In the News: Ahern coming to Franklin

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin: The Wayland School Committee superintendent search contains this nugget. 

"Other than Unobskey, the two remaining candidates are Patricia Kinsella, assistant superintendent in Lincoln, and Joyce Edwards, assistant superintendent in Franklin. A fourth finalist, Sara Ahern, withdrew from consideration to accept another position. 

The School Committee is scheduled to meet again on Sunday morning at 9:30 at the Wayland Public Safety Building for further deliberations and a potential vote.

The details (background check and contract) are likely still being worked out before a formal announcement is made by the Franklin School Committee but this is a good sign that the choice by Sara of which position to take has been made.

Continue reading the article on the Wayland Superintendent search online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170326/committee-interviews-last-wayland-school-chief-finalist

future Franklin School Superintendent Sara Ahern

Attention Residents of Franklin - - 2017 Annual Census Forms - Dog Registration Reminder

You should have received your 2017 Annual Street Listing Census Form in the mail. The Annual census form must be signed and returned to the Town Clerk’s Office within 10 days of receipt. 

Residents are reminded that census forms need to be returned even when no changes are necessary to their census information. 

In accordance with MGL Ch 51, Sec 4c, failure to respond to the annual census shall result in removal from the active voting list and may result in removal from the voter registration rolls. 

If you have not returned your form, please do ASAP. If you did not receive a Census Form, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office. 

Those who did return your forms, Thank you very much!!

2017 Dog Registration

All dog owners must register their dogs annually. Registration runs from Jan. 1st to April 1st.

Dogs not licensed by April 1st are considered unlicensed and late fees will apply.

If residents have any questions regarding dog licensing, Please visit our website www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk or contact the Town Clerks Office at 508-520-4900 or via email at townclerk@franklin.ma.us

Thank you,

Teresa M. Burr, Town Clerk

Attention Residents of Franklin - - 2017 Annual Census Forms - Dog Registration Reminder

ANNOUNCEMENT OF PUBLIC MEETING FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS TO THE MASTER PLAN CHARLES RIVER NATURAL VALLEY STORAGE AREA

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, is updating the existing Master Plan at its Charles River Natural Valley Storage Area flood risk reduction project. The project is located along parts of the Charles River and its tributaries in eastern Massachusetts, and is an element of the Thames River Basin comprehensive flood risk reduction plan. As shown on the attached map, the Charles River Natural Valley Storage Area is located in Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk counties.

The purpose of the study is to assess natural resources of the project, determine regional needs and public desires, and develop an overall land and water management plan for the project.

The Master Plan draft proposal can be viewed at the Charles River Natural Valley Storage Area website: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Flood-Risk­-Management/Massachusetts/Charles-River-NVS/

A public meeting to discuss proposed updates to the Master Plan and to provide public officials and concerned individuals the opportunity to give input to the process will be held beginning at 5 pm. on April 19, 2017. The meeting will be held at the Town of Millis Public Library, 961 Main Street, Millis, Massachusetts. If you are unable to attend the meeting, information or assistance in updating this Master Plan can be provided through the Project Manager, Joseph Zanca, at (978) 318-8419, by email at: joseph.l.zanca@usace.army.mil or at the following address:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District West Hill Dam,  WFD and CRNVSA 

Attn: Joseph Zanca, Project Manager

518 East Hartford Ave. 

Uxbridge, MA 01569

All comments must be received by close of business on Thursday, June 15, 2017.

the Charles River Natural Valley Storage Area is located in Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk counties

What does Neighbor Brigade do?

Franklin has a Neighbor Brigade chapter that is active and successfully helping neighbors in times of need.

What does Neighbor Brigade do? The new Public Service Announcement video helps to explain.








The Franklin Chapter was also featured in the Franklin Almanac, episode 3
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/03/franklin-almanac-episode-3.html

For more about the Franklin Chapter visit their page

Broadway In Franklin! - March 26 - 3:00 PM

Click to view this email in a browser

Click Here to Purchase Tickets

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Franklin Performing Arts Company PO Box 48 15 West Central Street Franklin, Massachusetts 02038 US Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.

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One Book, One Community Book Discussion - March 28, 6:30 PM

The goal of the Franklin Public Library's One Book, One Community program is to help build a better sense of fellowship through a shared reading experience.

The results are in!

With 42% of the vote, Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance is our 2017 One Book, One Community read.

