"they go at the problem in a softer, more humane way"

A Milford area addiction specialist is pushing for a new way to combat the growing problem of opiate addiction in the region. It’s called substance abuse navigation, and it’s about building a network of specialists that helps addicts find help to shake the powerful, and often fatal, hold that heroin and other opiates can have. 

That specialist is Amy Leone, a Hopedale resident who runs the Milford nonprofit therapy center Community Impact, and organizes several area coalitions aimed at helping addicts. 

The vision is a staff of five addiction specialists who service the Milford and Franklin area 24/7. The specialists work as a link between addicts, their families, local police departments, and both inpatient and outpatient treatment services. 

It’s something Leone already does, especially in the Milford area. She’s one part therapist, one part social worker and one part advocate. But her goal is to expand the program, and that requires funding.

Continue reading the article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20151226/local-officials-push-for-opioid-navigators/

screen grab of Community Impact webpage

FHS girls hockey team topped Mansfield/Oliver Ames 4-0 on Saturday

The FHS girls hockey team topped Mansfield/Oliver Ames 4-0 on Saturday. This was the only Franklin result on a light holiday weekend schedule for the Hockomock League.

FHS Panthers

Girls Hockey

• Franklin, 4 @ Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 0 – Final

For the remainder of the Hockomock League results on Saturday.
http://www.hockomocksports.com/saturdays-schedule-scoreboard-122615/

Annual Report - 2015: Conservation Commission

The Franklin Conservation Commission is responsible for promoting and protecting the natural resources of Franklin and protecting the town’s watershed resources. A large part of the Commission’s attention is directed to administering Massachusetts and Franklin wetland protection laws and regulations. Those laws and regulations require the Commission permits to work in or within 100 feet of a wetland, in the 100 year flood hazard zone or within 200 feet of a perennial stream.

The Commission is comprised of up to seven volunteer residents appointed for three year terms by the Town Administrator. The current members of the Commission have diverse professional experience related to environmental science, biology, engineering, landscape design, and project management. Because of their different backgrounds, each commissioner is able to offer a different perspective during the review of applications for a wetland permit that ultimately benefits Franklin.

Franklin has continuously been well represented at the annual conference of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions in March, with Commissioners attending classes and workshops and talking with other Commissioners from across the state as well as lawyers, ecologists and engineers active in conservation.

The Commission, via its Chairman, has also participated in the Keystone Project, which is organized and run by UMASS. The Keystone Project is designed to stimulate forest landowners and community opinion leaders to be advocates of sound forest conservation, and to help inform the land management and conservation decisions of their friends, neighbors, organizations, and communities.

In 2012, the EPA proposed regulations to reduce the amount of phosphorus in storm water runoff into the Charles River basin, with Franklin, Bellingham and Milford as the pilot communities These regulations remain at a standstill as the EPA continues to work out the regulatory details. The Commission monitors the status of these regulations while encouraging and advising on appropriate stormwater management practices where applicable in Conservation jurisdiction.

The Commission continues to work on the DelCarte Area (aka the Franklin Reservoirs) off of Pleasant Street. There are a series of seven “structures” (six dams that had been originally used for cranberry farming and a stone wall that beavers had dammed) along Miller brook thru the 100+ acre DelCarte Area. The dams are identified serially from Dam #1, located closest to downtown adjacent to the MBTA Dean station, to #6, located furthest downstream, closest to Miller Street. The Commission is currently in the process of investigating the undertaking of an ecological study to ascertain the flora and fauna viability in the pond.

DelCarte in full fall color

Since the last annual report, the Conservation Commission has received 63 permit applications to work within areas under their permitting jurisdiction. These applications range from the removal of dead trees in a buffer zone to the construction of industrial buildings and associated drainage. The Commission also issued 26 certificates of completion for various projects and granted extensions to allow projects to finish. Two emergency certifications were also issued to the Franklin Dept. of Public Works. In addition, based on the snow emergency declared by DEP in Feb-March 2015, emergency snow storage permissions were developed and issued.

