As I have walked around Franklin the past several weeks, I have enjoyed the fall foliage. With my phone camera handy I have captured quite a few photos and here is the best of the lot.
Enjoy!
The photos are embedded as part of a Flickr album.
You can also view the photos directly at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_sherlock/albums/72157674822931832
If you have good ones to share, please let me know via email!
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Showing posts with label franklin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label franklin. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Previews of the new Town of Franklin webpage
What will the new Town of Franklin website look like? Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provided several screenshots (shown below) and a list of the features as a result of the upgrade:
Instead of using Franklin.MA.US you can now go to FranklinMA.GOV
To repeat what was mentioned in the post earlier this week
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/10/overhauled-in-effort-to-make-it-more.html
One of the drawbacks of the new site will be the links from here to the Franklin website will break. There is supposed to be a landing page for those who find a broken link with advice for what to do next. As most of the content did get copied over to the new site, a search of the new site should find it.
If what you look for you find here and don't successfully link to there, let me know. There are thousands of possible links to fix and I will do them upon request.
I had a habit of making my own copy of most documents to always provide a good link for readers. This was especially the case for something posted to the 'Franklin News" page which was cleaned out periodically (and broke all the links as soon as the cleaning took place).
While there are thousands of links that could break, I hope that you won't find too many. If you do, please comment on that posting or send me an email (shersteve @ gmail. dot com), and I'll find the doc and fix the link.
- There will be email subscription pages for Town Council agendas and roll calls, all legal notices and public hearings, and job postings. Anyone can subscribe to email lists to get notices on those topics and more
- A new GIS and Maps page focusing on the wealth of GIS services the town has, and some fun maps to browse
- A new Franklin Development site filled with information and available sites for commercial development, as well as a wealth of town demographic information
- A new 'one stop shop' for all social media accounts for the town and school departments and organizations
- Revamped calendar with auto downloads to smartphone calendars and RSS feeds
- A new Town Council page, with member profiles and subcommittee information
- A "Meet Me in Franklin" page that highlights some of the unique places of interest for residents and visitors of Franklin
- Town Blog for the most up to date news
- An ever changing rotation of pictures of Franklin throughout the site
- Enhanced search capabilities
- Customer service request forms
- And much more ...
Instead of using Franklin.MA.US you can now go to FranklinMA.GOV
new Town of Franklin home page |
new Town of Franklin - Town Administrator page |
new Town of Franklin - calendar page |
new Town of Franklin - Town Clerk page |
new Town of Franklin - online payments page |
new Town of Franklin - social media accounts page. Want to follow the Twitter account or Facebook page? |
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/10/overhauled-in-effort-to-make-it-more.html
One of the drawbacks of the new site will be the links from here to the Franklin website will break. There is supposed to be a landing page for those who find a broken link with advice for what to do next. As most of the content did get copied over to the new site, a search of the new site should find it.
If what you look for you find here and don't successfully link to there, let me know. There are thousands of possible links to fix and I will do them upon request.
I had a habit of making my own copy of most documents to always provide a good link for readers. This was especially the case for something posted to the 'Franklin News" page which was cleaned out periodically (and broke all the links as soon as the cleaning took place).
While there are thousands of links that could break, I hope that you won't find too many. If you do, please comment on that posting or send me an email (shersteve @ gmail. dot com), and I'll find the doc and fix the link.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
"overhauled in an effort to make it more accessible for those on the go"
"The new town website will go live this week, with officials touting its mobile-friendly design and better organization of information.
Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said the site is scheduled to go up on Thursday, Oct. 20, but it may be a few days before visitors see the changes. He said it typically takes one to two days for new pages to go live.
Among the new features of the site will be email subscription offerings for additional items (like Town Council agendas, legal notices and public hearings) and a development page, aimed at providing information on available commercial properties."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20161017/new-franklin-website-launches-this-week
new mobile version of Town of Franklin webpage |
new mobile version of Town of Franklin webpage - another page view |
One of the drawbacks of the new site will be the links from here to the Franklin website will break. There is supposed to be a landing page for those who find a broken link with advice for what to do next. As most of the content did get copied over to the new site, a search of the new site should find it.
If what you look for you find here and don't successfully link to there, let me know. There are thousands of possible links to fix and I will do them upon request.
I had a habit of making my own copy of most documents to always provide a good link for readers. This was especially the case for something posted to the 'Franklin News" page which was cleaned out periodically (and broke all the links as soon as the cleaning took place).
While there are thousands of links that could break, I hope that you won't find too many. If you do, please comment on that posting or send me an email (shersteve @ gmail. dot com), and I'll find the doc and fix the link.