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

Background info links

The Amazon link for the book can be found here
https://www.amazon.com/Hillbilly-Elegy-Memoir-Family-Culture/dp/0062300547

The authors Twitter page  https://twitter.com/JDVance1

The authors website can be found here
https://www.harpercollins.com/cr-123194/j-d-vance

The wikipedia page for the book
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy

http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2017/01/one-book-one-community-2017-title.html

Some of this info was shared from the Town of Franklin page and the Franklin Library page

WOMENS FIT BOXING - Enrollment is now OPEN!

"WOMENS FIT BOXING

The next round of Women's FIT Boxing begins this week!!

Enrollment is now OPEN!

Note our NEW evening change!! If you've never tried WFB, come as my FREE guest! You can IM me too! Come give it a try!!!"

WOMENS FIT BOXING - Enrollment is now OPEN!

All Night Party - Bottle/Can Drive - Saturday 9 to noon

"Hope to see you! The All Night Party is a safe place for the Graduating Senior class to go the night of Graduation. 

It is a community event, please support by bringing your redemption cans and bottles this morning to the Franklin High School parking lot on the right side of the front entrance. 

We can't do this without the Franklin community support."

All Night Party - Bottle/Can Drive - Saturday 9 to noon

"Everyone should feel special"

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

"It wasn't exactly springlike outside, but the sunny mood inside the cosmetology shop at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School Friday afternoon -- and, later, inside the Adirondack Club -- more than made up for that. 

Scattered around the hair styling and manicure stations, several special young ladies were being preened and pampered by members of the freshman and junior cosmetology class, their fingernails taking on the pastel shades of spring flowers, their lips and cheeks blooming pink like unfolding roses, their hair wound into spirals as bouncy as spring lambs or woven into braids as delicate as new willow branches. 

It was all in preparation for the 2017 Best Buddies Prom Friday night, an annual event for students involved in the Franklin Public Schools' Best Buddies Program. The program is an initiative that pairs Franklin High School's students with intellectual disabilities, the "buddies," with teams of their high school peers. They socialize at school, and do special outside activities together at least once a month, though many get together more frequently."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170324/franklin-best-buddies-prom-brings-community-together

Best Buddies Prom 2017 via https://twitter.com/fps4students

Via the Twitterverse

We had a great time tonight at prom! Big thanks to everyone who helped out!

— FHS Best Buddies (@BestFHSBuddies) March 25, 2017

@BestBuddiesMA students from @FranklinHS came to @TriCountyRVTSD's Cosmetology salon to have hair, makeup & nails done for tonight's prom. pic.twitter.com/pfbiHQhRcT

— Tri-County Regional (@TriCountyRVTSD) March 24, 2017

FHS Best Buddies Prom tonight Adirondack Club have a raging good time to all -thanks faculty-students and business supporters ❤️

— Franklin Public, MA (@FranklinPSNews) March 24, 2017

Best Buddies Prom 2017 pic.twitter.com/RcsUrSBQmw

— FPS Student Services (@fps4students) March 24, 2017

Franklin Library: Amazing Magical Potter's Wheel - March 25 - 2:00 PM

The Amazing Magical Potter's Wheel with the Pied Potter, Rick Hamelin, Saturday, March 25, 2:00 p.m.

For additional information about the Pied Potter, visit his webpage  http://www.piedpotter.com/

This was shared from the Franklin Library webpage
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-amazing-magical-potters-wheel-with.html

Scavenger Hunt - Adults only please - April 8

Happy Spring!! 

Are you looking for a fun community event that supports a good cause? Form a team and join us for the Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, April 8. 

It's sponsored by the PMC Franklin Kids Ride and all proceeds go directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy fund. 

Adults only please. For tickets or questions, contact Lisa Marchioni at lisabxyz@verizon.net. #pmckids2017

http://www.kids.pmc.org/franklin.aspx

Tri-County RVTSD Calls On MA Lawmakers To Make Foundation Budget Top Priority

At its March 15, 2017 School Committee Meeting, Tri-County members voted to endorse S.223, An Act Modernizing the Foundation Budget for the 21st Century, as its top priority for education policy this legislative session due to its comprehensive approach to education funding.

“We need to address the inadequacies in the foundation budget around health insurance and special education costs,” says Superintendent, Stephen Dockray.

Filed by Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz, S.223 fully implements the recommendations of the appointed, bi- partisan 2015 Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC). The FBRC found that the current formula underestimates the resources necessary to serve ELL and low-income students and fails to account for rising health care and special education costs. In all, the FBRC found that Massachusetts is underestimating the total cost of education by $1-2 billion each year. As a result, Massachusetts ranks 48th nationally in the achievement gap between affluent and poor students.