The Commission would like to draw the attention of the Town’s residents to the many protected natural areas in the Town and the opportunities for passive recreation they enable:

• The DelCarte Area, with parking off of Pleasant Street, has recently improved walking trails through woodlands along a series of ponds. Two canoe launches and an above-water boardwalk to completely connect the trail system have been installed.

• Several Eagle Scout and school/class projects have been completed or are on-going in the DelCarte and Dacey Field areas, and the town forest.. These projects have helped in the clearing of trails and the erecting of educational signage and the cleaning up of debris. Additional projects are being undertaken in the Town Forest to improve the existing trail system; The Town Forest has good access points off of both Summer Street and Russet Hill Road with a network of walking trails thru woodlands and across Uncas Brook;

• There is a network of walking trails that cross Shepards Brook and go thru fields and woods behind the Dacey Recreation Area off Lincoln Street;

• Indian Rock has good access off of both King Phillip Road and Lost Horse Trail with walking trails thru woodlands near two large vernal pools and to the top of historic Indian Rock;

• The Metacomet Land Trust owns several pieces of protected land, notably the walking trails off of Bridle Path and The Lady Bug Trail near JFK school;

• The Franklin State Forest is accessible off of Grove Street and Forge Hill Road and boasts an extensive network of walking and ORV trails;

• The SNETT trail goes all the way to Douglas. There is a Town parking lot off of Grove Street. The Trail section from Prospect Street into Bellingham is currently being reconstructed by the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation. The reconstruction was permitted by the Commission in early 2015;

• The expansive marsh near Interstate 495 exit #17 is the US Army Corps of Engineers Natural Valley Flood Storage Project, preserved to protect against downstream flooding in the Charles River basin. That marsh is along Mine Brook, the largest stream in town, draining about half of Franklin, starting at the extreme south end of Franklin, passing underneath Washington Street, Beaver Street, 495, Grove Street, West Central Street, 495 again, Beech Street, and Pond Street before finally meeting the Charles River on the Medway border.

• Other significant streams in Franklin include Shepards Brook, Miller Brook, Uncas Brook and Bubbling Brook. Lake Populatic is part of the Charles River, the other navigable ponds in Franklin are Spring (Green’s) Pond, Beaver Pond, and Uncas Pond, the last two of which are listed as Great Ponds by Mass DEP. There are many other natural areas in Franklin waiting to be explored.

The Commission would also like the town residents to be aware of the potential tax savings of M.G. L. Chapter 61 (forest land), 61A (agricultural land) and 61B (recreational land). Such programs are designed to benefit the land owner via reducing the tax burden as well as to preserving and
maintaining the quality and quantity of environmentally sensitive and natural areas within the commonwealth.

Conservation Commission Members:

Jeff Livingstone – Chair
Paul Harrington - - Vice Chair
Scott McLean
Ravi Pendkar
Steve Younis
Bill Batchelor

Respectfully submitted,

Jeff Livingstone, Chair

Please visit our website for additional information including application forms, and regularly posted Conservation Commission agendas and meeting minutes at http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Conservation/index

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"Prior to November 1 of each year, the Town Clerk shall cause to be prepared and made available to the inhabitants of the Town an annual report for the preceding fiscal year which shall include: the annual Town budget, the reports of all Town officers, the records of all Town Council bylaw amendments and resolutions, an abstract of births, marriages and deaths, and the wages, salaries, or other compensation of all Town employees." [Added 5-2-2012 by Bylaw Amendment 12-681]

http://ecode360.com/10432729?highlight=annual%20report,reports,annual,report#10432729

Shared from the full and complete PDF version of the Town of Franklin Annual Report for 2015

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2015report.pdf

Annual Report - 2015: Charles River Pollution Control District

During Fiscal Year 2015, the Charles River Pollution Control District’s (District) regional advanced wastewater treatment facility received and treated approximately 1,440 million gallons (3.95 million gallons per day) of raw wastewater, including 5.85 million gallons of septage from the District’s member and customer towns before discharge to the Charles River. The volume of waste treated was higher than the previous year due to an increase in precipitation.

