Saturday, November 14, 2009

Look for Letter to the Editor

FYI - I can't find the "Letter to the Editor" written by Ted Klowan, Jr on the Wicked Local website but you can read his excellent and logical argument in this week's Franklin Gazette. The hard copy should have been tossed in your driveway.

FYI - The Franklin School Committee took the time to post an image of the newspaper copy here

Lottery versus taxes

Cahill said the average person in Massachusetts spends $700 a year on the state lottery, compared to the national average of $170.
Oh my, really! Yes, according to comments made at a luncheon Friday in Milford

So here's where things get complicated.

You got to be in it to win it!

But if you took what the "average person" spends on a gamble and spent it on local property taxes, you would get improvements in all our local services: fire, police, DPW, library and education.

The "average person" certainly isn't everyone, not at least in Franklin where incomes for some are real tight. The "average person" referenced can't be the same person who voted against an override.

Surely they would see that a sure thing is better than a gamble?


In the News - Team Hoyt visits Annie Sullivan

I have had the pleasure of meeting and running with Team Hoyt in a number of events including the HMEA 5K held locally in May and the Groton 5K. They are truly an inspiration!


Hoyts inspire Franklin students

from The Milford Daily News News RSS




Electronic and Appliance Recycle Day

What: Electronic and Appliance Recycle Day

When: Saturday, Nov 28th 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Where: St. Mary's

Cost: Varies by item


Electronic and appliance recycle day to be held at Saint Mary's Church, One Church Square, Franklin, MA on Saturday November 28th from 9a.m. t0 2 p.m. We are accepting all electronics for recycling to include monitors, fax machines, modems, TV's etc as well as all appliances to include refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves, water tanks etc. This is a great opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint in the environment and recycle your unwanted items. We will also accept lawn mowers and snow blowers with the gas removed as well as exercise equipment. This is a fund raiser and there will be a small fee of $5 per electronic item, $10 for each TV or appliance and $20 for each large wood console TV. There will be receipts provided as well. Car and truck batteries as well as cell phones are free.

Phone:  508-277-6728
Organization:   Saint Mary's Church


4th Annual Casino Night - Nov 20th

On Friday, November 20, 2009, the Franklin Education Foundation (FEF) will hold its 4th Annual Casino Night at the Franklin Elks from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. The event will feature Black Jack, Roulette and Money Wheel as well as raffles, a Silent Auction, cash bar and FREE hors d’oeuvres. The event is well known as a fun evening out with friends and neighbors, all while contributing to a worthwhile cause.

In addition to having fun at the gaming tables, attendees can bid on a variety of great Silent Auction items. Included will be autographed Red Sox and Patriots memorabilia, handcrafted jewelry, original art, and gift certificates from 3 Restaurant, Panera Bread, Stop & Shop and Arbonne Skin Care. Preliminary sponsors for the event include DCU (Digital Federal Credit Union), Rockland Trust, Doherty Ciechanowski, Dugan & Cannon, PC and ZeptoMetrix Corporation. If you have an item to donate or if your company is interested in sponsoring, contact FEF. It’s a great way to show your commitment to education in Franklin.

Admission is $25. To avoid waiting in line at the door, advance ticket purchase is recommended. For ticket purchase, auction donation or sponsorship information, please contact Peter Minor at (508) 541-6700 or peter@peterminor.com. Cash only accepted for chip purchase. Checks and Visa/MC accepted for Silent Auction items. For more information visit www.franklined.org.

Since 1997, The Franklin Education Foundation events have raised well over $170,000 which has been distributed to Franklin public schools in the form of special grants. All Franklin Public School staff members are eligible to submit creative, innovative ideas for programs or activities that would not traditionally be funded by tax dollars. To see a list of programs FEF have funded over the years, visit www.franklined.org.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Friday, November 13, 2009

H1N1 VACCINE UPDATE - November 12, 2009

The Health Department has been inundated with hundreds of calls and emails regarding the availability of the H1N1 vaccine for Franklin Residents.  At the present time we do not have enough vaccine to hold a public flu clinic.  Vaccine production issues have significantly delayed the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine to all health departments and medical providers across the country.  As a result, we can not state with any certainty when Franklin’s first H1N1 flu clinic will be held.

Once we have a sufficient supply of vaccine on hand, we stand ready to implement our clinic plan and to begin the vaccination process.  The Franklin Health Department has the personnel and the infrastructure in place to begin large-scale vaccinations of the target group, once the vaccine is delivered in sufficient quantities.