“The 1993 Education Reform Act set a radical and sensible goal: to ensure quality education for all children, regardless of zip code,” adds Senator Chang-Díaz. “The Foundation Budget has served Massachusetts – our children, our families, and our employees – incredibly well over its first 15-20 years. But it’s no longer working for the demands of the 21st century. For several years now, our schools have been suffering from death by a thousand paper cuts, and it’s long past time we right this wrong”

S.223 follows the FBRC’s recommendations to update the formula by using actual averages from the state government’s cost-efficient health insurance network—the Group Insurance Commission—to adjust insurance estimates, increasing the assumed special education in-district enrollment and out-of-district costs to reflect reality, and adjusting the ELL and low-income components to align with 21st century best practices. The bill will also establish a Data Advisory Task Force to review school level education data to better inform future policy decisions.

The Foundation Budget was first established in 1993 by the Education Reform Act, and was designed to serve as the starting point for funding school districts across the Commonwealth, by calculating the circumstances and needs of each student. Little has been done to update the formula in the 24 years since its passage, leaving it insufficient to meet the needs of a modern public education system.

Tri-County RVTHS, located at 147 Pond Street in Franklin, is a recipient of the High Schools That Work Gold Achievement Award and serves the communities of Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham.

http://www.tri-county.us/

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 3/24/17 - THU 3/30/17

FRIDAY 3/24/17
10:30am   Knitting Circle for Adults @ Franklin Public Library
7:30pm   Electric Youth 2017 Concert @ The Black Box

SATURDAY 3/25/17
9am-12pm   Bottle and Can Drive to benefit FHS All Night Party @ FHS Parking Lot
9am-12pm   FHS Panthers Softball Clinic (grades 1-6) @ FHS
10-1pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
2-4pm   Amazing Magical Potter’s Wheel (all ages) @ Franklin Public Library
6:30-9:30pm   Middle School Night (grades 5-8, walk ins welcome) @ YMCA
7:30pm   The Jennifer Tefft Band with a special guest Grand Evolution @ The Black Box

SUNDAY 3/26/17
7:30-10:30am   Sunday Morning Breakfast @ Franklin Rod and Gun Club
11:45am   Public Presentation on SPECTRA Pipeline Potential Impact @ FUSF
1-4pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
3pm   Broadway in Franklin @ The Black Box

MONDAY 3/27/17
7-8:30pm   Learn To Cope Franklin Chapter Meeting @ FUSF

TUESDAY 3/28/17
6:30pm  One Book, One Community book discussion @ Franklin Public Library

WEDNESDAY 3/29/17
6pm   Family STEAM Challenge: Cup Stacking @ Franklin Public Library
7:30pm   Dean College presents: American Idiot @ Dean College

THURSDAY 3/30/17
4pm   Family Coloring Book Club @ Franklin Public Library
6:30pm   Franklin Genealogy Club Meeting: Italian Genealogy Research @ Franklin Historical Museum
7-8pm   Healing Hearts Community Support Group @ Franklin YMCA
7pm   SCREENAGERS (private showing, $10 ticket, must be pre-purchased) @ New England Chapel
7:30pm   Dean College presents: American Idiot @ Dean College
7:30pm   Stony Brook Camera Club @ Anglican Church of the Redeemer (31 Hayward St)

For the Town of Franklin Public Calendar click HERE.

For all other events and Franklin happenings click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email FranklinMAHappenigs@gmail.com and/or shersteve@gmail.com

FHS presents ONCE ON THIS ISLAND - April 7-8

FHS presents the musical

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND

April 7 and 8 at 7:00 PM

Tickets $10 at the door

Directed and choreographed by Marianne Lonati
Music directed by Renee Hersee

Back row: Dan McCarthy, Alexa Katsaros, Daniel Schratz, Maddie Dieterle
Front row: Caroline Fabian, Griffin Fenton

For more about ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, check out the wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_on_This_Island

In the News: Liquor manufacture tasting rooms; OPEB liabilities a concern

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

"Is craft beer the secret ingredient to revitalization? Some area towns would make that argument and now Franklin may want in on the action. 

The Town Council will be considering a zoning change that would allow microbreweries or wineries with tasting rooms in vacant spaces in non-residential areas of town. 

The move was discussed at an Economic Development Committee meeting this week, with Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen noting that craft beer had been going through a renaissance of late. 

"We've done quite a bit of research," he said. "We did take the bulk of this (proposal) from the city of Salem, and we know there's a very successful facility up in Hudson."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170323/franklin-may-look-to-microbreweries-for-business

"Though the town received a clean bill of fiscal health this week, local officials said they were concerned about looming retirement liabilities. 

