of fellow blogger, John Michlig, who, by the way, was appointed to the Economic Development Commission Tuesday. It was his harsh criticism of me that made me actually want to go out and meet the other bloggers, and the other people I was reporting about. And it changed everything.
I now know and respect Kristen Wilhelm very much. And, now that I have seen what she can do when she isn’t forced to work while under someone’s thumb…well…The EC Kristen was trying to direct was like a horse with a broken leg…it just couldn’t go anywhere. The best thing to do was to put it out of its misery. And the EC today appears to be even worse.
And so, Alderman Wilhelm, as an inside “joke” that some readers may remember…I say to you, after your words at the Common Council meeting last Tuesday night, I think you can smile…and smile broadly. You deserve it. You can finally have your say. What will you do? Should the Mayor keep appointing Commission members who don’t even have an interest to show up to meetings? Who don’t take an interest to educate themselves on environmental issues? Why are some of these EC Commission members there? Just for Arbor Day? Or is it time to go….Maybe the city needs paid environmental consultants. Something is wrong…It really appears that the “something” is coming from the top in my view. It’s time for this Common Council to fix the problem. But once again, they appear very split.
Listen to the six-part, one hour long Podcast on my Righty Blog
Here
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Nov 3 2008, 07:00 AM
I want to speak to you today about the City Budget that the Common Council will be adopting this evening. Before I get into some proposed changes I want to talk about the budget process. First, the Mayor proposes a budget after deliberating with each department head. He then sends his budget to the Finance Committee. Each committee member is assigned a department to meet with and go over their individual budget. The Finance Committee then meets and each member presents their assigned departments budgets. Finally, the Finance Committee makes a recommendation to the Common Council.
That brings us to tonight’s meeting at 6:30 when the Common Council will hold a public hearing on the budget. As many of you know, I recently campaigned on controlling city spending. I believe the Mayor and the Finance Committee has done just that without drastically cutting essential city services. I would NOT vote for this budget if I didn’t feel that your hard earned tax dollars were being spent wisely. Real sacrifices have been made. Already three employees have been laid off and we have left open another three positions. These were three dedicated employees who gave their very best to the city and its residents. Their service to the city should be commended.
This budget has not been finalized yet. There are two aldermen, Steve Olson and Lyle Sohns, who are attempting to adversely affect the budget. Alderman Sohns is trying to eliminate $240,000 out of the budget in an attempt to save $.09 for every $1,000 of your homes assessed value. This would save me a total of $20.70. But, what would it cost me in city services you may ask? He proposes to eliminate two employees from the Department of Public Works (DPW). These are the same employees who plowed your streets this winter and worked to keep your roads in good driving condition. He wants to eliminate a part-time employee out of the City Clerks office. Has anybody been to City Hall in the past few weeks trying to vote? The Clerks office handles all of the city’s official records, complaint handling, legal notification to the public, the issuance of licenses and permits, preparation of agendas and official minutes, and administration of elections. The Clerks office is the face of the city and this proposal will hurt its effectiveness.
Here is what Steve Olson wants to do to our city services. He proposes to eliminate a plumbing inspector and an electrical inspector in an attempt to save money. Here are the facts: We will have to pay unemployment for 39 weeks to each employee. Because the other inspectors are not certified to do plumbing and electrical inspections we would have to immediately contract out most of those services. I do not see much savings there. Also, these two inspectors handle citizen complaints. Now, those complaints would have to be picked up by the other inspectors, which would drag out the compliance process. I don’t know about you but this process takes long enough as it is.
There are a few items that both are in agreement. They are focusing on a 1972 road grader in which parts for this vehicle are unavailable. In the winter this vehicle is used as a part of the DPW snow operations. In the summer it is used to grade shoulders and establish and grade roadways. The DPW is being so budget conscious that they are going to be purchasing a used road grader.
There is also the issue of public safety. I asked that $15,000 be put into the Capital Improvement Fund in order to have a study done on a tornado warning siren system. Both aldermen have said that this is not necessary and Alderman Sohns said that he would not vote for the budget with it left in the budget. We are one of the few communities in the area that does not have this system. I cannot believe our Fire Chief would support something that wasn’t a benefit to the safety of our citizens. I cannot believe that all of those other communities are wrong. If we would have has this system in June they would have gone off three times in a six-day period. I have taken your phone calls and read your emails and that is why this item is in the budget.