The initial allocation of vaccine will be directed toward children aged 6 months to 9 years of age.  Again, this age group will require two doses of vaccine so it is important to have the first doses administered as soon as the vaccine is made available.  It is possible that we may, due to limited supply of vaccine, narrow the age group significantly during our first clinic.  This will prevent parents and children waiting unnecessarily when the vaccine is in short supply.

It is important to note that the Franklin Health Department does not expect to receive any thimerosal free vaccine.  This has implications for women who are pregnant and wish to receive preservative free vaccine.  Pregnant women are urged to contact their obstetrician regarding thimerosal free flu vaccine.

The Franklin Health Department fully understands the frustration and concern the residents of Franklin are experiencing regarding H1N1 vaccine availability.  I can assure you the Health Department staff and the Board of Health shares your concerns.  We will do everything in our power to expedite the vaccination process once our supply of vaccine is received.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

David E. McKearney, R.S.
Public Health Director
Franklin Health Department

Franklin Board of Health
Bruce Hunchard, Chair
Paul Cheli
Donald Ranieri, Jr.




Happy Birthday, Franklin Matters!

I was busy this week and almost forgot to celebrate a birthday. Two years ago this past Monday, the first post was generated here at Franklin Matters. The archives for Nov 9, 2007 contain:




As long as readership continues to grow, and I continue to learn and have fun doing this, you can count on more years of Franklin Matters!

Thank you for reading, commenting, and sending emails. All your feedback is greatly appreciated.


Photo credit: Two Candles in the Dark by photos8.com

In the News - fire, school money

Homeowner puts out deck fire

from The Milford Daily News News RSS



-----

As I read this, it would seem this money will go to pay off some of the existing debt incurred on the building.

Franklin gets money for school building



Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Let's honor our veterans today

On this Veterans Day, let's thank them for their service. Their service allows us to live the life we have here in Franklin.





Tuesday, November 10, 2009

In the News - lock cars

Not for the first time, nor likely for this last time, common sense should say why take a chance, lock it up.


Area police warn residents to lock cars

from The Milford Daily News News RSS





Monday, November 9, 2009

FM #48 - Election 2009

This is #48 in the series of internet radio or podcasts for Franklin Matters. In this session we review the results of the Town Election and go inside the high school field house to hear Town Clerk Debbie Pellegri announce the results.

Time: 7 minutes, 37 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:



Music intro 
My intro 



This internet radio show or podcast for Franklin Matters is number 48 in the series.



The Franklin election of 2009 has come and gone.



We have a new Town Council with 6 incumbents (Whalen, Mason, Vallee, Pfeffer, McGann and Zollo) and three newcomers (Powderly, Jones and Kelly).



The School Committee has five incumbents (Cafasso, Mullen, Roy, Rohrbach and Trahan) along with two new members (Douglas and Glynn).



Bruce Hunchard returns on the Board of Health.



Padula, Halligan and Carroll were elected to the Planning Board.



Chris Feeley easily took his write-in campaign for the Board of Assessors and saved the Town Council from having to appoint someone.



Only 16.4% of the registered voters bothered to cast their ballots. This is less than the prior two town elections and continues the trend in the wrong direction.



I will have more to share on the totals and what I read into them. For this session, we'll take you into the Franklin High School field house to hear Town Clerk, Debbie Pellegri announce the results for the election.


-----

This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/


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 East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with permission.  

In the News - regionalization, Vietnam, Faithful Nine


Franklin looks at regionalizing services



Walgreens continues to make progress

Walgreens has its sign up now. The exterior of the building is being finished. Landscaping is underway. Not to long now before it opens for business.





Sign up for the RMV driver license renewal reminders

One could quibble about the RMV's driver's license renewal reminder program in that you have to sign up to make it effect. But then technically that is following a good "opt in" practice.


The Registry of Motor Vehicles offers an online service that will remind drivers 30 days before their driver’s license is due to expire.
Residents who sign up for the service can choose a reminder by phone, email or text and there is no additional cost to the public. 
The new service replaces the mail reminder program that was discontinued earlier this year as a cost-saving measure.
The new reminder service is provided by the RMV in collaboration with Sendza, Inc. and is sponsored by local businesses.  Any information you provide is protected by a strict privacy policy.
Drivers are encouraged to sign up for the program. For more information visit www.mass.gov/rmv.




Sunday, November 8, 2009

Fall in Franklin



something about the redness
of the leaves, the white fence 
and the morning sunlight




Fall in Franklin: something about the redness the white fence and the sunlight m, originally uploaded by shersteve.

What is a sherku


In the News - train death, Nutcracker


Man hit by commuter train in Franklin