Five Year Fiscal Forecast: The sky is not falling (but it is getting lower)

Franklin Town Administrator Jeff Nutting's letter to the Town Council, School Committee and Finance Committee with the "Five Year Fiscal Forecast: The sky is not falling (but it is getting lower)"

Another #1 for Franklin

From the Neighborhood Scout:

Our research reveals the 100 safest cities in America with 25,000 or more people, based on the total number of property and violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, murder, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Data used for this research are 1) the number of total crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city. See our FAQ on how we rank the safest cities in America

You can view the full listing of 100 communities to find Franklin at #1
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/crime-rates/top100safest/

The Franklin report can be found here  http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/franklin/crime/

Make sure to read the Overview tab, interesting stuff!

The Olivia Act

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

The Olivia Act

via Aubrey B Greene Photography Blog on 1/4/13

I have sort of avoided writing about what happened in Newtown, CT.  Partly because the press was all over it and pushing it through my pores.  But mostly because it really shook me up.  Let's be real here.  I cried for days.  I cried in my bedroom, my kitchen, the grocery store parking lot and even in the produce section.  It really hit me hard.  There have been far to many other school shootings, even one in my hometown in Vermont, but this one was different for me.  It was little, itty-bitty, helpless babies and I HAVE a little, itty-bitty, helpless baby.  Even now as I try to write this I can't grasp all the reasoning behind why I have felt the way I have.  But it makes me sad.  I don't know anything about the heartbreak one must feel losing a child, but I do know about loving a child.  I held Max extra tight that night and every night since.  I stare deep in to his beautiful hazel eyes just a little longer when I say "bye-bye" and even "good morning".  I am so blessed to have Max in my life and I cherish every day.  I hope the families of those children, those babies, those teachers, cherished every day and know that they too are so blessed to of had them in their lives.  

This past September, we had our family pictures taken by my friend and colleague, Deb.  I am so glad that we have that moment in our life captured forever.  Years from now, we will look back on it and laugh and love and squeal (because Max was just too darn cute with that red balloon!).  I truly believe in the importance of documenting life and from that I was put in touch with The Olivia Act.  The Olivia Act was set up by a Connecticut photographer as a way to encourage other photographers to give back.  We were asked to offer a free 30 minute session to a family in need who may not have gotten a professional photography session otherwise.  The family is chosen through nominations written by their family, friends and neighbors within that family's town.

So, I am joining in and offering a free, 30 minute session to one family, along with a DVD of the images and an 8X10 print that they can frame and have in their home forever.  If you would like to nominate a Franklin/Boston area family, please e-mail me personally at aubrey@aubreybgreene.com and tell me why this family should be the ones to receive this gift.  I will be accepting nominations via e-mail until January 18, 2013.

Please spread the word however you can :)  If you would like to find a participating photographer in your area, please check out The Olivia Act blog here.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Aubrey B Greene Photography Blog using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Franklin: From Puritan Precinct to 21st Century ‘Edge City’

VIA APPIA PRESS has announced the release of Franklin: From Puritan Precinct to 21st Century ‘Edge City.’

Welcome to Franklin, Massachusetts, a town that to a casual visitor might appear to be nothing more than an ‘ordinary’ Greater Boston suburb; maybe even the kind of place where, “Nothing much ever happens.” But don’t be fooled. This is the entirely true story of how one town transformed from a small hamlet – a precinct in a frontier community -- into one of the fastest growing municipalities in America; an ‘edge city’ built around an Interstate. It’s a story of religious extremists, farmers, factory workers, entrepreneurs, anarchists, and eccentrics. It’s a story more than 300 years in the making and it has never been told before in one volume...until now.

Franklin: From Puritan Precinct to 21st Century ‘Edge City’ is 204 pages in length, featuring more than 70 illustrations, and retails for $19.99. The book can be ordered through www.viaappiapress.com.


