Franklin Senior Center Closure Extended Through March 18th

Transportation Services available; Main phone line open

The Franklin Senior Center will remain closed through March 18, 2025, as we put the finishing touches on the facility. The work crew has done an outstanding job, completing the project on schedule. This brief extension reflects the town’s commitment to ensuring you return to a space that’s not just improved, but fully prepared, refreshed, and deep cleaned—better than when you left it.

“We appreciate the incredible work of our Facilities Department in completing this much-needed project,” said Sarah Amaral, Director. “Their dedication has been outstanding, and we want to take the extra time to make sure the center is in top shape when we welcome everyone back.”

The new reopening date is Wednesday March 19, 2025, and we are excited to greet our community with a warm and inviting space. To celebrate, we will still be hosting our Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner, prepared and served by the Franklin Fire Department, now scheduled for March 20th.

Franklin Senior Center Closure Extended Through Mar 18

During this extended closure, the only programs available will be our transportation services. We sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our seniors, families, and supporters during this time. For questions, transportation assistance, or to receive robocall updates, please call the Senior Center at 508-520-4945.

For the latest updates, visit:

• Franklin Senior Center Webpage: https://www.franklinma.gov/583/Franklin-Senior-Center-Council-on-Aging

• Franklin Senior Center Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franklinseniorcenter

Sarah & Ariel fill us in on the closure & alternate sites for events during March 2025 (audio)

FM #1394 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1394 in the series. 

This session shares my conversation with Sarah Amaral, Director and Ariel Doggett, Programming & Volunteer Coordinator with the Franklin Senior Center. We had our discussion virtually via Zoom on Friday, February 28, 2025.

 

We talk about 

• The Listening Session March 4 at 9:30 AM (free breakfast)

• The closure begins at 1:00 PM on March 4

• Many (but not all programs) have an alternate site beginning March 5

• Keep in touch via the newsletter, social media accounts, and if necessary, call the Center

• Key special events when the center reopens

• Fire Dept St Patrick’s lunch date to be determined

• Lunches available at Tri-County during the closure, need to call day before 

• except for March 14, which will be a box lunch picked up at the Municipal Bldg (also need to call day before)

The show notes include links to the Senior Center page, the calendar of events and to subscribe to the monthly newsletter. 

The recording runs about 23 minutes, so let’s listen in. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1394-franklin-senior-center-march-2025-highlights-02-28-25/

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Franklin Senior Center page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/583/Franklin-Senior-Center-Council-on-Aging 

March 2025 newsletter -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4503/Franklin-Newsletter-March-2025?bidId= 

Alternate site schedule

https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4551/March-newsletter-insert?bidId= 

Subscribe to the newsletter -> by calling 508-520-4945

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

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

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Sarah & Ariel fill us in on the closure & alternate sites for events during March 2025 (audio)

The Senior Center week of March 3 - March 7; closure for repairs begin

The Senior Center week of March 3 - March 7

**ATTENTION**. The senior center will be CLOSED starting Tuesday, March 4th at 1pm. 

We have many excellent programs running at our WONDERFUL community partners around town. 

Information is available on our website, social media pages, in our newsletter, through Franklin Matters and on the Town website. 

YOU MUST STILL REGISTER for programs!! Here’s what’s happening this week at the #franklinseniorcenter

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGs2l-9RAYF/

For details on these highlight events, or on the regular daily schedule, please visit the Senior Center online at ->    https://franklinma.gov/583/Franklin-Senior-Center-Council-on-Aging

Franklin Senior Center Closed March 5 Through March 14

Social Services, Food Services, Supportive Day Programs, Transportation, Fitness Classes, Support Groups, and select Senior Center Programs will be hosted at alternative locations.

Franklin Senior Center will be temporarily closed from March 5 through March 14, 2025 to allow for necessary building repairs.

“We appreciate the community’s patience as we make these important improvements to our facility,” said Sarah Amaral, Director. “Our goal is to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for all our members, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back on March 17, 2025. What better way to welcome the community back than a delicious corned beef and cabbage dinner, prepared and served by our very own Franklin Fire Department.”

We extend our gratitude to the Finance Committee, Capital Budget Subcommittee, and Town Council for approving the funds necessary for this insulation project. Town Administration, along with Senior Center staff and volunteers, is dedicated to ensuring that vital services continue during this period. Thanks to the generosity and support of our community partners, several programs will be held at off-site locations, including Franklin VFW, Pete’s Nerd Emporium, Franklin TV Studio, Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Franklin’s Historical Museum, Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA), Dean College, and Franklin’s Municipal Building.

