Dam, that is good info on beavers !!! (video)

Derek Adams and Breeka Li Goodlander presented on beavers Thursday night (06/04/26) at the Conservation Commission meeting (rescheduled from May 21). 

They provided beaver facts, beaver history, the Town of Franklin processes related to beavers, and permitting procedures.

Dam, that is good info on beavers !!! (video)

It was a very informative presentation. You can view the meeting via YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/live/xoD3azLjTNM?&t=72

The presentation doc shared can be found - 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11AeBXrWfud_kjjxjrgKt3vLWW0EIQ1Af/view?usp=drive_link

Road Closure Alert: Pine Street roadwork, Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Road Closure Alert: Pine Street roadwork, Tuesday, June 2, 2026

via Franklin DPW

"Pine Street roadwork tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2."

#townoffranklin
#franklinpolice
#townofbellingham

DPW: Curbside delays for Oak, Maple & More - Picking up Monday

DPW: Curbside delays for Oak, Maple
& More - Picking up Monday

Update from Waste Management 5/30/26 6:30 PM:

"Due to increased volume, today's collection was not completed. 

Extra resources will be brought to town on Monday to collect streets that were not collected today (Saturday 5/30/26)."

 

Water Main Break on Lincoln St.

May 27, 2026 Water Main Break on Lincoln St. Water Main Break located at 800 Lincoln Street! Water will be turned off between Elm St. to the Medway town line.  DPW crews are organizing now and heading to the area for repairs. Thank you for your patience as we work to get this repaired. View it on website

Recognizing Eileen Mason for her efforts over 22 Years Beautifying Downtown Franklin

If you drive through downtown Franklin, you may have to stop at the traffic light at the intersection of Route 140 and Main Street. Be patient and enjoy the view. The flowers at the center island and bridge are curated by Franklin's Eileen Mason and teams of volunteers.

Eileen Mason

Mason organizes Franklin’s Beautification Day and Winter Decorating. As a Franklin Garden Club and Franklin Downtown Partnership member, she and her volunteers have been beautifying the heart of town for 22 years. The effort is supported and sponsored by generous local businesses.

“If it helps make someone else’s day that much better just because they’re sitting at the lights and enjoying the beautiful flowers,” she’s accomplished her goal, says the REMAX Executive Realty agent.

Creating an attractive downtown is what keeps her inspired. People can enjoy it each day. “Not every community has that. It speaks well of Franklin, and it leaves everyone that drives through with a good impression of Franklin.” People may not know who does it, but they appreciate that downtown is cared for and attractive, she said.

Before and After the Beautification Day 2026 -
the center island

She was first approached by FDP director, Carol Harper, shortly after the Partnership was formed in 2001. She knew it would be a good partnership between the Garden Club and the Downtown Partnership. The Garden Club had been taking care of the trough planter for many years on its own. Then, in the Spring of 2004, the Garden Club, FDP, DPW and Water Departments joined forces annually to make the Downtown look beautiful. 

She worked with the DPW to get the window boxes installed at the bridges. She coordinated plantings. Eventually she introduced the self-watering black containers that hold 2 weeks’ worth of water to save time and resources and to keep a variety of cascading flowers and colors flourishing over the years. The trough is the centerpiece and needs watering several times per week to keep it going.  That’s where the Watering Team of volunteers come in.  

Early on the DPW introduced an improved watering drip system; they turn the water on and off each season, maintain, repair, clean out, and fill containers with soil. Various garden centers in town have provided plants throughout the years, starting with Wadsworth Farms, Hillside Nursery, Agway and now Fairmount Farm.

Before and After the Beautification Day 2026
- the bridge railing

Beautification Days are efficient work days with flowers in May and greenery in November. 

Mason has volunteers from the Garden Club and the FDP. She has had lots of help from residents and sports teams at Franklin High over the years. The Garden Club cares for the expanded Veterans’ Memorial Garden at the Town Common. Mason coordinates the work in the downtown. Volunteers plant 26 business barrels around downtown, plus the 31 containers at the center island and bridges. 

She appreciates that people want to pitch in. At the recent May 16th  Beautification Day, Co-Chair, Sandy Sauer and the girls’ soccer team worked downtown while the boys’ baseball team worked at the common. “It’s a good mix and a good vibe. What I like is there are kids that come back each year. They love doing it. There are so many kids who drive through town and say ‘I used to do that!’ "

One memorable time for her was during COVID. “We had so many people in town step up and help do everything. They wore masks, they stayed in their own vehicles, or went to the (Fairmount) farm, picked up plants, brought them downtown and planted. I had the most adult volunteers ever come out and do that. The kids weren’t in school. We didn’t really have the teams that year, so families came out." 

