"Because you asked! Installing a new watermain in the "Country Club" neighborhood. For the most part, the work is going smoothly, however material shortages is slowing the job down. The new water is made of Ductile Iron pipe and it is very short supply due to COVID, which caused the foundry to shut down for a period of time. There is also an increased demand for pipe nationwide because of increased Federal Funding for Public Works projects.Two years ago there was no waiting for pipe, now there is wait time of 26 to 40 weeks till the pipe is available. For example the pipe below was ordered in February, made in New Jersey on 9/10, delivered to Franklin on 9/16 and started going into the ground on 9/19!This project was scheduled for next year, as part of the Town's on going "watermain replacement / new roads" program but we were able to use ARPA funding for this work during the current construction season. The old pipe being replaced is made out of asbestos concrete.If you would like to know more about water pipe, check out this article:Have a great Public Works Day!"
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 *
Saturday, September 24, 2022
DPW roadwork and construction delayed explained
Monday, December 20, 2021
"a chaotic “ripple effect” around the world"
"In Britain it’s alcohol, in Canada it’s maple syrup, while in Australia it’s a crucial additive for diesel trucks, and in New Zealand it’s brown sugar. These are just some of the many shortages affecting consumers and businesses around the world as industry experts warn that the supply chain crisis prompted by the coronavirus pandemic could last for many more months and even up to two years.Although there are signs that some bottlenecks are easing, the onset of the Omicron Covid variant could lead to new shutdowns, sending another disruptive spasm through the global system.The gravest appears to be an outbreak of Covid this week in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Zhejiang, which is home to the world’s largest cargo port, Ningbo-Zhoushan. Tens of thousands are in quarantine under China’s strict zero-Covid policy and some local authorities have urged workers not to travel home “unnecessarily” for lunar new year festival in February. “Further supply chain disruption is a significant possibility,” economic analysts at Capital Economics said in a note.Industry experts and economists believe the problems could persist as the finely calibrated network of world trade, already weakened by months of shipping backlogs, labour shortages and geopolitical tensions, remains “discombobulated”."
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
"a strong supply chain is vital for everyone"
The CDL or truck driver shortage reported previously as affecting the trash/recycling pickup and was also highlighted in the two open jobs that the DPW is looking to fill, is not just a US issue. This article shares the info on preparation for the Christmas season in Europe (UK and Iceland in particular).
"The UK government must allow retailers to recruit HGV drivers from foreign countries to avoid a supply chain crisis that could ruin Christmas, a senior supermarket chain boss has warned.
Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director, said the UK faced a shortage of 100,000 HGV drivers that was already causing 30-40 deliveries to its stores to be cancelled daily, and would upend plans to begin building Christmas stock from next month.
“We’ve got Christmas around the corner, and in retail we start to stock build really from September onwards, for what is a hugely important time of year,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/25/iceland-boss-hgv-drivers-shortage-cancel-christmas-immigration-rules-uk
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The Franklin DPW is hiring 2 for Heavy Motor Equipment Operator positions |
Monday, August 10, 2020
VisualCapitalist: "What Does The Coffee Supply Chain Look Like?"
"There’s a good chance your day started with a cappuccino, or a cold brew, and you aren’t alone. In fact, coffee is one of the most consumed drinks on the planet, and it’s also one of the most traded commodities.
According to the National Coffee Association, more than 150 million people drink coffee on a daily basis in the U.S. alone. Globally, consumption is estimated at over 2.25 billion cups per day.
But before it gets to your morning cup, coffee beans travel through a complex global supply chain. Today’s illustration from Dan Zettwoch breaks down this journey into 10 distinct steps."
Continue reading the article online https://www.visualcapitalist.com/from-bean-to-brew-the-coffee-supply-chain/
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VisualCapitalist: "What Does The Coffee Supply Chain Look Like?" |
Monday, March 30, 2020
COVID-19 PPE Procurement and Donation Program
"The Baker-Polito Administration announced an online portal where individuals and companies can easily donate or sell personal protective equipment (PPE) and volunteer to support the COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts. This effort will ensure that front line responders get the protective equipment they need to stay and push for more trained volunteers to join the response.For additional info
“Massachusetts has already received generous donations from countless organizations, and by launching this portal we’ll make it easier to streamline these offers and quickly distribute supplies to those in need,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We also need more volunteers to help support our response to this unprecedented public health emergency, and urge people to sign up to lend a hand. Our administration will continue making every effort to secure supplies from all possible resources to support our front line workers during these tough times.”
