Franklin Matters

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Franklin in the snow

Safe walking around town has been challenged by the lack of passable sidewalks. Photo ops have also been limited as once you seen the white snow, what else is there?

Ah, there is more if you look closely.

Join me on the adventures around town. Since I am catching up to this, not all the photos are from the same walk.

Community room entrance at Cnetral Park Terrace

Emmons St from Dean looking towards Main St

Federated Church keeps the faith!

There's a fire hydrant under there

the earth breath freezes

You want me to puch the button to walk?

the Town Common is lovely in snow

why search for the paper in the snow when you can subscribe to
Franklin Matters and get it in your email once each day

Design Public Hearing will be held by MassDOT to discuss the proposed replacement of the West Central Street Bridge

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORATION - HIGHWAY DIVISION

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING

A Design Public Hearing will be held by MassDOT to discuss the proposed replacement of the West Central Street Bridge over CSX/MBTA Rail Road in the Town of Franklin, MA.

WHERE:
Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
Municipal Building
355 East Central Street
Franklin, MA 02038

WHEN:
Monday, April 6th, 2015, at 7:00 PM.

PURPOSE:
The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed Shared Use Bridge over CSX/MBTA Rail Road replacement project. All comments and opinions made at the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

PROPOSAL:
The proposed project consists of the replacement of the West Central Street Bridge, which crosses over CSX and MBTA Commuter Rail tracks. Originally constructed in 1922, and rebuilt in 1967, it provided two lanes of traffic with no sidewalks prior to being closed to all traffic in 2008. It is a three (3) span timber structure on stone masonry piers and abutments approximately 58 feet in length.

The new bridge will be a single span, prefabricated truss structure, 78 feet in length with an exposed concrete deck intended to restore pedestrian and non-vehicular travel (shared
use) over the tracks.

The existing timber superstructure and timber piers will be completely removed and the abutments will be demolished to below finished grade. The existing stone masonry walls adjacent to the tracks (which support the timber piers) will be removed to the extent possible so as to not cause significant disruption to rail traffic.

The limits of reconstruction of the travel way approaching the bridge extend from the existing bridge approximately 210 feet to the south and 340 feet to the north. A 12 foot wide paved travel way is proposed with 3 foot wide gravel shoulders and pedestrian and bicycle fencing.

Proposed curb placement, pavement markings and signage will deter vehicular access, however design allowances for periodic emergency and maintenance vehicles (up to AASHTO H10 live loading) will be provided.

Since the existing structure is already closed to traffic, no detours or multiple construction phases are anticipated. The project will commence with the erection of temporary utility supports and the relocation of active utilities currently supported on the existing structure followed by the complete removal of the existing bridge.

The new substructure elements will be constructed and the new prefabricated trusses will be delivered and moved into position. Finally, all active utilities will be relocated and supported by the new structure and the remaining existing and temporary utility supports will be removed.

The new structure will provide greater vertical clearance over the existing tracks, increasing from approximately 17’-0” to 18’-3”.

No property takings or temporary easements are anticipated in the present design.

Written views received by MassDOT subsequent to the date of this notice and up to five (5) days prior to the date of the hearing shall be displayed for public inspection and copying at the time and date listed above. Plans will be on display one-half hour before the hearing begins, with an engineer will be in attendance to answer questions regarding this project.

A project handout is available on the MassDOT website listed below. Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Hearing regarding the proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Patricia A. Leavenworth, P.E., Chief Engineer, Massachusetts Department of Transportation – Highway Division, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116.

Such submissions will also be accepted at the hearing. The final date of receipt of these
statements and exhibits for inclusion in the public hearing transcript will be ten (10) days after this Public Hearing. Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us

This location is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (including but not limited to interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, open or closed captioning for videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats, such as audio tapes, Braille and large print), as available.

For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), fax (857-368-0602), TTD/TTY (857-368-0603) or by email (MassDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us).

Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten (10) business days before the meeting.

In case of inclement weather, hearing cancellation announcements will be posted on the internet at: http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Highway/

THOMAS J. TINLIN, P.E. .
ACTING HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATOR

PATRICIA A. LEAVENWORTH, P.E
CHIEF ENGINEER

This public hearing notice was share from the Town of Franklin webpage
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/020289A8-000F8513

Franklin Library: Adult coffee and craft - Friday, Mar 13

Adult coffee and craft is coming up this Frday at the Franklin Library. Maybe the 13th is your lucky day!

You can make a fleece neck warmer to keep warm until Spring does arrive!

Franklin Library: Adult coffee and craft - Friday, Mar 13

Shared from the Franklin Library webpage here
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2015/03/adult-coffee-and-craft.html

FHS Lady Panthers Softball Players to hold Clinic Apr 21

Could you please help us spread the word regarding the upcoming Softball Players Clinic to be held on Saturday March 21st 9am to 12:00pm at the FHS Gym. The Flyer attached has the sign up information, more details of the event are below.

Saturday March 21st 2015 (Rain or Shine)

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Franklin High School Gymnasium

$30.00 per player

FHS Lady Panthers

Grades 1-6

Players will learn the fundamentals of Fastpitch Softball. Specific skills will be covered using a series of stations which the players will rotate between to insure age groups and skill levels are being maintained.