The District received its renewed National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit in July 2014 for discharge of its treated wastewater to the Charles River. Under the renewed NPDES permit, the District and the Towns of Franklin, Medway, Millis, and Bellingham will maintain an ongoing preventive maintenance program to prevent overflows and bypasses caused by malfunctions or failures of the sewer system and an infiltration and inflow reduction program. In addition, the new limit for phosphorus has been reduced from 0.2 mg/L to 0.1 mg/L in the summer months and a winter limit of 0.3 mg/L was added.

The District conducted an Infiltration and Inflow Study in 2013, with CDM Smith, to identify areas of the District’s interceptors that needed further investigation and repair. Last summer, the District investigated the manholes in a portion of its interceptors to determine each manhole’s condition. This winter/spring, the District will inspect the same portion of its interceptor to determine the condition of the pipe and identify any sources of infiltration and inflow. CDM Smith and District staff prepared a 20-year capital improvement plan (CIP) to improve the wastewater treatment facility to meet more stringent NPDES permitting requirements and provide a more reliable wastewater treatment facility at its current capacity.

In July 2010, the District was informed of its acceptance on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) Bureau of Resource Protection Calendar Year 2010 Intended Use List for State Revolving Funding (SRF). In order to expedite the designs and proceed with the project in a timely manner, the CIP was divided into three phases (A, B and C).

• Phase A, which was completed in December 2013, included the replacement of both primary clarifier mechanisms, addition of two screenings washer/compactors in the wet well, primary scum handling improvements, and plant lighting and security improvements.
• Phase B, the capping of the on-site residuals landfill, was completed in August 2013.
• Phase C, focuses on improving phosphorus removal, replacing the disinfection system, and extending the life of the facility for an additional 20 years. This phase began construction in May 2014 and is expected to be completed in September 2016.

The District funded Phases A and B with a 20-year State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan of approximately $2.9M. Phase C costs will be funded through separate SRF loans of approximately $26.5M, which includes bidding, construction, and resident engineering. Ineligible costs (i.e. design of Phase C) for SRF loans were funded by a General Obligation Bond of approximately $1.95M.

The District’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget is 25.4% higher than the previous years’ budget. The increase is mainly due to the commencement of the repayment of one of the Phase C SRF loans. The District’s FY 2016 budget for operations and maintenance is $3,372,370, while the capital projects budget is $1,857,460. Franklin’s share of the operation and maintenance and capital projects budgets are estimated to be $1,789,070 and $1,154,740, respectively.

Respectively submitted

Douglas M. Downing, Chairman (Medway)
Gene Guidi, Vice-Chairman (Franklin)
Alfred H. Wahlers, Clerk (Franklin)
Joseph Cameron (Franklin)
Paul J. DeSimone (Medway)

CRPCD Officers:
Elizabeth Taglieri, P.E., Executive Director
Emma J. Catalano, Treasurer
Barbara Maffeo, Executive Secretary
Cornetta, Ficco & Simmler, Legal Counsel

The Pond St property was the site of the former sewer treatment plant for Franklin
before becoming part of the Charles River Pollution Control District

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"Prior to November 1 of each year, the Town Clerk shall cause to be prepared and made available to the inhabitants of the Town an annual report for the preceding fiscal year which shall include: the annual Town budget, the reports of all Town officers, the records of all Town Council bylaw amendments and resolutions, an abstract of births, marriages and deaths, and the wages, salaries, or other compensation of all Town employees." [Added 5-2-2012 by Bylaw Amendment 12-681]

http://ecode360.com/10432729?highlight=annual%20report,reports,annual,report#10432729

