Sparky's Puppets

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Sparky's Puppets

via Franklin Public Library by Franklin Public Library on 9/21/11

Halloween Harvest

Meet a friendly witch, a pesky goblin, and a mischievous spider in this fast-paced, funny, and interactive show.

Wednesday October 26, 2011

3:30 - 4:15 PM

Ages 3-10

No registration required

Library Meeting Room

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What would you like to know?

When you have an election ballot in front of you, you have a list of positions, a listing of candidates and a marker to fill in a circle next to one or more names. How do you decide to make a choice amongst the candidates?

To help you make your choice, I have offered to meet with all the candidates. My purpose is hear directly from them about their background. To listen and share their views on the issues that that they will work to resolve on our behalf for Franklin.

This is not an endorsement of any candidate. This is an information sharing exercise.

I’ll ask the same set of questions of each candidate so that you will have some common ground to make your decision.

The questions I propose to start with are as follows:

1 - Tell me a bit about yourself, your family and your life here in Franklin?

2 - What experience or background will help you to serve in this role? or What do you think makes you a good candidate to fulfill this role?

3 - What do you see as your role’s biggest challenge and do you have any suggestions on how we can resolve it?

If you have some questions you'd like to ask, I’d like to hear them. Send me an email or leave a comment here.

I may find during the course of the interviews that I 'tweak' the questions. If I do that, I’ll post the updated questions here.

I have five candidates lined up thus far. Up to 37 total for this election are possible so we'll see how many take advantage of this.



The Election 2011 collection of posts can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/08/election-2011-summary.html

Town Council and School Committee attendance records (Nov 2009 to present)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkwjbnXDBhczdEZSWlZLTFVqNmcxZWFTNDNxNk5PZkE&hl=en#gid=0

FIGHT HUNGER Paintball Challenge

FIGHT HUNGER Paintball Challenge
To Benefit the Franklin Food Pantry

Sat. Sept. 24th, 2011 -
9 am

FOX 4 Paintball Field
159 Milford St.
UPTON, MA

Donations of Non-Perishable Items will be collected during the Match.

Additional information can be found in the flyer:

Fight Hunger Poster


Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document

In the News - choice of yard sales

First Universalist Society hosts indoor yard sale

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Franklin academy holding yard sale

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Route 2 Closure and Detour Map

Be aware of road closures along Route 2 out in the western part of MA

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Route 2 Closure and Detour Map

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 9/20/11

MassDOT has assembled a map showing the closed portion of Route 2 that suffered significant damage due to flooding from Tropical Storm Irene and outlining the current posted detour.

Route 2 is closed from Mile Marker 21.6 in Florida to Mile Marker 27.5 in Charlemont, with damage including severe slope failures, roadway undermining and instability, eroded bridge approaches, mud slides, and culvert and retaining wall damage.

The significant damage and necessary repairs require an extended period of time to restore the roadway, and MassDOT is committed to an accelerated repair process.

Please review the Route 2 damage and detour route map to learn more and view photos of the damage.


The Detour Route is also listed below.

From North Adams: 
Route 8, Adams, to Route 116 through Adams, Savoy, Plainfield, and Ashfield,
to Route 112 through Ashfield and Buckland,
to Route 2, East Charlemont.

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November 8: Election Line up

The line up is being completed for the Nov 8th election. Candidates have until Oct 6th to change their mind and the Town Clerk's office has until Oct 4th to certify the signatures for each of the candidates are in fact valid and from Franklin.

Town Clerk:
Deborah Pellgri, Deborah Bartlett

Treasurer:
James Dacey, Mark Denommee

Town Council: 9 positions
Incumbents: Matt Kelly, Glenn Jones, Robert Vallee, Judith Pfeffer, Joe McGann, Tina Powderly
Challengers: Juan Ramon Rivera (Finance Committee), Jeffrey Roy (School Committee), Thomas Mercer (High School Building Committee), Ronald Calabrese (Planning Board), Andrew Bissanti and Robert Dellorco

(Parenthesis indicates previous board or committee position held)

School Committee: 7 positions
Incumbents: Cynthia Douglas, Susan Rohrbach, Paula Mullen, Edward Cafasso, Roberta Trahan, William Glynn (Glynn withdrew his name from ballot)
Challengers: Sean Donahue, John Jewell and Pamela McIntyre

Board of Assessors: 2 positions
Ken Norman, Vincent DeBaggis

Board of Health: 2 positions
Philip Brunelli, Richard Aucoin and incumbent Donald Ranieri Jr.

