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Sunday, February 17, 2013
Franklin Library: Family Storytime & Winter Carnival
Saturday, February 16, 2013
"the giving season spans the entire year"
Franklin Phone-A-Thon to raise money for pantry
Losing a day to the Blizzard of 2013 has not deterred the more than 30 volunteers for today’s Franklin Food Pantry Phone-A-Thon from endeavoring to beat last year’s fundraising total.
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| Franklin Food Pantry |
Those staffing the phones have a list of more than 3,000 residents to call. "There’s 15 phones, and we have three different shifts," Lynch said, adding that Dean has graciously offered to feed the volunteers.
That makes for a lot of dialing, but also a lot of excitement.
"It’s absolutely fun," Lynch said. "It’s a great way for people to feel like they are making a difference."
And whatever the final amount, she said, "We’re so grateful for all of the community’s support. It’s been wonderful."
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1433784738/Franklin-Phone-A-Thon-to-raise-money-for-pantry#ixzz2L3vtZ3Ya
To make a secure donation online, you can visit the Franklin Food Pantry webpage
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/
or use the Donate Button on the top right corner of the Franklin Matters page. The donation routes directly to the Food Pantry account.
Disclosure: I am honored to lead the Board of the Directors of the Franklin Food Pantry. Helping our neighbors matters very much to me.
Rail Trail: Program Notes
An email with updates from the Franklin-Bellingham Rail Trail Committee;
For more information on the Rail Trail effort you can visit their website
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/
The Franklin Historical Museum will be sponsoring a presentation this Sunday about the history of railroads in Franklin and our rail trail project. Ron Clough, Forest Supervisor, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, will present a slide show at 1:00 on Sunday at the Museum at 80 West Central Street in Franklin. Ron will cover the history of railroads and when and how they came to Franklin, as well as their importance to the community and region. He will also discuss how things changed over time-- with a succession of different railroads in town and the abandonment of some lines -- paving the way for the current interest in rail trail creation here and nationally.
Following the slide show, Ed Barth of the Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee (FBRTC) will discuss our efforts to re-purpose the railroad in Franklin into a multi-use, universally accessible recreational path.
Please also note that the FBRTC 3rd annual road race to benefit the trail will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2013. You can register online at franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/3rd-annual-road-race/register
Thank you for being part of the rail trail effort!
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| SNETT Entrance on Grove St, Franklin, MA |
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/
Upcoming DOR Senior Circuit Breaker Info Sessions
Note: Franklin is scheduled for one of these meetings, March 13 at 2:00 PM at the Senior Center.
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Edward Peters on 2/15/13
DOR has had a great turnout for our early series of information sessions for seniors. These sessions are short presentations to educate taxpayers 65 and older about the benefits of the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit.
For tax year 2012, the credit is worth as much as $1,000 for eligible taxpayers 65 and older who either own or rent their home. The credit is refundable, meaning that if a taxpayer does not have an offsetting state tax liability, or has a liability that is smaller than the credit, they receive a check from the Commonwealth for either the entire credit or for the portion left after taxes are paid.
Seniors who live in public or subsidized housing are not eligible for the credit.
We hope to see you there!
For tax year 2012, the credit is worth as much as $1,000 for eligible taxpayers 65 and older who either own or rent their home. The credit is refundable, meaning that if a taxpayer does not have an offsetting state tax liability, or has a liability that is smaller than the credit, they receive a check from the Commonwealth for either the entire credit or for the portion left after taxes are paid.
Seniors who live in public or subsidized housing are not eligible for the credit.
We hope to see you there!
| Date/Time | Location/Address | Phone |
| February 20, 10:30 a.m. | Concord COA, 1276 Main St. | 978-318-3020 |
| February 20, 12:30 p.m. | Acton COA, 50 Audubon Dr. | 978-929-6652 |
| February 21, 10:30 a.m. | Merrimac COA, 100 East Main St. | 978-346-9549 |
| February 21, 12:30 p.m. | Ipswich COA, 25 Green St. | 978-356-6650 |
| February 25, 10:00 a.m. | Natick COA, 117 East Central St. | 508-647-6540 |
| February 25, 11:30 a.m. | Needham COA 83 Pickering St. | 781-455-7555 |
| February 25, 1:00 p.m. | Wellesley COA, 219 Washington St. | 781-235-3961 |
| February 27, 1:00 p.m. | Wayland COA, 41 Cochituate Rd. | 508-358-2990 |
| March 6, 10:00 a.m. | Attleboro COA, 25 South Main St. | 774-203-1906 |
| March 6, 1:00 p.m. | N. Attleboro COA, 204 Elm St. | 508-699-0131 |
| March 7, 1:00 p.m. | Waltham COA, 488 Main St. | 781-899-7228 |
| March 13, 11:00 a.m. | Norfolk COA, 28 Medway Branch Rd. | 508-528-4430 |
| March 13, 12:30 p.m. | Wrentham COA, 400 Taunton St. | 508-384-5425 |
| March 13, 2:00 p.m. | Franklin COA, 10 Daniel McCahill St. | 508-520-4945 |
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Franklin Liquor: Wine Tastings
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| Wine tasting, Feb 16, 2013 |
Thursday, Feb 21 at 7:00 PM, Grady Family Vineyards, RSVP required as seating is limited
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| Grady Family Vineyards, Feb 21, 2013 |
For more information on the Grady Family Vineyards, you can visit their web page
For more information on Franklin Liquors you can find their website here
http://www.franklinliquors.com/ or on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FranklinLiquors
Friday, February 15, 2013
State Champions at State House!