Shared from the full and complete PDF version of the Town of Franklin Annual Report for 2015

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2015report.pdf

Presentation from 2009 to the Franklin Town Council on the improvements outlined
http://www.slideshare.net/shersteve/charles-river-pollution-control-district-presentation-2509

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 12/25/15 - THU 12/31/15

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

MONDAY 12/28/15
7:30pm   Let’s Laugh Today: Laughter Yoga at FUSF

THURSDAY 12/31/15
10:30am   New Year’s Eve Party at Franklin Public Library

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE. The meetings will resume on Januray 4th, 2016.

For event details click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

Annual Report - 2015: Town Council

"On behalf of the Franklin Town Council, it is my pleasure to submit our annual report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015.

The Town Council remains busy and committed to serving the best interest of all the citizens of our community. I am proud to report on several matters including the opening of our New High School. Congratulations to the High School Building Committee and all of our citizens that made the project a true success. It will serve our students for generations to come. 

Other projects that were completed include the reconstruction of Lincoln and Daniels Streets, water main replacement on several roads, and the sidewalk on Panther Way.

We appointed committees to complete the second floor of the senior center and to make improvements to our historic library.

We dedicated a playground at Fletcher Field funded by the Commonwealth. We purchased and demolished a house at 92 Wachusett Street to expand parking for Fletcher Field, and bought 19 acres of land off of Lincoln Street to provide recreation opportunities and access to the Charles River.

The downtown project is finally underway and we sold the old municipal building at 150 Emmons Street for commercial development. We included in the sale a small green space and for a statue of Horace Mann a Franklin native and considered to be one of the founders of public education in America.

We supported the citizens group for solar energy as well as the group looking to establish a cultural district in Franklin.

In closing, we will continue to work for you, the Citizen, and the Community we all share. You can be assured that you have dedicated, competent, and professional individuals working and volunteering their time on your behalf.

Again we thank our Town Administrator, Jeff Nutting, for his dedication to the Town of Franklin through good times and tough times, and all of the Town employees who help to make this community a great place to live and work.

On behalf of my fellow councilors, Andrew Bissanti, Robert Dellorco, Brett Feldman, Matthew Kelly, Thomas Mercer, Peter Padula, Judith Pfeffer, Robert Vallee, and Stephen Williams, I want to thank you for the opportunity you have given us to serve this great community.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Vallee
Chairman, Franklin Town Council"

The Fletcher Field tot lot as mentioned was dedicated  in Dec 2014

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"Prior to November 1 of each year, the Town Clerk shall cause to be prepared and made available to the inhabitants of the Town an annual report for the preceding fiscal year which shall include: the annual Town budget, the reports of all Town officers, the records of all Town Council bylaw amendments and resolutions, an abstract of births, marriages and deaths, and the wages, salaries, or other compensation of all Town employees." [Added 5-2-2012 by Bylaw Amendment 12-681]

http://ecode360.com/10432729?highlight=annual%20report,reports,annual,report#10432729

Shared from the full and complete PDF version of the Town of Franklin Annual Report for 2015
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2015report.pdf

Additional info on the tot lot can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/12/fletcher-field-tot-lot-video.html

Additional info on each of the Town Council meetings reported on can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/meeting-notes.html

Annual Report - 2105: Town Administrator

"It continues to be my honor to serve the Town Council and the citizens of Franklin.

Under the leadership of the Town Council over the years we continue to try and improve the quality of life for our residents while maintaining a balanced budget, fiscal prudence and a look towards the future. Fiscal year 15 showed no signs of letting up on improving our community.

So, what have we done this year?

The list of improvements in FY 15 are many including the new High School, road and water main improvements, purchase of open space, adding a playground at Fletcher Field, a sidewalk on Panther Way, selling the old municipal building for commercial development, making zoning changes in accordance with the Master Plan, seeing the downtown project get underway, funding the design of sidewalks for Pleasant and Chestnut Streets, working to spruce up the Rail Road stations, and reducing the trash fee.