The Town Council Wednesday heard the results of an audit by Andover firm Melanson Heath. Despite an overall positive report, auditors noted that the town's Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liability - covering non-pension retirement benefits for employees - was listed at $48 million and will be increasing to about $93 million in 2018 because of a change in reporting standards. 

Melanson's Frank Biron noted that the town had opted to contribute $600,000 this year to fund that liability. 

"That's very good; unfortunately, it's a very large liability, too," he said. "You're not alone in that - other Massachusetts municipalities are in the same boat."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170323/future-liabilities-concern-franklin-officials

FHS representatives on Hockomock League Basketball All-Stars

Hockomock Sports has posted the all-stars for girls and boys basketball as voted by the coaches.

Girls Basketball

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE MVP = Ashley Sampson, Foxboro

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS = Ali Brigham, Franklin

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Carli Koffinke, Franklin

Boys Basketball

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE MVP = Sam Goldberg, Mansfield

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS

• Paul Mahon, Franklin
• Connor Peterson, Franklin

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Josh Macchi, Franklin


https://hockomocksports.com/2017-hockomock-league-girls-basketball-all-stars/

https://hockomocksports.com/2017-hockomock-league-boys-basketball-all-stars/

FHS representatives on Hockomock Basketball All-Stars

In the News: School Committee selects Ahern

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

"The School Committee has named Sara Ahern as its preference to be the next district leader. 

Committee members, in a brief meeting Thursday night, voted unanimously in favor of Ahern, the Holliston assistant superintendent, as their "preferred candidate" to be the town's new superintendent. Franklin Assistant Superintendent Peter Light had also been a finalist for the position, but opted out of the process. 

Committee Vice-Chairwoman Anne Bergen said Ahern had visited schools earlier that day, and had met with Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting and Assistant Town Administrator Jamie Hellen as well. 

"The feedback from all constituents was very positive," she said. "They felt they could learn and grow with her as superintendent."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170323/franklin-prefers-ahern-to-lead-district

Tri-County Urgent Care - Now Open in Milford!

Tri-County Medical has opened a new Urgent Care facility in Milford. 129 South Main St will be treating patients for non-emergent illnesses and injuries. No appointment is necessary, it is open weekends and evenings.

Tri-County Urgent Care - Now Open in Milford!

Lifelong Learning: Ceramics Class Begins Tuesday

Still Time To Register

Ceramics Class Begins March 28 DON'T FORGET REGISTER TODAY A perfect class for beginners and advanced beginners!  Make clay objects including bowls, mugs, plates, and tiles while learning a new technique each week. March 28 to May 2  6:00 to 8:00 pm Franklin High School Cost: $100  Includes supplies This could be YOUR creation! Franklin Public Schools                  Lifelong Learning Institute The Center for Adult Education and Community Learning

FPS- Lifelong Learning, 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by adulted@franklin.k12.ma.us in collaboration with Try it free today

Live reporting: School Committee - Special Meeting - 3/23/17

Present: O'Malley, Douglas, Bergen, Schultz, Bilello, Jewell (via remote), Scofield 
Absent: none

Successfully dialed in John Jewell

the meeting is being recorded

background
received notice of Superintendent Sabolinski's retirement
HYA hired for search process
interviewed, community forums, feedback submitted
there remain contract negotiations and background check to finalize

we are down to one candidate
Mr Peter Light withdrew his application

leaves one candidate Dr Sara Ahern

motion to nominate Dr Sara Ahern pending background checks and successful negotiation

discussion?

Bergen - open process, feedback received even from those participating via the Forum recording
Dr Ahern toured several buildings, staff, Central Office, all feedback very positive, they feel we can learn and grow with her

Schultz - the second time thru, this is the right fit for us

Bilello - this has been a long process for us, gathering the community input to build the profile helped to make us responsive to what we needed to take Franklin to the next level. I think this feels so exciting to make an offer to Dr Ahern.

Scofield - I echo what the previous committee members said, on the first go round, they were good but you didn't that that feeling

Douglas - I got to speak with her individually after she met with the teachers today

Jewell - this person who we hire has to be politically savvy, and she has demonstrated that. I went back to the responses that we were looking for

O'Malley - this was not an easy process I congratulate all of you, none more so than Anne Bergen, we did all the hard work and came to the right place. An enthusiastic vote. She can lead is to the next plateau

this is a unanimous selection, the right person for the right time in our town.

I would add my appreciation of Peter Light's application, we are in a tremendous position to have a superintendent with Peter's help

going into executive session not to return to public session
motion made, seconded, vote 7-0