About the Author
Eamon McCarthy Earls is a longtime resident of Franklin, and a graduate of Franklin High School, Class of 2012. Eamon has been involved with the Franklin Historical Commission since 2010. Realizing the need for a new, updated history of Franklin, Eamon built on his experience in writing and researching his previous book; Wachusetts: How Boston’s Quest for Water Changed Four Towns and a Way of Life and tapped a wide range of sources, including extensive interviews with local residents, to complete Franklin: From Puritan Precinct to 21st Century ‘Edge City.’

Franklin Liquor - Wine Tasting - 4:00 - 7:00 PM

Please Join Us For An In Store Wine Tasting

Friday November 9th 4-7PM

Featuring

New Wine Finds

This Will Be A Biodynamic FRUIT Day.

Great To Taste And Drink Wine!

For a listing of the wines featured in this tasting event please visit their Facebook page here
http://www.facebook.com/events/434344316624912/

For more about Franklin Liquors, you can visit their Facebook page here
http://www.facebook.com/FranklinLiquorsMA

or their webpage here  http://www.franklinliquors.com/

Will Anya represent the Patriots?

I wanted to share a story about my daughter, Anya Zub, and her participation in the NFL Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition.

"NFL Punt, Pass & Kick is the oldest grassroots initiative at the NFL.  With last year's age-group expansion to include the 6-7 division, the program will continue to reach children of a younger age and allow them to experience the fun of learning football fundamentals in an engaging and supportive non-contact environment. PPK is about kids, the parents who support their kids to come out and play and about the volunteers who give their time to organize events.   Every NFL team will host the Team Championship level of the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick.  Team Championship will have 4 Participants in each age group. Participants are determined by the top 4 scores from the qualifying Sectional Competitions "

Anya participated in the local PPK competition through our Franklin NFL Flag Football program and came in 1st for girls aged 6-7.  From there, she went to RI to compete in a local Sectional Competition and came in 1st for girls aged 6-7.  They then look at all the Sectionals that fall under the New England Patriots...and Anya was one of the top 4 results.  So, she now gets to compete in the Team Championship.

She will be going to Gillette on Saturday November 11th to participate in the competition.  It happens prior to the game and Anya will be able to stay for the game.  If she were to come in 1st in her group, she would be announced to the crowd during the game.

As you can imagine, we are very excited and proud of our daughter and would love to share this story through Franklin Matters and local papers.

Let me know if you'd like any further information or have any questions.

Thank you,
Gigi Zub

photo credit = "official PPK photo"
http://www.nflppk.com/media/media/gallery/official_ppk_photos/T2ZmaWNpYWwgUFBLIFBob3Rvcw==

What's happening to the building downtown?

What are all the fences doing around the old building downtown?

Wasn't that supposed to get replaced by a new building like the one behind it to go along with the one across the street?

Given the economic status, renovation is the least cost option.

Portions of the building interior has been gutted. The exterior in the back is being redone

Access to the lower level and parking behind is still available from either Summer St or Cottage St

Franklin Pizza was located on the corner before moving around to Cottage St.

Florentina's was located in back on the lower level before moving out to RT 140

MelDivas Coffehouse, of course, was located in the center.

Printsmart Office Products did have space there before returning to an online only business that still delivers office products.

What other businesses inhabited these spaces?

From the feed reader

I have several tools to capture information being published about Franklin, MA. One of my key tools is Google Reader http://googlereader.blogspot.com/ In today's reader, I find several good articles about what is happening in and around Franklin.


1 - Warren Reynolds publishes regularly at 02038.com. He has his write up for the FHS ground breaking event held last week

New Franklin High School ground breaking celebrated

by Warren Reynolds

2 - Amanda Spittell writing for Berry Insurance lets us know about the Jack-o-lantern spectacular at Roger Williams Park in Providence, RI

Roger Williams Park Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular 2012

by aspittell

3 - Mary writes about the new items that have arrived for the Mill Store on Union St located at the railroad crossing.

Autumn awesomeness

by Mary

Enjoy!

news and subscription options

Franklin uses its webpage to post important news from each of its departments. There are two good examples of this type of announcement to share today:

• The Dept of Health has learned that the number of cases of West Nile and EEE viruses has increased and re-issues their caution about contact with mosquitoes.

