Reporting by walking around: Photos this week 11/21 - 11/25/22

Found a couple of the hydrants from the painting contest conducted earlier this year.  DPW page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/water-sewer-division/pages/join-fun-and-enter-franklins-fire-hydrant-painting-event

hydrant from the painting contest 1

hydrant from the painting contest 2

A 10-unit apartment building under construction on Chestnut St

Project documents reviewed by the Planning Board

https://www.franklinma.gov/planning-board/pages/122-chestnut-street

A 10-unit apartment building under construction on Chestnut St

Some trees along the shoreline at DelCarte were removed, new trees are planted and picnic tables are arranged.

trees along the shoreline at DelCarte were removed

Friendly reminder on the Christmas Fair coming up next weekend at St John's Episcopal Church.

Friendly reminder on the Christmas Fair

Friendly reminder on the Tree lighting and Santa's arrival to the Town Common at 4 PM on Sunday, Nov 27, 2022

Friendly reminder on the Tree lighting and Santa's arrival to the Town Common

Reporting by Walking around: Photos around Franklin

Trees are blossoming

before the trees get leaves, their skeletons are shown

In the heavy rain this past week, the rain garden did its thing

Even from rough stuff comes new life, keep the hope alive

Additional photos can be found in the album shared here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5dZCcVMZk1jQPXCg6

Franklin, MA: A COVID-19 night (photo walk)

I had no trouble keeping 'social distance' walking around downtown Franklin on Friday night (3/27/20). It was great weather, a clear half moon sky, and quiet. 

Eerily quiet. A couple of boys on bikes were riding around. A car passed every once in a while. As you'll see, no cars were parked along Main St. Teddie Gallagher's and Acapulcos are usually busy but not tonight.

Enjoy the photos. Be safe, be social (at a distance!)

The Flickr album can be found online:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_sherlock/albums/72157713655767201

Franklin, MA: A COVID-19 night (photo walk)

Fresh air is good for us, get out to the woods/trail for a walk

From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin:

“I have some good news. Nature is not canceled,” said Bonnie Combs, marketing director for the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. “Fresh air and sunshine are good for you. Just practice social distancing.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200317/coronavirus-pushes-people-outdoors

The SNETT trail is good walking here in Franklin more info on their page
https://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/

DelCarte Open Space on Pleasant St is always a good choice for me. Find more trail maps and info about other options in Franklin here
https://www.franklinma.gov/recreation-department/files/fields-playgrounds

on a trail in the Franklin Town Forest (off Summer St) recently

FM #195 - Franklin Matters integration update

FM #195

This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 195 in the series, now collaborating with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).

I want to take a few minutes of your time to provide some updates on how the integration of Franklin Matters with the Franklin TV and Radio operations are going. In case you missed it, at the end of September I retired from my full time corporate position with John Hancock. I chose the timing carefully to allow for me to conduct the candidate interviews in the run up to the Franklin Biennial election in November.

In that effort, I managed to publish the interviews with 19 of 21 of the candidates for the Town Council and School Committee. Some of the interviews were published as audio files, some as text. Most were conducted in person, although some were conducted via email. While I can rest assured that the voters should have been better prepared than previous years. I still found folks who had no idea what I was doing and the information that I was publishing. I will not rest knowing that we did have a small turnout.

On the plus side, the election day results were broadcast live from the FHS gymnasium. Frank Falvey and I conducted on the spot interviews with candidates and others waiting for the results in the gym. We had queued up some segments that were pre-recorded with the Town Clerks Teresa Burr and Nancy Danello, and Franklin historian James Johnston to work into the live broadcast. Frank also prepared about an hour long program with election music that was broadcast as the lead in to our live show.

While I knew going live was going to be a first, that this was also the first time that the Franklin Radio station had ever been live was a surprise to me. I was very nice to find out we had set two records at the same time. I look forward to more live broadcasts. 2020 will a significant election year. The Presidential Primary is in March with the State Primary (includes the MA state senate and representative seats) in September, followed by the Presidential election in November.

In short, the integrations are going well. I am having a great time. I am continuing to learn and share what I learn. I am able to spend more time leisurely walking about town, mostly going from meeting to meeting, My reporting while walking around will be better for the time spent.

