In the News: Change to remote learning at FHS; petition started

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Hybrid learning at Franklin High School will be halted for two weeks after an underage drinking party was held on Halloween, school officials announced on Sunday.

In a letter to families, Superintendent Sara Ahern and Principal Josh Hanna said they learned an indoor party was held on Saturday at a home with up to 50 high school students attending. Franklin police officers, who broke up the party, were able to identify a small number of students there, but many of them scattered and were not identified.

Attendees were not wearing masks and were not social distancing, said Ahern and Hanna. They said they consulted the local health department in making the decision.

“This behavior puts everyone at Franklin High School at risk and we have no choice but to remain in the remote setting for another two weeks,” wrote Ahern and Hanna."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)  https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201102/franklin-high-school-to-go-remote-until-nov-16-after-underage-drinking-party-leads-to-covid-19-concerns?rssfeed=true

 

"The Franklin High School Fall Athletes season has come to an abrupt halt due to a decision made by the Franklin Superintendent Sara Ahern.  We are asking that you sign our petition to Let Them Play!  

The decision was made to suspend the season for two weeks.   However this will ultimately cause them to forfeit the rest of the season with the teams entering playoffs starting this week. "

Full petition link available  https://www.change.org/p/dr-sara-ahern-franklin-ma-school-superintendent-let-the-franklin-high-school-fall-athletes-finish-their-season

 

  

Save our teachers: override the Franklin Public School's budget cuts

"All eleven schools in Franklin are being deprived of their special education, arts classes, music and more, with a new budget that has laid off 103 teachers.

Parents please let them hear your voice! Our children's education is in danger. I know many of us have moved to Franklin because of it's excellent schools. I don't want to see this town and our families suffer. Help us get this to the Town Council!"

Sign the petition online
https://www.change.org/p/town-of-franklin-massachusetts-save-our-teachers-override-the-franklin-public-school-s-budget-cuts

The number of signers was crossing 1400 when I posted this Friday AM

Share from Twitter:https://twitter.com/carlyrosealston/status/1271161830879236098?s=09

Save our teachers: override the Franklin Public School's budget cuts

Petition to nip the nip bottles

"Empty "nip" bottles are littered across the Massachusetts landscape. Take a walk along any roadside or sidewalk, and the problem is easy to see. 

In the past, nips were found primarily on airplanes. Today, they are sold at liquor stores virtually everywhere and as a result, nips are one of the most highly littered items in Massachusetts. 

State House Representative Randy Hunt of Sandwich has filed a Bill (House Bill H3528) that would add a 5-cent deposit on the sale of “nips.” The Bill will give consumers an incentive to return empty nip bottles for the 5 cent deposit, rather than toss them onto the streets. 

The Bill defines a nip as “any sealable bottle, can, jar or carton which is primarily composed of glass, metal, plastic or any combination of those materials that has a capacity of not more than 100 milliliters and is produced for the purpose of containing an alcoholic beverage.” 

If you are tired of seeing empty nip bottles littering our landscape, please sign this petition and let Massachusetts legislators know you support this common sense solution.

The petition and additional info can be found online
https://www.change.org/p/massachusetts-legislature-let-s-nip-the-nip-bottles-in-massachusetts

In my walks around Franklin, I see dozens of nips. Including these on a fence along Washington St.

dozens of nips including these on a fence along Washington St

Climate Emergency Coalition looks for petition signatures

Hello,
I am a volunteer with Climate Emergency Coalition (CEC).

Please help Declare a Climate State of Emergency-

With the presidential nominating conventions over, what we do next is crucial. Thanks to Bernie's historic, heroic efforts, recognition of the climate change emergency and the need for a mobilization response is solidly planted in the Democratic Party platform. But, we must not permit it to languish there. We need far more than the promise of a climate summit in the first 100 days of the next Administration. Please Sign the petition—help bring the climate emergency into the public discourse, so we can take effective action.

Over 5400 signatures thus far—let's keep the ball rolling!

http://www.cecoalition.org/emergency_petition

Thank you,

Michelle

http://www.cecoalition.org/emergency_petition

Petition to the Franklin Town Council: Plastic Bag Ban for the Town of Franklin, MA

"A single use plastic bag takes 20-1,000 years to decompose. This means that a plastic bag used once can remain in the environment for up to 1,000 years. As the bag decomposes, the chemicals from the manufacturing process, such as high density polyethylene (also known as HDPE), leach into various environments such as land and sea. On land, HDPE clogs soil and prevents aeration, causing poor absorption of water and nutrients. In marine environments, animals often mistake these bags as food. Once these organisms consume the bags, they often clog the digestive system and lead to a slow, painful death. 

