We're all excited for our full reopening on Monday!!! This show has all you need to know to make your first day back a good one. @FHSPantherbook @FranklinPSNews @FranklinHS
https://t.co/O8joVqUrIV via @YouTube
The Town of Franklin is pleased to share our new Business Guide! This online resource is designed to introduce potential business owners to the process here in Franklin and provide important contacts, links, and guidance.
Find it on our website here: https://t.co/g2sCOSIIhI
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| Town of Franklin, MA: Business Guide |
FM #505 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 505 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares the Community Preservation Committee meeting held on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: all but one of the Committee members, Town Administrator and key personnel, were in the Council Chambers; the public and one committee member were remote via conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
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?
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"
FM #505 - Community Preservation Committee - 04/06/21 (audio)
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #edc0407
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edc0407&src=typeahead_click
FDP Ladybug Trail presentation doc: https://www.slideshare.net/shersteve/franklin-downtown-partnership-planning-ladybug-trail
Business Guide -> https://www.canva.com/design/DAEN5lnYNIY/xubMHMzbUK7uF--x0mx6Og/view
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| Ladybug trail being planned |
The Town of Franklin has created an online resource guide for local and state government assistance programs, including information about the Senior Circuit Breaker and a tax credit estimation worksheet. Please find it posted on our website at https://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/citizen-discounts-exemptions
Download the 4 page PDF here https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/local_state_assistance_programs_4_1.pdf
Shared from https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/citizen-discounts-and-exemptions-guide
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| Town of Franklin: Citizen Discounts and Exemptions Guide |
"The ToF's Quarterly Aggregation Report provides a summary of the Nov & Dec electrical savings vs National Grid rates. Franklin chose a 100% green product that supports renewable energy, with 100% of the power supply being offset by National Wind Renewable Energy Certificates. " https://t.co/saIwgNIsmO
"This report has been prepared by Colonial Power Group with information/data being provided by the Competitive Supplier and National Grid. The purpose of the report is to provide information about the Town of Franklin's Community Choice Power Supply Program, which currently provides competitive power supply to approximately 9,850 customers in the Town. The data provided by the Competitive Supplier is not available until three months after the month it is used. For example, power is Used in January, Invoiced in February, Paid in March and Reported in April"
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| Town of Franklin, MA: Quarterly Aggregation Report113602 |
Tri-Country RVTHS Juniors were excited to get back out and start working in a clinical setting this February. After nearly a year of being unable to go into a clinical setting due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Juniors are eager and excited to help the residents at the Timothy Daniel's House in Holliston.
"Our students missed those meaningful connections they make with the residents," says Kylie Geikie, Health Careers instructor. Students help the thirty long-term care patients with activities such as feeding, bathing/showering, transferring with and without a Hoyer lift, ambulation, incontinence care, personal companionship, and taking vitals. The care they provide for these residents helps ease the facilities workers' burden and allows the students to earn the hours needed for their CNA Certification.
The students have risen to the challenge of COVID-19, used their knowledge of infectious diseases and infection control practices to care for the most vulnerable population. Typically, the Tri-County students would do their clinical hours throughout the year in preparation for a cooperative education (Co-op) position in their senior year; however, this year, students were restricted by the visitation limitations set forth by facilities. Tri-County is the only school in the radius currently participating in on-site clinical hours.
Tri-County students usually work at a long-term facility which houses approximately 100 long-term care patients, and have been enjoying the smaller, more intimate setting of the Timothy Daniel's House. Working with fewer patients has allowed the students to spend more time with each resident and build a relationship.
“I wish I could sit and talk to each resident for an hour,” said one of the students. After two weeks in the hospital, one of the residents was treated to a "spa day" by two students, including a shower, hair curling, and nails. "The level of compassion, empathy, and passion our students bring to each day of the clinical is inspiring," commented Geikie.
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| Tri-County RVTHS Juniors Assisting Elders in Preparation for their CNA Certification |
My father and I are building raised garden beds again this year with the profits going to the Franklin Food Pantry.We are only able to make about 35 planters this year and have 2 design options. We've written a letter on our website and was hoping you might be able to publish it on Franklin Matters for us?Here's the link: https://www.vfjrenovations.com/empower-with-gardening-initiative
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| my Raised garden bed as initially set up last year |
Via Pantherbook, two articles on the return of students to FHS for in person learning as of April 12, 2021
"You may not notice many differences when you arrive at school on April 12, except for one particular detail – everyone is closer. Seeing as there will be more students in the building, people will be able to stay three feet apart instead of six feet apart. The school is also exploring making use of alternate areas for classrooms such as lecture halls and the library.
