9-year-old stabbed in Franklin
Franklin officials favor latest plan for former Knights property
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
In the News - stabbing, Planning Board, pole fire
Franklin officials favor latest plan for former Knights property
Monday, July 25, 2011
Living in the cracks
Yes, they are healthy. An unintended consequence but a wonderful one. The Franklin Downtown Partnership (a non-profit organization of business folks and citizens) raised money to adorn the downtown area with flower pots.
If you are not familiar with Franklin, this is the triangle downtown. The railroad runs underneath the bridge. Main St is behind you to the left. West central changes to East Central on the right. Also referred to as "the Triangle" this is a centerpiece for downtown.
Just off to the left of these flowers making their life among the cracks in the cement, are several of the flower pots. The pots contain a full collection and colorful assortment of flowers. How these migrated (via seeds maybe?) as runoff when the pots got watered to the cracks is open to speculation.
I'll leave the speculation to any of the CSI-wannabes around. The thought I would leave you with today is simply, when something good happens (as in the Partnership coming together to create a welcoming downtown for Franklin), more good happens!
Note: I am a citizen member of the Franklin Downtown Partnership
If you are not familiar with Franklin, this is the triangle downtown. The railroad runs underneath the bridge. Main St is behind you to the left. West central changes to East Central on the right. Also referred to as "the Triangle" this is a centerpiece for downtown.
Just off to the left of these flowers making their life among the cracks in the cement, are several of the flower pots. The pots contain a full collection and colorful assortment of flowers. How these migrated (via seeds maybe?) as runoff when the pots got watered to the cracks is open to speculation.
I'll leave the speculation to any of the CSI-wannabes around. The thought I would leave you with today is simply, when something good happens (as in the Partnership coming together to create a welcoming downtown for Franklin), more good happens!
Note: I am a citizen member of the Franklin Downtown Partnership
Sunday, July 24, 2011
"the building cannot provide an adequate level of education"
And that's just the science department.
The high school has been on warning status from its accreditation organization, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, for years, especially because it does not comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA.
In response, several members of the School Building Committee recently took a tour of four high schools in the state that were built on different state-approved model school designs.
The committee voted Monday to request a place in the state's model school program, which allows towns to build new schools based on pre-designed plans and be reimbursed by the state 58 percent of the estimated $97.9 million total cost of a new school. The state is expected to make a decision about Franklin this Wednesday.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x371607962/Franklin-education-leaders-make-case-for-new-school#ixzz1T1FhMWDF
Franklin model school choices
"a perfect location for a station"
... many factors have changed in the past 14 years. Population in towns west of Milford has grown significantly and the owner of the Grafton & Upton Railroad has begun restoring track in Hopedale and Milford to use for freight service, reducing the capital costs to add passenger trains. The owner, Marlborough developer Jon Delli Priscoli, has said he would be willing to work with the MBTA if the project moves forward, Moore said.
The study will examine Hopedale's Draper mill complex as the last station on the line with the possibility of adding stops between Franklin and Hopedale including in Milford, Moore said.
The Draper complex is a privately owned 1.5 million-square-foot former mill in downtown Hopedale that has been mostly vacant for years.
"Freight alone servicing the old Draper facility makes that facility far more attractive to development," said Moore, a former Hopedale selectman. "If there's also commuter rail, it's a tremendous opportunity."
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x920808681/Franklin-rail-line-could-expand-to-Milford-and-Hopedale#ixzz1T1HLeyZl
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Depot St construction
If you haven't been downtown to the train station, you might not have noticed that Depot St has been torn up. The municipal parking lot is also torn up. All as scheduled as part of the PWED project funded by a State grant.
Additional info on the two projects downtown can be found on the Franklin Downtown Partnership webpage here: http://franklindowntownpartnership.blogspot.com/p/downtown-project.html
Additional info on the two projects downtown can be found on the Franklin Downtown Partnership webpage here: http://franklindowntownpartnership.blogspot.com/p/downtown-project.html
In the Globe: local meals tax
In case you missed it, the Boston Globe West section on Thursday ran an article on the local meal tax option. Franklin obtained 347,000 revenue from this during the past fiscal year. With continued growth in restaurants, this can be a continuing source of revenue. Not enough to solve our systemic problems, but substantial none the less.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2011/07/21/some_communities_find_meals_tax_a_boon/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Globe+West
Related post:
The State announced the totals for local meal tax revenues earlier in July
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/meals-tax-delivers-705-million-to-146.html
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2011/07/21/some_communities_find_meals_tax_a_boon/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Globe+West
Related post:
The State announced the totals for local meal tax revenues earlier in July
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/meals-tax-delivers-705-million-to-146.html
Thursday, July 21, 2011
"cyberbullying feels like something they can't get away from"
While the foundation sponsors surveys every two years among the region's middle and high schools, it had never before asked its consultant to look at overlap between categories - in this case students who reported mental health problems and those who identified themselves as bullying victims.
