In the news - King St/I495 construction, storyteller at library

King Street work slated at long last
By Rachel Lebeaux
Globe Correspondent / August 17, 2008

A long-awaited overhaul for busy King Street in Franklin has received an injection of state funds that will allow the project - offering improved traffic flow, better signals, and enhanced vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle safety - to move forward next spring.

The state Transportation Improvement Program has allotted $3.8 million in state and federal funds toward the project, which focuses on upgrades to the Interstate 495 ramps at King Street. Work will extend along King Street from Union Street to Upper Union Street, and include construction on Upper Union Street from King Street to Constitution Boulevard.

The project is slated to go out for bid this fall, with construction starting next spring. Robert "Brutus" Cantoreggi, director of Franklin's Department of Public Works, said he expects construction will last 18 months. While there are likely to be delays, the roads involved in the project will remain open, he said.

The project is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and improving safety measures at several bustling intersections along King Street and at Interstate 495.

Read the full article in the Boston Globe here

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FRANKLIN -

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the Franklin Public Library is hosting Carolyn Martino, professional storyteller, actress, writer and educator at 7 p.m. in the Meeting Room.

"Enjoy the musical rhythms and joyous logic of all that is Italian in a Bella Notte of Italian storytelling as Martino captures you with her humor, warmth and style,'' says Margaret Ellis, the library's literacy coordinator.

This program is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners with funds from the LSTA, a Federal source of library funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Originally published in the Franklin Gazette on Friday August 15, 2008.

Another Social Networking Site - Wicked Local

WICKED LOCAL: Social networking comes to New England sites GateHouse Media New England has entered into an agreement with TownConnect to introduce family-based social networking and a variety of other community-building tools on GateHouse’s 159 Wicked Local town web sites in Massachusetts.

Through the co-branded Wicked Local People sites, residents of the 159 eastern Massachusetts communities served by GateHouse newspapers can participate in a free, secure, private network and easily organize online communities of friends, neighbors and extended families; coordinate schedules; share photos and files; and connect families, friends, and neighbors.

“When we launched the Wicked Local network last fall, we wanted to combine professional journalism, lots of community information, and lots of opportunities for residents to interact with us and with each other,” said Kirk Davis, president of GateHouse Media New England. “Working with TownConnect allows us to take that interaction to the next level - immediately.”

Read the full article in the Franklin Gazette here

If you have followed our web 2.0 series, you should have some idea of what this site can do. I did sign up but don't have the time just now to continue to fill out the info required. There were about 20 or so other Franklin folks to do so when I signed up. It will need to have more to be worthwhile.

About time....

By Staff reports

Milford Daily News

Posted Jun 11, 2008 @ 10:20 AM

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You must now register to comment on our stories.

Readers have been able to comment on stories on our site since October of last year. That feature has sparked some lively debate and allowed greater interaction with our readers – and they with each other – that we welcomed. The feature has also generated some irrational and ugly nastiness. We let the conversations flow pretty freely for the most part – we allowed folks to post anonymously, we moderated with a light hand and left shutting off comments completely as a last resort.

As time has gone on, however, the need to more closely manage comments and commenters has grown. The new registration requirement is simple for users, but will give us more ability to manage comments and keep the conversation civil.

Read the full story here

Note: this applies to both the Franklin Gazette and Milford Daily News.

I took this step some time ago and have not regretted it. My email (shersteve at gmail dot com) is available for anyone who wants to have a civil conversation and does not have either a Blogger or OpenID.

In the news - seniors tax break bill not likely this time around

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted May 04, 2008 @ 12:13 AM

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FRANKLIN —

The situation is not unique to Franklin: the elderly are pitted against young people in a battle to pass a Proposition 2-1/2 tax override that keeps schools competitive during budget crises.

Seniors on fixed incomes speak out about their struggle to pay for basic needs and hang onto their homes, while those who are the voice of another vulnerable population - children - endure attacks for proposing a tax increase.

Now that Franklin is in the throes of an override battle, School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy is urging citizens to appeal to their senators (Sens. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, and Karen Spilka, D-Ashland) to pass a bill permitting towns to exempt eligible seniors from tax overrides.

On Feb. 28, the House overwhelmingly (111-34) passed Bill No. 2840, which gives Franklin's Town Council the ability to give this tax break to seniors aged 65 or older with a family income of $60,000 or less (if their real estate tax payments exceed 10 percent of their total income). The bill was sent to the Senate and referred to the Senate Ethics and Rules Committee.

