Senator Spilka: Statement on Monday's Events

April 16, 2013 Dear Steve, Yesterday, we experienced a horrific tragedy as a state with the attacks on the 117th running of the Boston Marathon. I am confident in the resiliency and strength of Massachusetts and its residents and I know that we will bring those responsible for this terrible event to justice. We will overcome this tragedy. In the coming day, more details will emerge. Right now, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, and all those who were affected by these unconscionable acts. Once again, our heartfelt gratitude goes to the first responders as well as the volunteers, runners, and spectators who rushed to aid the victims at the scene and showed their capacity to sacrifice their own needs to help their fellow human beings. We experienced unfathomable horror and tremendous sadness on a day when we come together as a state, nation, and global community to celebrate and witness our nation's oldest and most prestigious race, the Boston Marathon. This day celebrates the spirit of the marathon run as a global phenomenon that transcends national boundaries. The Boston Marathon was inspired by the Battle of Marathon, which took place in Marathon, Greece in the year 490 BC. An Athenian army messenger ran 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Athenians' victory over the Persians.  The very first running of the Boston Marathon began on Pleasant Street in Ashland in 1897 and stayed there for the next 26 years. The starting line was moved to Hopkinton in 1924 to increase the length of the race to 26.2 miles and MetroWest plays an important role, with the first 16 miles of the race traveling through our communities. While emotions are still raw and the feelings of sadness and anger are high, we must focus on coming together to show our strength as a Commonwealth and as a nation. We must show our sense of community, honor, resilience, and our dedication to remain a strong, vibrant state, pushing forward to overcome tragedy. This is a time to gather together. A time to work together, no matter how different our backgrounds are or our lives may seem because, quite simply, we are all members of the Massachusetts community and we are all Americans. Facing such a tragedy together helps us understand that we have a stake in each other. We are bound by a common thread that makes us more alike than any of our differences. Today, the Battle of Marathon is celebrated as a triumph of democracy over empire. In the coming days, weeks, and months, I believe that the communities and residents of the Commonwealth will be lauded for our ability to triumph over such terrible tragedy. We will show the nation and the world our courage and selflessness to care for those in need, and our capacity to remain hopeful. We will focus on looking towards a bright future and a better tomorrow even as we face some of our darkest hours. I remain committed to keeping that sense of honor and unity with me. In my work, I promise to focus on building bridges and bolstering our communities so that we remain the strong and vibrant state the world knows us to be. As always, if I can ever be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov or call my office at (617) 722-1640. Warm Regards, Karen E. Spilka 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk http://www.karenspilka.com/ Office of State Senator Karen E. Spilka Room 511-C, State House Boston, Massachusetts  02133 (617) 722-1640 phone - (617) 722-1077 fax Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov http://www.karenspilka.com/

: Office of Karen Spilka | Office of State Senator Karen E. Spilka, Room 511-C, State House | Boston, MA 02133

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Franklin Interfaith Council - Prayer Service - 7:00 PM

The Franklin Interfaith Council will host a Prayer Service at 7 PM on Wednesday, April 17th at the Franklin Federated Church, 171 Main St. in Franklin. This communal service is for all who are still feeling shock and grief over the horrific events at the Boston Marathon and who would like to join their neighbors in the greater Franklin community in a time of fellowship and prayer. All are welcome. An offering will be taken to benefit The One Fund. 

Chalk walk on the SNETT (photo essay)

Helen and Harriet Chalk took a walk on the SNETT trail this past weekend and sent in this photo essay. My thanks to the Chalk's for sharing their fun time on the SNETT.


the perfect day for a walk on the Franklin stretch of the SNETT

SNETT in Franklin

We decided to explore some of the smaller trails leading from the SNETT

exploring a side trail

The perfect trail for adventurous preschoolers!

up and down the trail

Just the bridge for a game of 'Pooh sticks'. Every family member finds a small stick, drops it in the water and watches the sticks race down the stream. First stick to reach the finish line of your choice wins.