"We had such a fun day. You could feel the community spirit. Everyone wanted to get out and just be with people. Those were the years that made a big difference. I am so appreciative of the people in Franklin."

It's a labor of love. It takes months of planning and organizing. Her new Co-Chair in beautifying Franklin is Sandy Sauer at Franklin Tile Carpet One. Sandy has been a huge help with many tasks like organizing and scheduling volunteers to do the watering for 22 weeks during the summer. 

It's rewarding. “The friendships, the people and things we’ve been able to accomplish as a partnership have been really big. Even the little things like the museum sculpture – that was a nice project.” She has also been involved in establishing the Ladybug Trail. 

Mason’s goal is to keep growing the base of supporters who help beautification by watering, planting or being a member. She’d love to keep it going for another 25 years. “There’s no reason for it to go away. I like the fact it’s a true partnership between businesses, residents and the town DPW and Water Departments. We couldn’t do it without everyone’s help and cooperation.”

Stay up to date on the Downtown Partnership’s Beautification Day and other events here:

https://www.instagram.com/franklindowntownpartnership/  and  

https://www.facebook.com/franklindowntownpartnership.org/

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a non-profit 501c3 organization made up of more than 350 business owners, residents, and community leaders working to revitalize downtown Franklin. Residents can join the Downtown Partnership for only $25. The Partnership manages events like the Strawberry Stroll, the Harvest Festival, the Ladybug Historical & Cultural Trail, and initiatives such as beautification, streetscape design, greenspace, alley murals, and sculpture projects. For more information go to www.franklindowntownpartnership.org.

FY 2027 Budget Narrative: Recycling & Solid Waste (Enterprise Account)

From the Town Administrator's FY 2027 Budget narrative, each department's story is worth sharing.

General Purpose

To provide the highest level of customer service for curbside pickup of trash, recyclables, and yard waste from 9,686 households for transportation to Millbury WIN Incinerator, the recycling processing center, and composting centers.

Core Functions

● Continue a high level of customer service and fast response times.

● Work to increase the Town's recycling rate while decreasing the amount of trash tonnage that is delivered to the Millbury Waste-To-Energy facility.

● Manage single-stream recycling, solid waste, waste-to-energy, and composting contracts.

● Apply for and obtain DEP grant funding to improve operations, enhance recycling monitoring, and public outreach/education.

 

Staffing

The salary costs for the Director, Managers and Administrative Staff are shared between the DPW General Fund, and the various Enterprise funds. The Solid Waste Enterprise fund pays for 1.55 FTE's.

● Management & Administration: 0.9

● Administrative Support: 0.35

● Solid Waste Laborers: 0.3

Strategic Initiatives & Accomplishments

● Residential compost bins offered free of charge to residents; which were obtained through MassDEP grant funding. This program reduces "trash" tonnage and is environmentally sound.

● Reorganized and enhanced efficiencies amongst the schools through the district-wide composting program.

● Continue to remain below 10% contamination rate through our single-stream recycling program - one of the best rates in Massachusetts.

FY27 Requested Budget Highlights

Solid Waste Expense Increase: $195,000

● Wheelabrator Trash Disposal: This $34,000 increase is consistent with the 5-year average. The actual rate of increase is calculated annually in May, by Wheelabrator actuaries, based on the CPI and as specified in the Franklin-Wheelabrator contract.

● Recycling Disposal/Tipping: Increase of $45,000 reflects 5 year historical averages and current/projected market trends.

● Waste Management Trash Collection: This $53,000 increase reflects the collective total of the per-customer rate increase, as specified in the Franklin-Waste Management 2026-2031 contract.

● Waste Management Recycling Collection: This $63,000 increase reflects the collective total of the per-customer increase, as specified in the Franklin-Waste Management 2026-2031 contract.

FY27 Requested Budget Summary

Enterprise funds are accounted for separately from the General Operating Budget and are designed to be self-supporting through user fees and charges. As such, their revenues and expenditures do not impact the Town’s Operating Budget, as all costs are recovered within the enterprise fund rather than supported by general taxation.

This budget reflects contractual increases regarding the Waste Management trash/recycling collection and hauling contract. It also includes the projection for the annual increase in the Waste Disposal / Wheelabrator contract. Both items are necessary to maintain health, cleanliness, and proper sanitation in regard to solid waste throughout the Town of Franklin.