Read the remainder of the article in the Milford Daily News here

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Franklin seniors seek override relief

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Sun May 04, 2008, 12:08 AM EDT

FRANKLIN -

A group of women playing Scrabble at the Franklin Senior Center recently said a bill protecting them from override taxes ``sounds good'' to them.
``Oh yes, definitely,'' said senior Clare Flynn.
The women ``don't make nearly $60,000,'' and their Social Security income is so low, they are considered to be living in ``poverty,'' they said, laughing and adding they would like to be given the same tax breaks as billionaires.
An exemption would not automatically compel them to vote in favor of a Proposition 2« tax override, however, they said.
``It would depend on what the override is for, if it seemed they (town officials) spent money foolishly, and why they reached the point where they'd have to call for an override,'' Flynn said.
``If the money really would go for what they're saying, then I'd consider it,'' she said.

Read the full article in the Franklin Gazette here

Yes, there will be a celebration this 4th of July! You can help!

Fourth of July Coalition seeking volunteers

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

There is no question whether the town's Fourth of July celebration tradition will continue this year, said Michael A. Walker-Jones. "We're going to make it happen," said Walker-Jones, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee. He has been informally leading the Fourth of July Celebration Coalition steering committee with Michael Kelly.

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read the full article here.

In the News - Molasses, twin violins, financial fiasco

Franklin Library looks to get town On the Same Page

By Michael Morton/Staff writer

At first, library staff worried that an initiative to get all residents to read the same book on a sugarcane product would prove slower than molasses.

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Music in double time

By Heather McCarron/Staff writer

Sasha and Sally Gorski share a lot in common, not the least of which is a passion for music. And every day, they get double the pleasure out of pursuing it.

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Franklin financial fiasco prompts more criticism

By By Michael Morton, DAILY NEWS STAFF

FRANKLIN - With the inquiry into a $580,000 budget gap over, school officials say they are moving forward by instituting new oversight controls and seeking a finance director to replace the recently fired Delores McCoy.

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Franklin Industry: The Boston Group

In a retail era dominated by big-box stores, area independent appliance dealers credit the Boston Group - and its seemingly endless supply - as the reason why they're able to stay in business.

The group lets them buy more merchandise for better prices then they could individually. The warehouse holds the discounted merchandise for the independent stores and the stores in turn pass the savings on to their customers.

The group, founded in 1963 by Jerry Ellis, now the president of Building 19, is a cooperative of about 75 independent appliance stores throughout New England that have joined to leverage their buying power and warehouse space. Members say their combined market share attracts manufacturers' interest in a way they could never do alone, while helping them compete against big-box stores' prices and selection.

Read more about this operation based here in Franklin that the Franklin Gazette profiles.

Top Stories of 2007

The Franklin Gazette reviews 2007 and the top stories from the local area. The Franklin contributions to the listing are:

• The new Fire House
• Central Commons project stalled
• Brick classroom facing closure
• passing the first operational override
• named one of the Top 10 in Family Circle
• new Senior Center opens

Read the full article here to see what Plainville, Medway, Wrentham, Millis, and Foxboro contributed.

Franklin Blogger: Model trains, his passion

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Model railroads are Mason's passion

By Heather McCarron/Daily News staff

Although he was just 4 years old at the time, Scott Mason clearly remembers the first train set he ever received — 1950s vintage, used Lionel trains given to him for Christmas by a family friend.

Read the full article here
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Scott Mason's website can be found here

Franklin in the news

Cookie monsters invade Franklin church

By Aaron Wasserman/Daily News staff

Shelf space was in short supply yesterday morning in the Franklin United Methodist Church's kitchen. By 10 a.m. rows of cookies had already filled several baking sheets, their smell noticeable moments after walking in the church's side door.

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Chambers seek energy consultants to aid businesses

By Aaron Wasserman/Daily News staff

Several area chambers of commerce, concerned about volatile utility prices' impact on their members, are working with energy consultants to help local businesses control their costs.

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'Friends' help Franklin Senior Center get underway

By Michael Morton/Daily News staff

Inside the game room of the town's new senior center, a donated pool table is already well on its way to bringing in more men to the community facility.

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Franklin artist helps reproduce historical town painting

By John Fenuccio/News Staff Writer

When the Historical Commission needed help restoring Admiral Louis Emil Denfeld’s portrait, it not only sought out a professional artist, but also a “townie.”

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Questioning tax share for businesses
By Alexandra Perloe - Globe Correspondent / December 2, 2007

Franklin officials have again entered the perennial debate on whether to continue taxing residential and commercial properties at the same rate, or convert to a dual, or split-rate, system.

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Franklin in the news

From the Milford Daily News:

The Charter Commission recommendations are reported on here

Hotel tax revenue vote from Wednesday's Town Council meeting


From the Franklin Gazette:

The school deficit covered temporarily

Taxes to rise, no surprise since the override passed