Pooh sticks bridge

Beauty and tranquility on our doorstep...

fresh water stream

Examine nature close up...

checking out nature up close

Practice your writing skills....

a good place to practice writing

Take your kids outside this April vacation week and boldly explore our beautiful surroundings here in Franklin!

the excitement of the trail

Where is the SNETT Trail?
Off Grove St in Franklin


View Larger Map

To find out more about the efforts of the Franklin Bellingham Rail Trail Committee, visit their website
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/

"the day was scary, and reminded her about priorities"

Some Franklin runners were able to finish the Marathon on Monday, some were among those stopped.

Jamie Tighe, of Franklin, was another one of thousands of runners who never made it across the Boylston Street finish line. 

After Tighe and her Dana Farber charity teammate had passed mile 21 but before they reached mile 22, police received word of the finish line bombings and immediately ordered runners off the road. 

“The police were just in the middle of the roads saying ‘You cannot be on the roads,’” she said.
Tighe said at first, she was disappointed when police stopped the race. She said her training went very well and she had been running faster than she expected as she approached the 35-kilometer mark. 

“Then when I heard what happened to other people and what serious it was, that takes a back seat,” she said.

....

“I finished about an hour before the blasts and I was two blocks away,” said Katie Rizzolo of Franklin. “Some people started screaming and running, but for the most part, everyone whipped out their phones, called their loved ones and got out.”

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1148863635/Milford-area-runners-experience-Boston-Marathon-nightmare#ixzz2QcOg32lM

Good Reads: keeping pace, Keller science

KEEPING PACE

Running is like anything else in life: you have to pace yourself. For a runner, this is the most critical skill that one can learn.  Without a proper pace, the initial excitement, adrenaline and crowd surge of a race will give way to heavy limbs, clumsy feet and whole body exhaustion, among other more dangerous things.  And with today being the 117^th anniversary of the Boston Marathon, on no day is this counsel more appropriate.

Keller Elementary School Science Night

A wonderful series of hands-on science nights are held each year at the Keller Elementary School in Franklin, MA.  Sponsored by the Keller Parent Communication Council (PCC) and staffed by volunteer PCC members, the Science Nights show how hard the PCC works to augment the curriculum at Keller Elementary.  The Keller PCC makes a real difference in the lives of Keller students!

April is a promise

According to Stobbart's Nurseries sign:

April is a promise that May is bound to keep

stobbarts nurseries

Boston Marathon: May the wind be at your back

Good luck to all of Franklin's entries in today's Boston Marathon.

If you want to follow the results, this listing from the BAA.org site can help you by showing the individual bib numbers for the entries.

The weather forecast seems to be close to ideal for running. May the wind be at your back and the roads kind to your effort today!

Avoid lines, use the RMV webpage

RMV Prepares for Busy April Vacation Week

April school vacation days next week are among the RMV’s busiest of the year.  In preparation, MassDOT today again encouraged customers to do their business online if possible and unveiled new tools to help customers who must visit a branch better understand wait-times to plan their branch business.

As the article indicates, it would be good to visit the website  http://www.massrmv.com/  to see if you can conduct your business online and avoid lines in the RMV office

First Annual Elks Care Elks Share 5k Fun Run and Walk

The Franklin Elks are pleased to announce the First Annual Elks Care Elks Share 5k Fun Run and Walk. The event will begin and end at the Franklin Elks, 1077 Pond Street, Franklin, Ma. on Saturday, May 11, 2013. Registration begins at 9:00 AM and the race begins at 10:00 AM. Pre-registration is $25 and day of race registration is $30.

Our website www.franklinelks5k.com provides a link to register for the race and all the details of the event.

The race is USATF sanctioned, and timing will be provided by New England Timing. There will be awards for the top three finishers in each category, and t-shirts for participants who register by April 27th. Music, raffles, and refreshments will be available.

All proceeds from the race will be donated to the Franklin Food Pantry and the Wounded Warrior Project..

