What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, October 5, 2025 ??

Sunday, October 5

9:00am Register for the 37th Annual Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai

9:00am Fallen Hero: Edward L. Grant (Veterans Walkway, Franklin Town Common)

11:00am Sunday Brunch (Teddy Gallagher's Irish Pub)

12:00pm Pumpkin Patch (St John's Episcopal Church)

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

6:00pm Police Station Open House & Tour (911 Panther Way)

**  NO Town Meetings today   **

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What's happening in Franklin, MA

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 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-calendar

Why is Franklin considering a new Police Station? Take a tour Sunday, Oct 5 at 6 PM to find out !!!

Franklin Police Chief TJ Lynch provides an overview of the current station as not providing enough space for the department to work effectively ->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVKGwlfOXp4

Franklin Police Station Building Committee Chair Tom Mercer provides an intro to the video series as part of the project overview ->  https://youtu.be/hJjVX3ZOe9o

Franklin is one of the safest communities in America, thanks to its dedicated police force. Yet, officers operate in an outdated facility that no longer meets modern policing standards. Despite these challenges, the Franklin Police Department earned accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. A new, state-of-the-art station will provide the resources needed to keep Franklin safe for years to come.

Visit the building project page for additional info -> https://www.franklinmapoliceproject.com/

If you can't make this scheduled tour, you can take a virtual tour room by room with Chief Lynch narrating the existing conditions. On the Existing Conditions page, click to view video tours. 

On the Existing Conditions page, click to view video tours

Why is Franklin considering a new Police Station? Take a tour Sunday, Oct 5 at 6 PM to find out !!!

Note: The video tours cost the building project nothing. Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters took the pictures and almost all the video. The drone video footage was provided by Deputy Chief James West. The audio narration was provided by Chief Lynch. The audio for the overview was provided by Tom Mercer. All recording and editing was performed by Steve Sherlock as part of his community service because "Franklin Matters".

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 ??

Library & Senior Center events

Tuesday, September 23

12:00pm Community Closet (Franklin United Methodist Church)

6:00pm Police Station Open House (911 Panther Way)

For additional details on Library events ->    https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

For additional details on Senior Center events ->        

https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=37,24&showPastEvents=false

**  Town Meetings today   **

Police Station Open House

Tuesday, September 23 Time: 6:00 PM

No agenda needed for Open House

Design Review Meeting

Tuesday, September 23 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09232025-1916 

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What's happening in Franklin, MA

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 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-calendar

Police Station Open House - Saturday, September 13, from 1 PM to 4 PM

The Police Station Building Committee has coordinated to hold three (3) open houses for Franklin residents to view the current and existing conditions of the facility on 911 Panther Way.

Police Station Open House - Saturday,
September 13, from 1 PM to 4 PM

The first of the 3 is on Saturday, September 13 from 1 to 4 PM.

The second is Tuesday, September 23 beginning at 6 PM

The third and final is Sunday, October 1 beginning at 6 PM

For additional info on the building project itself, visit ->

https://www.franklinmapoliceproject.com/

Police Station Building Committee tours the current station built in 1991 on School District property (brief photo essay)

Chief TJ Lynch lead a small group of the Police Station Building Cmte and a few residents on a tour of the existing facility. Additional tours are being scheduled for September/October. Work is also underway to provide a video tour with Chief Lynch's narration for those who might be able to make the tours.

A brief recap of some of the existing conditions. And yes, the building is built on School property.

In the holding area, Chief Lynch describes the parole process

The only significant change within the building was the addition of this evidence storage mechanism. It will likely move to a new facility if that is the ultimate decision of the committee and community

Chair Tom Mercer and Town Administrator Jamie Hellen listen as Chief Lynch describes the space for our detectives where 7 are operating in a room that should be for 3-4

The sally port where folks under custody should be safely and securely transferred from a police vehicle to the station. It is also used as storage for multiple items that should be stored elsewhere if there was sufficient space.

Photo album -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/k9x4C2xcTQxiLG4JA

The Police Station Building Committee will take a tour of the facility at 911 Panther Way - Aug 6 at 5 PM

Police Station Building Committee

Agenda & Meeting Packet

August 6, 2025 - 5:00 PM

Meeting will be held at the Franklin Police Station, 911 Panther Way

Agenda:

1. Tour of the Franklin Police Station located at 911 Panther Way.

facility at 911 Panther Way

The Building Committee will take a tour of the facility. The public is welcome to attend and tour the facility with the Committee. There will be more public opportunities to tour the facility in September and October as part of a formal public outreach and engagement series.

 

Agenda doc - (no remote participation) 

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08062025-1801

Have you taken a tour of the Franklin Food Pantry? Sign up for this month

Wondering what we do at The Pantry and how we do it? 

Have you taken a tour of the
Franklin Food Pantry? They are available monthly

You're invited to come check us out! Sign up for a Pantry tour and see how we are making a difference in our community - and how you can get involved! 

Tours are booking through May. 

Visit our website to secure your spot!  ->   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4baaa622a4f4c43-pantry#/

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/DG1BQs1RTUN/

Have you taken a tour of the Franklin Food Pantry? Tours are available every month

Wondering what we do at The Pantry and how we do it? 