Monday, September 19, 2016
"We'll likely never get to a point where the project is 'done.'"
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160918/franklin-town-website-relaunch-coming
"The town hopes to launch a new version of its website later this fall, with a focus on mobile accessibility and a smoother flow of information.
Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said the change, set for late October or early November, represents a reorganization and rebranding of the site.
"We're looking to make it mobile-friendly," he said. "When you look at the site on a smart phone, we want town forms and applications to be available."
Hellen said the new site will feature a lot of interactive mapping and land-use data, allowing easier access to town information.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160918/franklin-town-website-relaunch-coming
The look and feel of the Town of Franklin webpage will change in Oct or November |
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Franklin can use your help!
The Town of Franklin encourages all residents who are interested in volunteering to apply now to any committee. If you have been curious or interested in giving your time, expertise or perspective on behalf of your community, now is an excellent time to get involved.
Current Committee Vacancies:
To apply for a volunteer position on a Town Committee, please visit the Town’s website and fill out the online volunteer form at:
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Admin/VOLUNTEER%20FORM.pdf
Interested parties may also visit the Town Administrator’s Office in the Municipal Building to fill out an application in person or call the office to have staff assist in applying.
If there are no current vacancies for a committee you are interested in, please apply and we will keep you application on file until one comes up.
For more information or questions about a Board or Committee, please visit the individual committee website or contact the Town Administrator’s Office, at 508-520-4949.
This was shared from the official Town of Franklin webpage
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/024C5CF1-000F8513
or find a copy here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczYWwzZ1JwQkJmdzQ/view?usp=sharing
Current Committee Vacancies:
- Community Garden 2 Term 1 year
- Cultural Council 4 Term 3 years
- Finance 1 Term 1 year
- Council on Aging 1 Term 1 year
To apply for a volunteer position on a Town Committee, please visit the Town’s website and fill out the online volunteer form at:
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Admin/VOLUNTEER%20FORM.pdf
Franklin can use your help in a number of volunteer committee positions |
Interested parties may also visit the Town Administrator’s Office in the Municipal Building to fill out an application in person or call the office to have staff assist in applying.
If there are no current vacancies for a committee you are interested in, please apply and we will keep you application on file until one comes up.
For more information or questions about a Board or Committee, please visit the individual committee website or contact the Town Administrator’s Office, at 508-520-4949.
This was shared from the official Town of Franklin webpage
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/024C5CF1-000F8513
or find a copy here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczYWwzZ1JwQkJmdzQ/view?usp=sharing
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Town office closed Monday, trash delayed one day this week
"Residents- Please remember Trash and Recycling will be delayed a day due to the Labor Day Holiday on Mon Sept 5th."
https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/771348632339611648
trash and recycling by the roadside as required |
— Town of Franklin, MA (@TOFranklinMA) September 1, 2016
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Franklin Public Schools: MICCA Music Awards
A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
------------
Hello
1
- Happy Spring vacation - please see the announcement below
- Happy Spring vacation - please see the announcement below
Our music students in grades 6-12 all won medals at the State MICCA festival. Congratulations to all.
2
- Please note the FHS Main Office will be closed next week.
- Please note the FHS Main Office will be closed next week.
All FHS administrative offices will be closed during vacation week due to water damage repairs. Work permits may be completed when we return from vacation on April 25th.
The Franklin Music ensembles had a wonderful outcome at the MICCA Music Festival. All eleven of the Franklin ensembles that performed received a medal. Below are the ensembles that performed along with the medals that they received.
- FHS Chorus - Silver
- FHS Select Chorus - Silver
- FHS Concert Band - Bronze
- FHS Orchestra - Silver
- FHS Wind Ensemble - Silver
- Annie Sullivan Middle School Band - Bronze
- Combined Middle School Orchestra - Gold
- Middle School Honors Choir - Silver
- Horace Mann Middle School Band - Silver
- Remington Symphony Band - Silver
- Franklin Repertory Orchestra - Gold
Thank you parents, music boosters and faculty for your support for all of our young musicians!
MICCA |
Saturday, April 2, 2016
The Town of Franklin is now on YouTube!
The Town of Franklin is now on YouTube! Please visit the following icon below to the Town's Official YouTube page to check in for exclusive content, interviews with town staff, videos and pictures of the work town government is doing.
We plan to add many clips of Franklin TV's "Our Franklin" program with town officials and projects going on around town.
Please contact the Deputy Administrator, Jamie Hellen at 508-553-4887 or jhellen@franklin.ma.us with any feedback, ideas or stuff you'd like to see.
