What I've Come To Expect

I thought I'd post a couple more examples of the shoddy upkeep that the town of Franklin is seemingly fine with.

I used to call the DPW and or the Highway and Grounds Division to lodge a complaint or request issues (I guess issues to me) be addressed, e.g. tall grass, weeds and poison ivy growing out of control along the sidewalks be mowed.  Although, I would get some sort of acknowledgement to my call or email, seldom was anything ever done, at least not within a reasonable time frame.

For the longest time the above departments used COVID as an excuse to justify their incompetency and mismanagement.  However, this excuse has run it's course but the recent failures to pass (2) million dollar town overrides (in a six month period) is now their new excuse - no monies available, budgets have been cut). Town administration mismanagement at it's finest!

The first two pics below is what the elementary school a mile down the road looked like ALL summer long.  Now some might argue why bother with regular maintenance over the summer when school is not in session, however, this school was used as the hub for summer child care\summer camp called "Solutions".  Oodles of kids dropped of there each day as their parents worked, so  A LOT of traffic in and out.  Sorry, NOT sorry but this is just sloppy and sends the wrong message and reflects badly on the town and the above mentioned departments tasked with maintenance and upkeep - in my opinion anyway -

Here is one example that shows grass and weeds growing in the cracks between the street and the sidewalk, as well as the cracks that are running across the sidewalk too.  Why have sidewalks that are hazardous? Here in New England winters are tough, so in an effort to ensure the sidewalks are safe and last for years, perhaps regular maintenance is needed, like sealing the cracks to prevent water from seeping in freezing and causing frost heaves and more damage -

There are fire hydrants along this stretch that have weeds growing around them 4 and 5 feet tall, essentially hiding them.  Storm drains have weeds growing in them, as they've not been cleaned or cleared. Intersections and side roads have weeds growing so tall cars have a difficult time pulling out because they're unable to see oncoming traffic.

These issues are not just limited to my Lincoln street and the stretch I walk, rather they're ALL OVER the town and can be seen as you drive the town.

What and where is my tax money going?!  Which by the way they keep going up!  They're building like crazy in Franklin too, with MANY apartment complexes all over town.  Where is that tax money going?!

A black-eye to the town of Franklin and again an embarrassment in my opinion.