Have you taken a tour of the
Franklin Food Pantry? They are available monthly

You're invited to come check us out! Sign up for a Pantry tour and see how we are making a difference in our community - and how you can get involved! 

Tours are booking through May. 

Visit our website to secure your spot!  ->   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4baaa622a4f4c43-pantry#/

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/DG1BQs1RTUN/

Have you taken a tour of the Franklin Food Pantry? They are available monthly

Wondering what we do at The Pantry and how we do it? 

Have you taken a tour of the
Franklin Food Pantry? They are available monthly

You're invited to come check us out! Sign up for a Pantry tour and see how we are making a difference in our community - and how you can get involved! 

Tours are booking through May. 

Visit our website to secure your spot!  ->   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4baaa622a4f4c43-pantry#/

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/DG1BQs1RTUN/

Did you know the Franklin Food Pantry schedules a tour monthly? Next one Weds, Feb 12 at 7 PM

Next one Weds, Feb 12 at 7 PM

Come and learn about what we do and how we do it!  

Tour The Pantry this Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 7 PM.  

Space is limited to please register today to secure your spot!

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/18jpnsUkGN/

Charter School schedules Information Sessions and Building Tours - Jan 11, 2025

Information Sessions and Building Tours

"Each winter we offer Information Sessions and Building Tours so that families can learn more about the school in advance of our annual Enrollment Lottery.

It is important to note that we can not guarantee the possibility of a building tour at the time an opening becomes available so we advise attending one of these two sessions during our enrollment season.

The first half of the event is a presentation from our Administrative Team, Parents and alumni. At the conclusion of the formal presentation, building tours are lead by our middle school students and alumni.

To help us gauge attendance please RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLScgymuQ8.../viewform

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18S1KonxEt/

Did you know the Franklin Food Pantry offers tours of their new facility?

"Want to learn about The Pantry, what we do, and who we serve? Sign-up for a tour! 

Our next tour is Wednesday, September 11, at 6 PM. 

We're excited to welcome you, but don't delay as tours are expected to fill up quickly!"  

Sign up for Tour -> https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4baaa622a4f4c43-pantry?

Dates for October & November are also available to sign up for

Did you know the Franklin Food Pantry offers tours of their new facility?

Note: by way of disclosure, I am delighted to volunteer my time and skills on 2 Food Pantry committees.

Request for Expressions of Interest in the former Davis Thayer School Building (100 years old !)

Request for Expressions of Interest for the Purchase/Lease and Redevelopment of the Former Davis Thayer Elementary School Located at 137 West Central St. in Franklin.

The Town of Franklin is pleased to present this Request for Expressions of Interest (REI) in an effort to generate ideas for reuse of the former Davis Thayer Elementary School building and land, located at 137 West Central St.

Deadline:  Expressions of Interest must be submitted to the Purchasing Office by May 31, 2024 at 1:00 PM.

Information Sessions and Site Tours:  The Town offers you the opportunity to learn more about the site through participation in an Information Session and Site Tour scheduled for April 17, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM and May 1, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

Those interested in submitting a proposal can access the full REI -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/2024-02-26_rei_davis_thayer_1.pdf

Request for Expressions of Interest in the former Davis Thayer School Building (100 years old !)

First 2024 meeting of the Comprehensive Facilities Planning Subcommittee gets understanding timeline for end of year report can be met (audio)

FM #1126 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1126 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the FPS Comprehensive Facilities Planning Subcommittee meeting held on Jan 3, 2024. The meeting was held in the 3rd floor training room. 

Participating in the room: D Callaghan, A Charles, Supt. Giguere, Dr. Dutch, Dr. Rogers, Mike D’Angelo. Participating remotely: E Gallagher

Quick recap:

• District did issue an RFP with pricing separately, once qualifications were confirmed, Fran Locker & Assoc selected for visioning and planning aspects to work with Kaestle Boos report as baseline

• D’Angelo provides info on building work around the Town, all the schools built; Across the three complexes, Remington Jefferson roof needs to be placed; fire alarm system, heating/cooling systems all need to be replaced (except interior air handlers); Similar story for the other two complexes, eventually

• Built out a ten year projection for the facilities across the district with details on the items for replacement, etc. McKibben demographics updated with 2020 census info, presentation coming to School Committee. Educational visioning exercise (Locker & Assoc), tour of buildings scheduled to view educational spaces and utilizations. Kaestle Boos (KBA) report then gets updated with the additional pieces, (visioning), and facilities costing

• Timeline still good to get the report/analysis done before end of this school year

The meeting runs about 45 minutes so let’s listen to the FPS Comprehensive Facilities Planning Subcommittee meeting held on Jan 3, 2024. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1126-fps-comprehensive-school-facility-planning-mtg-01-03-24

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School Committee page => https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee 

Meeting Agenda doc  ->  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/comprehensive_facilities_planning_subcom-1_3_24.pdf 

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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

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"

First meeting of the Comprehensive Facilities Planning Subcommittee gets understanding timeline for end of year report can be met (audio)