The Commonwealth’s COVID-19 PPE Procurement and Donation Program creates an easy portal allowing companies and organizations to sell or donate protective equipment that is in short supply given the global demands for such items."
https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-launches-online-portal-for-personal-protective-equipment
Visit the COVID-19 PPE Procurement and Donation web page
https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-ppe-procurement-and-donation-program
Shared via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MassGovernor/status/1244287599881191429
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COVID-19 PPE Procurement and Donation Program |
Friday, March 27, 2020
Tri-County RVTHS Donates Medical Supplies to Facilities in Need of PPE
Several Tri-County graduates who are now working in the medical field have been coordinating with Health Careers instructor Suzanne Dodakian to get these medical supplies, which are in high-demand in the midst of this global pandemic, where they are needed.
“There is no doubt that our doctors, nurses and caretakers are needed now more than ever,” said Superintendent Stephen Dockray. “We are grateful to be able to help them do their jobs and do them safely. Thank you to every medical staff member who is selflessly working to take care of their communities and those who in need of treatment.”
With support from Facilities Director, Harry Takesian, Vocational Coordinator, Cathie Rebelo, and LPN teachers, Patricia Munger, Tara Lane, Maureen Johnson, Suzanne Dodakian, and Lisa Ferrigno we were able to collect, box, and deliver these supplies. From all of us at Tri-County: Stay home, stay healthy, and stay safe.
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From left to right: Cathie Rebelo, Stephen Dockray, Harry Takesian |
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From left to right: Patricia Munger, Tara Lane, Maureen Johnson, Suzanne Dodakian, and Lisa Ferrigno |
Friday, May 10, 2019
"Classroom Giving is best described as a gift registry for educators"
"After an elementary schoolteacher in Phoenix posted her salary on Facebook in March last year amid a statewide protest for more education funding, she got a lot of calls from the news media, and a lot of hate mail, too.
But a few months later, the teacher, Elisabeth Milich, said she received what seemed to be an unbelievable offer from a stranger in New York City: He would pay for the snacks and supplies she and her husband had been buying for her students with their own money.
“I thought it was a one-time thing,” Ms. Milich said on Thursday.
Instead, the man, Ben Adam, has since supplied her classroom at Whispering Wind Academy with colored pencils, paper clips, books, crackers and big bags of Hershey’s Kisses for two semesters. He has also bought a butterfly farm for another teacher in Phoenix, and supplies for four other classrooms in the Phoenix area.
He started a website last month called Classroom Giving, which allows other people the chance to give necessities to teachers."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/education/arizona-teacher-salary-facebook-post.html?
Go directly to the web page https://sites.google.com/site/classroomgiving/home
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"Classroom Giving is best described as a gift registry for educators" |
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Reminder: St. Mary’s St. Vincent de Paul 24th Annual Backpack Collection - Aug 18-19
If you would like to participate, please buy a school backpack, and fill it with back to school supplies. Please label the backpack either Grades K-3, Grades 4-5, Grades 6-8, or Grades 9-12. The backpacks should not be specific for either a boy or a girl.
The backpacks may be dropped off inside the front of the church in the designated boxes on the weekend of August 18/19 and on Monday, (August 20th) until noon.
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St. Mary’s St. Vincent de Paul 24th Annual Backpack Collection |
Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society will be distributing backpacks to families in town with school-aged children starting on Tuesday, August 21st. We are also hoping to have enough backpacks to offer them to families living in area shelters.
Last year, 133 children and teens benefited from your generosity. It is so important for children and youth to see the goodness in the world.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this year’s drive!
Suggestions for supplies may be found on our website:
http://www.stmarysfranklin.org/uploads/docs/backpacksupplylist2018.pdf
or here:
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Reminder: St. Mary’s St. Vincent de Paul 24th Annual Backpack Collection
If you would like to participate, please buy a school backpack, and fill it with back to school supplies. Please label the backpack either Grades K-3, Grades 4-5, Grades 6-8, or Grades 9-12. The backpacks should not be specific for either a boy or a girl.
The backpacks may be dropped off inside the front of the church in the designated boxes on the weekend of August 18/19 and on Monday, (August 20th) until noon.