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/019410D9-000F8513

• The Cultural Council awards grants to deserving organizations and programs each year. This years application deadline is approaching October 15th.

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01979013-000F8513

For information on how to make an application visit http://www.mass-culture.org/


Note: Franklin could elect to turn on or enable an RSS service so that finding out about these announcements would be easier. Franklin could also use these kinds of announcements in their own email notifications. They have explored email notifications and seem to have stopped. As noted elsewhere on this page today, to be successful requires persistence.


In the meantime, you need to visit the Franklin page regularly to find new items on the front page. Trying to find new items buried within each department or committee page takes far too much time.

Of course, regular readers of Franklin Matters have multiple options to find out what is happening. You can

• subscribe to the daily newsletter
• subscribe to the RSS feed
• our get a selection each day on Facebook

You can subscribe to your choice of notification here http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Mixed results in region on latest MCAS

From the Spring 2012 MCAS Tests: Summary of State Results:

Executive Summary
The fifteenth administration of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests took
place in spring 2012.

Participation
A total of 552,549 Massachusetts public school students in grades 3–10 participated in a total of 17
MCAS tests in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science and Technology/Engineering
(STE). Participation rates remained very high, ranging from 98 to 100 percent across the grades and
subjects tested. In 2012, 9,457 students with disabilities participated in the MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt) by submitting portfolios documenting their academic achievement in one or more subjects in grades 3–12.

Overall Achievement
Student achievement statewide improved on nine of the 17 MCAS tests administered in 2012. Between
2011 and 2012, the percentage of students scoring Proficient or higher improved in ELA at grades 4, 8,
and 10; in Mathematics at grades 4, 6, and 10; and in STE at grades 5, 8, and 10.

Trends in Achievement
Because measures of student achievement often change incrementally over short periods of time, the
Department is presenting a series of five-year views in this report in order to reveal achievement trends
that have occurred over multiple years. Over the five-year period from 2008 to 2012, an increase of five
or more percentage points indicates improvement that has been sustained. The grades and subject areas in
which the percentage of students scoring Proficient or higher increased by five or more points over the
last five years are shown in Figure E-1.

The full report (PDF) can be found here
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2012/results/summary.pdf

The detailed information for the Franklin Public School District can be found here
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/general.aspx?topNavId=1&orgcode=01010000&orgtypecode=5&

From this link, you can select among the Franklin schools including Tri-County and the Charter School.
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/search/search.aspx?leftNavId=

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Mixed results in region on latest MCAS

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff on 9/19/12

The number of students scoring proficient or higher on the 2012 MCAS went down in Framingham and Marlborough and up in Hopkinton and Southborough, according to district- and school-level results released by the state today.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Navigating school information

Realtor Warren Reynolds website 02038.com is full of good information about Franklin in addition to the homes for sale in the area. Two recent additions to his page are helpful to navigate around the school department website and the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).


He points out the key entry pages for the School Dept and School Committee. He gets you to the key comparison sections for each school district within the DESE page. Warren provides some screen shots and links to help you find the pages. Once there, you are free to explore further.

Official Sites for Franklin, MA Public Schools

by Warren Reynolds

School rankings: how do the public schools in Franklin, MA fare?

by Warren Reynolds

Thanks for sharing this information Warren!

"improving the map for all users"

"Here's one, the Nason Street Tot Lot. That was never there," said Zub, pointing out places in the Franklin map he found and added. "The train station icon over here was on top of BJ's, so people probably thought 'Hey, big parking lot - this must be the train station.' " 

Using a satellite setting on Google Maps to find places that are not yet labeled, and drawing from his own visits to local spots, Zub puts more and more of his hometown on the interactive map every day. 

He has more than 9,000 map edits to his name. 