Finally, my friends, I want to talk about principle. In 2007 both aldermen voted for a 5.7% tax levy increase. Why was 5.7% okay last year but all of a sudden 3% isn’t? Where were they last year when residents were asking for relief? Where were they in 2005 or 2006? I guess principle now prevails. I want to point out that in 2007 Alderman Olson voted against the budget at the Finance Committee but then voted for it when it came to the Common Council. He said that he wanted to be a team player. I guess principle didn’t matter then.
I want to thank you for your time and interest in this very important subject. As always feel free to call me with any concerns that you may have no matter where you live in the city. I am listening.
Steve F Taylor
Common Council President
P.S. Please don’t forget to vote.
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Oct 24 2008, 07:25 AM
Dear Alderman Taylor,
I was wondering if you’ve noticed how bad S. 51st Street is getting lately?
It’s deteriorating so quickly, I’m hoping it doesn’t end up looking like this:
Or this......
What I really wish was, someone was doing this...so we wouldn't have to worry about it...
But my shocks are telling me differently.
Anyway...I know you are aware of the problem, and this was just some Friday fun, so a smart-assed reply would be welcomed.
Signed,
Janet Evans
District 4 Resident
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Oct 22 2008, 10:37 PM
Among issues covered at the meeting tonight, two stood out.
First, the anticipated final draft of the 2008-09 Budget. If I recall, the last figure we heard on the proposed tax levy ws 3.9% Well, it looks like the District can do better than that.
The final proposed tax levy (which still isn’t final because there are some numbers from the state that can still come in during November) is $29,461.517…down from $29, 619,004.
You can listen to my podcast for Jim Milzer’s explanation as to why there is a decrease in the levy, and why there is a possibility that it may fluctuate between 3.2% and 3.8%.
You can also review the .pdf four-page budget handout:
08-09 Budget page one
08-09 Budget page two
08-09 Budget page three
08-09 Budget page four
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other Board news….
In case you have forgotten…April is just around the corner. Remember what happens in April?
There are two seats open on the Board.
Mary Karolewicz
and
Dr. Jim Ward
You can listen to the Clerk’s election notice on the podcasts, also, at Righty Blog
HERE
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Oct 22 2008, 01:09 AM
One item of great interest on the agenda was Item G12 Authorize the Director of Administration to authorize and expend up to $7,500 for professional services to develop economic impact data relative to the Drexel Avenue Interchange.
The consensus of the Aldermen was it’s not going to happen. Oak Creek hasn’t done their share. We don’t want to spend another penny. And they at least wanted to Table the matter until further discussion in Item G16 which was closed door discussion regarding the issue, which they did and came back with a vote that they want to hear from Oak Creek regarding a 2008 resolution sent to them by Mayor Taylor.
You can listen to the very vocal podcasts of the Aldermen on my Righty Blog. I highly recommend them. Topping the list would be comments from Alderman Solomon and Alderman Taylor.
Hey, Oak Creek...are you listening?
Listen to the podcasts HERE
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Oct 16 2008, 06:40 AM
Times just keep changing regarding smoking – or nonsmoking. I still think back to my high school that had a brand new, freshly painted room with a midnight blue shag-carpet for a smoking lounge for “students,” and cigarettes were a mere .50 cents a pack…the same price as a box of Girl Scout Cookies. It was better than the stuffy lounge for teachers.
Or back in the 80s when I worked downtown at a prominent office building that had a very nice room for smokers…which came soon after smoking had been allowed at people’s desks.
Smoking is bad for everyone, but in this blog post...men, if you smoke, you should especially take note.
"Smokers not only die younger but they have a poorer quality of life than those who never smoked. Everyone knows smoking isn't good for you, but now Finnish researchers report that men who This deterioration in quality of life continues even after quitting. In fact, heavy smokers typically have the health-related quality of life of someone 10 years older than themselves, the researchers said.
"An especially large negative effect was seen for heavy smokers [more than 20 cigarettes daily], who lost about 10 years of their life expectancy, and those who survived experienced a significant decline in their quality of life," said lead researcher Dr. Arto Y. Strandberg, from the University of Helsinki.
The report was published in the Oct. 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine."
