St Mary's ready to resume services in chapel (not main church)

Dear Parishioners of St. Mary’s,

I’m happy to announce to you that, thanks to our friends from Service Master, our Chapel and Sacred Heart Hall are now clean and safe for use again! 

Therefore, starting this Saturday, November 2nd, we will begin using our Chapel and Sacred Heart Hall for all our Masses, both weekend and daily, and all other liturgies, meetings and events. 

We will resume our regular weekend Mass schedule in the Chapel and Sacred Heart Hall on Saturdays at 4 PM and Sundays at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM THIS WEEKEND (November 2nd and 3rd).  

For weekend and daily Mass parking, please use the school parking lot, Franklin Senior Center parking lot, Daniel McCahill Street, Union Street or Main Street. The Oak St. parking area and Rectory driveway will not be available as our renovation team is working 7 days a week in the Main Church. Also, please do not give in to curiosity and wander upstairs for any reason. There is still a lot of soot and smoke damage that is strongly discouraged breathing in to our bodies. 

Our Daily Mass at 7 AM in the Chapel on Mondays through Fridays will resume on Monday, November 4th. 

Confessions will resume in the Chapel on Saturdays from 8 AM - 9 AM beginning Saturday, November 9th. 

All Baptisms, Funerals and Weddings will be held as scheduled in the Chapel and Sacred Heart Hall beginning on Saturday, November 2nd. 

All meetings and activities including St. Vincent DePaul can resume in the Sacred Heart Hall beginning Saturday November 2nd. However, whomever is coordinating those events will need to plan for use without tables as the chairs will be in place for Masses, like we have set at Christmas and Easter.  

This is great news that we can at least return to some use of our church so quickly. While it will not always feel ideal, at least we can join together again in our church in some form and fashion. We will all need to have patience as we continue to move forward and make the best of what we have. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We have launched a St. Mary’s Fire Relief Fund. If you or anyone you know would like to help us with some of the upfront costs for our renovations, repairs and overall parish expenses please use our online giving at https://www.osvhub.com/stmarysfranklin/giving/funds.  

Peace and Blessings,

Fr. Bob

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/oBZeFtbSCXEWSLKa/

St Mary's ready to resume services in chapel (not main church)

What's happening Saturday, April 27, 2024?

Saturday, April 27

9:00am - DEA Medication "take back" day (SAFE Coalition)

9:00am - Earth Day - Clean Up (Beaver Pond)

9:00am - Stephen Green First Lego League Explore Showcase (Franklin Public Library)

10:00am - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

10:00am - Celebrate Earth Day (DelCarte Open Space)

10:00am - Roll, Stroll, Seed (Sculpture Park)

10:30am - Rough Sleepers Community Discussion (Franklin Public Library)

10:30am - Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals: A Stuffed Animal Storytime (Franklin Public Library)

6:00pm - Silent Saturdays: "Ravished Armenia" (Franklin Historical Museum)

7:00pm - South Street Six (La Cantina Winery)

7:30pm - Electric Youth & Future Shock (THE BLACK BOX)

8:00pm - Garnet Rogers (Circle of Friends Coffeehouse)

What's happening Saturday, April 27, 2024?

Why are there multiple calendars?

There is a Cultural events calendar upon which other community events are layered to create the Community calendar.

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events      https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/pages/calendar

Find the full Community event calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/month/39/2023-12

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26 

The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open for viewing (and purchasing the art displayed) during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Update: Earth day events in Franklin POSTPONED to Saturday - Apr 27

Saturday, April 27 from 9 AM to noon

Given the prediction of a 100% chance of rain Saturday and winds ranging from 10-15 MPH, we've made the decision to reschedule Franklin Earth Day to the following Saturday, April 27th, starting at 9 AM. 

We invite you to join us next weekend for the vital task of tidying up our parks, playgrounds, and Town-owned properties, which are in need of a thorough spring clean. We'll kick off the event with coffee and bagels during registration, and the first 100 registrants will receive complimentary tee shirts. The Department of Public Works will provide saplings for planting. 

The clean up event will be held on Saturday, April 20 at Beaver Pond at 9 AM - 12 PM with the clean up of nearly 40 areas across Town.  Meet at Beaver Pond at 9 AM and pick up your bags/gloves and maps.  