Constable: 3 positions
Incumbents: Robert Jarvis, Philip Brunelli, Richard Delfino
Challengers: Charles Delfino Jr. , John Power

Planning Board: 3 positions
John Carroll, Greg Ballarino, William David

Planning Board Associate
no one applied for (hence Town Council will need to approve appointment of someone)


Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x2137969832/Races-fill-up-for-Franklin-election#ixzz1YU9rWO49


The collection of posts related to Franklin's Election 2011 can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/08/election-2011-summary.html

Schedule changes

You may have noticed that there was a Long Range Financial Planning committee meeting scheduled for Monday, Sep 19. Notification that it was canceled appeared on the Franklin website Monday.

The Town Council meeting that had been scheduled for Sep 21 was announced at last week's meeting to be moved to Weds, Sep 28th

Resources for alcohol retailers

How convenient - The Bureau of Consumer Protection, part of the FTC just published this listing of resources for alcohol retailers.

 

 

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

 

 

Resources for alcohol retailers

via BCP Business Center | Blog Feed by Janet Evans on 9/13/11

Launching this year's "We Don't Serve Teens" campaign, the FTC and a coalition of private and public groups have materials available for businesses, parents, and others that support the legal drinking age of 21.  If you're an alcohol retailer — or have clients in the industry — you know that underage alcohol sales are illegal.  But how can store owners and managers build compliance into the day-to-day operation of their business?  Here are some tips from the FTC:

1.   Create and maintain a written policy that lists steps your staff has to take for every alcohol sales transaction.  Subjects to cover:  when an ID check needs to be done, what a valid ID looks like, and when — and how — to refuse a sale.

2.   Train all managers and staff on your alcohol sales policy. The best training includes role-playing on how to ask for an ID and how to deny a sale in a non-confrontational manner.

3.   Use tools that make it easy.  Program cash registers to recognize alcohol sales and prompt cashiers to require ID.  If electronic ID verification isn't possible, use a specialty calendar showing birth dates eligible to buy.

4.   Monitor staff conduct through review of point-of-sale videos and private "mystery shopper" inspections.

5.   Keep records that show training dates, unusual occurrences, and the results of compliance checks. Use these records during employee reviews to prevent recurring problems — and to give credit to employees that follow company policies.

6.   Communicate with the public.  Alcohol retailers help their communities when they post information about the legal purchase age and the importance of preventing teen access to alcohol.  Free signs in English and Spanish about the legal drinking age are available from the FTC's bulk order site.

7.   Looking for more information? Visit the Don't Serve Teens site and bookmark the BCP Business Center page for members of the alcohol industry.

 

 

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Canoe the Waterfire in Providence, RI !!

From a faithful reader concerned about our water quality comes a unique opportunity!


"If you are an experienced canoeist and are looking for an unusual and fun opportunity to use your paddling skills please Check out this YouTube video of WaterFire Founder and Executive Artistic Director Barnaby Evans inviting you to participate in this special project.




With your help Waterfire Providence plans on making it even more spectacular by increasing our school to 85 illuminated Japanese Koi!

This year Waterfire is partnering with the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council and celebrating Rhode Island Water Celebration Day, a day marking the importance of water quality, access, and its uses that enrich the lives of everyone who lives in or visits Rhode Island.

If you are an experienced canoeist and want to be a a part of WaterFire Providence's September 24th lighting, please follow this link and complete the registration. Further event details including a timeline, directions, etc. will be updated on www.waterfire.org/clearcurrents as the date comes closer.

Thank you for supporting another spectacular WaterFire Providence special project!"

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video

The ballot line up is being confirmed today

Candidates who have not returned their papers have until today at 4 p.m. to drop them off at the clerk's office to be certified. 

All nine Town Council seats and all seven school board posts are up for grabs every two years. 

Because some people have not yet returned their papers, there isn't yet a race for School Committee, but there are 11 people who have taken out nomination papers for the board. 

Incumbents Cynthia Douglas, Susan Rohrbach, Edward Cafasso and Paula Mullen, along with newcomer Sean Donahue, have all returned their papers and are therefore the five confirmed candidates. 

Pamela McIntyre, Cora Armenio, Mary Peterson, and John Jewell, chairman of the Republican Town Committee, as well as incumbents Roberta Trahan and William Glynn have taken out, but not yet returned, papers for School Committee.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x66189020/Franklin-election-deadline-is-today#ixzz1YOD92aIP

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day - Oct 1

Franklin's annual hazardous waste collection day is scheduled for Saturday, October 1, 2011. The form would need to be filled out to obtain a ticket for the day. Tickets cost $10 and can be obtained first come, first served from the DPW as detailed on the form:

Household Hazardous Waste 2011

REcycle: helping Bikes Not Bombs

There was order and process to the REcycle Club event yesterday at Franklin High School. The end result was 65 bikes and over $200 collected for Bikes Not Bombs!

