Consultants hired by Dean College presented plans for a new dining hall-performance arts center to the Planning Board last night.
The school intends to add a one-story, 30,000-square-foot building with a basement to the western edge of its campus center near Emmons and Main streets, said Peter Ziegler, an architect with Bruner/Cott & Associates in Cambridge.
The performance center, geared toward learning rather than entertainment, will have 150 permanent seats, no more than the existing theater, said principal architect Lynne Brooks.
"It (will be) accessible, new, and easier to use. ... It's more to relieve overcrowding" than to build a bigger facility, she said.
read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uylmZktF0kErfLaKV6esZqYqBXKjFWkSTLVtcZo57XQoRBp6n07aIpVpiIBR2b4RptLG8-V15cCKZu-CaQWs3WV0up4JbRHtiFzVqB-pX4-hfGnBrUZD2BWYWTtNBemQtvp0eWzG1FKti45ogzrX4=s0-d)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has chosen three local towns to test a new regulatory program to reduce rainwater pollution into the Charles River.
Under a new Clean Water Act permit, the EPA is requiring large commercial businesses in Milford, Bellingham and Franklin to apply more stringent controls on stormwater pollution running off roofs and parking lots.
While town officials agreed the stormwater regulations are necessary, they worry the financial impact could compromise the livelihood of local property owners.
"I think it's the right thing to do," said Franklin DPW Director Brutus Cantoreggi. "On the other hand, I do understand the plight of businesses and the cost associated with it."
Bellingham Public Works Director Don DiMartino said property owners may need assistance in complying with the regulations.
"I believe it's a good idea, but if it's that important there should be a federal program to help and ensure the businesses don't go bankrupt," he said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Related articles can be found here and the Town Council discussion on storm water from July can be found here.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tvs0QXe1YTixW6VpnWIFUe1WiAXVxmvWWDmcKJGLfoJ2_ZA87xQk6ND8O8hT0jAgt1viGxN2W7fNSpdWOLpKlOm4bHr-Ttxenrd8qtZmWhgfg3MgWbp2tR-EiltBj7eXyycBzd68FXuOJA4wA1VGv3=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t2_E5g1yCCChq2-pgixOIVMgtEAxzg13hz9JOug_FzYqKvG1-whKqbIsB2pJhBqFNW1hLnICKba21zucQ5xr1VsSurxP1XHKeD1WuFjsNvr2sRnSNfzNiO0tM38Y2ZaK3wIXBobibFHEvHmm2y_CUa=s0-d)
Image via WikipediaThe US Environmental Protection Agency is set to announce today that it will, for the first time, require some big-box stores, malls, and other businesses to reduce the amount of rainwater that runs off their roofs and parking lots. Federal officials will test the new policy in the Massachusetts towns of Milford, Bellingham, and Franklin.
The EPA, using its authority under the Clean Water Act, will require large commercial and industrial landowners in these towns to steeply reduce the storm-water runoff that picks up pollutants and pours them into the Charles River, officials said last week in interviews. Storm-water runoff is rain and snowmelt that mixes with leaf litter, toxic metals, oil, and exhaust fume deposits as it washes over parking lots, rooftops, and roadways.
"Cities and towns are already investing a lot in storm water," said Ken Moraff, deputy director for ecosystem protection of the EPA's New England region. "These commercial facilities are missing pieces of the puzzle." The new regulations, he said, will help complete the cleanup effort.
In a parallel development, the state Department of Environmental Protection plans to release its own draft rules today that will expand the effort to reduce storm-water runoff throughout the 35 communities that make up the Charles River Watershed area.