Franklin YouTube |
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
"We want our website to be much more friendly"
"The town is looking at ways to improve its website, including making services available to those using mobile phones and tablets.
Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, who started in his position earlier this year, said the town has been in the midst of evaluating its communication with local residents.
"Since I've been here, I've been talking a lot with town departments, folks in the community and the Town Council, and there's at least some interest in a recharged effort to expand some services we offer online," he said. The exact nature of the expanded services has yet to be determined."Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160307/franklin-may-improve-website
I applaud the efforts Franklin is taking in this arena. Jamie 'gets it' and in a short time has made good progress with more underway.
online bill pay |
Friday, August 7, 2015
Finally, a Top 50 that has Franklin Schools
Via the Westwood Patch, the radar reveals:
The Top 50 listing for teachers has Franklin in the 14th position for MA.
"Niche.com, a national research group started by Carnegie Mellon University, recently released its 2015 list of school districts with the best teachers throughout the nation, as well as the commonwealth of Massachusetts."
The Top 50 listing for teachers has Franklin in the 14th position for MA.
"Here is a look at the commonwealth’s 50 school districts as ranked by Niche.com
- Westwood Public Schools
- Newton Public Schools
- Lexington Public Schools
- Northboro-Southboro Regional School District
- Westford Public Schools
- Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
- Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District
- Masconomet Public Schools
- Brookline Public Schools
- Needham Public Schools
- Braintree Public Schools
- Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District
- Shrewsbury Public Schools
- Franklin Public Schools
- Cambridge Public Schools"
Click through to https://k12.niche.com/ to explore the other listings
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Franklin Liquors: Happy 237th Birthday Franklin MA! One Day Wine Sale 3/1/15
From Mark Lenzi at Franklin Liquors
Check out the wine specials and the remainder of the Happy Birthday Franklin posting here:
https://franklinliquors.wordpress.com/2015/02/26/happy-237th-birthday-franklin-ma-one-day-wine-sale-3115/
Back in February 1978 after a “small” snow storm our dad purchased Jimmies Package store. For those of you not familiar with it or its location it was historic in town. One half was a liquor store the other a tobacco/penny candy/soda fountain AND both sides connected. Located in the center of town looking there now you would never know it existed. There is an empty lot before the railroad bridge left of HR Block and across from The Rome Restaurant.
Jimmies Liquor Store - downtown Franklin |
parade passing by Jimmies Liquor Store - downtown Franklin |
When it came time to change the name there was none better than FRANKLIN Liquors. Our whole family has deep roots in Franklin, gradates of the schools and all still living in the town today. As a child I can remember walking from Davis Thayer School To CCD at St Mary’s BUT having to stop for candy first.
In 1986 we relocated the store, one of many changes in the town over the years due to growth. We are proud to be family owned and Franklin residents!
Check out the wine specials and the remainder of the Happy Birthday Franklin posting here:
https://franklinliquors.wordpress.com/2015/02/26/happy-237th-birthday-franklin-ma-one-day-wine-sale-3115/
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Reminder: Franklin's 237th Birthday is a good reason for a party!
The Franklin Historical Commission will celebrate our town's birthday with a party at the Museum on Sunday March 1st.
The public is invited and encouraged to join the Commission for cake and refreshments as we commemorate the Town of Franklin's 237th Birthday.
Originally to be named Exeter when the charter was filed on March 2, 1778, our town took the name Franklin after the famous diplomat and revolutionary, Benjamin Franklin
.
Local residents who were born on March 2nd have received an invitation from Historical Commission Chairperson, Debbie Pellegri, inviting them to the museum to celebrate their shared birthday with the town.
From young children to seniors, as many as 88 town residents have a March 2nd birthday. All invitees in attendance born on March 2nd, will be entered in a free raffle for a $100 prize!
Sunday March 1st, 1:00PM, Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street, Franklin.
For additional information on the Museum and exhibts, visit their webpage
http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/
The public is invited and encouraged to join the Commission for cake and refreshments as we commemorate the Town of Franklin's 237th Birthday.
Originally to be named Exeter when the charter was filed on March 2, 1778, our town took the name Franklin after the famous diplomat and revolutionary, Benjamin Franklin
.
Local residents who were born on March 2nd have received an invitation from Historical Commission Chairperson, Debbie Pellegri, inviting them to the museum to celebrate their shared birthday with the town.
From young children to seniors, as many as 88 town residents have a March 2nd birthday. All invitees in attendance born on March 2nd, will be entered in a free raffle for a $100 prize!
Sunday March 1st, 1:00PM, Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street, Franklin.