The Franklin High School girls soccer team visited the State House recently. You may recall the team won the State Championship last fall.
Senator Karen Spilka, Representative Jeffrey Roy, and Lt Governor Tim Murray are pictured with the team and coaches.
Thanks to Sandy Frongillo for sharing this photo and information!
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| FHS Girl's Soccer Team visits MA state House |
Senator Karen Spilka, Representative Jeffrey Roy, and Lt Governor Tim Murray are pictured with the team and coaches.
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| FHS Soccer |
Thanks to Sandy Frongillo for sharing this photo and information!
FHS Winter Carnival 2013!
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Pantherbook by zacharyborrelli on 2/14/13
Franklin High School will be putting on its annual Winter Carnival on March 10th from 12-4pm.Fun events for kids all ages will take place in the FHS field house and small gym. Admission is five dollars for all children over the age of three, all children under age 3 get free admission! All proceeds from the event will go to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund.
This year's Winter Carnival will not only have fun activity for kids of all ages, but live music, entertainment, and food!
Any students interested in volunteering for the Winter Carnival should see Mr. Leighton, come to a Student Government meeting on Thursday right after school, or get in touch with your class representatives. Winter Carnival is not only for a great cause but is also a great way to earn community service hours!
So be there or be square, March 10th from 12-4pm in the FHS field house and small gym for Winter Carnival 2013!
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A "self-healing" asphalt
Franklin road conditions have been the topic of many conversations over the past several years. 200 miles of roads, a limited budget, how will Franklin keep them in good shape?
In this TED Talk "Paved roads are nice to look at, but they’re easily damaged and costly to repair. Erik Schlangen demos a new type of porous asphalt made of simple materials with an astonishing feature: When cracked, it can be “healed” by induction heating. (Filmed at TEDxDelft.)"
Impressive. I wonder how long until it is commercially available?
For additional background material on the conditions of Franklin's roads
The Franklin Road Condition report
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/franklin-road-conditions-from-worst-to.html
Voices of Franklin: The road conditions on Ledge St
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/voices-of-franklin-what-to-do-about.html
The Long Range Planning Final report references the need to budget for road repairs
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/07/franklin-ma-long-range-financial.html
In this TED Talk "Paved roads are nice to look at, but they’re easily damaged and costly to repair. Erik Schlangen demos a new type of porous asphalt made of simple materials with an astonishing feature: When cracked, it can be “healed” by induction heating. (Filmed at TEDxDelft.)"
Impressive. I wonder how long until it is commercially available?
For additional background material on the conditions of Franklin's roads
The Franklin Road Condition report
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/franklin-road-conditions-from-worst-to.html
Voices of Franklin: The road conditions on Ledge St
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/voices-of-franklin-what-to-do-about.html
The Long Range Planning Final report references the need to budget for road repairs
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/07/franklin-ma-long-range-financial.html
Franklin Library: Family Storytime & Winter Carnival
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Legal Clinic at Chamber, Fri March 8
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The United Regional Chamber of Commerce | 42 Union Street | Attleboro | MA | 02703
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Thursday, February 14, 2013
New 2-Year DOR Strategic Plan Posted
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Edward Peters on 2/13/13
DOR has posted its 2013-2015 Strategic Plan. This plan outlines a comprehensive set of goals and actions which will serve as a roadmap to success for the agency.
The Strategic Plan describes how DOR will support the Executive Office of Administration and Finance's (A&F) Better Performance goal by taking a proactive approach to improve performance, effectiveness and efficiency across the agency, developing and actively measuring standards of quality for core processes, and actively working to improve the skills, processes and technologies to better support the core functions of the agency. The plan also describes how DOR supports A&F's Better Government goal by creating a customer-focused culture and processes that will support communication, collaboration and co-design with a broad range of stakeholders.
The plan is an important part of DOR's operational foundation and provides a blueprint by which its divisions can measure and report on their success.
Please take a look at our plan -- we trust that you will find it to be comprehensive, informative and useful.
