Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - Dec 6 to THU - Dec 12

Friday, December 6

 MA Amazing Artists Deadline

9:00am

 Babywearing Dance Party! (FOFL)

10:00am

 Knitting Group

10:30am

 Happy Feet!

3:30pm

 Chess Club for Kids

Saturday, December 7

9:00am

 Christmas Fair

9:30am

 St. Mary's Women's Faith Formation Group

10:00am

 Franklin Historical Museum (Always free)

10:30am

 Baby Sensory!

1:30pm

 PEDC presents the Nutcracker

2:00pm

 Snowman Painting Class for Adults

5:30pm

 PEDC presents the Nutcracker!

7:30pm

 FPAC presents The Nutcracker

8:00pm

 Winterbloom: Circle of Friends Coffeehouse

Sunday, December 8

12:30pm

 PEDC presents the Nutcracker!

1:00pm

 Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

2:00pm

 FPAC presents The Nutcracker

3:30pm

 PEDC presents the Nutcracker!

Monday, December 9

10:30am

 Move Along

3:30pm

 D&D for Kids

6:30pm

 "Krissy E" Trivia Night - Christmas

Tuesday, December 10

9:30am

 Cool Cruisers

10:30am

 Get Ready for Kindergarten

4:00pm

 Chanukah Storytime!

6:15pm

 Finance Committee Meeting

6:30pm

 Franklin Garden Club: Holiday Auction

6:30pm

 Foreign Film Night

7:00pm

 School Committee meeting

7:00pm

 FHS Concert - Band

7:30pm

 Franklin Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Public Meeting

7:30pm

 Let's Laugh Today

Wednesday, December 11

10:30am

 Terrific Toddlers

3:30pm

 Crafternoon! (FOFL)

6:00pm

 HMMS Concert

6:30pm

 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

6:30pm

 Teen Advisory Board

6:00pm

 Town Council meeting - OCPF Forum

7:00pm

 Julian Gerstin Sextet

Thursday, December 12

 Scholastic Art Deadline

9:30am

 Baby Tummy Time

10:30am

 Story Xplorers

4:00pm

 Bookworm Bounce Storytime!

7:00pm

 Frankin Music Boosters Meeting

For the interactive version, please visit

https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

For the Town of Franklin Public Meeting Calendar

https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

Submit an event for the Community Calendar, please use this link

https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/links/submit-event

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - Dec 6 to THU - Dec 12

Franklin Food Pantry Announces Appointments to Board of Directors

New Members Bring Community Experience to Board

The Franklin Food Pantry announced that Franklin community members, Nancy Schoen and Roberta DeBaggis Trahan have joined its Board of Directors to help reach its mission to provide immediate hunger relief and healthy sustainable solutions within the Franklin area.

"On behalf of the Franklin Food Pantry and the Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome Ms. Schoen and Ms. Trahan to the Board," said Lynn Calling, Executive Director of the Franklin Food Pantry. "Both women have extensive experience serving nonprofits and have deep roots in the Franklin community that will help guide us as we continue to grow the Pantry and serve our neighbors."

Nancy Schoen

Nancy Schoen is a retired music teacher where she spent thirty-three years in the Franklin Public Schools as a teacher and K-12 Director of Music. In 2005, she represented Franklin and the Massachusetts Teachers Association as the 2005 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Nancy continues to teach in the Franklin Lifelong Learning's String Program. She is a graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst, (BMus) and Cambridge College (MEd). Nancy continues to be an active volunteer in the Franklin community. She is currently Chair of the Franklin Cultural District Committee and is an active member of St. Mary's St. Vincent de Paul Society.

"For the last thirty five years I have enjoyed living, working and raising my family in Franklin. During the last two years, I have volunteered with the St. Mary's St. Vincent de Paul, Through my work with this group I have become more aware of the needs of so many in our community," said Ms. Schoen. "The Franklin Food Pantry is such an incredible resource for those in need. I am honored to be a part of this wonderful organization."