Read the full article in the Boston Globe here
This is not a surprise, you may recall the Storm Water presentation at the Town Council Meeting July 23, 2008
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tgPZjSq2-aRHayOHM9wk3dbATNOVXjhD8uUX7ewRNJM32bu_io097WzOeEee9_MbF4lrqAUEo9nS6Yhh2bAbJqLEDa7JKR3aS8KR17NrzFU5IGjo73Bfl4gkqrYSYFz44A3L3ayGqXu7CzMlOnRZy6=s0-d)
When Assistant Superintendent of Schools Maureen Sabolinski assumes her new post as superintendent next July, she'll inherit a high-performing school district that lost 44 teachers last year, faces more cuts due to the staggering economy, and still needs to rebuild its high school, which is facing accreditation issues.
There is no question what her top challenge will be, she said: the budget.
"The challenge of leadership is really making things work for the benefit of students with fewer resources. The community has to work together," said Sabolinski.
Despite the setbacks posed by the recession, Sabolinski, a self-described optimist, still sees opportunities for making improvements.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.
Listen to her interview with the School Committee and the Q&A session that followed
Raye Lynn Mercer is a pianist, director, producer and choreographer, but it is her vision that's taking the Franklin School for Performing Arts to new heights.
Mercer, who founded the regional school in 1985, is creating a "cultural destination" by combining the school with the Franklin Performing Arts Company to form the New England Center for the Performing Arts, a nonprofit organization.
The move should help the school, which is used by about 1,000 performing artists in 45 local communities, Mercer said.
Plans are in the works for a new building which will have three times the space as the existing building at 38 Main St., and which should triple the number of people involved, she said.
"It's ambitious, I know. My vision is to have the venues that we've always needed to showcase our talent," Mercer said.
Currently, the school holds all of its performances, except small recitals, at other locations, such as middle school auditoriums, said Mercer.
"The scheduling of the auditorium is extraordinarily difficult because of the demands for that space, and extremely difficult to put up professional productions. We look forward to having a state-of-the-art performance space," said Mercer.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v4znKBs37syj9HN-TSKU1IB7R5IRCSNvWJ-pzCm8gmllY-VbiX0P93Sw6sDrmvbdA4WJlBgjk0lO9JJmZ_X_akTbYuE0DAlh5gQEd_hVE3sqKrZAqWzMk2_yKFCor2RafQZamFlljNRFHHHeqpbicq=s0-d)
Replies.
Replies.FRANKLIN - The Franklin Art Association’s "Fall Into Art" festival, presented Nov. 8 and 9, with a gala on Saturday evening, consisted of an open exhibit of more than 140 works of art, bins of members’ artwork and cards for sale, a silent auction of donated paintings and a raffle of artwork donated by members and well-known artists who have demonstrated their talent during the past year, and a gift certificate and gift basket donated by local businesses.
Proceeds from the raffle go to the scholarship fund. Those eligible to receive the annual scholarship are graduating seniors who live and/or attend school in Franklin or who are children or grandchildren of Franklin Art Association members. More than half of the members of the association are from Franklin and the rest are from the greater MetroWest area.
More than 500 people attended the event. Entertainment was provided by members of the Newton Symphony Orchestra and music students of Franklin High School. A variety of food was donated by area restaurants and FAA members.
Read the full article to see all the awards in the Franklin Gazette here
FRANKLIN - Growing up with a handicapped aunt, and spending time as a volunteer at a hospital, 17-year-old Andrew Turgeon has a pretty good idea about the challenges faced by the physically and mentally disabled.
So when he noticed a heavily traveled sidewalk at the Wrentham Developmental Center was showing some disrepair, and posing difficulty for the center’s handicapped residents, he decided to do something about it.
A member of Franklin Boy Scouts Troop 126, Turgeon spent the last couple of months planning and realizing a sidewalk repair project in his quest to attain Boy Scouting’s highest status, Eagle Scout.
And while he was at it, he decided he’d also build a walkway from the campus building out to an existing covered patio area, to make access to that favored warm-weather spot easier for the center’s clients and their caregivers.
The finishing touches were done on Monday — with winter approaching, good timing especially for the main sidewalk.