The Franklin Historical Museum in warmer times |
For additional information on the Museum and exhibts, visit their webpage
http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/
Monday, February 16, 2015
Party - Town of Franklin's 237th Birthday - March 1
The Franklin Historical Commission will celebrate our town's birthday with a party at the Museum on Sunday March 1st.
The public is invited and encouraged to join the Commission for cake and refreshments as we commemorate the Town of Franklin's 237th Birthday.
Originally to be named Exeter when the charter was filed on March 2, 1778, our town took the name Franklin after the famous diplomat and revolutionary, Benjamin Franklin
.
Local residents who were born on March 2nd have received an invitation from Historical Commission Chairperson, Debbie Pellegri, inviting them to the museum to celebrate their shared birthday with the town.
From young children to seniors, as many as 88 town residents have a March 2nd birthday. All invitees in attendance born on March 2nd, will be entered in a free raffle for a $100 prize!
Sunday March 1st, 1:00PM, Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street, Franklin.
For additional information on the Museum and exhibts, visit their webpage
http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/
The public is invited and encouraged to join the Commission for cake and refreshments as we commemorate the Town of Franklin's 237th Birthday.
Originally to be named Exeter when the charter was filed on March 2, 1778, our town took the name Franklin after the famous diplomat and revolutionary, Benjamin Franklin
.
Local residents who were born on March 2nd have received an invitation from Historical Commission Chairperson, Debbie Pellegri, inviting them to the museum to celebrate their shared birthday with the town.
From young children to seniors, as many as 88 town residents have a March 2nd birthday. All invitees in attendance born on March 2nd, will be entered in a free raffle for a $100 prize!
Sunday March 1st, 1:00PM, Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street, Franklin.
The Franklin Historical Museum in warmer times |
For additional information on the Museum and exhibts, visit their webpage
http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/
Saturday, November 15, 2014
STUDENT Holidays SPECIALS from Team Fitness and CrossFit Franklin!
|
|
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Franklin uncovered
Those commuting via the MBTA from the downtown station saw the stones reappear this week. A couple of folks cleared out the brush and growth to reveal the rocks before applying a fresh coat of paint.
"old time" Franklin has reappeared!
Updated: The gentlemen who did the work were Tony Marzullo and Steven Pellegri with paint provided by Judith Pond Pfeffer
Curious: Does anyone know when this first appeared?
"old time" Franklin has reappeared!
view from the stairway to the downtown station |
from the platform on a sunny Saturday |
framed from the Berry Ins - Depot Building parking lot |
Updated: The gentlemen who did the work were Tony Marzullo and Steven Pellegri with paint provided by Judith Pond Pfeffer
Curious: Does anyone know when this first appeared?
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Mark your Calendars for Hockomock Area YMCA Spooky Games!
The Hockomock Area YMCA invites area residents to enjoy a spooktacular evening as Spooky Games returns on Friday, October 24th from 6:30PM-8:00PM at its Bernon Family Branch (45 Forge Hill Road, Franklin), Invensys Foxboro Branch (67 Mechanic Street, Foxboro), and North Attleboro Branch (300 Elmwood Street, North Attleboro).
This FREE event is open to members and non-members alike. Participants are encouraged to dress in costume.
- The theme for the Bernon Family Branch is ‘Night at the Movies”. The Bernon Family Branch staff invites participants to visit Olaf’s Ice Adventure, Maneuver through our Lego Movie Obstacle Course, Journey the Road to Oz, and meet the Sanderson Sisters, and more.
- The theme for the Invensys Foxboro Branch is ‘Haunted School House’. The Invensys Foxboro staff invites participants to play ghoulish games in math class, experiment in the horror lab, dare to try lunch lady snacks, and to beware of the Principal’s office.
- The theme for the North Attleboro Branch is ‘Never Never Land, the dwelling place of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and the lost boys.’ The North Attleboro staff invites participants to visit Mermaid Lagoon and seek out the Treasure of the Tides, venture to Pixie Hollow to find fairies and fun, and to hike the Indian Camp to check on Chief and Princess Tiger Lily.
Hockomock YMCA |
At dusk, anyone seven years of age or older will want to head outdoors to check out Franklin branch’s ‘Batman’s Arcam City’ Haunted Woods or North Attleboro branch’s “Never Never Never Land’ Haunted Woods” both proudly presented by the Y’s Teen departments and volunteers.
Admission to the outdoor activity will be $4.00 per person. For more information, call Michael Mahoney at 508-643-5265 or visit our website at www.hockymca.org.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Walking around Franklin
Out walking this weekend, I find the stone walls and site preparations are still underway at the entrance to Chestnut Ridge.