Stations include:

• Proper throwing and catching mechanics

• Proper hitting mechanics

• Overall fielding and base running

The lead instructor will be KATE FALLON, Franklin High School Softball Program Director and Head Coach of Franklin High Lady Panthers Varsity Softball. Coach Fallon was a four year starter at Curry College in both pitching and catching and was team captain her senior year. After coaching JV softball at Cardinal Spellman High School, she went on to be Varsity Coach of SE Regional Vocational High School. Assistant coach Matt Connelly, along with the Varsity players will be on hand to assist in what should truly be an exciting three hours

Thanks

Blanca Di Giacomo

FHS Softball Boosters

The flyer mentioned can be downloaded from here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczRXNVbHowSVMybUE4Wk1IdjVCVzBEMTcxTmw0/view?usp=sharing

Franklin Art Association: Spring Show on Apr 18-19

2015 Spring Members Show and Sale will be held at the Black Box Theater, 15 West Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038

Saturday, April, 18th 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Sunday, April, 19th 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

The exhibit is free and opened to the public

* Exhibit of original works of fine art and photographs

* Bin sales of original works of art and prints

* Complementary food and beverage

* Clothes line art sale

Awards ceremony Saturday evening at 7:00 pm

The Franklin Art Association since 1971

Sponsored in part by the Franklin Cultural Council

For further information please visit our web site at www.franklin art.org

and www.facebook.com/FranklinArtAssoc

THE BLACK BOX Theater, 15 W Main St, Franklin

#shopFranklin

Reminder: Seminar on Dealing with Children and Allergies

You're invited to learn what it takes to manage a child's food allergy and understand why certain policies are in place to help keep these students safe in school.

You can even learn skills that can help make parties and play dates a safer and more inclusive experience for children with life

creating communities of support

threatening allergies.

Whether you are a parent, teacher, family member, friend, or caregiver of a
child with food allergies, we hope you will join us!

This is a FREE seminar and open to the public.

Please reserve your seat at: www.bfccps.org/allergy. (see attached flyer) If you have any questions, feel free to contact the school nurses at 508-528-1945 or via email at nurse@bfccps.org

To be held at THE BLACK BOX Theater on Wednesday, Mar 18th at 7:00 PM

Monday, March 9, 2015

There are Resources available for those Caring for their Elders

The MA Gov blog shares lots of good info. Regular readers can find that good stuff here as I share it, or you can subscribe directly to get it for yourself.

A recent post covers caring for elders.

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC), more than 65 million Americans act as unpaid caregivers for a family member, and the average age of an adult who receives assistance is 69 years old. TheExecutive Office of Elder Affairs (ELD), primarily through the Massachusetts Family Caregiver Support Program, provides resources to enhance the quality of life for both caregivers and their elderly loved ones.

The posting goes on to provide a list of tips and resources. You can find them here http://blog.mass.gov/blog/living-in-massachusetts/caring-for-elders-resources/

DId you know that the Franklin Senior Center offers an in-home respite program for companion caregivers? The program was introduced early in 2014 and modified in the Fall to provide better coverage.

You can find out about the program with this PDF file from the Senior Center
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Senior/ccbrochure14.pdf

You can find more about the program by contacting the Senior Center directly.

Don't be overwhelmed by the support requirements. Ask for help!

Franklin Senior Center is full of resources!

From the Boston Globe: charter school lawuit, ideas to fix the T

A couple of articles caught my attention in Sunday's edition of the Boston Globe that I think are 'share worthy.'

First, there is soon to be a lawsuit filed to challenge the limitation on charter schools.

"The highly charged charter school debate, waged for years in the Legislature, could soon become a constitutional court fight, launched by three prominent lawyers who believe students in Boston and other urban districts are being denied their right to a quality education.

Paul F. Ware Jr., Michael B. Keating, and William F. Lee, who are partners at three top law firms, say the lawsuit they will file to overturn the state cap on the number of charter schools will break ground on two fronts."

Why follow this? (1) The funding of education is already being looked at from a forumla stand point. How is chapter 70 calculated? (2) The current governor's budget and the budget cycle will raise questions on what should be spent where. Recall that priorities are really set by budget dollars. There maybe good talk but if the money doesn't follow then it is just that, talk. (3) And now the number of charter schools is being questioned. All good questions as long as the discussion is healthy and civil.

Continue reading the full article here (subscription required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/08/prominent-lawyers-team-challenge-charter-school-cap/LhdsO8NqFYI3ffT5xM3aSL/story.html

SEAN PROCTOR/GLOBE STAFF/FILE

Second, given the struggles with the weather that the commuter rail and other MBTA services have seen this winter, the Globe asked three experts to share what they would do to 'fix the T." Very interesting reading from the three points of view.

Read the full article here (subscription required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/07/three-ideas-fixing-troubled-mbta/p6oriN5vh0cpnMGPh0qjXN/story.html

"These are big steps forward"

At least three projects are slated this year to improve sections of a rail trail that travel through Bellingham, Franklin and Uxbridge.

Town officials and volunteers continue advocating for slight improvements to the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) so that it will eventually be possible to bike or walk all 22 miles seamlessly.

The state Department of Public Health has received approval from the Franklin Conservation Commission to grade less than a mile of trail from Prospect Street in Franklin to Lake Street in Bellingham.

- See more at: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150309/NEWS/150306865/1994/NEWS#sthash.Yrwl5M6b.dpuf