"The main walkway coming out of the (WDC) campus building was sunk in the middle, so all winter long it’s been covered with ice," explained Turgeon, who spent last Saturday morning overseeing fellow scouts in undertaking the work.
Read the full article in the Franklin Gazette here.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tgN5jLjO_IgOq89IC4QtgQSygZFbR7bG1OZyZwihI-hH1lEFcK3s39x3g3tUF-2r7wHdsVSH1p_jqnhcXNLKrZ-HlsshXMmHgSSkIl9oeu4tFljMvsOSQghrxh330Zy2PmfrX7CElPMSsFbgt5b0Lf=s0-d)
Standing among a crowd of conservation enthusiasts at Daniels Farmstead yesterday, Bellingham Conservation Commission Chairman Cliff Matthews presented his town's vision for developing a bike trail that would start at Franklin State Forest and end in Willimantic, Conn.
The planned trail is one of several projects that will benefit from $2.5 million in environmental bond funding that state Rep. Jennifer Callahan, D-Sutton, recently secured for her district. Callahan organized a tour yesterday of one site that could benefit, Daniels Farmstead on Mendon Street, where the bike path and other projects were discussed.
Matthews explained that he, the rest of the Conservation Commission, and Town Administrator Denis Fraine want to convert an abandoned railroad bed into a bike path. The old line goes through the Grove Street entrance at Franklin State Forest, to Bellingham, Blackstone, Millville, Douglas, Webster, and into Connecticut.
read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
------------
Local commuters are miffed the MBTA is doubling the daily parking fee as of tomorrow, particularly in the souring economy, with some saying they will stop parking in the lots.
The MBTA's price hike bumps up Boston-area parking fees from $3 to $6 a day, and parking at Franklin's two stops, Dean College/495 and Forge Park, from $2 to $4 daily.
"I just started taking the commuter rail. I'm not very happy about it,'' said Bellingham resident Vanessa Kaupelis, as she got ready to leave the Forge Park parking lot yesterday afternoon.
"It's $4 to park - that's a bit insane. I wish I could grandfather-in one big pass. Of all the times to be doing this, we're in the middle of a recession, and they're raising the prices?'' she said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vjn9c88v-W9cPnfGrmcDHnrRA96QUags_R8H2tfp50xtqC437MU-kRUJeY-6-NFG3e7_paV2HnZxYit5oFbiS8PRrvXwy5Fi8dtx2KRxII5meBBJKGplzQ1D1b1fE-zX9oHzY8Yc7icBW5OcdPCL-V=s0-d)
This was originally posted hereFranklin Public Schools’ newest art exhibit, "Warm/Cool," is set to open at the school system’s Gallery 218 on Nov. 18.
The opening will be at the gallery, located at 218 Oak St. inside Franklin High School, from 5-7 p.m.
Many of the young artist will be there. The opening will also feature free food and live music provided by the music students at the high school.
This is a K-12 exhibit and all the schools in the district will be represented.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t3T08gqhItZCZVSZaGl47NU6M50L-zwwQAd7Gv5o68qhWWfHCEDgGr51_m_Y3E1TQZwTwdmvRF4UZH_zusvia66bm0afY4x6EFExET5QUeSeZIZqQcihinWJd_LtjSCKPgeeMKJoNgkT_EmAnfU44=s0-d)
While the town has made great strides in increasing recycling in schools and other public places, as well as individual homes, Franklin still needs to do more, the Franklin Recycling Committee concluded in a recent report to the Town Council.
Raising consciousness would be a good start, suggested committee member Lynne Narum, a passionate advocate for recycling.
The committee wanted to see all Franklin schools have a full recycling program in place by September, but that is a work-in-progress at this point, said Chairman Gene Grella.
The group made four other recommendations, which included having the Department of Public Works maintain recycling bins at all public open spaces, athletic fields and recreational areas. They also recommended the town switch from a solid waste contract to a single stream recycling program, and establish a redeemable can and bottle program at the transfer station.