The Supportive Day Program will be held daily from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the Municipal Building’s Training Room with the exception of Wednesday, March 12th when the program will be closed.

Tri-County Regional Vocational High School will be providing lunches on a daily basis from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, but members must arrive by 11:45 AM and call the Senior Center the day prior to register. The only exception will be on Friday March 14th, where you can pick up a boxed lunch at the municipal building, provided by Franklin Public Schools Food Services. No breakfast will be provided during the closure.

Transportation services, on the Senior Center’s Van, will run throughout the closure, providing access for errands, shopping, and medical appointments. This includes the social day trip to Lotvin Gallery of the Hopkinton Center for the Arts on March 12th.

Franklin Senior Center Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franklinseniorcenter

Daily robocalls will be sent out with the most up to date information. If you would like to be added to our robocall list, please call the senior center at 508-520-4945.

A full schedule of events, map, and location details will be included in the March Edition of our Senior Center newsletter, the Franklin Connection. This will also be available on the Senior Center’s website.

https://www.franklinma.gov/583/Franklin-Senior-Center-Council-on-Aging

Below is a schedule of other events taking place in alternative locations:

Franklin Senior Center Closed March 5 Through March 14 - Alt sites #1

Franklin Senior Center Closed March 5 Through March 14 - alt sites #2

Download the PDF as a reminder or to share ->

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y8aNKAxVqYXrJ5nH1zoOOblA3urfXfdm/view?usp=drive_link

Franklin Senior Center Closed March 5 Through March 14

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, February 9, 2025 ???

Sunday, February 9

• Last days to order charCUTEerie box - Food Pantry fund raiser

11:00am Sunday Brunch (Teddy Gallagher's Irish Pub)
1:00pm CLOSED - (due to the weather) Franklin Historical Museum (always free)
1:15pm CANCELED - 2nd Sunday Speaker (Franklin Historical Museum) (to be rescheduled)
4:00pm Franklin Distinguished Young Women - Info Session (90 Hayward St)

 

 

**   NO  Town Meetings today   **

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Why are there multiple calendars?

What's happening today in Franklin? 

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:

Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=37&showPastEvents=false

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendars

Pleasant St near Country Way road closure on Thursday, Jan 2

Via the DPW:

road closure on Thursday, Jan 2 

Pleasant St near Country Way

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/15NZJx4SeA/

Town of Franklin, MA: FYI Pine Street Area Residents! - Road Closure, Dec 18

Town of Franklin, MA (@TOFranklinMA) posted on Tue, Dec 17, 2024:

FYI Pine Street Area Residents! https://t.co/fWvEmcgSK9

Town of Franklin, MA: FYI Pine Street Area Residents! - Road Closure, Dec 18

Town of Franklin: Municipal Building CLOSURE - October 9, 2023

The Town of Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED on Monday, October 9th, 2023 in observance of Columbus Day. 

We will reopen on Tuesday, October 10th, 2023.

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/franklin-municipal-building-closure-october-9th-2023

Town of Franklin: Municipal Building CLOSURE - October 9, 2023

Franklin Police road closure alert for Saturday (4/29/23) morning - FRANKLIN LITTLE LEAGUE PARADE

Tomorrow (Saturday) morning (weather permitting) the Franklin Youth Baseball Organization has its annual little league parade. 

Starting around 9 AM you can expect temporary road closures on West Central St by the Davis Thayer School, Cottage St, and Peck St. 

https://t.co/ZpNQXvPIzt

Shared from Twitter ->  https://twitter.com/franklinpolice/status/1652018313042509827

Franklin Police road closure alert for Saturday (4/29/23) morning - FRANKLIN LITTLE LEAGUE PARADE

The Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED on Monday, February 20, 2023

The Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED on Monday, February 20th, 2023

The Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED on Monday, February 20th, 2023 in observance of Presidents' Day. We will reopen on Tuesday, February 21st, 2023.

Shared from ->    https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/franklin-municipal-building-will-be-closed-monday-february%C2%A020th-2023

The Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED on Monday, February 20, 2023

School Committee Action Item: Davis Thayer declared school surplus

To: Franklin School Committee Members
From: Sara E. Ahern, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools
Re: Davis Thayer Elementary School Property
Date: June 9, 2022

I want to commend the administration, faculty and staff, families, and students for their work towards building a unifying culture at Keller Elementary School this year where students from the former Davis Thayer Elementary School and Keller Elementary School districts attend. It has not been easy and they have been focused on the student-centered nature of the transition and the building of a new school community.