First 100 participants will receive an Earth Day t-shirt.  DPW will be giving away tree samplings, coffee, and bagels. 

• Earth Day Map 
• Earth Day clean up rule

Earth day events in Franklin POSTPONED to Saturday - Apr 27

https://www.franklinma.gov/recreation-department/news/earth-day-2024

 Saturday, April 20 from 10 to 11 AM

Saturday's earth day events have been postponed due to anticipated weather - new dates/times TBD, likely next Sat but waiting for confirmation.

Rise Up will still take place, but at our regular location of the Franklin United Methodist Church, 10-11 AM

Join our community for an accessible earth day event! Seed, Stroll, & Roll along the paved pathway around the Franklin Sculpture Park.

Spreading wildflower seeds and artfully decorating a recycled canvas tote.

This event is free and open to the public.  Seed, Stroll, & Roll is weather permitting, please check our social media channels the day of for updates:

• https://www.instagram.com/franklinculture/
• https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation
• https://alirheaume.com/rise-up
• https://www.franklinma.gov/recreation-department

Brought to you by your Franklin community members: Rise up, Franklin Recreation, Conservation & "Arts, Culture the Creative Economy" Departments.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5gGFc-L96X/

 Saturday, April 27 from 10 to Noon

An event for children and families. Join the conservation Commission, Dept of Public Works, Department of Conservation, Recreation, Friends of Franklin Conservation, Agricultural Commission, Energize Franklin, and others to celebrate our shared earth.

(service hours validated for trash clean up and seeding) 

Location: DelCarte Open Space 

• Woods walk & historical talk 10:30a
• Native bee cocoon harvest demo
• Plant native seeds for turtles
• And bees
• Sign up for compost bins & rain barrels  
• Learn about wildlife, ecology, climate

Earth day events in Franklin

https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/news/come-celebrate-earth-day-conservation-saturday-april-27-10am-12pm

Earth day events in Franklin POSTPONED to Saturday - Apr 27

Saturday, April 27 from 9 AM to noon

Given the prediction of a 100% chance of rain tomorrow and winds ranging from 10-15 MPH, we've made the decision to reschedule Franklin Earth Day to the following Saturday, April 27th, starting at 9 AM. 

We invite you to join us next weekend for the vital task of tidying up our parks, playgrounds, and Town-owned properties, which are in need of a thorough spring clean. We'll kick off the event with coffee and bagels during registration, and the first 100 registrants will receive complimentary tee shirts. The Department of Public Works will provide saplings for planting. 

The clean up event will be held on Saturday, April 20 at Beaver Pond at 9 AM - 12 PM with the clean up of nearly 40 areas across Town.  Meet at Beaver Pond at 9 AM and pick up your bags/gloves and maps.  

First 100 participants will receive an Earth Day t-shirt.  DPW will be giving away tree samplings, coffee, and bagels. 

• Earth Day Map 
• Earth Day clean up rule

Earth day events in Franklin POSTPONED to Saturday - Apr 27

https://www.franklinma.gov/recreation-department/news/earth-day-2024

 Saturday, April 20 from 10 to 11 AM

Saturday's earth day events have been postponed due to anticipated weather - new dates/times TBD, likely next Sat but waiting for confirmation.

Rise Up will still take place, but at our regular location of the Franklin United Methodist Church, 10-11 AM

Join our community for an accessible earth day event! Seed, Stroll, & Roll along the paved pathway around the Franklin Sculpture Park.

Spreading wildflower seeds and artfully decorating a recycled canvas tote.

This event is free and open to the public.  Seed, Stroll, & Roll is weather permitting, please check our social media channels the day of for updates:

• https://www.instagram.com/franklinculture/
• https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation
• https://alirheaume.com/rise-up
• https://www.franklinma.gov/recreation-department

Brought to you by your Franklin community members: Rise up, Franklin Recreation, Conservation & "Arts, Culture the Creative Economy" Departments.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5gGFc-L96X/

 Saturday, April 27 from 10 to Noon

An event for children and families. Join the conservation Commission, Dept of Public Works, Department of Conservation, Recreation, Friends of Franklin Conservation, Agricultural Commission, Energize Franklin, and others to celebrate our shared earth.

