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

FBRTC - Spring Trial Cleanup - April 17 is Cancelled

Spring Trail Cleanup

Due to the weather the cleanup has been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.  

FBRTC - Spring Trial Cleanup - April 17 is Cancelled

“We’re used to it so we don’t think much of it"

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

"As most work places shut their doors, employees adjust to working from home and consumers get used to once-weekly shopping trips with face coverings and gloves, one South Shore business is working overtime to make sure airplanes, grocery stores and other essential spaces are still safe for the public: Clean Harbors.

“As it hit hot spots, so did we,” Clean Harbors Senior Vice President Chuck Geer said. “Our movements really did mimic the COVID-19 spread and our responses have spiked almost simultaneously with the virus cases.”

Clean Harbors is one of the nation’s leaders in decontamination, and has been for decades. The Norwell-based business has responded after major events such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Gulf Oil Spill, as well as the swine flu spread and H1N1 scare, but as is true for most businesses, a pandemic is new territory.

“It’s completely new to us, America hasn’t seen a true pandemic like this and neither have we,” Geer said Tuesday. “But really, there are a lot of similarities between this kind of clean up and any type of infectious waste. . . The chemicals we use to destroy the virus may change up, but really it’s the same principal.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200422/massachusetts-company-clean-harbors-leads-decontamination-response-nationwide-during-coronavirus-pandemic

https://www.cleanharbors.com/

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

The Town of Franklin Recreation Department and the DPW are organizing an Earth Day clean clean up this week! We have modified our traditional approach to Earth Day, and are asking volunteers to help pick up trash in key areas across town, on their own.

See Earth Day 2020 map here
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/uploads/2020_earth_day.pdf

When: 

• Thursday, April 23, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Saturday, April 25, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM 

(no bags available on Friday, April 24th due to weather forecast)

Where: 

• Pick up bags and gloves at Franklin Recreation Department at 275 Beaver Street in the parking lot.

We ask all volunteers to practice social distancing and wear protective masks and gloves when picking up bags and collecting trash. 

Please only take 2 per family to ensure we have enough for all participants. 

Once bags are filled with trash, we ask that you tie them up and leave on the side of the curb in a visible location. 

DPW workers will be picking up bags on Monday, April 27. 

Let's help clean up Franklin safely and responsibly. For more information or to contact us, please email: franklinrecreation@franklinma.gov

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pvG-VZZfAbBa5GJOWLwb3-SItQEMg2Ng/view?usp=sharing

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

Earth day clean up at DelCarte - April 25 - Canceled

"It is with mixed emotion I announce the cancellation of the Earth Day Clean Up at DelCarte scheduled for Saturday, April 25.  

The Conservation Commission fully understands the current situation with COVID-19 and the effect it is having on all in Franklin and around the world.

We will not place any resident at risk for the sake of any event.

We hope to celebrate Earth Day next year and will make best efforts in the meantime to keep DelCarte one of the Town's Crown Jewels.

We wish you all good health.


William Batchelor

Chairman
Conservation Commission

Shared from the Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551606135109407/permalink/2566887723581238/

the floating walkway at DelCarte recently

"We really want to make sure people do not panic, wash their hands and do the simple things they can do”

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

"Although nobody in the community has been reported ill with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, the town is looking to allay any concerns -- and take preventative action -- by wiping its municipal spaces clean.

Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said Franklin has engaged the services of an independent vendor to sanitize the town’s public buildings over this weekend as a precaution.

From the municipal building to the senior center and library, to public spaces of the police and fire departments, officials want to ensure that residents feel confident when they need to stop in at town buildings amidst concerns about COVID-19.

“It feels like a step to take when you can say we have a new baseline,” Hellen said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200307/franklin-to-sanitize-public-buildings-over-weekend

The audio of the recent Board of Health meeting can be found here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/03/fm-216-board-of-health-meeting-march-4.html

Coronavirus Information Portal
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/03/attention-franklin-coronavirus.html 

"We really want to make sure people do not panic, wash their hands and do the simple things they can do”

Franklin Public Library Closed Monday, December 16 Through Wednesday, December 18

Franklin Public Library Closed Monday, December 16 Through Wednesday, December 18

The Franklin Public Library will be closed on Monday, December 16 through Wednesday, December 18, 2019 for the cleaning of its brick hallways on the first floor. 

All fines will be waived on materials returned during that week. Items on the hold shelf will be made available for pickup for an additional three days. Museum passes reserved for those dates may be picked up by Sunday, December 15. 

For more information, please contact Library Director Felicia Oti at 508-520-4941 or foti@franklinma.gov


You might be asking "Why close now?"
This period is actually a slower period. Folks are busy preparing for the holidays. Once on school break, the Library will be a busy place so they want to get the work done now.

Why close the Library to clean the floors?
Two of the entrances have brick walkways. Even if they shut both those doors, that would only leave one door open. Not good for safety sake. As part of the cleaning process they also need ventilation and while the library has windows, they don't open. So the doors, fans, and tubes need to be used to ventilate and it would be nosier and inconvenient.

cleaning of its brick hallways

cleaning of its brick hallways 2

Earth Day - Beaver Pond - Sat, Apr 27 - 9 AM

For over 10 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 April 22nd throughout the United States. Franklin will host our own Earth Day on Saturday April 27th at Beaver Pond from 9:00 AM - Noon.