Continued HERE
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Oct 14 2008, 09:55 PM
He Has A Court Date Bright And Early
Actually, I don’t believe Mayor Taylor has to make a personal appearance.
Page 2 of 2
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The designation listed in the Race field is subjective. It is provided to the court by the agency that filed the case. |
| 2 |
Non-Court activities do not require personal court appearances. For questions regarding which court type activities require court appearances, please contact the Clerk of Circuit Court in the county where the case originated. |
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Assistant District Attorney Charges Mayor Taylor
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, Oct 11 2008, 10:33 PM
from Wikipedia
So, it took Bob Hope and Bing Crosby 22 years to complete the “Road to Singapore" (1940,) “Road to Zanzibar " (1941,) “Road to Morocco" (1942,) “Road to Utopia" (1945,) “Road to Rio” (1947,) “Road to Bali” (1952,), and “Road to Hong Kong” (1962).
That “Road To E-Government?”
Well, the September 19, 2008 Technology Commission Video/Audio Sub-Committee meeting may give you some insight as to how long that road will be until it will be completed; or maybe not. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
Here is the Agenda for the meeting.
My podcast is broken into six parts and begins as discussion started in Item III on the agenda. Also, I left the meeting at approximately 7:00 p.m., at the end of Item IV. I was informed the meeting lasted until 7:10 p.m.
You can listen to the podcasts on my Righty Blog HERE
and...
My Olympus Digital Voice Recorder $76.91
Radio Shack Microphone $12.95 (optional)
Nero digital media software $79.99
My podcasts, which help in keeping local government transparent...priceless
Signed,
Citizen Janet Evans
Oh, and to save some time, I may as well put this here…
City of Franklin Volunteer Fact Sheet
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Oct 9 2008, 07:59 PM
Part Two of the Common Council Meeting will not be an analogy on my part, and I assume all readers were able to interpret my analogy of yesterday with Item G1 since no one commented regarding it. So, good for you!! We are all on the same page.
The podcasts I have for you today, from the brief meeting are Agenda Items:
G3. Resolution supporting continued cooperation with City of Oak Creek on development of the South 27th Street Corridor and supporting development of an overall cost sharing agreement for projects impacting the entire corridor, including the Drexel Avenue Interchange.
and in the same podcast Item G4. a reading by the City Clerk of a letter regarding the Donation to the Franklin Fire Department from Mrs. Darcy McKendry in the amount of $500 for the Fire Education Fund.
Lastly, is a two-part podcast of Item G5. Request by St. James Congregation for a certified survey map for their property located at 7219 S. 27th Street to be provided by the City of Franklin.
Podcasts may be found on my Righty Blog HERE
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Related reading:
Franklin Today
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Oct 8 2008, 07:22 PM
By Janet Evans
Monday, Oct 6 2008, 06:52 PM
Oh, wait…. NO REPORT!
I went to City Hall, for the meeting that was scheduled for 6:00 p.m., as it said it was all day on the website, and still does, and the parking lot was empty at 5:50 p.m.
I checked the door…and there is a sign posted in the window….Technology Commission meeting is Cancelled.
Not the first time … I went to a sub-committee meeting a couple of weeks ago and two of the four committee members didn’t show up on time to that one…so Cancelled.
That’s alright…it’s just gas, and time….
I guess there wasn't any technology to update the website, though.
AGENDA
Technology Commission
Regular meetings of the Technology Commission are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. Meetings are held at City Hall, 9229 W. Loomis Road, in the Hearing Room.Archived Agendas and Minutes for Technology Commission Meetings
(Click here to view past years Technology Commission agendas/minutes)
2008 Meeting Dates:
| January 23, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| February 27, 2008 (Cancelled) |
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| March 26, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| April 23, 2008 (Cancelled) |
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| May 12, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| May 28, 2008 (Cancelled) |
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| June 25, 2008 (Cancelled) |
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| July 9, 2008 (Sub-Committee) |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| July 22, 2008 (Sub-Committee) |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| July 23, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| August 27, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| September 19, 2008 (Video/Audio Sub-Committee) |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| September 24, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| October 6, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| October 22, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
| November 26, 2008 |
Agenda |
Minutes |
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Oct 6 2008, 06:30 AM
The school year has been underway for a little over a month now and something has been brought to my attention. The condition of Franklin High School's athletic facilities are in rough shape. When comparing them to neighboring city's they rank near or at the bottom. A committee has been formed and I am a member of it. I am doing this because I feel there should be some city representation although I am not looking to spend any city tax dollars on new facilities. All other funding types need to be looked into.