![]() |
St. Mary’s St. Vincent de Paul 24th Annual Backpack Collection |
Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society will be distributing backpacks to families in town with school-aged children starting on Tuesday, August 21st. We are also hoping to have enough backpacks to offer them to families living in area shelters.
Last year, 133 children and teens benefited from your generosity. It is so important for children and youth to see the goodness in the world.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this year’s drive!
Suggestions for supplies may be found on our website:
http://www.stmarysfranklin.org/uploads/docs/backpacksupplylist2018.pdf
or here:
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
St. Mary’s St. Vincent de Paul 24th Annual Backpack Collection - Aug 18-19
If you would like to participate, please buy a school backpack, and fill it with back to school supplies. Please label the backpack either Grades K-3, Grades 4-5, Grades 6-8, or Grades 9-12. The backpacks should not be specific for either a boy or a girl.
The backpacks may be dropped off inside the front of the church in the designated boxes on the weekend of August 18/19 and on Monday, (August 20th) until noon.
![]() |
St. Mary’s St. Vincent de Paul 24th Annual Backpack Collection |
Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society will be distributing backpacks to families in town with school-aged children starting on Tuesday, August 21st. We are also hoping to have enough backpacks to offer them to families living in area shelters.
Last year, 133 children and teens benefited from your generosity. It is so important for children and youth to see the goodness in the world.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this year’s drive!
Suggestions for supplies may be found on our website:
http://www.stmarysfranklin.org/uploads/docs/backpacksupplylist2018.pdf
or here:
Friday, February 24, 2017
Yankee Quilters Guild - Silent Auction and Supplies Sale - March 14
Come browse a wide selection of sewing supplies geared for quilters, embroiderers and sewers of all interests. Beautiful threads, fabric, patterns, rulers, quilt kits, books will delight every piece maker, whether a beginner or advanced.
The silent auction will be closed at 8:00 p.m. and followed by a brief business meeting.
Yankee Quilters is a nonprofit organization with members from a wide area. New members and guests are welcome at all meetings. The first meeting, including the March 14th event, is always free for first-time visitors or guests.
For more information, email yankeequilters11@gmail.com or visit Yankee Quilters on Facebook.
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Facebook image for Yankee Quilters Guild |
Yankee Quilters is a 501-c-3 charitable organization which supports the education of its members in the traditional craft of quilting and provides comfort quilts to patients at local cancer treatment centers and in hospice care. The guild is supported by generous donations from local quilt shops, local quilters and members.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
In the News - Tr-County, Rep Vallee, school backpacks
Tri-County Regional School holds grade 9 orientation
Rep. Vallee slates district office hours
Backpack, school supplies collection under way
Monday, September 8, 2008
"I see a bleak future if public funding for school districts doesn't change"
Along with stocking their children's backpacks, parents are increasingly helping teachers fill their cash-strapped classrooms with glue sticks, markers, hand sanitizers, toilet paper, and other basic materials once covered by school budgets.
Many teachers sent out the pleas last month before the first day of school as part of welcoming letters. Others handed out the lists last week on opening day. And a growing number, such as those at Chelmsford's Harrington Elementary this year, posted requests on school websites, saving money on postage and paper.
The lists are another telltale sign of how budget-cutting in recent years has affected the pocketbooks of parents, coming on top of the hundreds of dollars they spend annually on ever-increasing fees for school lunches, sports, after-school programs, and buses.
With household budgets this year stretched thin by rising grocery and fuel prices, parents are questioning how much longer they can keep giving.
"Parents are starting to feel like a piggy bank," said Holly Ewart-O'Neall, the mother of a second-grader and cochairman of the Worcester Arts Magnet School's parent-teacher group, which experienced a decline last year in fund-raising revenue that sometimes goes toward supplies.
School districts, wanting to avoid cuts to staff and programs, have been spending less on classroom supplies and materials during this economically turbulent decade. Statewide, school district expenditures on instructional supplies and materials, including textbooks, dropped 4.3 percent between fiscal years 2002 and 2007 to $334.7 million, despite a dramatic increase in the cost of many items.
Read the full article from the Boston Globe here
This is one area where Franklin School policy prohibits teachers from asking parents to contribute to the classroom. Do parents still contribute? Yes. Many of them know the situation is tight and will offer to bring in items used in the classrooms. In some cases, the teachers themselves make up the shortfall.