The PDF of this section - 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xA-cmR1hmHF1mdvwAGEScsunBgBtlHxA/view?usp=drive_link

For the full FY 2027 budget narrative -  https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8912/FY27-Budget-Narrative-FINAL-1

The FY 2027 budget information can be found 

https://www.franklinma.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=577

Wash Smart, Drive Clean

"Washing your car at home might seem convenient, but that soapy water doesn’t disappear, it heads into storm drains and flows straight to local rivers and lakes near Franklin.

Be kind to clean water. Choose a commercial car wash that recycles dirty water. Or wash on the lawn so the ground can soak it up. Go easy on the soap and use biodegradable products when you can.

Small shifts = cleaner streams. Let’s drive a little cleaner."

🔗 Learn more at https://franklinma.gov/530/Stormwater-Division

Shared from https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1NHKbLNCf3/

Beaver Street Interceptor (BSI) Project: Construction Updates ~ Monday (5/11) Through Tuesday (5/12), 7 AM to 4 PM

Beaver Street Pump Station

At the Franklin Recreation Center, construction of the new Beaver Street Interceptor Pump Station will continue with the installation of the water service into the building.  The work will be contained within one lane on Beaver Street.  During this time there will be a lane closure on Beaver Street between 7am and 4pm. Please use caution when traveling in this area and follow all posted signs.

Please reference the interactive map and posted signs for details and updates.

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/557/Beaver-Street-Interceptor-BSI-Project

Teaser: Franklin TV and Franklin Matters took the opportunity to get inside of the Pump Station to take a tour and record the video so you will all be able to see what cost approximately $8M of the overall $33M project. The video will take time to edit so stay tuned for an informative inside view.

The DPW is hiring students 18+ for summer help

The DPW is hiring students 18+ for summer help

Via the Town of Franklin DPW

"We're hiring for the summer!

To apply, please visit our website: https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/9205/Summer-DPW-Posting-2026-04-22?

#townoffranklin"

FY 2027 Budget Narrative: Department of Public Works

From the Town Administrator's FY 2027 Budget narrative, each department's story is worth sharing.

General Purpose

The Department of Public Works is responsible for meeting the public infrastructure needs of the Town. We design, build, and maintain infrastructure including roads, sidewalks, bridges, parking lots, parks and fields, drainage systems, traffic lighting, street lighting and all town signs.

The DPW also maintains the Town’s fleet of vehicles and equipment and runs the Town’s Recycling Center. We manage all water, sewer, solid waste and stormwater infrastructure and programs, although these areas are budgeted through our enterprise funds. We manage all areas with the highest standards of customer service and most efficient use of Town resources possible.

The assigned areas of responsibility are the following seven budget areas; Highway-General Maintenance (422-40), Grounds and Parks (422-41), Snow and Ice Removal, (422-42), Central Motors (422-43), Recycling Center (422-46), Administration & Engineering (422-49), and Street Lights (424).

Core Functions

Overall Department of Public Works Functions

● Customer Service

○ Continually improve procedures to meet Town standards for customer service. Proactively anticipate customer needs. Explore increased use of technology on an ongoing basis.

● Management and Administration

○ Continuously evaluate means and methods of service delivery and, where applicable, implement best practices. Lead in technology implementation for Public Works.

● Infrastructure Planning

○ Participate in general growth planning and lead in planning to meet future infrastructure needs resulting from Town growth. Monitor water system master plan to reflect the impact of improvements initiated to date. Evaluate the need for sewer/stormwater infrastructure improvements reflective of recent DEP policies.

● Infrastructure Design and Construction

○ Ensure public infrastructure design and construction, whether by public or private parties, meets Town and professional standards, and results in cost effective projects and minimizes environmental and neighborhood impacts.

● Public Infrastructure Maintenance

○ Proactively maintain all DPW-assigned public infrastructure assets and support equipment to meet service requirements.

● Emergency Response

○ As first responders we must be in a position to respond to major and minor emergencies to restore and maintain services.

Director of Public Works

● Develop and maintain relationships with State and Federal agencies for permitting and regulatory compliance.

● Long range infrastructure and asset management planning.

● Resource development, including improving efficiency, acquiring grants, development of support facilities, coordination of divisions, etc.

● Annual planning, budgeting, setting goals, and program evaluation.

● EPA MS4 Stormwater implementation.

● Evaluate all new technologies: GPS, Watersmart, ArcGIS, Fleetio Software, Brightly, etc. throughout the organization to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

● Continue to work with other communities to share resources.

Administration Division

● Administration of water, sewer, sprinkler, hydrant, cross-connection, backflow, solid waste & recycling, and stormwater billing.

● Customer Service: Counter and telephone intake, public notifications, etc.

● Permit processing (water, sewer, street excavation, public way access, drain layers licenses, etc.)

