Patriots Raffle tickets - benefit the Franklin Food Pantry

This is a pretty good deal! With a limited number of tickets to be sold by Sunday, Dec 1 your chances can be good.



Raffle tickets available at

Team Fitness Franklin
M-Th 5am-9pm, Fri 5am-7:30pm, Sat 7am-3pm
100 Franklin Village Drive, Franklin

Franklin Food Pantry 
43 W. Central St, Franklin
Tu-Fri 9am-1pm

Investigative Report - WCVB

WCVB - Channel 5 had this investigative report recently.



The text accompanying the video can be found here

You may recall the incident from the opening of school this year
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/talking-about-elephant-in-room.html

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/make-sure-due-process-occurs.html

Thanksgiving - much to be thankful for

The Franklin Food Pantry is able to perform its service due to the gracious and giving community of donors and volunteers. The next several weeks are the busiest time of the year as the holidays bring out the giving spirit. The Food Pantry is poised to serve, to give, to share, and to collect.

Turkey Trot Family 5K

1 - The Turkey Trot 5K Family Fun Run and Walk will be held bright and early Thanksgiving morning. Registration can be done online here. The registration fee is $20 per person or 20 items for the Food Pantry.  

2 - For Patriot fans, we are holding a raffle for a chance to win 5 luxury box seats and a parking pass for the Dec 8th game. Tickets are available at the Food Pantry or contact me directly. The raffle winner will be announced Sunday Dec 1 at 4:00 PM.

3 - The Franklin Food Elves will be collecting for the Food Pantry in their annual "12 Days of Giving" campaign.  "More than 60 Food Elves will be collecting goods in neighborhoods around Franklin. If you don't have an Elf in your neighborhood, you can still participate in our food drive! Look for the red collection bins at these participating FDP member businesses:

• DCU, 500 West Central St.
• Dean Bank, 21 Main St. 
• Dean College, Campus Center
• Emma's Quilt Cupboard, 12 Main St.
• Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, 9 East Central St.
• Jane's Frames, 11 East Central St.
• Murphy Business, 15 East Central St.
• Pour Richard's Wine & Spirits, 14 Grove St.

For additional information on the Food Elves visit here

4 - The dramatic performance of "The Christmas Carol Times Two" returns this year on Thursday, Dec 12th. Maybe you heard good things about this sellout performance last year. Get your tickets early this year. The easiest way is to buy your tickets online here. Or you could stop by the Food Pantry.

Franklin Food Pantry

5 - Finally, the Food Pantry webpage has updated its donation widget. You can donate securely online using a credit card or via an electronic funds transfer (EFT) from a bank account. You can make a one time or set up a recurring payment.  You can find the donation widget on the Food Pantry webpage or here on Franklin Matters. (Either way, the transaction is processed directly to the Food Pantry. The link here simply makes it easier to do so).

Thank you!

The exterior of the new FHS building is almost closed up

Sunday was a windy and cold day to walk but the sun was fully out providing good light to take pictures. The new high school building appears to have only a few bricks left to place and some openings to close up. The construction was reported to be on schedule and on budget at the last update by School Building Committee Chair, Tom Mercer.

from the distance

getting closer

and closer still to see the details

the gymnasium section exterior is almost enclosed

an angle view across the front and main entrance

closer to the front and main entrance

This will add to the series of updates to show the progress on construction. You can find all the updates here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/12/collection-high-school-building-project.html

How breezy was it Sunday?

Breezy enough so that all the flags around the memorials on the Town common were pegged out straight!

flags around the monuments on the Town Common

In the News: hockey boosters, play group

Franklin Boys Hockey Boosters holding gift cards fundraiser

Looking for a great holiday gift? The Franklin High School Boys Hockey Boosters and Incontro Restaurant in Franklin are once again teaming up to bring supporters a discount offer for the holiday season.

Temple Etz Chaim offers play group

Temple Etz Chaim welcomes families with children ages birth through pre-school to join its new Tiny Tots play group.