As noted in two previous updates in the Superintendent’s Report, this fall, building principals walked the Davis Thayer school building and identified items to be repurposed throughout the district. This included classroom desks and tables, office furniture and chairs, and other instructional materials.

Throughout the year (and currently), the building is in use, providing much needed storage throughout the district. It has been holding some furniture and it is also holding all of the district and town COVID-related PPE. The building is being maintained by the Facilities Department at a lower cost, compared to normal operations.

As noted in January, we consulted with MSBA to inform them of steps we have taken, as taking Davis Thayer out of the purview of the School Committee has implications for future building projects. MSBA has been responsive and indicated that we have met notification requirements.

The Space Needs and Facilities Assessment Subcommittee has examined available space across the District, space needs based on our enrollment and specialized programs, and space utilization with an eye towards potential building projects and redistricting. Their presentation to the School Committee and community will be June 14, 2022. Although there are some places in the District that are pressure points related to space, the Facilities Assessment of the District’s schools pointed to places where Davis Thayer Elementary School could not meet current expectations for teaching and learning. This included inaccessibility and lack of ADA compliance, classrooms spaces that do not meet contemporary instructional standards, and concerns related to the physical safety of the facility. As such, the administrative team continues to believe that the Davis Thayer Elementary School is not a viable solution.

Therefore, I recommend that pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40, Section 15A, that the School Committee declare that the Davis Thayer Elementary School property is no longer needed for school purposes, and further that the School Committee notify the Town Council of that determination.

Action Item and text of memo in PDF form ->

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/discussion_action_b_-_dt_vote.pdf

Update: Historical Museum closed through end of January

Late breaking news from the Historical Museum. Unfortunately, they won't be available as an indoor activity this weekend (or the remainder of January). 

"We have decided to close the museum through the end of the month of January. 

Due to the recent spike in COVID cases we thought it best for the health and safety of our volunteer staff, and our visitors, to take a break until things calm down a bit. 

We plan to re-open in early February."

 

Note: Ben Franklin's birthday party had been scheduled for Sunday, Jan 16. 

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/01/second-sunday-speaker-series-benjamin.html

Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central St 

Franklin Public Schools: Update from Superintendent Ahern on COVID-19 and school closures

Dear Franklin Community,

You have likely seen the news reports that some schools in our local area had to close today due to high COVID-19 cases among faculty/staff or cases that affect their families. We are also hearing about daycare closures due to COVID.

Like other districts, Franklin Public Schools is seeing a large volume of students and staff testing positive. I don’t mean to alarm you, however we publish weekly case counts and I think it is important to give you both a preview and an honest snapshot of what we are experiencing. Yesterday’s COVID informational letter identified 20 individuals within the school setting who tested positive. (Today’s letter indicated 30). The total number of individuals testing positive yesterday alone was 68 when individuals who were isolating at home are included.  These numbers are straining our ability to adequately staff our schools.

We are not experiencing evidence of school-based spread. I wish to reassure you that our schools have significantly more mitigation measures in place than public and private settings, generally.

We are doing our best to collaborate across the district and deploy substitutes in order to provide adequate coverage to keep students safe in the learning environment. Our efforts also include coverage by building and central office administrators.

I share this information with you to: 

• emphasize the hard work the team is doing in an aim to keep schools open and to keep everyone safe  
• and ask you to prepare for the possibility that on any given day, we may need to close a school if we feel that we can not safely operate the school based on the number of adults we have to supervise.

As with our snow notifications, a decision to close will be made as early as possible for your planning purposes. It may be the night prior to school but it may also be in the morning. We will aim to make the decision and initiate notifications by cell, text, and email by 5:30 AM and no later than 6:00 AM.

Days missed will need to be made up at the end of the year as all students are required to have 180 days of instruction. Moving to remote instruction is not an option.

Thank you for your understanding, flexibility, patience, and cooperation,

Sara Ahern

Superintendent of Schools

Shared via SchCom Chair Denise Spencer's Facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551606135109407/permalink/3072054019731270/

Update from Superintendent Ahern on COVID-19 and school closures

Franklin Public Schools: Remote Learning Update - June 15, 2020

June 15, 2020

Dear Franklin Families and Faculty/Staff,

The purpose of this message is to update families and faculty/staff on Remote Learning.