The group also wants a littering awareness program developed for the entire town and schools to educate the public about the problem of littering. As part of the initiative, the town should post anti-littering signs in public areas and fully enforce the littering bylaw, which fines litterers $50.
Councilor Judith Pond Pfeffer proposed putting together "a little environmental posse to deputize people," giving out $50 fines for littering.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
You can also refer to the live reporting from the Town Council meeting of 11/5/08 here.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t2wPYca5wL6ujKrxRvAMZZ6KbCXL4Wx-T74H6fj_LxbSrw4wBjoVQKunbGdu6YZwIBIFCY7EPdR7EJTXyfkPVI6trkMOl4ChmUbnODq6o65XykohhQlEUVQyLSCGXmcqYhBime189DtYwyA-oOxn2-=s0-d)
The town is extending the first invitation to residents to the new Franklin Historical Museum Nov. 19 for the unveiling of a life-sized bronze sculpture of a 19th century Franklin boy who waves to visitors, welcoming them to the facility.
"It's amazing. It's just truly everything we dreamed of and more. The town is very fortunate to have had (artist) Marcia (Billig) available to do this piece," said Lisa Piana, executive director for the Franklin Downtown Partnership.
The statue was designed to reflect Franklin's history, she said; the boy's straw hat hints at the town's strong involvement in the straw hat industry at the turn of the century, and the pile of books he sits on is also symbolic.
"A lot of thought went into which books (were included) to reflect what was in the museum," said Piana, noting that one book featured railroads and another highlights the town's old newspaper, The Sentinel.
The unveiling of the sculpture, titled "Hats Off to Franklin," starts at 9 a.m. next Wednesday at 80 West Central St., the former Senior Center.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v_vabWKVJnOTHzQlG1qs56l5jAmQIUOlKN-jxexAwOyIKwSxWzlh7Wtb3bHH25zoRdSUduZlDU3UCVA8ZFNNObdGcZc0XnUukhDC0EGNpEvSENhfj4o_BoAK1VhsBWlHUMC9J9he51UFun9yqN4qx7=s0-d)
In its 18th season, the Franklin Performing Arts Company will present its popular holiday classic, "The Nutcracker," Dec. 6 and 7, featuring a professional 27-piece orchestra under the direction of Boston’s Peter Cokkinias.
With a cast of more than 100 local area performers, special guest artists Cheryl Madeux Abbott will play the role of "Sugar Plum Fairy" and Vitali Krauchenka will portray "Cavalier."
.....
Tickets are now on sale at the FPAC box office. Call 508-528-8668 or visit the FPAC box office at 34 Main St. The Nutcracker will take place at the Thomas D. Mercer Auditorium, 224 Oak St. For information about featured guests and FPAC’s presentation of "The Nutcracker," visit www.FPAConline.com.
Read the full article online here and likely in this week's Gazette
Peter Cokkinias is an excellent conductor. He is on the faculty at Berklee and the conductor of the neighboring Metrowest Symphony Orchestra. My daughter played with Metrowest while a student at Franklin High and he was very welcoming of the high schoolers playing in this fine orchestra. It was a great experience for her.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s00_4Kz3x5qdI1_t4lMWdY8_j8B1vI15WrAX9ZhIvi37Pm5tf6fgFgo_ZpwzPL4pji2PYqR1aRv-g1xMcxT124uggGjfhNr6OCqBsxdcJkUZ9Vce9bfITTK9_sJTk2p5ibfrRFS8sQb0jWAbW7hvk=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vjplrsS0bjX4rqsX7G7RQ6iErTNKItesozyjSbctaU2HmSRyyaS9jxI_UeL2xbuPznq8HGabWQDQChkOd9u9s1dz4krwFO3tY5uDedO-8UtN3ux-6FavgKeAEIWw96zFKkwZubyQB6b853WRakhdLW=s0-d)