Cook's Farm - about to be changed

With the zoning bylaw changes approved, Cook's Farm will eventually be changed from what we see today. The developer will still need to go through the approval process with the Planning Board and others before the work begins. I captured some photos a couple of weeks ago to preserve the record of what we see today.

entering Franklin

individual home next to the farm stand

farm stand view

farm stand view 2

Cook's Farm as you leave Franklin

The Town Council first reading discussion
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/09/divided-council-moves-zoning-bylaw.html

and the second reading where the zoning bylaw passed by the required number of votes
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/ichigo-ichie-cooks-farm-and-bunch-of.html

In the News: medical marijuana, snow preparations, transient students

7 firms seek to dispense medical marijuana in area

The following business have applied for Framingham: Massachusetts Compassionate Patient Care Corp., Patient Alliance Wellness Center Inc., Mass Relief, Prime Wellness of MA Inc. and 1 Releaf, Inc. Two businesses, Baystate Medical Enterprises Inc. and Commonwealth BioPharm Inc., will be seeking permits in Franklin.

Local towns gearing up for the snow

Following a winter in which the governor issued a "shelter in place" warning for the first time since the Blizzard of '78, the state and utilities are taking steps to prepare for the snows to come this storm season.

Transient students pose problems for districts

Every year, on a morning in late August or early September, thousands of students across the region step off the bus to start their first day of school. Around 180 school days later, they'll say goodbye for another summer.

"comply with city and town ordinances, regulations and bylaws"

The medical marijuana application process is moving along at the state level and Franklin prepared by defining an overlay zone for medical marijuana in the industrial park areas of town.

Bio-Care Collaborative Inc. has met with various town officials, including the police and fire chiefs, over its proposal for a dispensary at 122 Grove St., within an area sited to allow for the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana. 

"Good luck with your Phase II application," wrote Health Director David McKearney and Board of Health Chairman Bruce Hunchard, "and we look forward to having Bio-Care join our business community." 

According to a letter dated Nov. 19, Bio-Care would grow the medical marijuana sold at the Franklin facility in another community. However, the town indicated that it would have "no objection" to the nonprofit also opening a cultivation center here, as long as it meets the zoning restrictions.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x348811421/Franklin-supports-medical-marijuana-vendor#ixzz2lZ0Gs1tT

zoning discussion in Jan 2013
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/live-reporting-medical-marijuana-zoning.html

DelCarte Playground - construction progress

I got out to the DelCarte Property last weekend to grab some photos of the new playground under construction. As reported here earlier, this work was approved by the Town Council as part of the repairs to the dam. Work remains to complete the playground and work remains to add some formal trails through the property to make it more accessible and enjoyable for Franklin residents and visitors.


The Town Council approval of the work occurred in March
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/delcarte-recreation-proposal.html

Playground - walk around

Playground - walk around - stairs and slides

playground walk around - that it looks like a tree fits nicely with the area

playground  walk around - side view

playground - yes, there'll be swings!

playground - facing Pleasant St, my back it to the water

playground - corner view

playground - completed the walk around - good place to start/end with

Other visits to the DelCarte space have produced video and photos including these samples

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/delcarte-open-space-photo-essay.html

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/delcarte-property-summer-time.html

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/delcarte-property-video.html

Reminder: Library Book Sale - Nov 23 - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Reminder: The Library has announced another book sale for Saturday, Nov 23.

In the News: decorate downtown, play hockey

Downtown Partnership, Garden Club to decorate downtown

The Franklin Downtown Partnership will join the Franklin Garden Club to decorate the downtown for the holidays on Sunday, Nov. 24. Any and all helpers are welcome.

Learn to skate, play hockey in Franklin

Franklin Youth Hockey is offering Learn to Skate and Learn to Play Hockey programs starting Dec. 1.

Franklin’s downtown would be a candidate for designation as a "cultural district."

The Milford Daily News reports on a visit by the MA Cultural Council Director on Thursday

"This is very exciting: This community sees the arts as central not only to the quality of life for the people who live here, but it also sees the arts as essential for a top quality education and essential for the vitality of its downtown," said Anita Walker, appointed as the state’s highest-ranking cultural official in 2007. 

Walker's last stop on her first trip to Franklin was the downtown Franklin School for the Performing Arts. Upon seeing the school, she walked through the proposed space for the Franklin Performing Arts Company’s new theater on West Central Street. 