Since the Town Administrators Office assumed the duties of the Passport Office things are hopping, you can now get your passport here with an appointment on Monday or Wednesday and Friday.

All this is accomplished with hard working volunteers and a great staff of employees in all departments We continually provide high quality services and the lowest possible cost to the tax payer.

As I look to the future there are many challenges but if history is any lesson, the strong leadership of the Town Council and great staff will respond to every challenge.

I want to make note of the retirement of my Secretary, Dianne Blanchard. She was an exceptional employee, dedicated to serving the citizens of Franklin. I wish her well in her retirement.

As always, I want to thank the employees of the Town of Franklin. It is my pleasure to come to work every day with such dedicated and hard working people who do their best for the citizens of Franklin.

Jeff Nutting

It is my pleasure to submit my annual report for your review, and please feel free to write, e-mail, or stop by with any questions, concerns, or comments.


Respectfully submitted,

Jeff Nutting
Town Administrator"

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"Prior to November 1 of each year, the Town Clerk shall cause to be prepared and made available to the inhabitants of the Town an annual report for the preceding fiscal year which shall include: the annual Town budget, the reports of all Town officers, the records of all Town Council bylaw amendments and resolutions, an abstract of births, marriages and deaths, and the wages, salaries, or other compensation of all Town employees." [Added 5-2-2012 by Bylaw Amendment 12-681]

http://ecode360.com/10432729?highlight=annual%20report,reports,annual,report#10432729

Shared from the full and complete PDF version of the Town of Franklin Annual Report for 2015
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2015report.pdf

Additional information from the Town Administrator can be found on his webpage
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Admin/index

Senior Center: A new edition of 'The Franklin Connection' is available

A new edition of The Franklin Connection has been published on the Town of Franklin web site.

Click the link below to read the latest edition.

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Senior/Jan16connection.pdf

Franklin Senior Center

In the News: firefighters contract approved, deputy administrator starts in January

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

"The Town Council approved, at a meeting earlier this month, an agreement with the Franklin Permanent Firefighters Association that will run through 2018. 

The council, at its Dec. 16 meeting, approved a memorandum of agreement with the union by an 8-0 vote, with one abstention.

The agreement calls for across-the-board salary increases of 2 percent in 2015, 2016 and 2017, with 1 percent of emergency medical technician's bonuses changing to base salaries in 2016, 2017 and 2018. 

Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said the change in wages was consistent with what other fire unions were seeing. He said other than the salaries, the biggest language change involved the elimination of forced overtime on the holidays."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20151224/franklin-and-firefighters-reach-agreement

"The coming year will see the restoration of the deputy town administrator position in Franklin, as the town has hired Jamie Hellen to fill the role. 

Hellen, who currently serves as the operations assistant to Hopkinton's town manager, said Thursday that he is very excited to serve Franklin. 

"I've already gotten phone calls from residents... it sounds like they really like living there," he said. 

He has served in his present position for the past three years. Previously, he worked at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Legislature before that."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20151225/franklin-deputy-town-administrator-eager-to-start

Dog park gates missing; committee to form

The actions are related to the Franklin dog park but the attempt to start the committee was underway before the gates were reported missing.

The dog park at Dacey Field is missing its gates. Someone apparently took them in the week before Christmas. The gates missing status prompted a conversation on a Facebook group and ad hoc action to create a barrier in place of the gates. The gates will be replaced by the DPW.

Dacey Field dog park

Haley is looking to start a Franklin Dog Park Committee. 

My name is Haley and I am starting up the Franklin Dog Park committee, I was wondering if you would be able to help me promote it by posting about it? 

The first meeting is January 13, 7:00 PM at the New England Chapel - any and all are welcome. If you have any questions or are thinking about attending yourself, my email is franklin.dogpark@gmail.com

Merry Christmas Franklin!