Roberta DeBaggis Trahan

Roberta DeBaggis Trahan is a lifelong member of the Franklin community. She is a retired Critical Care Registered Nurse having worked in Adult ICU for 44 years, is a graduate of FHS, Saint Vincent Hospital School of Nursing and Worcester State University. She is actively involved as a volunteer with many community organizations: Vice President of Franklin Downtown Partnership; FPAC/TBB member; Vice President of The Franklin Education Foundation; Chair of Saint Mary Parish Council, FPS Student Wellness Advisory Council member and The Franklin Cultural District Committee. She is a past member of the Franklin School Committee having served for 10 years and has volunteered for various other community organizations in the past.

"I have always supported the Food Pantry from afar and when the opportunity presented itself for me to become more actively involved, I agreed," said Ms. DeBaggis Trahan. "I am thankful for all the blessings in my life, especially for my family and friends and for a community that embraces those less fortunate. It seemed fitting that I'd be able to give my time to assist this worthy organization, not from afar but up close. I'm looking forward to supporting the Food Pantry's mission and to work to accomplish the goals we have set for the coming year."

About the Franklin Food Pantry

The Franklin Food Pantry offers supplemental food assistance and household necessities to over 1,000 individuals. Clients have access to a variety of fresh, frozen and nonperishable foods on monthly scheduled shopping trips as well as Walk-in Fridays. They can visit the Pantry daily for fruits, vegetables, bread and pastry. As a nonprofit organization, the Pantry depends entirely on donations, and receives no town or state funding. In 2018, 304,824 pounds of food was provided to clients. Other programs include the Weekend Backpack Program, Carts for Clients, Mobile Pantry, emergency food bags and holiday meal packages. Visit www.franklingfoodpantry.org for more information.

FM #184 - Town Administrator's Report to Town Council - 12/4/19

FM #184

This internet radio show or podcast is number 184 in the series for Franklin Matters.

This recording shares Town Administrator Report segment from the Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019.

Updates on:

• New Board of Health Director, Cathy Liberty replacing David McKearnery who is retiring
• Cindy Souza, of Animal Control is also retiring sometime in January
• Update the turf field issue now that the DEP letter has arrived
• Open Meeting Law special session on Dec 11
• Thanks to the DPW and others for the look of the Town Common
• Thanks to the DPW for their work on the first and long snow fall this week
• Update on the Spring St issue raised by the Cochran’s in the Citizen Comments section

Maybe I am getting lazy, maybe it is just worth a try, Jamie’s update from each Town Council meeting is not covered in detail by my notes (and yes, I strive to get better on that) so I thought it important to share the audio of his report to the Town Council in a timely manner. The Town generally publishes an “Actions Taken” doc to highlight the recorded votes. So rather than wait for the full minutes to be approved and available, I’ll share the audio segment of the TA Report.

The statement runs approx 9 minutes.

Link to DEP letter as mentioned
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15WMp_zZiMXs_7MfpUQJd5hgtaVbrlkY_/view?usp=sharing

https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/Hc0j5J4X




What we know about the "turf issue":

• The prior conversations around the field replacements (completed in 2017) were centered around the crumb rubber infill. The Town spent more for an acrylic coated infill (which apparently was installed), the issue now is not with the infill but the with chemicals used to treat the carpet itself.
• A third party filed a complaint with DEP about the old turf stored at the Beaver St fields
• Article in TheIntercept about PFAS found in the turf itself  https://theintercept.com/2019/10/08/pfas-chemicals-artificial-turf-soccer/
• Article in the Boston Globe alleging potential issues with the water supply and shared via Franklin Matters  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/we-will-work-with-dep-to-resolve-matter.html
• The Franklin community on Facebook reacts in the conversation around the article and issue
• Town Administrator Jamie Hellen makes statement at Town Council meeting 10/16/19 https://drive.google.com/open?id=14VSvuZvTifTbeHO4bWFtIy2YxVdjRF4O
• Updated 12/5/19 - Town Administrator Jamie Hellen makes statement at Town Council meeting 12/4/19 referring to the DEP letter https://drive.google.com/file/d/15WMp_zZiMXs_7MfpUQJd5hgtaVbrlkY_/view?usp=sharing
• Updated 12/5/19 - While PFAS in the water supply was tested by Town of Franklin once in 2018, is PFAS still being tested by ToF now? No, nor are they required to do so.
• Updated 12/5/19 - What will the State do with PFAS and the recent revelations (if anything)? The DEP is doing nothing now.