If you missed what is going in at this location, it is a "congregate assisted living facility".
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/06/whats-going-in-at-rockpile.html
The signs are in place for the new location of the Franklin Art Center
They moved effective Sep 1 from the Berry Building downtown to this location next to the Municipal Building (near the Alumni Restaurant, across from the Big Y).
http://franklinartcenter.com/
stone wall at entrance to Chestnut Ridge |
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/06/whats-going-in-at-rockpile.html
The signs are in place for the new location of the Franklin Art Center
Franklin Art Center |
http://franklinartcenter.com/
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Franklin featured in AAA
A photo you saw here first was selected for the small article about Franklin in the monthly AAA Horizons publication.
Thanks to Cindy Cornwall for prompting AAA to include this article which in turn sent them scouring for pictures of the Town Common where the opportunity fell to me to provide some photos. I sent them several and they chose this one.
If you are not a AAA member you should still be able to view the Franklin article online here
http://www.aaahorizons.com/content.cfm?a=2573
For more info about AAA you can visit their website here: AAA.com
And the original full photo of the World War I Memorial on the Town Common
photo of the Horizon's issue with my photo |
Thanks to Cindy Cornwall for prompting AAA to include this article which in turn sent them scouring for pictures of the Town Common where the opportunity fell to me to provide some photos. I sent them several and they chose this one.
screen view of Franklin article on the Southern New England AAA site |
http://www.aaahorizons.com/content.cfm?a=2573
For more info about AAA you can visit their website here: AAA.com
And the original full photo of the World War I Memorial on the Town Common
World War I memorial 'doughboy' |
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Did you see Franklin's new website?
With little fanfare, Franklin has introduced a re-design of the town website. http://town.franklin.ma.us/
The new layout is clean and better than before. Most of the common items are more visible and easier to get to. However, there is still room for improvement. The 'Town News' section is shorter and revealing less info than before.
The 'Contacts Directory' and the 'Hours of Operation' go to the same page. Considering that the 'Departments' tab on the top navigation bar also takes you to the same page, that is effectively a waste of prime real estate.
The biggest drawback for me is that there still is no RSS feed. Yes, that maybe a little techie for some but it is a feature of most websites and enables an easy notification if something changes. Without such notification, if you want to find out when the agenda for a committee meeting is posted, you need to go to the site, click through to the page and view if there is an update or not. The website software could tell you via the RSS notification automatically.
Franklin just implemented Twitter to help with their notifications. Do you think the webpage has the info on how to follow Franklin on Twitter? It should but I couldn't find it. The page could also display the Twitter feed in a widget (tech term for a small window) to help showcase what is being sent out via Twitter.
BTW - if you do want to follow Franklin on Twitter you can find their profile page here https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA
Check out the new Franklin website here http://town.franklin.ma.us/ or here http://franklin.ma.us/
What else would you like to see on the page?
re-designed Franklin website |
The new layout is clean and better than before. Most of the common items are more visible and easier to get to. However, there is still room for improvement. The 'Town News' section is shorter and revealing less info than before.
The 'Contacts Directory' and the 'Hours of Operation' go to the same page. Considering that the 'Departments' tab on the top navigation bar also takes you to the same page, that is effectively a waste of prime real estate.
Contact Directory and Hours of Operation links go to the same place |
The biggest drawback for me is that there still is no RSS feed. Yes, that maybe a little techie for some but it is a feature of most websites and enables an easy notification if something changes. Without such notification, if you want to find out when the agenda for a committee meeting is posted, you need to go to the site, click through to the page and view if there is an update or not. The website software could tell you via the RSS notification automatically.
Franklin just implemented Twitter to help with their notifications. Do you think the webpage has the info on how to follow Franklin on Twitter? It should but I couldn't find it. The page could also display the Twitter feed in a widget (tech term for a small window) to help showcase what is being sent out via Twitter.
BTW - if you do want to follow Franklin on Twitter you can find their profile page here https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA
Check out the new Franklin website here http://town.franklin.ma.us/ or here http://franklin.ma.us/
What else would you like to see on the page?
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Alternate path to Franklin website
If you tried to get to the official Franklin webpage
http://franklin.ma.us/ as I did most of Monday, you were likely unsuccessful.
I was able to reach the site Monday night via this link:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/
http://franklin.ma.us/ as I did most of Monday, you were likely unsuccessful.
webpage is unavailable message |
I was able to reach the site Monday night via this link:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/
Town of Franklin, MA webpage |
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