I have been provisioned with recording equipment to create a mobile studio. While my own personal device still functions well, I’ll now use it as a back up to the high quality equipment from the studio. As I learn the tips and tricks in using this new equipment, the recordings I make in the smaller Municipal Building conference rooms and 3rd Floor Training room should all sound much better. You will benefit from better audio quality. Franklin TV and Radio will benefit by having my mobile unit expand the coverage they already provide from the Council Chambers, and the studio on 23 Hutchinson St.

In addition to the meetings that I record, I’ll be adding more interviews with key Franklin individuals. For example, Karen Alves, the Senior Center Director, recently provided an outlook at the programs being offered. I have more in process to help us all understand the variety and quality of the offerings that the senior center provides to the seniors, veterans, and to other members of the Franklin community.

Cathleen Liberty, the new Health Director, met with me recently to record the introductory session of what we believe will be a series on the Health Dept and the work they do. EEE caught a lot of news last year and the coronavirus is all over the news currently so we’ll likely be back sooner than later with an update on how Franklin is preparing.

My primary focus for reporting remains to ‘follow the money.’ You will continue to get timely and accurate reporting from the Town Council, School Committee, and Finance Committee meetings.

Given the additional time I have, I will expand my focus to also include items on the ‘quality of life’ here in Franklin. While the budget is a key priority, we also need to have constructive discussions around what we want Franklin to be. How do we prioritize the budget to achieve this? For example, 2028 is coming closer each day. What is 2028? 2028 will be the 250th anniversary of the creation of Franklin.What will life here be like? How much would Ben Franklin recognize? How much would he approve?

Your input will be looked for as the year progresses. For example, what would a web page with Franklin TV, Franklin Radio, and Franklin Matters look like? What info would you expect to find there? These questions and others will come along as we continue to integrate Franklin Matters and its digital news feed into the video and radio feeds. These are exciting times.

You have heard me say before, this podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I 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 this, please let me know.

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

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
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"

https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HVGDTyfX

FM #195 - Franklin Matters integration update

Reporting by Walking Around - Feb 26, 2016

Photos from the walk around Franklin, MA on Saturday Feb 26, 2016



or go directly to Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_sherlock/sets/72157665058649341/

For the commentary from the "reporting by walking around"
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/02/photos-from-walk-around-franklin.html

On this date: Feb 28, 2016: Reporting by Walking Around

Stepping in to the archives for Feb 28, 2016 I find that this was one of the "reporting by walking around posts" I did from time to time. I find myself doing less now as I am working from home most of the week and thereby can walk almost everyday to stay current. So hopefully, you see more photos daily rather than bunching them like I did.

"Reporting by walking around, I'll share some photos of the walk around Franklin Saturday morning."

The new Recreation Dept facility at 275 Beaver St

Dip into the archives for 2016 and see what has not changed, or changed since Feb 28, 2016
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/02/photos-from-walk-around-franklin.html

Reporting by Walking Around - May 12 - (photo essay)

After spending some time away from Franklin for a family wedding weekend and then a work conference in Toronto, I took a walk around town on Saturday morning to catch up to what has been happening. Join me on the walk

Jane's Frames is closed and getting ready for a new business to open soon.

The new Santa Fe Grill has their signs up on their brightly colored building.

The trees are all full of leaves. Amazing how that can happen in a short period of time

Library book sale this weekend, May 19-20

a hearty bunch of Garden Club members, boys scouts and high schoolers were working on the flower beds at the Town Common and willingly posed for the photo

Bricks are still available for the new Veterans Walkway on the Town Common

tree trimming is very evident as the MBTA makes room for the new PTC system being installed on the Franklin Line. Only 2 more weekends for shuttle service!

If you want to stay informed on what matters in Franklin, MA, you have found the right place.

You can subscribe to receive a daily dose of what matters via email (yes, only one email daily. It is scheduled to arrive in your Inbox between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM each day.)

Subscribe to the daily email here  http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

What is Franklin's most majestic tree?

This is the time of year, post snow, just before the trees bud and fill out with their leaf cover to really view a tree. They are amazing in their structure.