What we don’t know:

• What happened to the Conservation Commission mitigation measures from when the field was first installed (in 2004?)?
• Where was the old carpet and bags of unused infill taken?
• What will the State and/or Federal agencies do with PFAS and the recent revelations (if anything)?

-------------

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can always use your help.

How can you help?

Overall:

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors.
• If you don't like this, please let me know.

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements.
Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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The prior statement by Jamie Hellen can be found online

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/town-administrators-statement-on-old.html

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

FHS' Atwood, Addi, Balkus named to 2019 Hockomock League Girls Soccer All Stars

HockomockSports.com has announced the official 2019 Hockomock League Girls Soccer All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

• Chloe Layne, King Philip

Hockomock League All Stars

• Breanna Atwood, Franklin
• Sabrina Addi, Franklin
• Anna Balkus, Franklin

For the complete listing
https://hockomocksports.com/2019-hockomock-league-girls-soccer-all-stars/

FHS' Atwood, Addi, Balkus named to 2019 Hockomock League Girls Soccer All Stars

FHS' Stowell, Tappin, Cummings named as 2019 Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars

HockomockSports.com has announced the official 2019 Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

• Leo Coelho, Milford

Hockomock League All Stars

• Samuel Stowell, Franklin
• Donald Tappin, Franklin
• Jacob Cummings, Franklin

For the complete listing
https://hockomocksports.com/2019-hockomock-league-boys-soccer-all-stars/

 

FHS' Stowell, Tappin, Cummings named as 2019 Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars

FHS' Jordan, Gasbarro, Wertz, Nally, Davis named as 2019 Hockomock League Football All Stars

HockomockSports.com has announced the official 2019 Hockomock League Football All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league

Hockomock League MVP - Kelley-Rex Division

• Vinnie Holmes, Mansfield

Hockomock League All Stars - Kelley-Rex Division

• Austin Jordan, Franklin
• Thomas Gasbarro, Franklin
• Evan Wertz, Franklin
• Jack Nally, Franklin
• Jake Davis, Franklin

For the complete listing
https://hockomocksports.com/2019-hockomock-league-football-all-stars/

FHS' Jordan, Gasbarro, Wertz, Nally, Davis named as 2019 Hockomock League Football All Stars

ECDC Registration for Fall 2020

ECDC Registration for Fall 2020

Registration is open for our ECDC Preschool program for Fall 2020! Please find an information sheet and application 
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/franklinmaps/files/uploads/2020-21_new_student_application_0.pdf

An Open House is scheduled for Friday, January 17 from 9 AM - 11 AM. Come see what our wonderful Preschool program is all about!

Visit the ECDC Website for more information
https://www.franklinps.net/ecdc

ECDC Registration for Fall 2020

Mary Saville Bennett, Franklin's oldest passes at 109

Via Town Councilor Debbie Pellegri, we share the news:

"Mary Saville Bennett was born May 4, 1910 in Upper Greenville, Nova Scotia Canada and passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 in Milford Massachusetts.

Mary “Saville” (Mitchell) Bennett was the sixth child of twelve, born to Elias Timothy and Annie (Clements) Mitchell in Upper Granville, Nova Scotia, Canada on May 4, 1910. Saville was reared in a Christian centered household and accepted Christ at an early age. She was educated in the school system of Upper Granville. While visiting her sister Beatrice and brother in law Tom Smith of Boston, MA, she met her soulmate, John Augustus Bennett (“Buster”) and they were united in matrimony from December, 1929 until his death in 1986. From that union, 3 children were born, John Jr., Barbara and Francis.

Saville became a citizen of the United States in 1942 and after her children were in high school, Saville went to work as an elevator operator for Filene’s department store. After attending Roxbury Community College and completing her high school education, Saville went to work for the state of Massachusetts and worked as a clerk in the Welfare Department until her retirement. In 1961, Saville and Buster moved to Franklin along with son Francis, his wife Shirley and granddaughter Barbara and became members of Franklin Federated Church.