● DPW-wide financial management: budgeting, payroll, AP/AR, purchasing, etc.

● Support to operating divisions

Engineering and Construction Division (Includes GIS)

● Manage the design and construction of Capital Improvement projects while coordinating with operating divisions.

● Provide technical review of private development site plans and subdivisions for the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, and Board of Appeals.

● Provide construction inspection for municipal capital projects and work in the public right of way.

● Manage street excavation and ensure all by-laws are followed.

● Maintain official Town records and maps.

● GIS (Geographic Information System) - Constantly updating and maintaining numerous spatial databases to meet the needs of departments, boards, committees, professionals and citizens, while also expanding the information available in a simple and economical approach.

Highway and Grounds Division

● Road Maintenance

○ Pavement reclamation, asphalt overlays, chip seal, crack seal, infrared heat treatment, and patching.

● Sidewalks

○ Repair existing sidewalks and add new sidewalks where needed.

Parks and Tree Division

● Grounds, Parks & Trees

○ Plant trees, maintain public shade trees, cut grass at ball fields, buildings, and cemetery and cut, prune, and trim shrubs and maintain landscaping around schools, municipal buildings and the Town Common, as well as landscaped areas within the public right-of-way.

Central Motors Division

● Central Motors

○ Maintenance of approximately 170 Town vehicles, including DPW (84), Facilities, Inspection and Board of Health (11), Animal Control (2), Police (35), School (16), and Fire (22). Central Motors also maintains trailers (42) as well as equipment such as weed wackers, lawn mowers, chain saws, snow blowers, snow plows and sanders.

Snow and Ice Division

● Snow Operations

○ Snow Removal and Sanding Operations of Roadways, Schools, and Public Buildings.

 

Recycling Division

● Beaver Street Recycling Center

○ Operation of a Recycling Center 3.5 days a week that provides excellent customer service and meets all DEP regulations.

Street Lighting Division

● Street Lighting

○ Repair and maintain street lights throughout town.

Staffing

The Department of Public Works has 57.3 full-time equivalents (FTEs) split across multiple budgets. The total staffing includes:

● Management & Administration: 12 full-time

● Engineering/GIS Staff: 4 full-time

● Administrative Support: 3 full-time, 1 part-time

● Highway Division Laborers: 8 full-time

● Grounds Division Laborers: 6 full-time

● Water Division Laborers: 11 full-time

● Sewer Division Laborers: 5 full-time

● Stormwater Division Laborers: 3 full-time

● Central Motors Laborers: 3 full-time

● Recycling Center Staff: 4 part-time

● Seasonal/Summer Help: 15 full-time (May-Aug., not included in total FTE’s)

The salary costs for the Director, Managers and Administrative Staff are shared between the DPW General Fund and the various Enterprise funds. The DPW General Fund pays for 22.65 FTEs.

● Management & Administration: 2.9

● Engineering/GIS Staff: 0.25

● Administrative Support: 0.7

● Highway Division Laborers: 8.0

● Grounds Division Laborers: 6.0

● Central Motors Laborers: 3.0

● Recycling Center Staff: 1.8

● Seasonal/Summer Help: 8.0 (May-Aug., not included in total FTE’s)

 

Strategic Initiatives & Accomplishments

● Provide exceptional and expedient customer service to every person who contacts the Public Works Department.

● Continue to develop and implement plans and oversight of all Public Works projects that meet safety concerns while ensuring protection of staff and residents.

● Maintain the Town’s assets, such as fields, Town Common and other public ways in the community with the most cost effective use of resources whether public or private.

● Continue to work on the stormwater challenge and funding of the requirements of the MS4 permit. Public Works continues to proactively work on this issue with the installation of rain gardens, improved road design and many other projects that help manage this costly endeavor going forward.

● Maintain excellence in snow and ice removal operations.

● Execute several miles of new water and roadway projects.

● Implement, evaluate and fund to the extent possible the Town’s 5-year Pavement Management Plan. The Town has $40 million in backlogged road work, and millions more required to maintain our parking lots and sidewalks.

● For the 2025 construction season (Spring FY26 through Fall FY26), DPW completed the following road preservation projects by investing approximately $1.9 million dollars from a combination of funding sources including Chapter 90 ($1.2 million) and the DPW operating budget ($700k for FY25 & FY26)

○ Asphalt Paving Overlay Project

■ Pond St. - from Eldon Drive to Partridge St.