Planning for Re-Opening School in the Fall
A District Re-opening Taskforce -- comprised of district and school-based administrators, faculty/staff, school nurse leader, school physician, Facilities Department, Food Services, Lifelong Learning, Athletic Director, and a School Resource Officer -- has begun to plan for reopening school in the fall. We will be including parent/family and student voice as well.

The group’s efforts are focused in five areas: operations, healthy, and safety; whole child supports; personnel; academics; and distance learning. We expect that preliminary guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, containing more details around teaching and learning, will be issued soon. The guidance issued on June 5, 2020 was specific to ordering Personalized Protective Equipment (PPE) and should not be interpreted as what school will look like in the fall.

The District will be surveying families, staff, and students. Please be on the lookout for a survey soon. You can expect a communication from the Re-opening Taskforce mid-summer, in advance of the opening of school, for your planning purposes.

Chromebook Collection
At this time, the District will not be collecting Chromebooks from families whose children will return to Franklin Public Schools in the fall.

If your child is not returning you may complete a “request for remote support” form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf--tUJyJtg2OIFTEIXaoyJCmDbrqBEkvFgPYe9AJ3q7F3Asg/viewform) and then drop the Chromebook off at the rear of Franklin High School at the technology office on a Wednesday from 4-6 PM.

If your child is returning to FPS but you would like to return the Chromebook, please also complete the request for remote support form and drop it off on a Wednesday from 4-6 PM at the rear of Franklin High School at the technology office.

Alternatively, you can connect with a building administrator for a time when you can drop it off at your child’s school.

Last day of School 6/18
The end of the year certainly doesn’t look like how we envisioned when we began the school year on August 27th. Our last day of school will be Thursday, June 18th. In order to accomplish end of year tasks, the day will be modified where the secondary block will run from 8:30-10:30 AM and the elementary block will run from 9:00-11:00 AM. Afternoon instruction/meetings will be rescheduled. Current Kindergarten students will participate. More specific information may be issued from your child’s school. The last day of ECDC will be June 16th with their end of the year “Fun Fair” on June 17th.

Elementary and Middle School Report Cards
Please see the following links about report cards at the elementary and middle levels:
Elementary Report Card Letter (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HJCijpl2DrqyddwbtKyt3UdBqWV27ImIS3DQLYbx3gk/edit?usp=sharing)
Middle School Report Card Letter (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xkXgkjG7keyq6Sz0Pj1MN_OijOHCnkOvXtTu60QVGeY/edit?usp=sharing)

P-EBT Card for Students who Qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch
Families whose students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch started to receive P-EBT cards in the mail on Friday, May 29, and we hear that there has been some trouble with activating cards. The following information comes from the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) in order to assist you with activation:

Call DTA's Assistance Line at (877) 382-2363 and press 6. Their staff can help families to get the case information.

We are pleased to announce that the Food Services program has been awarded a grant in order to continue food service this summer, serving breakfast and lunch, to any child in Franklin.

This has certainly been a challenging spring for everyone. We want to thank the Franklin community for working together to keep each other safe and for cooperation, patience, and communication in shifting the entire instructional and support system to be remote. We have learned much in these difficult days, most notably emphasizing how much we value the opportunities we have to be together.

We want to wish all of our faculty/staff, students, and families a healthy and safe summer. 

Kind regards,
Franklin Public Schools

Please contact the Superintendent’s Office at 508-553-4819 with any questions. Please leave a voicemail. Although we are working remotely, voicemails are sent to email and will be responded to in a timely fashion.

PDF version (not yet on schools web page)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vwE7rFD_YckvgvfBcyBwDRdBBsYdFqw3/view?usp=sharing

Franklin Public Schools: Remote Learning Update - June 15, 2020

SNETT Trail Advisory - section by Prospect St closed

View this email in your browser Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee SNETT Trail Closure Advisory May 11 – August 31, 2020!   Due to the Prospect Street Tunnel project, the trail will be closed between Lake Street in the Town of Bellingham and Spring Street in the Town of Franklin. Trail users should plan to use other parts of the SNETT during this period of time. For more information or to keep updated, please visit our website or Facebook Page. Our mailing address is: Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee PO Box 68 Franklin, Ma 02038