This will be the only post today. If there is other news that is share worthy, it can wait until Saturday. 

What matters today is spending time with family and friends!

Merry Christmas Franklin!

Note: With the holidays falling on Friday, the weekly calendar will be posted on Saturday December 26, 2015 and again next week on Saturday, Jan 2, 2016.

FHS girls hockey loses, boys basketball upsets #1 team

The FHS girls hockey team lost but the boys basketball team upset the #1 ranked team in the state on Wednesday. Thanks to Hockomock Sports for posting the results to share.

Girls Hockey

Franklin, 3 vs. Leominster/St. Bernards, 5 – Final

Boys Basketball

Franklin, 92 vs. Catholic Memorial, 87 – Final 

– Franklin freshman Jay Dieterle netted a team-high 24 points and added five rebounds and four assists, sophomore Paul Mahon scored all 18 of his points in the second half, Thomas Houlihan had 16 points, Josh Macchi netted 10 points and Sam Harrell had six points, seven rebounds and five assists. Franklin made 17/34 three pointers in the game.

For all the results around the Hockomock League on Wednesday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-122315/

Franklin reacts after upsetting top-ranked Catholic Memorial on Wednesday night. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

"Franklin typically likes to hangs its hat on defense. 

But for at least one night, the Panthers relied on their offense to get the job done. 

Franklin shot 50% from beyond the arc, connecting on 17 three pointers and never trailed in the second half in a 92-87 upset of Catholic Memorial, the defending D1 State Champions and the top ranked team in the state. 

The Knights are ranked #1 by both ESPNBoston and The Boston Herald."

Continue reading the article online here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/hot-shooting-panthers-score-upset-of-catholic-memorial/

EPA grant applied for to help with Nu-Style property cleanup

"The town has applied for a $200,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant as it continues its efforts to clean up industrial contaminants from a Grove Street property. 

Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said Wednesday that Franklin had sent in an application for the EPA's 2016 round of brownfields "clean-up" grants to assist in the remediation of the former Nu-Style manufacturing property, which is now owned by the town."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20151223/franklin-seeking-cleanup-grant

Town Administrator Jeff Nutting uses the Nu-Style map to talk about the plans

Related posts on the Nu-Style property

• Sep 2015 Economic Development Committee meeting

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/09/live-reporting-economic-development.html

• The audio for the Sep 2015 meeting can be found here

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/09/fm-114-economic-development-committee.html

• Planning and Community Development entry in 2012 Annual Report

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/annual-report-2012-planning-community.html

Happy Holidays from Boston Dynamics

Why is math important? Here is one answer!




For other videos from Boston Dynamics, you can visit their YouTube channel here
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7vVhkEfw4nOGp8TyDk7RcQ

Boston Dynamics alpha dog

For more information about Boston Dynamics, you can find their webpage here
http://www.bostondynamics.com/

Women’s Success Network invites you - Feb 3

Women’s Success Network (WSN) invites you to join us for an evening of networking and connecting on Wednesday, February 3 from 6 – 9PM at Lake Pearl in Wrentham. The program is conducted by WSN’s own members and it consists of Table Topics: a selection of topics of expertise based on the women who are speaking. Come learn about everything from Health and Wellness to Investments and Real Estate, and Legal, from Mediation to Social Media and Blogging and many other topics.

screen grab of Women's Success Network webpage

WSN is one of the oldest and largest women’s networking group in Massachusetts. WSN offers a supportive environment for women to grow their businesses and build strong and lasting relationships. The monthly meetings feature networking, dinner and speakers related to business or personal growth. WSN members are fun, supportive, and energetic. The evening is geared for women to network with one another and we welcome guests to join our monthly meetings.

Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. To register for the next meeting and find out more details please visit https://www.wsninc.org by Tuesday, January 26th, 2016.