In Franklin, if improperly disposed, the bags contribute to visual pollution and accumulate in nearby landfills- contributing to the startling statistic that only .25%- 1/4 of 1%- of plastic bags get recycled per year in the US. The US uses over 100 billion plastic bags per year. 

Although it might seem like a small, insignificant step for one town to ban plastic bags, no step is too small in protecting our planet. An average consumer family goes through 1,500 of these single use plastic bags per year. We have upwards of 32,000 people living in Franklin. Evidently, this is a large number of bags NOT contributing to the startling national statistics of plastic bag usage. 

This is where YOU come in. By signing this petition, not only are you pledging your support to our cause, but you are also promoting global sustainability. Your actions can make a difference- so start by signing this petition."

You can sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/franklin-town-council-plastic-bag-ban-for-the-town-of-franklin-ma?recruiter=22322018&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-no_msg

screen grab of petition to ban plastic bags in Franklin, MA

Petition to Governor Baker Opposing New Gas Pipelines

Dear pipeline fighters:

I am attaching a petition that is being circulated state wide, that calls on Governor Baker to drop his support for new fracked-gas pipelines in Massachusetts. We want the Governor to know that we don't believe we need new multi-billion-dollar pipeline projects like the Spectra Access Northeast and Kinder Morgan Northeast Energy Direct, and that we resent being forced to pay for them through a surcharge on our electricity bills (a "pipeline tax").

I ask as many of you as possible to do the following:

1. Print out the petition and sign it!
2. Gather as many signatures as you can!
3. Ask other people to also gather signatures, and give them copies of the petition!
4. Send the petitions with signatures to the address below. It's also at the bottom of each page of the petition.

Please don't feel you have to fill every page before sending it in. Once you have gathered the signatures you are going to gather, send them in.

These petitions will be delivered to Governor Baker by some time in late May. The exact date is not completely clear yet.

The address to send them to is:

No Fracked Gas In Mass
90 Trow Road
Cummington MA 01026

Thank you so much! Anything you can do will make a difference!

sign on Franklin lawn

Kingsbury Ponds makes the Boston Globe, Franklin residents start their own petition

The Kingsbury Pond issue has reached the Boston Globe:

"Mark Gilmore’s patio once overlooked a soothing expanse of spring-fed water in a state-protected “great pond.” These days, Gilmore looks out at a lengthening stretch of rock-strewn dirt. 

Kingsbury Pond, once 26 acres, is now closer to a 9-acre puddle. And angry residents who live on its wooded shores are quick to name a culprit: the neighboring town of Franklin, which operates a nearby well that sucks up hundreds of thousands of gallons of groundwater every day.

“It’s starting to get scary. You can’t just suck a pond dry,” said Gilmore, who like many neighbors thinks Franklin is siphoning water from an aquifer that should be filling Kingsbury Pond. “This is the lowest that anybody has seen it — ever.” 

But where the pond’s admirers see a water-guzzling goliath next door, Franklin officials and some environmentalists see something more benign: a dry 2015 that lowered water levels across Massachusetts."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/03/05/towns-square-off-great-pond-turns-into-puddle/NeswM5a5gLi9XA4SzoKzNM/story.html

Kingsbury Pond, Norfolk

• It was reported earlier about the Kingsbury Pond area residents starting a petition online.

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/12/save-kingsbury-pond-petition-underway.html

• Franklin residents have started their own petition in support of finding a solution

https://www.change.org/p/franklin-dpw-director-robert-brutus-cantoreggi-franklin-ma-residents-wanting-to-save-kingsbury-pond?recruiter=436433650&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

"Save Kingsbury Pond" petition underway

From the Change.org petition:

"Kingsbury Pond is located in the northwest corner of Norfolk, MA and was once considered a 26 acre Great Pond of Massachusetts. In 1964, the town of Norfolk gave Franklin a piece of land approx 3000 yards from Kingsbury Pond, allowing Franklin to drill a well to supplement their water supply. 

Since that day, Kingsbury Pond's water levels have steadily began to drop. Studies performed over the last 40 years show the direct impact Franklin's well has had on Kingsbury Pond. 

Local pond residents have been fighting the battle to reduce Franklin's pumping from this well for decades, but Franklin's ever growing population and their need for drinking water has forced most pond residents to give up hope. 

Kingsbury Pond, Norfolk

In 2015, Kingsbury Pond has shrunk to unthinkable levels. What was once a 26 acre pond is now a disgraceful puddle. If this issue is not immediately addressed, there's a chance the aquifer beneath Kingsbury will never be given the chance to recharge and could potentially be gone forever. 