■ Washington St. and King St. - from Jefferson Rd. to I-495

■ Grove St. - from Beaver St. to the Mine Brook Bridge

○ Rubber Chip Seal Surfacing Project

■ Charles River Drive neighborhood

■ Wampanoag Drive and Concetta Way neighborhood

■ Julie Dawn Dr. and Denise Dr. neighborhood

■ Spring St. and Dom Lea Circle neighborhood

FY27 Requested Budget Highlights

The following is a list of recommended restored services for Public Works that have been very unpopular with many residents. However, with the winter draining the entire snow and ice budget, as well as the entire Snow and Ice Stabilization Fund, my revised FY27 budget in May and June will likely reflect a recommendation to reallocate these restorations into the snow and ice budget to prepare for next winter.

 

● Highway Department - $105,000 Increase

○ Police Details - $1,000

○ Electricity for Traffic Signals - $5,000

○ Sidewalk and Guardrail Maintenance - $50,000

○ Sign and Post Maintenance - $5,000

○ Street Line Painting and Vegetation Management. - $40,000

○ Tools - $4,000

● Grounds Department - $90,000 Increase

○ Tree Trimming & Removal - $40,000

○ Field Maintenance - $5,000

○ Contracted Services Schools - $35,000

○ Municipal Grounds Supplies - $5,000

○ Supplies for School Grounds - $5,000

● Grounds Department - $41,000 Increase

○ Seasonal/Summer Help - $41,000

● Snow and Ice Removal - Level Funded

● Central Motors Department - $14,500 Increase

○ Communications Equip./Radios - ($10,000)

○ Uniform Rental - $1,000

○ Automotive Parts - $16,000

○ Vehicle Tires/ Lubricants - $5,000

○ Misc. Equipment - $1,000

○ Safety Training Classes - $1,500

● Recycle Center Department - $9,000 Increase

○ Rigid Plastic Disposal/Removal - $4,000

○ Mattress Disposal/Removal - $5,000

● Administration/ Engineering Department - Level Funded

● Street Lighting Department - $20,000 Increase

○ Electricity Costs - $15,000

○ Repair of Street Lights - $5,000

As long as this section is, there is more including charts and tables in the PDF version   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vhO77vli_L4X_tabourXqVF7Ee6a4S5Y/view?usp=drive_link

For the full FY 2027 budget narrative -  https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8912/FY27-Budget-Narrative-FINAL-1

The FY 2027 budget information can be found 

https://www.franklinma.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=577

Stormwater Starts in the Parking Lot

Stormwater Starts in the Parking Lot

Via DPW Stormwater & Environmental Affairs Division

Your parking lot is more than just a place to park, it is a hotspot for runoff pollution. When rain hits trash, oil stains, or spilled materials, it sends all that straight into storm drains and nearby rivers and lakes.

Routine sweeping, spot-cleaning spills, and keeping dumpsters tidy go a long way toward protecting water quality.

Clean lots aren’t just good for business in Franklin, they help meet environmental regulations and keep our waterways clear.

Learn more: https://franklinma.gov/530/Stormwater-Division

#ThinkBlueMA #StormwaterSmart #CleanWaterStartsHere #PollutionPrevention

Shared from - https://www.facebook.com/share/1LmrkQSZPD/

DPW Update: Friday Trash Will Be Completed Saturday May 2, 2026

Friday Trash Will Be Completed Saturday - 1

Friday Trash Will Be Completed Saturday

Update from Waste Management 6:00pm 5/1/26:

"Due to known delays throughout the week at the disposal facility, we were unable to complete Friday's Trash Collection. We have a plan in place to recover the streets that are still "on the ground" tomorrow (Saturday 5/2/26). 

Friday Trash Will Be Completed Saturday 2

See BLUE on attached maps for affected areas. Thank you for your patience."

DPW Update on the disposal delays slowing the scheduled pickups

 

Shared from - https://www.franklinma.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/135

DPW: Tuesday Recycling - Pick up Incomplete (again)

DPW: Tuesday Recycling - Incomplete

Update from Waste Management 7:00 pm 4/28/26: 

"Due to over-run's from yesterday, today's Recycling Collection was not completed. See attached map for affected areas, which are highlighted in BLUE. These areas will be collected tomorrow morning. We apologize for the inconvenience."

View it on website (You can visit the website but the map unfortunately gets hidden. This is the best view of it.)

Monday Recycling Route - Incomplete for Franklin, MA

View this in your browser

April 27, 2026 Monday Recycling Route - Incomplete Update from Waste Management: "Due to a mechanical failure, today’s recycle route (Monday) was not completed. Affected areas are highlighted in BLUE on the attached map. These areas will be collected tomorrow. We apologize to the residents of Franklin for the inconvenience." View it on website