The Franklin Food Pantry currently serves more than 580 households throughout the local communities, distributing more than 150,000 pounds of food and provisions annually. The need for services is rapidly increasing - in the last year the number of clients has increased by 40%, and the number of pounds of provisions by 30%. 

The Wounded Warrior Project is the hand extended to encourage warriors as they adjust to their new normal and achieve new triumphs. Offering a variety of programs and services, the Wounded Warrior Project is equipped to serve warriors with every type of injury - from the physical to the invisible wounds of war.

Please join us in supporting these two deserving organizations

Could there be an Incredible Edible Franklin?

Pam Warhurst explains how they started:

We tried to answer this simple question: Can you find a unifying language that cuts across age and income and culture that will help people themselves find a new way of living, see spaces around them differently, think about the resources they use differently, interact differently? Can we find that language? And then, can we replicate those actions? And the answer would appear to be yes, and the language would appear to be food.

Food, ah yes. We all need to eat to live. This TED Talk describes how the community of Todmorden is working to change what they eat and how they eat. The Incredible Edible Todmorden is a story worth replicating.





We have the basics of this underway already in Franklin with the Community Garden. We just need to get more folks involved.

For more information on Todmorden, visit their webpage here
http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/

"poor man’s fertilizer"

The Milford Daily News has an article on area farmers getting ready for the growing season. The Fairmount Fruit Farm in Franklin is among the farms mentioned:

"We’re kind of in uncharted territory," said C.J. Koshivas, who operates the 30-acre farm along with his mother Diane and father Chuck. 

Because of the weird winter last year, Koshivas said his apple buds bloomed a lot earlier. Then, unexpectedly, a freeze hit. The family lost about 80 percent of the farm’s biggest cash crop, he said. 

Koshivas said, "The temperature didn’t fool the trees at all this year, so the buds were kept small and compact." 

His strawberries have also fared well so far. And he expects to host folks at the 887 Lincoln St. farm for pick-your-own strawberries sometime next month.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x935164240/Area-farmers-prepare-for-new-season#ixzz2QREIK0rA

For more about the Fairmount Fruit Farm at 887 Lincoln St, you can visit their webpage
http://fairmountfruit.com/

In the News: transportation funding, snow and ice costs

Senate adopts $500M tax plan, with more money for transportation

Legislation raising gas, tobacco and business taxes in Massachusetts by $500 million and eventually dedicating up to $800 million a year in new revenues for transportation cleared the Senate 30 to 5 during a rare Saturday session.

Snow and ice costs top $16 million

The ice might finally be gone as winter lets up its grip on the region, but local municipalities are still left with one remnant of the snow – the cost of cleaning it up.

....

In Franklin, DPW Director Robert "Bruce" Cantoreggi said he expects to "be within 5 percent" of his department’s original $970,000 appropriation. Cantoreggi said town officials have opted to approve a budget that should be close to what the final snow and ice numbers are.

"Working through the Town Council, they’ve been proactive in having a realistic snow and ice budget," he said. Cantoreggi said that his department has also made some moves to cut down on costs like reducing salt use on side roads or making decisions to send out fewer trucks and focusing more on main roads.

Franklin Library: April Vacation Week Programs

April Vacation Week Programs

LegoChallenge from Tuesday, April 16th through Saturday, April 20th

Organized by Eagle Scott, Kyle Perry, this challenge will be on all week long. All ages
are welcome to stop by the Library's Reading Room to see what types of creations you
can build with Legos! Please check the Library website for further details.

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Family Storytime for all ages at 10:30 A.M.
Join us for thirty minutes of stories and music the whole family will enjoy. All ages are
welcome and no registration is required.

'Spring Forward' with Jamie Barrett at 4:00 P.M.
An afternoon music concert by a Franklin favorite that will be fun for everyone. All ages
are welcome and no registration is required.

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

Drop-In Craft for all ages at 10:30 A.M.
Drop-in and see what crafts you can make from a variety of choices. This is for all ages
and no registration is required.

Spring Carnival for all ages at 3:30 P.M.
Come out to celebrate the arrival of spring at our Library Carnival featuring games,
prizes, music, and refreshments. No registration is required to join in the fun.