Zub uses a free program called Google Mapmaker, which allows anyone with Internet access to refine the maps in the Google database. It was introduced to the United States in April. A user goes to google.com/mapmaker and does not have to download the program.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x948303690/Local-man-working-to-chart-Franklins-every-detail-using-online-maps#ixzz1Wz3bC8TU

Geoffrey's profile page in Google

And the Nason St Tot Lot mentioned in the article:



View Larger Map

"Gettin' it done"

T-shirt of the day: spotted at the Ribbon Cutting for the Community Gardens on Saturday. Town Administrator Jeff Nutting was wearing this. The slogan is attributed to DPW Director, Robert "Brutus" Cantoreggi. Brutus developed this line as the DPW worked to clear the roads during the several storms this past winter.




This spirit is shown by all those involved with the Franklin Community Gardens!



Franklin, MA

Look for a good community as a base to conduct business?

Consider Franklin, MA - There will be an Economic Development Summit on Wednesday, October 27th to showcase the properties and opportunities to do business in Franklin,

Additional info on the event including pre-registration and agenda can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-ma-is-looking-to-do-business.html



Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA Public Schools: Handbooks

The parent/student/family handbooks for each school in the Franklin Public Schools were approved by the School Committee during the meeting on Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010. You can cruise amongst the individual school webpage to find the handbooks or all of them can be found in one place here:


ECDC FY 11 final Family Handbook 3 (PDF)

Jefferson Parent Handbook 10-11 Final August 2010 (PDF)

Keller Parent and Student Handbook 2010-2011-FINAL (PDF)

JF Kennedy FINAL Handbook 10-11 (PDF)

Oak Street FINAL Family Handbook 2010-2011 (PDF)

Parmenter Family Handbook 2010-2011.FINAL (PDF)

Davis Thayer FINAL Family Handbook 2010-2011 (PDF)

Horace Mann MS FINAL (PDF)

Remington MS_Handbook_FINAL_10-11 (PDF)

Annie Sullivan MS Student Handbook FINAL 2010-2011 (PDF)

FHS FINAL 10-11 (PDF)

FHS Bullying Appendix A FINAL 2010-2011 (PDF)


Note: These handbooks were the 'official' ones approved at the meeting, if an individual handbook is changed after this time, THE official one should be found on the respective Franklin Schools page.


Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Town committee and board openings - Updated

The following Boards have vacancies.  

If you are interested please complete a committee appointment request form which can be obtained from the Town Clerk’s office located on the first floor of the Municipal Building, 355 East Central Street or downloaded from the Town Clerk’s web page.

Click here for form

Board	Regular Member
Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund	1
Cable Advisory Board	1
Design Review Committee	1
Franklin Disability Commission	2
Library Board of Directors	1
Public Land Use Committee	2
Recreation Advisory Board	1
Zoning Board of Appeals	1

Franklin, MA

Franklin Area Blogs: Collection

Real Estate

There are two real estate blogs that are based in Franklin, focus on Franklin, and are updated frequently.

Warren Reynolds writes at 02038.com. Warren is a Franklin resident and a realtor for Century 21.

Kathy Stankard writes at Franklin Massachusetts Homes Kathy is a Franklin resident and a realtor for Re/Max.

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/07/franklin-area-blogs-real-estate.html

Fitness

Due to the number of fitness type blogs, one could say that Franklin is concerned about their health.

In no particular order, you can read

Athletes in Motion This blog is

"... for the purpose of getting YOU over the finish line at the SheROX Triathlon on Sunday, July 25, 2010. Here is our journey of some Franklin, MA-area women who learned that by having inspiration from other like-minded women, they are able to do what they thought might be unachievable. We call it "the power of the group!"

Martinator's Bicycling Blog This blog is

A journal of my bike rides along with photos taken during my rides via my cell phone. A cool feature is embedded GPS ride data of my rides courtesy of Motionbased.com.

360 Fitness Revolution This blog covers

General Fitness, Spinning (Indoor Cycling), Pilates, Weight Management, Lifestyle and Nutrition related articles, commentary and research. Fitness business management, marketing, and whatever else comes our way! We are located in Franklin, Massachusetts.

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/07/franklin-area-blogs-fitness.html

Environment

There are a couple of blogs based in Franklin writing about the environment and living green.

The Clueless Gardeners - Michelle is a frequent commenter here and should be followed. She and her husband are doing some good stuff in their garden.