Note: if you require an accessible version of the plan, please see the DOR homepage.
The Strategic Plan describes how DOR will support the Executive Office of Administration and Finance's (A&F) Better Performance goal by taking a proactive approach to improve performance, effectiveness and efficiency across the agency, developing and actively measuring standards of quality for core processes, and actively working to improve the skills, processes and technologies to better support the core functions of the agency. The plan also describes how DOR supports A&F's Better Government goal by creating a customer-focused culture and processes that will support communication, collaboration and co-design with a broad range of stakeholders.
The plan is an important part of DOR's operational foundation and provides a blueprint by which its divisions can measure and report on their success.
Please take a look at our plan -- we trust that you will find it to be comprehensive, informative and useful.
Note: if you require an accessible version of the plan, please see the DOR homepage.
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In addition to the links provided above, you can view the plan here
Curbside Chronicle: Feb - May 2013
The recent Curbside Chronicle is available here
You can also find this on the Franklin, MA webpage here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Recycling/index
You can also find this on the Franklin, MA webpage here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Recycling/index
Rep Roy: Medway Girls Scouts
Rep Jeff Roy met with a Girl Scout troop from Medway when they visited the State House recently. Sen Karen Spilka hosted the troop.
Photo credit to Rep Jeff Roy's office
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| Medway Girls Scouts visit State House |
The photo includes leaders: Tracey Twamley, Eileen McGonigle, Pat Davis, and Kathy MacDougall. The Girl Scouts include: Maya Twamley, Marissa Galante, Cayla McGonigle, Anita Cuff, Grace Brueckner, Andrea Hester, MaryKate MacDougall, Sophia Flotta, Maevis Fahey, Olivia Cardillo, Katelyn Piche, Lindsey Blenkhorn, Lindsay MacLeod, and Lily Ouellette.
Photo credit to Rep Jeff Roy's office
Thank you, from National Grid
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In the News: Tech Day Camp, drunk driving, Scott Brown
Chamber to hold Tech Day Camp on March 23
The United Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold an all-day Tech Day Camp on Saturday, March 23, at Tri-County RVT High School, 147 Pond St.
A Franklin man was charged with drunken driving after a Main Street crash Tuesday in which his car ended up on its roof, police said.
Scott Brown takes Fox News job
Fox News Channel is hiring former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown as a contributor, and the Republican is making his debut in prime time on Wednesday.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Food Pantry Phone-a-thon Feb 16th
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| Food Pantry Phone-a-thon sign on the triangle before the storm |
The snow storm, blizzard Nemo, buried the opportunity to make phone calls last weekend. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate for this Saturday.
Volunteers are still needed. You can contact Bob Hamilton via email at bob@franklinfoodpantry.org or call the Food Pantry 508-528-3115 and use option 5 to leave your name, phone number or email address.
Thanks to Dean College we will be using their phone bank and calls from us will show up as "Dean College" for those with caller ID.
If you would like to donate via the Food Pantry website, we are enabled to take your donation securely online. http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/
Early Ed. in the Governor's budget + Globe Op-Ed
Quality Early Education & Care can help prepare children for success in school and in life, and it provides parents the flexibility they need to seek and keep jobs. MassBudget's new brief, Early Education & Care in the Governor's FY 2014 Budget, analyzes the Governor's proposals for early education and child care. These include:
Early Education & Care in the Governor's FY 2014 Budget is the first in a series of briefs that will explore, in greater detail, important issues in the Governor's proposal.
MassBudget Op-Ed in the Globe
In an Op-Ed in Today's Boston Globe, MassBudget President Noah Berger describes how the tax cuts of 1998-2002 have limited our ability to invest in our children, our communities, and the future of our economy.
Mass. Business Taxes
MassBudget has updated our factsheet on statewide business taxes, How do Massachusetts Business Taxes Compare to Other States. When business are deciding where to locate or expand, they look at a range of factors: infrastructure, quality of the local workforce, available markets, and sometimes tax levels. Looking just at taxes, one prominent study--produced regularly by the Council on State Taxation (COST)--finds that overall state and local business taxes in Massachusetts are well below average.
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Tax Tip of the Week
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Ann Dufresne-DOR Communications Director on 2/12/13
Here's a deduction you don't want to miss when filing your MA tax return--the rental deduction. You may be entitled to a tax deduction equal to one half of the rent you paid during calendar year 2012 up to $3,000 for your principal residence in MA. Rent includes the amount you paid for heat, hot water, gas, electricity, furniture or parking, if the landlord makes no separate charge for these items. In tax year 2011an estimated 818,726 taxpayers claimed the rental deduction reducing paying filers' taxes by $117.8 million.Go to the TheFilingZone for anything and everything you ever wanted to know about filing your state returns.
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