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

Wally the Green Monster for all ages at 10:30 A.M.
Come and hear a Red Sox story, meet with Wally, and get your picture taken with him.
Get in the spirit for baseball season…Go Sox!

Zentangle®for tweens and teens at 4:00 P.M.
You don't need to be an artist to make this beautiful doodle art. Come and learn the
basics of the Zentangle method and leave with a masterpiece!

Friday, April 19th, 2013

Family Movie for all ages at 10:00 A.M.
Have a few laughs while you enjoy the latest installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid
movie series, "Dog Days".

Franklin Public Library - 118 Main Street Franklin MA 02038 - 508.520.4940

Legislators and Aides Visit Cotting School

Cotting School visit

44 Legislators and Aides Visit Cotting School

On April 8, 2013, Representative Jeffrey Roy met with constituent and Curriculum Specialist and Director of Middle School Ann Buckely of Medway, during "Invite Your Legislator to Cotting School Day: A View Inside a Special Education School.'" Representative Roy joined 43 other legislators and aides from New Hampshire and Massachusetts for classroom visits and a tour of Cotting School in Lexington MA, which serves students with a broad spectrum of learning disabilities, communication impairments, physical challenges, and complex medical conditions.
 Photo caption: Left to right: Ann Buckley, Director of Middle School, Thomas B. of Hopkinton, Cotting student, Representative Jeffrey Roy, Dan S. of Tyngsborough, student, and Patricia Sicard of Tyngsborough, parent.

For more about the Cotting School visit their webpage http://www.cotting.org

In the News: mission to Kenya, celebrate the seasons, commits to Babson

Franklin officer to go on mission to Kenya

As a school resource officer, Eric Cusson regularly deals with kids who have an aversion to sitting quietly in class, who want nothing more than to get the heck out of school.

Partnership celebrates the seasons

The Franklin Downtown Partnership has set the dates for its well-attended yearly events.

On the sports side, HockomockSports reports:

Franklin's Bohmiller Commits to Babson

Franklin point guard Sam Bohmiller announced tonight via Twitter that he will be taking his talents to Wellseley next year, pursuing a college basketball career at Babson College. 

MassBudget: Analyzing the House Ways & Means Budget

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Analyzing the House Ways & Means Budget On Wednesday, the House Ways & Means Committee released its budget proposal for FY 2014--its blueprint for what we should do together through state government over the coming year. Our new Budget Monitor describes how the proposal would affect core programs, from Health Care and Education to Youth Employment and the Environment--including information on how it would raise the necessary revenue. It also compares the new proposal with prior years and the Governor's earlier proposal. The House Ways & Means budget includes some limited new funding for Higher Education, Local Aid, and Transportation, but it doesn't include the broader investments that the Governor had proposed to improve the long-term economic prospects of our Commonwealth by strengthening our pre-K and K-12 education systems. While the Governor's plan would greatly expand access to high-quality Early Education & Care programs, the House Ways & Means budget actually cuts funding for those programs. To support his broader investments in our schools, our transportation systems, and our economic future, the Governor proposed a revenue plan that would ultimately raise $1.9 billion per year. The House Ways & Means plan includes much less new tax revenue, roughly $500 million. Read our BUDGET MONITOR See all of our BUDGET RESOURCES The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

Reminder: Trash pick ups delayed one day

Patriots' Day is observed April 15th trash and recycling will be delayed a day for the week.

If your normal pick up day is Friday, it will be picked up Saturday.
Large item pick up will stay the same for Thursday.

trash bins or totters

In the News: casino regulations, FHS track teams

Gaming commission may tweak regulations

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) may adjust its protocol and allow host communities to decide on a casino agreement before it finishes vetting the applicants.

Franklin boys, girls sweep Milford on track

The Panther boys and girls squads both got their first wins of the year with clean sweeps of an extremely undermanned Milford squad. Franklin’s boys won their meet 91-44 while the girls’ had a bit more of tough time, coming up with an 86-50 win.