"Welcome to our garden! Since 2007 we have been striving to turn our lawn into something beautiful, tasty, ecologically sound, and a centerpiece of our community here in Franklin, Massachusetts. We hope you enjoy your visit! -Michelle, Chris, and Gabe Clay"

The Experimental Farmer and The Green Suitcase. Maureen writes both blogs as she is

"A New England gardener and purveyor of all things vintage"

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/07/franklin-area-blogs-environment.html

Arts and Crafts

The art and craft world is covered by Franklin Area blogs.

The Franklin Mill Store has its own blog. Mary writes

ruminations from the Franklin Mill Store

... just a little something is a creation by joanne b who says of herself

"First and foremost, I'm a mom to two wonderful young boys. I'm a home daycare provider by day, and at night, and on the weekends, I treat myself with lots of stamping time! Thanks for stopping by!"

AubreyGreenPhotography is a blog by a recent Franklin resident and photographer.

"I am a professional photographer specializing in creative and fun photography. I am located in Franklin, MA, but serve all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Islans and New Hampshire. ~Please contact me if you are interested in portrait, engagement or wedding services~"

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/07/franklin-area-blogs-arts-and-crafts.html

One of a kind

We are getting to the 'one-of' kind of blogs that populate the remainder of my listing of Franklin Area Blogs.

First up is the Cub Scouts with Franklin Cub Scout Pack 126

Rev Charley Eastman, of the Franklin Federated Church, writes at Federated Rev

Dr Dan Van Roon, who runs a chiropractic service (yes, the same one who created a stir recently when he tried proposing to move to a new location at the corner of RT 140 and Jordan Road), writes frequently at Van Roon Chiropractic

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/07/franklin-area-blogs-scouts-reverend-and.html

Humor

In the whole group of the Franklin Area Blogs, there is one where humor is king, rather queen; Lydia Oh Lydia!

Lydia's blogger description tell us that she is

"a fat eccentric suburban soccer mom takes you along on all her hilarious adventures. She along with her crazy kids, and an odd cast of characters raise hell in their quiet idyllic New England town. Lydia is a brilliant satirist...She is the crazy suburban mom you wished lived next door! No need to shave your legs before you read this blog. Lydia Dustin's blog Lydia Oh Lydia Copyright © Blog All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of content, text, or image is strictly prohibited without prior written consent. The Lydia Oh Lydia Blog was launched by Lydia Dustin Kirchthurn in October, 2008."

When you need a laugh, you only need to turn to Lydia.

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/07/franklin-area-blogs-lydia-oh-lydia.html

If you find other Franklin area blogs, please let me know.

Franklin, MA

Welcome

Welcome to Franklin Matters

View more presentations from Steve Sherlock.

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view this audio slide show

Franklin woes

“We’re cutting down to bare bones,” ... “We are cutting some services. We are taking no increase in pay on the town side. On the school side, teachers are giving up some pay days. We still don’t have a state budget. We are using estimated figures. If we’re wrong, we’re looking at additional cuts. People are unhappy.”

Gee, this sounds familiar! We are not the only Franklin with budget troubles. Franklin, CT has similar woes. Read the full article in the Norwich Bulletin here

For the listing of other Franklin's across the US, check out this listing

Horace Mann, birthday - May 4, 1796

This day (May 4) is Horace Mann's birthday. Given the current discussion around education in his home town, it is appropriate to look at what Horace is known for. The wikipedia entry says:

Mann targeted the public school and its problems. The six main problems he targeted were: (1) the public should no longer remain ignorant and free, (2) that such education should be paid for, controlled, and sustained by an interested public; (3) that this education will be best provided in schools that embrace children of all diversities; (4) that this education must be non-sectarian; (5) that this education must be taught by the spirit, methods, and discipline of a free society; and (6) that education should be provided by well-trained, professional teachers. To sum it all up, Horace Mann worked effectively for more and better equipped school houses, longer school years (until 16 years old), higher pay for teachers, and a wider curriculum.

For the remainder of the entry on Horace Mann, born in Franklin, MA on May 4, in 1796 check out his wikipedia entry here.