The prompt, Donham said, is a lingering perception among some parents - and even a few teachers - that bullying is something students usually work their way through, more an obnoxious rite of childhood than a serious danger.
There have also been questions about why the foundation is treating bullying as a health issue deserving grant money, and questions about whether bullying is a classroom issue when much of the harassment takes place off school grounds.
But the data show a clear picture of mental health harm likely to impede learning, harm that includes stress, symptoms of depression, self-injury, serious consideration of suicide - and even attempted suicide, among roughly 578 students.
"I think that's alarming," Donham said of the suicide numbers. "I think that warrants some looking at."
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x920803137/Report-shows-link-between-bullying-mental-health-problems#ixzz1SjRqsR00
Another report, another view, this time from the Boston Globe:
Sharply contrasting findings, from a Globe survey of the state’s 10 largest school systems, casts light on a lingering controversy over the Massachusetts law: What, if anything, should schools report about bullying among their students to authorities at the district or state level?
Read more at the Boston Globe.
"The state will cover 58 percent"
"It seems like an absolutely slam-dunk no-brainer," said Town Council Vice Chairman Stephen Whalen, of building a new high school instead of renovating the current structure.
The town will make use of the state's model-school program, in which the building committee would pick one of four state-approved options for a school that's already been designed. Building a new school under the model-school program will cost the town roughly $40 million, only about $3 million to $4 million more than gutting and renovating the existing building.
"The most telling endorsement we got was from the architect who's going to lose his job if we get accepted into the model-school program," said Chairman Scott Mason, who also serves on the building committee. "For him to stand up and say, basically, this is a no-brainer, says a lot."
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1510860843/Franklin-councilors-OK-with-plan-for-new-high-school#ixzz1SjQIZLhC
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Franklin Farmers Market DOUBLES Food Stamp (SNAP) Dollars
Do you or someone you know receive Food Stamps (SNAP benefits)?
The Franklin Farmers Market new Produce Points program, will DOUBLE your Food Stamp (SNAP) dollars to increase access to fresh, local produce every Friday from 12 noon – 6 pm at the Town Common.
Thanks to a grant received from the MetroWest Community HealthCare Foundation, the Franklin Food Pantry and the Franklin Farmers Market are partnering to offer a new Produce Points Double your Dollars program to anyone who receives Food Stamps (SNAP benefits).
Visit the Produce Points table at the Franklin Farmers Market to convert SNAP dollars into Produce Points dollars. Double your Dollars allows Food Stamp customers to purchase twice as much fresh, local produce. For example, if a customer wishes to spend $5 in food stamps (SNAP), the Produce Points table will exchange the $5 EBT amount for $10 in Produce Points dollars to spend at the Franklin Farmers Market.
Under the Produce Points program, people who qualify for federal food stamps pay for their goods with their electronic benefits cards at the Produce Points table. They will then receive double their dollar amount in Produce Points dollars to use at the Franklin Farmers Market that day or in the future. Vendors are reimbursed for the Produce Points by the Franklin Food Pantry, which received grant funding for this program from the MetroWest Community HealthCare Foundation.
For more information, please contact Anne Marie Bellavance at 508-528-3115 or Tim Grebowski at 508-446-5806.
The Franklin Farmers Market new Produce Points program, will DOUBLE your Food Stamp (SNAP) dollars to increase access to fresh, local produce every Friday from 12 noon – 6 pm at the Town Common.
Thanks to a grant received from the MetroWest Community HealthCare Foundation, the Franklin Food Pantry and the Franklin Farmers Market are partnering to offer a new Produce Points Double your Dollars program to anyone who receives Food Stamps (SNAP benefits).
Visit the Produce Points table at the Franklin Farmers Market to convert SNAP dollars into Produce Points dollars. Double your Dollars allows Food Stamp customers to purchase twice as much fresh, local produce. For example, if a customer wishes to spend $5 in food stamps (SNAP), the Produce Points table will exchange the $5 EBT amount for $10 in Produce Points dollars to spend at the Franklin Farmers Market.
Under the Produce Points program, people who qualify for federal food stamps pay for their goods with their electronic benefits cards at the Produce Points table. They will then receive double their dollar amount in Produce Points dollars to use at the Franklin Farmers Market that day or in the future. Vendors are reimbursed for the Produce Points by the Franklin Food Pantry, which received grant funding for this program from the MetroWest Community HealthCare Foundation.
- The Franklin Farmers Market is only the second farmers market in Norfolk County to accept food stamps (SNAP benefits) (first was Dedham, over 22 miles away)
- Nearly twice as many MA residents rely on food stamps (SNAP benefits) today as did just 4 years ago (from 238,000 in January 2007 to 440,000 in January of 2011, an 85 percent spike)
For more information, please contact Anne Marie Bellavance at 508-528-3115 or Tim Grebowski at 508-446-5806.