(service hours validated for trash clean up and seeding) 

Location: DelCarte Open Space 

• Woods walk & historical talk 10:30a
• Native bee cocoon harvest demo
• Plant native seeds for turtles
• And bees
• Sign up for compost bins & rain barrels  
• Learn about wildlife, ecology, climate

Earth day events in Franklin

https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/news/come-celebrate-earth-day-conservation-saturday-april-27-10am-12pm

Franklin Dog Park clean up scheduled for April 29 at 9:30 AM

Hello, it’s that time of the year to clean up and spread wood chips at the Franklin dog park on Saturday April 29th at 9:30 AM. 

Rain date is Sunday April 30th at 9:30 AM. 

We need wheelbarrows, shovels and rakes. 

Refreshments will be there for the volunteers. Thank you!!

Dacey Field dog park

Earth Day at DelCarte on Sunday, April 23 from 9 AM to 1PM

Earth Day at DelCarte on Sunday, April 23 from 9 AM to 1 PM

Earth Day at DelCarte on Sunday, April 23 from 9 AM to 1PM

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/news/earth-day-delcarte-sunday-april-23-9am-1pm

Mark your calendar to help with Earth Day cleanup at Beaver Pond - April 22, 2023

For over 20 years the Town of Franklin has conducted this event in an effort to educate the public on recycling, beautification and general clean up. Help us clean our local parks, roads, schools and town greenery! 

Meet at Beaver Pond parking lot on Saturday, April 22, 9:00 AM where we will distribute trash bags, gloves and maps with clean up sites. 

Free tree saplings will be distributed.

Register today: https://tinyurl.com/28jjfztx

Shared from Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/p/CqIoDO4u62g/

Mark your calendar to help with Earth Day cleanup at Beaver Pond - April 22, 2023

FHS Throwers worked to prepare for practice

"FHS Throwers project!  Getting ready for Monday! @FHSSports @FHS_girlsXC @FHSPanthersTF" https://t.co/Ae1sBTh6Cp

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/fhs_throwers/status/1637115055886958592  (additional photos available at Twitter link)

FHS Throwers worked to prepare for practice

Notice from the DPW: Fall Curbside Yard Waste Collection Scheduled for Week of December 5, 2022.

Notice from the Department of Public Works:

Fall curbside yard waste collection will now run the week of December 5, 2022.

Shared from ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/notice-dpw-fall-curbside-yard-waste-collection-scheduled-week-december-5th-2022

Notice from the DPW: Fall Curbside Yard Waste Collection Scheduled for Week of December 5, 2022.

Get ready for Saturday, May 21 - Recycling event at Beaver Pond, Earth Day Clean up at DelCarte

1 - Recycling and Energy Drive
Saturday May 14 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Chilson Beach (Beaver Pond)

Details in the flyer found here (download a copy as a reminder)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ivod-3X5poF_kuwnpNdtE8cTnaq17N_u/view?usp=sharing

Get ready for Saturday, May 21 - Recycling event at Beaver Pond

2 - Earth Day Clean up at DelCarte Recreation Area

t-shirts provided for volunteers, community service hours certified as needed

Scheduled for 9 AM to Noon, Saturday, May 21 

Meet at the playground parking lot

Additional details can be found on the Town page

https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/news/earth-day-2022-delcarte-cleanup-event

Earth Day Clean up at DelCarte Recreation Area

DelCarte Recreation Area parking lot on Pleasant St 

Register to help Franklin clean up for Earth Day - Apr 23

The annual community clean up activities are scheduled for Saturday, Apr 23, 2022. For over 20 years, the Town of Franklin has conducted this event in an effort to educate the public on recycling, beautification, and general clean up of the town.

Earth Day is celebrated on Friday, April 22nd throughout the United States. Franklin will host their own Earth Day on Saturday April 23 this year! 

Keep Franklin looking beautiful by helping us clean our local parks, roads, schools, and town greenery!

Come to Beaver Pond to check in for 9 AM. Activities are usually completed by noon.

Earth Day is a great opportunity for High School Students to earn their volunteer hours!