In her retirement years, Saville enjoyed visiting with family, playing scrabble, word puzzles, crocheting, walking, and traveling the world. The last 6 years, Saville lived at Milford Center and entertained family and friends and kept busy playing bingo and doing her word search puzzles. Saville attributed her longevity to walking daily, giving up smoking over 50 years ago and never getting sick."

Continue reading Mary's obituary
https://www.franklinfuneral.com/#prettyPhoto[iframes]/2/


Relatives and friends are invited to attend her funeral service Friday Dec. 6th, in the Franklin Federated Church, 171 Main St. at 10AM. Interment will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Boston.

Calling hours are Thursday Dec. 5th, in the Charles F. Oteri and Son Franklin Funeral Home 33 Cottage St., from 4-7PM

• In 2013, Mary received recognition as the oldest citizen of Franklin. She was 103 at the time.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/live-reporting-town-council-oct-2-2013.html

• Milford Daily News article on the Boston Post cane recognition in 2013

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1868848398/Franklins-Saville-Bennett-103-presented-with-Boston-Post-Cane?rssfeed=true

Saville M. Bennett, Town Council Chair Robert Vallee, Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri (Franklin Matters photo 2013)

‘Winterbloom’ to hold holiday concert in Franklin - Dec 7

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

"Add some joy to the holiday season with the music of Winterbloom. This female supergroup performs its holiday show at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse in Franklin on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Some highlights

1 Add some joy to the holiday season with the music of Winterbloom. This female supergroup performs its holiday show at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse in Franklin on Saturday.

2 Winter is a time for gathering. It’s in this spirit that a holiday tradition of friendship and music has emerged, as every few years the four internationally touring singer-songwriters who make up Winterbloom come together. The group includes Antje Duvekot, Anne Heaton, Meg Hutchinson and Natalia Zukerman, who tour as “Winterbloom” with diverse reflections and experiences to share for the holidays."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20191204/winterbloom-to-hold-holiday-concert-in-franklin

The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse posting announcing this Winterbloom concert
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/11/winterbloom-dec-7-at-circle-of-friends.html

‘Winterbloom’ to hold holiday concert in Franklin - Dec 7

The Theatre Institute performs Saturday, Dec 14

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

"Over the past three months, 18 high school students have been hard at work exploring various techniques in acting, singing and dancing through a course offered by The Theatre Institute of the Hockomock Area YMCA.

Meeting twice a week for three hours, the students have honed their skills in audition technique, script analysis, and musical theatre performance.

As a culmination of their learning, the group will present an evening of songs and scenes for members of the public at 7 p.m. Dec. 14. The performance will take place in the Guidrey Center at Dean College, 99 Main St., Franklin. Tickets are available at the door and cost $15, cash or check payable to the Hockomock Area YMCA."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20191204/theatre-institute-brings-musical-theatre-showcase-to-dean-college

Additional info on the Theatre Institute can be found on page 40 of the program guide  https://www.hockymca.org/shared/docs/hockymca-youth-program-guide-2019-20.pdf

The Theatre Institute of the Hockomock Area YMCA

"We need more age-appropriate remedies"

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

"Supporters of bills that would change the consequences teenagers face for sharing explicit images described the current penalties as “draconian,” and urged lawmakers to adopt an approach that focuses on education.

The Judiciary Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on similar bills filed by Gov. Charlie Baker and Franklin Rep. Jeffrey Roy that each propose to change how state law handles cases involving minors sending and receiving sexually explicit messages. Baker’s bill (H 67) would also make it a felony offense for adults to share a sexually explicit image without consent from the person depicted, a practice sometimes referred to as revenge porn.

Under current law, minors who share sexually explicit images among their peers are subject to felony child pornography charges.

Elizabeth Englander, the founder and director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, said the threat of a felony and its associated consequences can discourage young victims of sexual harassment from seeking an adult’s help if a peer is pressuring them to send nude or explicit photos."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20191204/franklin-lawmaker-jeffrey-roy-proposes-bill-to-change-consequences-teenagers-who-share-explicit-images


The full text of Rep Roy's proposal can be found online  https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H1550   I could not find the text in reference to Gov Baler's proposal. If anyone has the link, please share it.