Lt Gov Polito visits Franklin to announce $2.2 Million MassWorks Award (audio)

Today, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito was joined by state and local officials to announce a $2.22 million MassWorks Infrastructure Program award for intersection and roadway improvements along Grove Street.  The improvements will support a local throughway that connects multiple Economic Opportunity Areas and will also support ongoing and future commercial development along the corridor, including a new $20 million industrial warehouse recently completed and leased to UPS.
 
“We are pleased to be able to offer critical support for Franklin’s efforts to make intersection improvements at this key location, which will unlock even more economic development opportunities in the future,” said Governor Charlie Baker.  “Congratulations to Franklin for their work in addressing this important need and for their forward-looking approach to future growth.”
 
“Thanks to infrastructure investments like this, our Administration can support communities’ efforts to advance locally-driven economic development plans,” said Lt. Governor Polito.  “As Franklin demonstrates, leveraging the MassWorks program for public infrastructure upgrades is critical to attracting high-impact projects that bring in private investment and also create jobs.”
 

Lt. Governor Polito

Franklin’s project leverages $650,000 in local and private funds and will provide immediate access and transportation benefits for a newly constructed $20 million warehouse at 206 Grove Street.  The 150,000-square-foot building was recently leased to UPS and is expected to generate 70 permanent jobs at full use. 
 
Franklin’s project is phase one of a local infrastructure improvement program aimed at stimulating new growth in the Grove Street corridor.  The MassWorks grant will fund public improvements including more than 6,000 linear feet of sidewalk, curbing, and road rehabilitation, as well as a new traffic signal at the intersection of Grove Street and Washington Street.  The improvements will support development opportunities for more than 30 properties zoned for industrial uses, several of which are undeveloped or underutilized.
 
MassWorks is a competitive program that offers cities and towns flexible capital funding to support and accelerate housing production and job growth and is the largest program in Community One Stop for Growth, a single application portal and collaborative review process for grant programs launched in January 2021 to make targeted investments based on a development continuum.
 
With the addition of this year’s round, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded 326 MassWorks grants to 181 communities and has invested over $608 million in public infrastructure projects throughout the Commonwealth. These grants have directly supported the creation of 21,000 new housing units and tens of thousands of new construction and permanent jobs, while also leveraging over $13 billion in private investment. 

Including MassWorks grants, the Community One Stop for Growth program awarded $88 million for 196 projects in 122 communities across the Commonwealth in its first year.  Of the 196 projects awarded, nearly one-third were located in a rural or small town, half were located in a Housing Choice Community, and one-third were located in a Gateway City.
 
In addition to its MassWorks award, Franklin also received two other awards through programs included in the Community One Stop for Growth platform.  Franklin’s second award was a $75,000 Community Planning grant, which will fund a zoning audit as well as a process to update and modernize the town’s zoning bylaws.  For its third award, Franklin received $500,000 through the Underutilized Properties Program to convert an underutilized property into a community food pantry to address social and health disparities. By moving to a new location, the nonprofit Franklin Food Pantry will be able to operate additional hours, increase access to healthy food, and will provide office space for confidential client support. 

“We created the One Stop to offer access to a wide variety of programs through a single, streamlined process that ensures that valuable funds can be directed more effectively, to more communities, in less time,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy.  “The One Stop gives communities and other partners the opportunity to work collaboratively with us, to pursue multiple projects simultaneously and to meet their economic development goals. Franklin has demonstrated how applicants can be creative with grant funding to maximize the impact of state investments in transformative projects.  While the first year of the One Stop has shown tremendous promise, the demand for our programs demonstrates that we can do more.” 
 
“The size and scope of what the town of Franklin will be able to accomplish with this generous award is truly noteworthy,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka. “With these funds, the Grove Street Improvement Project will ease traffic, improve safety, expand commercial opportunities for local business, and provide good jobs. I thank the town for its vision and commitment to making this a reality.”
 
"Robust infrastructure is key to supporting the vitality of our municipalities,” said Senator Becca Rausch. “I look forward to seeing the lasting impacts of this project on local job creation and economic development, as well as greater livability and accessibility in Franklin."
 
“I am delighted that the state is continuing to invest in and improve the quality of life for the residents of Franklin,” said Representative Jeffrey N. Roy.  "This funding will result in much needed infrastructure improvements and increase the overall condition of the roadways.  In addition, this project will help our local economy by creating not only construction jobs but hundreds more once the commercial space is developed."
 
“We are happy to have played a small part in the town of Franklin receiving the MassWorks roadway grant,” said Paul Marcus, Principal and CEO of Marcus Partners.  “The grant process is a great example of our team working together with the town of Franklin to help improve infrastructure that benefits both the residents and businesses of Franklin.  And, our ongoing collaboration with local officials will aim to create additional economic development to the Town of Franklin through strategic development opportunities.”

$2.2 Million MassWorks Award

The full list of this year’s MassWorks grant recipients can be found here. 

Press Release shared from -> https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-22-million-massworks-award-for-franklin

Audio file ->  https://player.captivate.fm/episode/91ab1349-0b47-4946-acee-1922780149a1

Photos from the event can be found in one album ->   https://photos.app.goo.gl/WzmrFbcu46PpdG9o8

Town of Franklin, MA: $2.2 M grant received for Grove St/Washington Sts

Town of Franklin, MA (@TOFranklinMA) tweeted Wed, Oct 27, 2021:

"The Town of Franklin has received a $2.2 million grant to repair lower Grove Street to Wash. St! 

We also received a $75,000 planning grant to look at Downtown Revitalization. 