Budget Monitor: The Fiscal Year 2012 General Appropriations Act
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Budget Monitor: The Fiscal Year 2012 General Appropriations Act
July 19, 2011
The Governor and Legislature have now finished work on a budget for Fiscal Year 2012 that addresses a $1.9 billion gap primarily with a combination of cuts and reforms. The outlook for the future remains uncertain. On the bright side, state tax revenue collections have been significantly exceeding projections. (Data released today indicate that the FY 2011 tax revenue total was $723 million above the revised estimate). But there are also reasons for concern: the national economic recovery remains fragile; while the FY 2012 budget relies on less temporary revenue than the FY 2011 budget, it still relies on close to half a billion dollars of such revenue; and the budget assumes significant Medicaid savings that will be very challenging to achieve in full.The FY 2012 budget includes deep cuts in a number of areas including $24 million from the Judiciary (including probation) and over $60 million in public higher education. The final version of the budget also includes $460 million less in local aid in FY 2012 than in the original FY 2009 budget, after accounting for inflation.This Budget Monitor discusses in more detail several reform initiatives, the funding proposals in the state budget, and the temporary and ongoing revenue initiatives on which the budget depends. The Monitor also compares proposed funding levels for FY 2012 to the FY 2011 levels, and, in some cases to previous years' funding levels.The report is available at www.massbudget.org or by clicking here.
See MassBudget's Budget Browser to explore Massachusetts state budgets from Fiscal Year 2001 to the present, as well as budget proposals for the next fiscal year as they are offered by the Governor and the Legislature.
MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies, as well as economic issues, with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.
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Y World of Tots Nursery School
The YMCA has registration open for their World of Tots pre-school program. Details are contained within the document attached that you can scroll to read, or download to keep.
Y World of Tots Registration for Fall Preschool
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document.
Y World of Tots Registration for Fall Preschool
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document.
after all: "the shooting ... was justified"
"It was deemed that they were public safety officials protecting the public," said state environmental police spokesman Reginald Zimmerman. "They were performing their necessary duties in defense of the public in what was perceived as a public threat."
The hawks, an adult and a juvenile, were shot after one attacked Gege Dellorco, a resident who was walking near the school. Dellorco went to the hospital after the hawk scratched the back and side of her head, said Deputy Police Chief Stephan Semerjian.
According to environmental police, two animal control officers went to the school. One of them was also attacked.
"They made the best decision they could with the situation they had," Semerjian said, of the animal control officers, who Semerjian would not name. "My understanding was that they deemed it an emergency situation."
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x633527920/Hawk-shooting-was-justified-state-decides#ixzz1SdW2wcrj
This is a good follow up to the article on the incident that appeared last week
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/two-red-tail-hawks-down.html
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Attention Franklin: Scam alert
A brief email from a new mother alerts us to a scam organization going door to door here in Franklin. The email is brief because the new mother was handling the baby and trying to type at the same time.
The short skinny on the scam:
A young person, waves a badge, has some information about you, claims to be associated with the School Dept and ultimately is selling some books. The two neighbors both had the same experience as had been written up extensively in the article here:
http://somedayallthis.
For additional information on the company behind the scam, a series of articles from the Salem (OR) News can be found here: http://www.salem-news.com/
The short skinny on the scam:
A young person, waves a badge, has some information about you, claims to be associated with the School Dept and ultimately is selling some books. The two neighbors both had the same experience as had been written up extensively in the article here:
http://somedayallthis.
For additional information on the company behind the scam, a series of articles from the Salem (OR) News can be found here: http://www.salem-news.com/
"Presenting a $95 million school will not be perceived well"
A new school is about $4 million more expensive to the town, but is expected to take a shorter time to finish - two years instead of four. Also, because the new school would be built beside the old school instead of within its existing footprint, students will not have to go to class in a building that is being reconstructed.
"You can't put a price tag on the disruption issue," said Ed Cafasso, a School Building Committee and School Committee member. "It's not worth it."
The option of building a new school became viable at the end of June, when the Massachusetts School Building Association indicated that it would invite Franklin into the model school program - and therefore reimburse more than half the cost. The state is expected to accept Franklin's decision on July 27 and the town could choose which model school plan to use by Labor Day.
The field house cannot remain standing under the state model school program because it would need to be renovated and the cost of the repairs would be too expensive under the state requirements, officials said. The idea of saving the field house had been part of earlier discussions.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x633527724/Franklin-committee-votes-to-try-for-new-high-school-not-repairs#ixzz1SXkddICP
What Franklin piloted, the others now get to use
The Franklin Line piloted the "Quiet Car" service which is now being rolled out to the remaining commuter rail lines. Having been a frequent rider (until recently), I recognize some of the folks in this video.
Have you ridden the quiet car? How quiet is it?
Thanks to the UniversalHub for the pointer to this video
Have you ridden the quiet car? How quiet is it?
Thanks to the UniversalHub for the pointer to this video
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