The nonprofit will open a 250-seat "black box" style venue in the spring.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915446832/Officials-laud-Franklin-s-embrace-of-the-arts#ixzz2lN8LKhr0

The future home of the "Black Box Theater" for the Franklin School for the Performing Arts would be located here

future home of "The Black Box"

Two Franklin business in the health care news

First in the news for this posting

JACO, Inc., an industry leader in the design and fabrication of point-of-care mobile computer carts and wall mounted computer technology, is proud to announce the release of its new WS-14 Tablet Wall Mount Series. With a complete line of products known for durable metal construction, antimicrobial infection control, and safe and easy access, JACO's new WS-14 paves the way for the emerging tablet computer access electronic health records market. Designed to accommodate virtually every model tablet computer, and customizable to meet the needs of each unique customer's requirements, safe and reliable wall mounted tablet access is now at your finger tips.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/04/5879559/jaco-ws-14-wall-mounted-tablet.html#storylink=cpy

JACO is located on Constitution Blvd in Franklin

... a leading manufacturer and integrator of point-of-care Electronic Medical Records (EMR) mobile computer carts, wall stations and wall arm technology. Proudly manufacturing products in the United States of America for over 40 years, JACO has set the healthcare industry standard for overall product performance, sustainable quality, ergonomic design and safety, and exceptional customer service. JACO is a nationally certified Woman Owned Small Business and Woman's Business Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and is an ISO 9001-2008 Registered Company. 

More information is available at www.jacoinc.com or 800-649-2278.

Second in the news for this posting

Arthrosurface Incorporated, a developer of less-invasive joint restoration and resurfacing systems, performed its first US stemless shoulder resurfacing in 2003. The Company continued to expand the technology and introduced the stemless total shoulder system in 2011 using the world's first aspherical humeral implant combined with an off-axis inlay glenoid. Other Orthopaedic companies have only recently started to explore stemless total shoulder designs. However, these designs still require removal of the humeral head and implantation of spherically shaped implants that are not anatomic by design.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/18/5924253/arthrosurface-stemless-shoulder.html#storylink=cpy

Arthrosurface is located at 28 Forge Parkway here in Franklin

Arthrosurface Incorporated is an emerging leader in the design and distribution of orthopedic devices for joint preservation, restoration and resurfacing. The Company's proprietary HemiCAP® system is a unique, less invasive technology that can be used to treat a wide variety of joint conditions caused by trauma, injury and disease. Arthrosurface has developed a broad portfolio of implantable devices and surgical instruments with FDA clearance for the shoulder, knee, toe and hip. Founded in 2002 and based in Franklin, MA, Arthrosurface markets and distributes its products in the United States and more than twenty other countries around the globe. To date, over 50,000 patients have been treated by more than 4,700 surgeons worldwide. For additional information, please visit www.arthrosurface.com.

Distinguished Young Women - Nov 30th

From Lisa Buccella:

Eleven Franklin senior high school girls will be participating in Franklin's Distinguished Young Women on Saturday, November 30th at 7:30 @ TD Mercer Auditorium/Horace Mann.   Here is more information about this incredible program.  My daughter Katie is one of the eleven and it has been a great experience.  All the parents of junior high girls......I'll be reminding you about this next year.....

Franklin's Distinguished Young Women

Each Distinguished Young Women program evaluates participants in the following categories: Scholastics (20% of overall score), Interview (25% of overall score), Talent (25% of overall score), Fitness (15% of overall score), and Self-Expression (15% of overall score).  There are no fees to enter the program.

Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Alabama, Distinguished Young Women is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. It has provided life-changing experiences for more than 700,000 young women across the country and more than $93 million in cash scholarships at the local, state and national levels. In addition to cash scholarships, Distinguished Young Women participants are eligible for college-granted scholarships from almost 200 colleges and universities. More than $108 million in college scholarship opportunities were provided last year, some of which included full tuition, room, and board to first-class institutions. Many participants leave the program with scholarships to help them with their college educations, but all of them walk away with friendships, life skills and increased self-confidence. Distinguished Young Women strives to give every young woman the opportunity to further her education and prepare for a successful future.

Mission

To positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent.

Distinguished Young Women is a national scholarship program that inspires high school girls to develop their full, individual potential through a fun, transformative experience that culminates in a celebratory showcase of their accomplishments.

• By encouraging continued education and providing college scholarships
• By developing self-confidence and the abilities to interview effectively, to speak in public, to perform on stage and to build interpersonal relationships
• By encouraging and showcasing excellence in academic achievement, physical fitness, on-stage performance skills, and the ability to think and communicate clearly
• By creating opportunities to beneficially inspire the lives of others

For additional information on the Franklin program
http://www.ajm.org/programs/state_n_local_programs/massachusetts/local_programs/franklin/

or follow the program on Facebook here
https://www.facebook.com/FranklinDistinguishedYoungWomen