We'll start at 9 AM with bagels and coffee and assigning clean up locations to all the volunteers. We have some kid friendly locations that are at parks and playgrounds. We also have some adult friendly locations along the edge of streets (Washington/Grove) that could really use a clean up. Not sure who litters anymore? But, we'll do our best to pick it all up. 

We will hand out trash bags and gloves to all the volunteers and ask that they leave them curbside for our DPW to pick up after the event. 

At 12:00 PM, we'll ask everyone to return back to Beaver Pond for a volunteer appreciation pizza lunch. We'll hand out community service certificates to all the HS kids that need them. Lets all pitch in to clean up Franklin!

Earth Day - Beaver Pond - Sat, Apr 27 - 9 AM

Franklin dog park cleanup canceled due to weather

Franklin dog park clean up for this Saturday, October 27 has been canceled due to weather. As of now, no new date has been decided.

Franklin dog park at Dacey Field

The Furry Friends of the Franklin Dog Park can use your help

The volunteer committee of the Furry Friends of the Franklin Dog Park are having a major clean up on October 27 from 8 AM to noon. Franklin DPW will be there with equipment to upgrade the surface of the dog park. 

"Dog park will be closed from 8 AM to Noon"

Volunteers needed to help spread the new wool chips. Students bring your paper work to receive your credit for community service. 

We need wheel barrows, shovels and rakes. 
Refreshments will be there for anyone that helps. 
We are a volunteer dog park group.

The Franklin dog park at Dacey Field on a sunny summer day

Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee - October Events

View this email in your browser Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee October Events There is plenty going on this month with the FBRTC. Check out the events below for more information. We hope to see you this month at one of the events or on the trail! FBRTC Monthly Meeting Tuesday, October 9th 7:30pm - 9:00pm Franklin YMCA Our monthly will be held on Tuesday, October 9  from 7:30-9:00 PM at the Franklin YMCA. The meeting is open to all as we are always looking for new members and fresh ideas. More info Pop-Up StoryWalk® October 11th - 16th 200 Center St, Bellingham Visit the SNETT from October 11th - 16th for the Pop-Up StoryWalk® featuring the book Amelia Bedelia Hits The Trail! More info Franklin Downtown Partnership Harvest Festival Saturday, October 13th 11 AM - 4 PM Visit our booth in downtown Franklin and learn more about our efforts and events. See you there! More info Fall SNETT Clean Up Saturday, October 27th 9 AM - Noon Help us keep our trail clean! Please join us for the fall SNETT Clean Up. More info Copyright © 2018 Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have opted in to stay informed about the Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Our mailing address is: Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee PO Box 68 Franklin, Ma 02038

Next Steps to clean up BJAT, LLC on Fisher St

From the US EPA:

Site Description:
The BJAT, LLC (BJAT) Site located at 300 Fisher Street in Franklin, MA was historically used for industrial operations including the manufacture of rubber and plastic products. The property has not been active since 1985. Investigations have found contaminants in soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water. The Site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL), often referred to as the EPA Superfund list, in September 2015, making it eligible for long-term cleanup action under the federal Superfund program.

Next Steps:
In June, with oversight from EPA’s On-Scene Coordinator (OSC), BJAT is expected to begin a Removal Action which will address hazardous substances present in soil and drum waste for the purpose of reducing risk to human health and the environment. Concurrently, EPA’s Remedial Project Manager will begin a study known as a Remedial Investigation (RI). The RI will identify the nature and extent of Site contamination and the potential human health and environmental risks that the Site may pose. 

The results of this study will be used to develop a Feasibility Study (FS) which will identify what long-term cleanup measures may be appropriate to address human health and ecological risk at the Site. The RI/FS is expected to be completed in three or more years and the findings of the RI will be presented in the Proposed Plan for cleanup. In addition, EPA will determine if any additional immediate response actions need to be conducted to address any imminent hazards that are identified by sample collection efforts.

The short-term work that will be conducted during the Removal Action includes: excavation, sampling, staging and covering of drums and other containers, waste and approximately 2,114 tons of contaminated soil; treatment of excavated soil on-site if appropriate; excavation of a limited number of test pits; air monitoring; and off-site shipment of waste, excavated soil, and other contaminated items that may be encountered for disposal, treatment, re-use or recycling.

BJAT will generally work during daylight hours. The Removal Action is expected to take 3 to 6 months. Throughout the work day, BJAT will be monitoring air at the Site for the safety of site workers and the surrounding community. One may expect to see heavy equipment, workers in white suits, and trucks occasionally which may have a slight effect on traffic. Vehicle and truck traffic to and from the site will be limited to Fisher Street and the primary road, West Central Street (i.e., Route 140). Some hazardous materials will be secured on site temporarily while awaiting shipment offsite to an EPA-approved facility.



You can download the full copy from the Town of Franklin page
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/bjat_final_pdf_removal_fact_sheet_june_2018.pdf





Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England(https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-1-new-england)

Follow EPA New England on Twitter (http://twitter.com/epanewengland)

Connect with EPA New England on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EPARegion1)

Related links from the Franklin Matters archives

• Live reporting from the Town Council meeting July 2014

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/live-reporting-epa-300-fisher-st.html

• DEP and EPA presentation to Town Council, July 2014

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/300-fisher-st-ma-dep-epa-presentation.html

• Map showing property location within Franklin

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/300-fisher-st-map.html

http://twitter.com/epanewengland