You can pre-register at: https://franklinma.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=29880

Register to help Franklin clean up for Earth Day - Apr 23

"Massachusetts residents should not settle for less than healthy rivers and harbors"

"The cleanup of Boston Harbor is incomplete

Largely unknown to the public, raw sewage is still dumped into the Mystic and Charles rivers, which empty directly into the harbor."

"The cleanup of Boston Harbor is considered one of the great environmental success stories of our time — and deservedly so. It has helped transform the quality of life in the metro Boston area as residents and businesses live, work, and play near the newly cleaned up harbor and the rivers that feed into it.

But sadly, and largely unknown to the public, raw sewage is still dumped into the Mystic and Charles rivers that empty right into the harbor. Depending on the volume of rainfall and snowmelt, up to 500 million gallons of sewage mixed with storm water are discharged into the harbor via the two rivers every year.

These discharges flow from old underground pipe networks known as combined sewer systems, engineering relics that were designed to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe leading to a treatment plant. But during periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, the wastewater volume can exceed the pipe’s capacity, causing a combined sewer overflow, or CSO, that dumps the polluted contents directly into the rivers."

Continue reading the article (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/02/opinion/cleanup-boston-harbor-is-incomplete/ 

• The Charles River Watershed Association is working on river clean up as well. Visit the Storymap  "A River Interrupted" here ->   https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/62917edcb76c4e10868cbb7a79638282

For more about the CRWA -> https://www.crwa.org/

• The Town of Franklin (ToF) is also involved and recently passed the storm water utility fee (starting in Jan 2023) to help fund that effort and relieve pressure from the operating budget. For more about storm water visit the ToF page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/stormwater-division

Scientist Scott Smith and actor Mark Ruffalo work in the Charles River in 2014. The actor, in town to film the movie "Spotlight," helped with water testing near an outfall pipe into the river.SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF

Franklin Community Garden Updates

Happy Spring! 

Just a reminder: Opening day at the Franklin Community Garden is April 23. Volunteers are needed to help: put out hoses and sprayers, fill one of the flower boxes with soil, put down some clover and move the picnic benches to their proper location. Come and meet your fellow gardeners! Amend your soil, plant some seeds, put up some cages and plan out your garden! Hoping for a sunny day! 

May 14 is a seed and seedling exchange from 11-1. This is a time change from a previous email. White Barn Farm in Wrentham  is having their plant sale that same morning staring at 9. We like to be there to get the best selection. If you go and purchase some plants and then discover you have too many then you can exchange for something else at our exchange from 11-1. Sometimes plants come packed in 6's or 8's and you only want 3 or 4. Great time to exchange!

If you are planning to start your plants from seeds you should have already started your pepper plants, eggplants, and tomatoes indoors. If you are interested in a growing snap peas, then you now can plant the seeds right in your garden bed. If you are interested in growing greens (lettuce, arugula, kale, shard, etc.) and or root crops (carrots  and radishes) you can plant those in your garden beds. If you have a row cover, then you can cover them. If not, some straw or hay will protect them a bit.  At the end in the month you can start from seed indoors: squashes and flowers can be started indoors also (like zinnias and marigolds)!

See you on April 23rd! 

Franklin Community Garden Updates

Shared from Recreation Dept email update

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_XsC4PFbZ-9t-wryiFwaHERqkSyetFp6/view?usp=sharing

Conservation Commission schedules clean up for DelCarte on Saturday, Oct 16

"A reminder the clean up of DelCarte is scheduled for this Saturday from 9:00 AM thru Noon. 

Refreshments, gloves, trash bags, masks (if needed) plus credits for clubs and schools …. Community Service 3 hours. 

We look forward to seeing folks there."

 

Franklin Conservation Commission

Shared from Facebook ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551606135109407/permalink/3010317889238217/

 clean up for DelCarte on Saturday, Oct 16

Franklin Dog Park clean up - May 22

Hello pet lovers. 

 

The Furry Friends of The Franklin Dog Park volunteer committee are having a cleanup and spreading over 30 yards of new wood chips on Saturday, May 22nd at 9:30 AM, rain date is Sunday, May 23 at 9:30 AM. We need shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows. 

 

Refreshments will be there for all that help. 