We need your help to show the elected officials in the town and the state that this is no longer acceptable. Something needs to change or this once amazing pond will be a distant memory. Whether you live in the Kingsbury Pond area or not, we need your help. 

What we are witnessing is a horrible shame. Please sign our petition and show our elected officials that the residents of Norfolk and the surrounding towns care about this once beautiful body of water. 

If you're interested, we also invite you to LIKE our Facebook page called Save Kingsbury Pond. 

We need your support. Thank you"

The full petition site can be found here
https://www.change.org/p/town-of-norfolk-stop-the-draining-of-kingsbury-pond-in-norfolk-ma?source_location=petition_footer&algorithm=promoted&grid_position=2

Where is Kingsbury Pond?

Did you sign the "No Spectra" petition?

The Greater Franklin Node 350 Mass is only 128 signatures from reaching 500. Would you reattach the No Spectra pipeline petition link onto Franklin Matters again? 

I have 17 lawn signs up in Franklin and I have 50 more that will be up between now and spring. Our website is Nospectrama.org

No Spectra sign in Franklin

The petition link is
https://www.change.org/p/jeffrey-roy-karen-spilka-richard-ross-stop-the-spectra-energy-pipeline-from-going-through-franklin-ma-we-don-t-need-or-want-it

Franklin Fracked Gas Pipeline Petition link

Dear Fellow Franklinites, 

I urge you to sign this online petition to oppose a fracked gas pipeline proposed to run through Franklin. 

The petition explains the reasons for our opposition.

proposed route for fracked gas pipeline

https://www.change.org/p/jeffrey-roy-karen-spilka-richard-ross-stop-the-spectra-energy-pipeline-from-going-through-franklin-ma-we-don-t-need-or-want-it?recruiter=424738166&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink

Franklin Voices: Open Letter to the Franklin Town Council

This came in from a couple of sources. A few of the Town Council in their closing comments referenced this having heard it was already making the rounds. Their comments indicated no set plan (contrary to the statements within the letter). Their comments also referenced their prior 5-4 vote as proof that the Council is not likely all on board (contrary to the implications of the letter). The Councilors also stressed that if any resident wanted to get the details to reach out to them. Their contact information (email and phone numbers) are posted on the Franklin webpage. They would be happy to discuss to clarify any possible misunderstandings.



Open Letter to the Franklin Town Council regarding 150 Emmons Street property (Old Municipal Building)

On behalf of Franklin, Massachusetts property owners, business owners, customers and citizens of Franklin we urge the Town Council to put on hold any decision to sell the Emmons Street property, including an RFP, for one year. 

* Please Note - Franklin, MA residents, property owners, or business owners are eligible to sign this open letter. Resident address information will not be displayed on site, and will only be used when verifying and delivering signatures to Town Council on April 2nd, 2014. Please indicate your business address if you are a business owner and note in the comment field. 

1. We believe it is critical to understand the impact of the new traffic pattern prior to the Council deciding what type of development it would like to see on the site. 

2. This would provide the business community and customers with alternative parking during the streetscape project construction. We cannot afford to lose any business during the construction process due to the lack of parking or access to properties. 

3. If the Council decides to sell the property after the streetscape is completed it will potentially command a higher value at that time. 

4. The property has been in the town’s control for over a century. Another year will not make a difference to the financial condition of the town, but a hasty decision will affect the town for years to come. We ask that you give the community time to participate in the decision-making process.

You can add your name to the petition by opening this link

Petition by iPetitions

If the link above is having some trouble try this one
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/open-letter-to-the-franklin-town-council-regarding

150 Emmons St - the subject of the discussion

The building was originally a school (right side of building as pictured) and then renovated in the 1990's to add the left portion and become the Franklin Municipal Building. It served in that capacity until the move to the building at 355 East Central St. Currently the building is used by the Recreation Dept.

My notes from the public meeting earlier this month can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-emmons-st-public-meeting.html

The next formal discussion on the future of the building is currently scheduled for the Apr 2 Town Council meeting. http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01CE66C3-000F8513

Sign the Food Revolution Petition

Jamie Oliver is working on his Food Revolution to change the way families eat and cook. He created a stir when he came to Huntington, WV last year and as I recall he is going to LA this year.

He has started a petition to take to the President to get the FDA to change the way they establish the requirements for school lunches.

You can find out more about Jamie's work on his website  http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution

You can sign the petition here http://www.jamieoliver.com/jfr-beta/petition_beta.php#petForm

You can get recipes for school lunches here http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/school-food


Franklin, MA