In your walk around Franklin, what tree amazes you?

You can send me an email with your photo, or share it via the Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/franklinmatters

Here are a couple from my walk on Saturday.

At the Charter School, former St Mary's school grounds.

Along King St near Peck St 

#ShopFranklin features Elizabeth's Bagels (video)

#shopFranklin - supporting small business speaks with Jen Garcia of Elizabeth's Bagels in Franklin,MA. Elizabeth's Bagels preserved the age old art of perfectly kettle boiled bagels. This delicacy is then augmented with a great selection of in house blended cream cheese options, seasonal offerings, loose leaf teas and an assortment of coffee creations







One of my favorite breakfasts is to walk to Elizabeth's Bagels, grab a bagel breakfast sandwich and coffee, then walk over to the Sculpture Park to enjoy breakfast before continuing the walk around Franklin and home.

Elizabeth's Bagels and the Sculpture Park a breakfast combo

Reporting by Walking Around - Saturday, May 13

After spending most of the week out of Franklin on business, my Saturday morning walk got me caught up on some of what was happening or had happened while I was away. 

Join me as I walk downtown and then out Pleasant St to DelCarte. Starting with some close up photos of the new Horace Mann statue. 

Horace Mann 1

Horace Mann 2

Horace Mann 3

Horace Mann 4

I am impressed by the level of detail shown in the statue. The coat has texture and folds just like a real coat. Amazing work!

the exterior stonework is being applied to the Library addition

mystery dinner theater event coming to Franklin Federated June 10

volunteers from the Franklin Garden Club were hard at work on the grounds
at the Town Common with help from some of the Newcomers Club

new pavement on a section of Pleasant St was completed during the week

the reinstalled playground at DelCarte is open as of Saturday,
so when the rain decides to end it can be used again

while we have been getting a lot of rain, the water level at DelCarte is still way below normal

Hardy spirits rose to run the St Pat's 5K in Franklin (photo essay and video of race start)

Timed my Sunday walk to catch some photos and a video of the start of the Franklin Police and Fire St Patrick's 5K race/walk. 

the start and finish was on Constitution Blvd

Town Council Chair Matt Kelly with a word of thanks to the police and fire first responders
and encouragement for the runners/walkers

the moment of silence and National Anthem before the race start

'Old Glory" billowing on the cold Sunday  winter morning

Results of the race/walk can be found here
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/17/ma/Mar19_Frankl_set1.shtml

Reporting by Walking Around: What a difference a day makes

Sharing some photos from my walks around Franklin on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.





Wonderful sun catchers available at Agway. Hand crafted by a Franklin resident!

Wonderful sun catchers available at Agway. Hand crafted by a Franklin resident!

Reporting by Walking Around -Saturday, Aug 20 (Photo essay)

My walk Saturday found lots of good things to share. Some of these photos were shared on Facebook already but most were not and readers of the website and newsletter will get these first.

Summer St between King and RT 140 is getting re-done. The base paving was done just before the 4th of July and work on the sidewalks continues

Looks like the sidewalk is going to go around the interesting pole arrangement

initially a photo to capture the blinking light sequence. Wasn't until well after that I realized something special had been returned to the triangle! More on that later...

work on the Horace Mann greenspace and location of the new statue makes progress

yes, there really is work going on at the Library. It is tucked away in the back corner of the property so it is not visible to the passerby on Main St

another view of the construction at the Library

sidewalks on Pleasant St are being worked on, some concrete sidewalks closer to the Town Common are done, past Dean Ave, there is blacktop sidewalks and additional construction underway

nice work expanding the sidewalk to provide room around the utility pole

curbs in place and base smoothed for the sidewalk

more curbing along Pleasant St

a view of the large pond at DelCarte

the drought has lowered the water level significantly

good thing the approval has been made for the invasive species reduction, otherwise as shown here, the open water will continue to decrease

bee busy about his pollination rounds

no water spilling over the spillway

a view of the train station from the railroad bridge through the nice flowers out there by the Franklin Downtown Partnership

the water trough is back!

nice and freshly painted it has been located back on the triangle of Main and East/West Central

close up view of the fish ornaments

You can also find these photos on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_sherlock/albums/72157671773779570