Bikes that were donated were lined up.



Care was taken to not damage the seat as the peddles were removed and the handle bars turned to make the bikes more compact for shipping



When the bikes were complete they were lined up ready to board the truck



The truck from Bikes Not Bombs arrived and was ready to be loaded



And part of the crew processing the bikes paused briefly from their work for a photo:



From Left to right: Zak Borelli, Cody Williamson, Michael Williams and club leader - Eamon Earls

For more about BikesNotBombs visit their website: http://bikesnotbombs.org/

Community turns out to clean up Milford trail

For those following the development efforts of the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee, this from neighboring Milford catches the eye. They had the clean up this Saturday in advance of the ribbon cutting to formally open the new section on Sat, Sep 24.

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Community turns out to clean up Milford trail

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Brian Benson/Daily News staff on 9/17/11

Armed with brooms, garbage bags and rakes, more than a dozen volunteers descended on the Milford Upper Charles Trail yesterday, adding beauty to the recreational resource.

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Related posts covering the Milford Trail
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/08/upper-charles-trail-milford-section.html

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/09/in-new-milford-rail-trail-update.html

Could the Blackstone Valley become a national historic park?

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Could the Blackstone Valley become a national historic park?

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by By Brian Benson, DAILY NEWS STAFF on 9/17/11

It may not be as well known as historic sites in Boston or Lexington and Concord, but supporters of a proposal to create a national historical park in the Blackstone Valley said the region played a critical role in the country's industrialization.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
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Networking Luncheon - Friday, Sep 23

Franklin Downtown Partnership

Networking Luncheon

Friday, September 23

1 p.m.

Dean College Campus Center

New Dining Hall

$5.50

It's a great way to meet new members!

Contact Joel Carrara if you have any

questions -- jcarrara@printsmartoffice.com

Parmenter: Back to Football Friday

The NFL is sponsoring a Back to Football Friday whereby they will award 34 $10,000 grants to benefit Health and Wellness in local schools in a country wide competition.

What Parmenter did was to incorporate community service as a way to not only stress the importance of Health & Wellness but to also stress the importance of community service. We collected:

P - Paper Products
A - Animal Products
T - Toiletries
S - Stuffed Animals

These items will be distributed to the Friends of Franklin, Franklin Food Pantry, Animal Shelters, etc.

We took pictures of all our students and a few of smaller groups. Our group picture is still with our photographer, but here are two pictures of smaller groups.

One has all our items that we collected (which were abundant):



One at our school sign.




Thanks to Mary Jo Peterson and Jennifer Taddeo, a couple of "community contributors", who provided info and photos from the event at the Parmenter School on Friday.


If you have a local event or good news about Franklin to share, please let me know. Good news is always welcomed!

Halloween costumes for a good cause

A nice cool, fall morning can get us thinking that Halloween will be coming soon!


Berry Insurance, with offices in Franklin and Quincy, Massachusetts, will be collecting Halloween costumes to benefit Children’s Hospital Boston.

This will be Berry Insurance’s third year hosting the drive. In years past Berry Insurance has collected and donated over 50 costumes to the Hospital.

Berry Insurance is collecting only brand new, unused/unworn, Halloween costumes and accessories for children of all ages to be donated just in time for Halloween. All costumes must be new and shouldn’t be violent or scary. Don’t forget about accessories like hats and crowns for those children that can’t get out of bed to dress up.

For anyone who would like to donate, drop off locations are set as follows. Please bring in any donations prior to October 21, 2011.

· Berry Insurance, 9 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038 from 8am – 4pm

· Berry Insurance, 300 Congress Street, Suite 306, Quincy, MA 02169 from 8am – 4pm

· United Regional Chamber of Commerce, 42 Union Street, Attleboro, MA 02703

· United Regional Chamber of Commerce, 5 West Street, Franklin, MA 02038

The donations will be made in conjunction with Four Point’s by Sheraton’s nationwide costume drive.

In the News - Dean College, Ellis Paul, FPAC season

Dean named makes 'Best College' list

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Ellis Paul plays Saturday night in Franklin

by Ed Symkus/DAILY NEWS CORRESPONDENT

FPAC announces ‘11-’12 season

by GateHouse Media, Inc.