I believe that high school athletics bring communities closer together. We all rally together and cheer on our student athletes whether they are our children or not. Please take a moment and click on the link below and fill out the survey. It will help us rank our wants and needs.
Thank you for your time and cooperation. Please let me know if you would be interested in serving on this worthwhile committee.
Steve F. Taylor
Franklin Athletic Facilities Survey ç
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Sep 30 2008, 08:22 PM
...Dazed and Confused?
Possibly like at minute five and beyond?
Nationally and locally, politically it can be a little bit confusing, don’t you think?
One minute Obama seems to be ahead in the race, he picks a VP candidate, gives a speech and literally seems on top of the world, and the next thing you know, his world seems turned upside down.
Then McCain pushes forward and things seem to be going great and now…things seem to be back to about even again.
Next, whoa…a financial crisis on Wall Street! $700 billion bailout FAILURE…
Chavez says we need a new constitution …talk about people being CONFUSED!
…and a hurricane in Canada?
Well, moving on…
Back here in Franklin we have our own problems.
The Boomgaard District issue with the 27th St. Jt. Steering Committee hasn’t been resolved, the Foxes have violations issued against them that are in limbo, the Mayor has been issued charges against him for election violations... fee waivers were voted out and then that was vetoed by the Mayor…and Don Dorsan, “President of the Franklin Cultural Arts Center,” seems to have come out of nowhere all of a sudden on a freaking mission just because the world does not revolve in the same direction as he does when it comes to fee waivers.
Well, fee waivers do not mean that people don’t support the actual cause. All anyone has to do is let me know about a cause and as long as I’m on the same page with it, I’ve got no problem supporting it on my blog…I’ve been glad to do that in the past. I’ve done it with actual posts and for an entire month on my side bar. Some people are obviously selective readers of the blogs, and that’s fine. Anyone who knows anything about me knows I support volunteerism and charities.
I don’t know if Don went to Marjorie for help, or if Marjorie went to Don and asked if she could help…after seeing Bryan’s post today. But I have to say, Bryan’s right on in my opinion.
What’ up, Don? Are you going after any corporate sponsors? Or are you just aiming for some bake sales? $20 million? And you’re worrying about fee waivers and commenting on blogs? Maybe you should be concentrating on writing letters for donations.
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Sep 28 2008, 08:15 AM
I attended the Franklin School Board meeting on September 24th. I’ll be reporting on this meeting in several blogs because I want to tell you about an Assessment Report, and I want to do a podcast on that and haven’t put that together yet. It’s going to be a very long podcast, but I’ve mentioned the program, MAP, in the past, and I think it might be time for it to be explained since it is going to be an important part of the District.
In this post I want to let you know, that the Board adopted a new set of Goals. In essence, it appears they reviewed the old goals and revamped them, breaking them down into points. What I think would have been beneficial would have been taking the old goals, and pointing out which ones have actually been met. Because they have removed the old Goals from the website and changed the format, we have no way of knowing what they have accomplished.
I do have one goal that I did save, that we can compare; it's at the bottom of the post.
Here are the new Goals. I believe there will be some comment about some of them. While you read them over, I think I'll take a little "retreat."
Franklin Public School Goals
The Board of Education for the Franklin Public Schools has established the following goals for the district. The board recognizes that none of these goals will be completely achieved in the short term, but it intends to hold itself and the district’s administrative team accountable for significant progress in all of these areas.
Student Achievement
We will increase academic achievement for all students while recognizing the diverse needs of our students.In order to accomplish this goal, we will:
- Support effective curriculum and professional development.
- Employ MAPS testing in the district.
- Encourage the appropriate use of technology in our curriculum.
- Provide assistance to struggling students.
- Understand how we measure the success of our programs.
- Determine if our graduates are prepared for school/careers beyond high school.
- Prepare students for the jobs of the future.
- Encourage creativity.
- Consider the whole child in our curriculum.
- Employ MAPS testing in the district.
- Encourage the appropriate use of technology in our curriculum.
- Provide assistance to struggling students.
- Understand how we measure the success of our programs.
- Determine if our graduates are prepared for school/careers beyond high
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