The only area where the six feet of separation will remain is in the cafeteria. Students are eating and not wearing masks, which poses a greater risk to safety. However, because there are more students in the building, the school must explore alternative seating options. Mr. Hanna mentioned the introduction of outdoor eating, just in time for the warmer weather. To begin, tents will most likely be placed in the courtyard for students to lunch under; the gym will also be utilized. Later in the year, there may be a half-day model of school where students leave before eating lunch. Alternatively, although this is an unlikely option, students may eat outside with personal picnic blankets."
As April 12 draws closer, students are preparing for their return to school at almost full capacity for the first time in more than a year. Covid-19 has made it difficult for teenagers to have a “regular” high school experience, and getting the majority of students back into the building will no doubt nurture normal routines once more.There is something to be said about rising safety concerns, however. With the emergence of a new 3-feet distance rule, pool testing, and stricter health protocols, day-to-day school life will look much different from the smaller cohorts from the beginning of the year. While in-person classrooms are not yet filled, these new guidelines are a quite important step on the journey towards a Covid-free education experience.
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| These rows of desks will soon be full of students! - photo by Sophia Francisco |
"After a more than weeklong outage in the state’s vehicle inspection system, service stations on Wednesday finally started receiving a software fix that is expected to solve the malware attack that hamstrung the testing program in Massachusetts and seven other states.
The contractor targeted by the attack, Applus Technologies, sent the software updates on flash drives to more than 1,700 shops in Massachusetts and walked operators through a reboot intended to protect the machines.
The inspection system has been offline since the attack on Applus on March 30, and is unlikely to be back online this week, according to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles."
"Baker unwilling to talk vaccine passports"
"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is uninterested in talking about vaccination passports.
Asked whether Massachusetts might consider creating vaccine passports – which would impose restrictions on unvaccinated individuals – Baker did not explicitly say no, but said his focus is on getting people vaccinated. “Having a conversation about creating a barrier before people had an opportunity to be eligible to be vaccinated, let’s focus on getting people vaccinated,” Baker said, speaking after visiting a vaccination site in Revere."
Continue reading the article online https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/baker-unwilling-to-talk-vaccine-passports/
"Legislature will increase school funding next year"
THE LEGISLATURE HAS agreed to take a more generous approach to funding public schools next year than Gov. Charlie Baker did, responding to concerns from education advocates that Baker’s proposal was inadequate.
The legislative approach reflects a different time frame for phasing in an updated school funding formula, and the creation of a new fund to help districts that saw pandemic-related enrollment drops. But some advocates are still unhappy with lawmakers’ compromise approach, saying it does not fully address districts’ needs.
The chairs of the House and Senate ways and means committees announced in a joint statement Tuesday that they plan to put $5.503 billion into Chapter 70, the K-12 school funding formula, in their fiscal 2022 budget, which represents an increase of $219.6 million over the current year. That is $21.9 million more than what Baker had proposed.
Continue reading the article online https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/legislature-will-increase-school-funding-next-year/
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| Economic Development Subcommittee - Agenda - April 7, 2021 - 5:45 PM |
Open Space presentation https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/open_space_presentation_update_4-6-2021.pdf
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| Recap: Community Preservation Committee meeting Apr 6, 2021 |
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Agenda doc and connection info = https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/agenda-4-7-21.pdf
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| Board of Health - Agenda - Apr 7, 2021 - 5 PM |
One
"We are excited to announce that the ToF has been awarded $201,000 to begin work on the required sewer pump station for the Franklin Ridge Senior Housing project! It's the 1st step & grant award in a multi-year effort to construct 60 units of senior affordable housing in Franklin!"Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1379095460477075460
Press release on Housing Choice awards: https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-awards-5-million-in-capital-grants-to-communities-committed-to-housing-production
Two
"The Franklin Fire Department is pleased to announce the grant award of $19,975 through the Department of Fire Services. These funds will be used for protective equipment."
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| Department of Fire Services. These funds will be used for protective equipment |