Thank you @MassGovernor @MassEOHED @jeffroy @KarenSpilka @BeccaRauschMA for your advocacy and support! "

Shared from Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1453523798217609218

Discussion scheduled on future of Old South Meeting Church - Apr 24

A discussion is scheduled at 7:10 PM during the April 24 Town Council meeting regarding the Old South Meeting Church on Washington St. The memo to neighborhood residents from Town Administrator Jeff Nutting is shown here:

"As are well aware the Meeting House at 762 Washington Street has been vacant for a long time. The Town Council will have a discussion on the potential future use of the property at their meeting on April 24, 2019. We would very much like to hear from you on this matter. The intent the meeting is to listen to ideas, suggestions and concerns prior to the Town Council considering any future action on the matter. 

Prior to the meeting the church will be open for viewing 5:00-6:15 PM on April 24, 2019. The meeting to discuss the matter will be held immediately after at 7: 10 PM in the Town Council Chambers. 

The Town did have an architect review the building in 2015 and estimated at the time the cost for the Town (subject to all public bid laws) to bring the building into compliance with all building, wiring, plumbing, handicap accessibility etc. codes would be about $500,000. Since then building construction prices have risen so the cost will be higher. 

The full report can be found at 

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/uploads/old_south_meeting_house_on_washington_street_1.pdf

Past discussions with the Historical Commission and others did not lead to any practical suggested reuse given the cost to renovate the building, limited parking, site lines looking west on Washington Street and the limited use the building has had over the years relative to peace and.  

The building does not meet current zoning requirements for residential or commercial use. The current zoning is RRI that requires 200 feet of frontage and 40,000 square feet of land. The only allowed use without a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals would be for religious or educational use. 

The Town did construct a water booster station in the rear of the property (funds provided from the developer of Oak Hill Condo 's) and will maintain the station no matter what decision is made about the future of the Church. 

We would appreciate your attendance and comments. Please pass this information along to others who may be interested in this matter. I am happen to answer any questions you may have prior to the meeting."

The letter can also be found online
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczV2V6Vkh6NnJWLXM3SHYxeFBySTdNOXV1NUpB/view?usp=sharing

And viewed here

Old South Meeting House, Washington St

“We have an attorney who tells us the exact opposite”

As local officials ponder possible reuses for the 158-year-old South Meeting House on Washington Street, the church that deeded the historic property to the town in 1972 has demanded compensation. 

The Franklin Federated Church, known back then as the First Congregational Church, contends that the town violated a covenant of the deed by poorly maintaining the property and building a pump station there. 

Town officials, however, do not believe they owe the church anything and continue to review potential uses for the property with the historical commission. 

According to a memo sent to the town council last month by town attorney Mark Cerel, the church conveyed the property to the “inhabitants of Franklin” for the purposes of historic preservation.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here (subscription maybe required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141110/NEWS/141119854/1994/NEWS

Where is the church?

Located on Washington St just past the interchange with Grove St, on the way to Bellingham.

South Meeting House

two-vehicle crash on Washington Street

The Milford Daily News reports on the fatal accident on Washington St on Monday.

At about 1 p.m., a silver sedan with a New Hampshire license plate collided head-on with a dump truck, according to police. The driver of the sedan, a male, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. There were no other injuries. 

Part of the driver's side of the sedan appeared to be lodged underneath the truck. 

The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by the Franklin Police Department’s accident reconstruction specialists, officers David Gove and Rick Grover.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1868842531/Man-dies-in-2-vehicle-crash-on-Franklins-Washington-Street#ixzz2fnxlPnUl

Life changing on Washington St

A pleasant scene. Could almost be anywhere.

Yet, it is here in Franklin along Washington St.

Running by this area on Sunday morning I was concerned to see a road side shrine and the familiar markings of an accident investigation. The flowers were fresh so it had to be recent. So recent that it hadn't made the newspapers yet. (Milford Daily News put a story online at 11:30 AM, and updated the details around 7:30 PM Sunday)

The Franklin Police logs did record the accident as multiple vehicles (2 were towed away) with a fatality involved. Saturday morning at 11:17 AM there were multiple 911 calls to report the accident.

There is a story or two inside the police report yet to be known. One or more families lives were changed suddenly on Saturday morning with the death and the aftermath....

The Milford Daily News article can be found here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/newsnow/x764816177/Person-killed-in-Franklin-crash

A form of this was originally published on Steve's 2 Cents
http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2012/09/life-changing-on-washington-st.html

Pulaski Blvd - Seek Alternate Route

For those traveling down King St, if you think you have successfully negotiated the construction around the i495 interchange, beginning March 29th, you'll need to consider an alternate route if you want to get to Bellingham, Woonsocket and other points south.

King St turns into Washington St at Cole's Tavern and becomes Pulaski Blvd as you cross the town line into Bellingham. Bellingham received a sizable amount of stimulus money to do the reconstruction of the road down into the intersection of RT 126.

I'll consider bailing out on either Forest St or Spring St to the back roads.

What will you do? Share your short cut here

Franklin, MA

Public hearing notice

The details on the tagged and green ribbon trees indicate that there is a public hearing scheduled for 11/24/08 to review the plans for removing these trees as part of the construction/upgrade of Pulaski Blvd in Bellingham.

"The Bellingham Tree Warden will conduct a public hearing on November 24, 2008 at 7:00 PM in the Cafeteria of the Paul J. Primavera Education Center, 80 Hairpin St, to review proposed tree removal and plantings along the Pulaski Blvd right of way related to the Pulaski Blvd Improvement Project, Chapter 87, section 3 for cutting of public shade trees."

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Tie a green ribbon?

I recall the lyrics being something like "tie a yellow ribbon".
What does it mean when all these trees get green ribbons?

If you have had the opportunity to drive down Washington St into Bellingham, where the road changes name to Pulaski Blvd, there are dozens of trees tagged with green ribbons and these plastic cards.

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