 

                                                    Thank you, 

                                                        Gennarino D'Onofrio

 

Franklin dog park at Dacey Field

 

Join in the town-wide cleanup on Earth Day - Saturday, Apr 24

Earth Day is celebrated across the country on Thursday, April 22 this year.  However, the Town of Franklin is sponsoring Franklin Earth Day on Saturday, April 24, 9:00-12:00 PM with a clean up of the entire Town. 

 
Employees of the Franklin Recreation Department and Franklin Public Works will be on site at Beaver Pond to distribute trash bags and gloves along with maps of the sites we recommend for clean up.  

Community service letters will be given to students that need hours for school. 

 
100 tee shirts to the first 100 volunteers.  DPW will have 100 dogwood saplings as well

Register online

https://franklinrecreation.activityreg.com/ss_t2.wcs?leaguesid=2385&teamsid=11205

Join in the town-wide cleanup on Earth Day - Saturday, Apr 24

Recap - Economic Development SubComm Meeting - Apr 14, 2021

Quick Recap:

• A couple of agenda items from meeting Apr 7 not covered in time allotted, so this session was added also in a meeting slot before the Town Council meeting. Discussion was healthy and in the time allotted
• Grants submitted for a variety of work desired, what can or should get done with or without grant discussed
• NuStyle back in discussion as the prior agreement to sell ultimately fell through; who will buy (and how) is best case scenario as the Town would spend more than a private party would to clean up the 'brown field' and we don't have the money to start the clean up with

----

As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.

 

The Twitter hashtag can be found online  #edc0414

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edc0414&src=typed_query 

Photos captured during the meeting and shared via Twitter can be found in one album

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VYYiLMPgyGuf7xtx5

The agenda for this meeting can be found

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/2021-4-14_edc_agenda_.pdf

• Economic development subcommittee meeting underway, real time reporting commences #edc0414 Jones, Bissanti in Chambers; Hamblen, Frongillo remote.
• Community planning grant opportunity, state has been changing grant process overtime, expression of interest applied earlier; MassWorks grant submitted for Grove St/Washington intersection among other items. #edc0414
• State hasn't provided guidance yet on the downtown project before making any zoning changes to avoid missing out on incentives #edc0414 we need to take a comprehensive approach to zoning, hoping for MAPC to help us with this.
• "Incremental changes don't scare me, if they can be beneficial, then we should consider it. Having alignment in the long term approach is great". #edc0414 did mention the Beaver St interceptor, in case, down the road, there may be a grant for something like that
• #edc0414 June 2 is a deadline for certain grants, other grants are due later this year (Sep). Top complete streets possible projects in Jun $1.9M year to date, $10m over past years. Shared listing of a current report from treasurer.
• #edc0414 how does zoning tie to grant money? Best to get a 3rd party assessment of zoning to bring about proposals to gain better consensus. MAPC has specialist that can do this and help us. Can cover the multiple issues (complete streets, affordable housing, parking, etc.)
• There are a lot of options to incentivize development, someone coming in could help us with all of that. #edc0414 moving to agenda item 2; NuStyle property highlighted on map
• Did have a deal with an adjacent landowner with conditions, summer/fall of 2019 visited owner to confirm conditions, it didn't work out and deal fell through. #edc0414 was on list of things to do for 2020 and then COVID-19 hit. So we have time for a discussion on this
• Did apply through EPA for grants on clean up, once you start, you're in it. Where did this fit in the finance ladder? #edc0414 if you can see past the clean up, it good land and heck of a location. Is a liability, not increasing but not reducing either. Needs $s and imagination
• NuStyle was put on as an issue that is a long term problem to be addressed. #edc0414 need to assess contamination on property and adjacent, and confirm costs to remediate. Land use study may help to provide a set of options
• "let's just get rid of it" Jones #edc0414 "it is a waste of a property that could be worth something" "giving it or selling doesn't absolve us of responsibility" for the location, likely upwards of $1.5M per Bissanti Hellen - There is specialized stuff in this arena
• A private entity could redo the site cheaper than the Town could. #edc0414 a delicate issue. Motion to adjourn, second, passes 4-0 via roll call Another pause between meetings, Town Council up at 7

 

Recap - Economic Development SubComm Meeting - Apr 14, 2021