DelCarte Playground - December update

A walk around the new playground being set up at DelCarte Open Space along Pleasant St here in Franklin, MA.





Photos from the prior visit (includes links to prior DelCarte posts as well)
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/11/delcarte-playground-construction.html

In the News: solar farm, Santa Foundation

Abbey sisters, politicians celebrate solar farm

The sisters of Mount St. Mary’s Abbey hosted a public celebration and ribbon-cutting for their latest green energy effort – an 8.6-megawatt solar farm off Upper Union Street. The abbey already has a 130-foot-tall wind turbine and a geothermal system underneath its chapel. As a result of their efforts, the sisters were awarded the Energy Leadership Award by the Mass Energy Consumer Alliance in October.

Franklin non-profit Christmas gift provider in need of donations

For the 28th consecutive year, Franklin small businessman Bob Sullivan shut down his own business to open up a Santa’s workshop that plans to bring the joy of Christmas to about 800 local families in need.

FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT: Update on Weather for Monday - Dec 9th

A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT 

Hello 

The first snow of the season has been predicted for late this evening into tomorrow. We anticipate school opening as scheduled. We have been in contact with DPW and they will be treating roads and parking lots when the precipitation begins.  

As this is the first snow please drive slowly and allow extra time to drop your child/ children off at school. HS age drivers often have less experience driving in these conditions so please consider driving them to school. If they must drive please encourage them to leave some extra time and to drive slower. 

If the weather report changes and we need to delay school we will send out a Connect Ed message. Additionally we will post any change in schedule on our web site and announce to the media outlets. 

Please be reminded that all parents/guardians may keep children at home if  you choose to. If you elect this option please call the school to let them know about your decision. 

Stay safe. 

Thank You,
Maureen Sabolinski

This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT either IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at 508-613-1777.

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Dec 11, 2013

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting may also be recorded by Franklin Matters.

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

F. HEARINGS
Tax Classification Hearing – 7:10 PM

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
2014 Annual Alcoholic Beverages Licenses Renewals

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Guidelines and Criteria for Penalizing Alcoholic Beverage License holder Violations

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 13-85: Classification Tax Allocation – Residential Factor
2. Resolution 13-86: Classification Tax Allocation – Open Space Exemption
3. Resolution 13-87: Classification Tax Allocation – Small Business Exemption
4. Resolution 13-88: Classification Tax Allocation – Residential Property Exemption
5. Resolution 13-89: 2014 Schedule of Town Council Meetings
6. Resolution 13-90: Legal Notices
7. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 13-726: Amendment to Chapter 185, Attachment 9, Schedule of Lot, Area,
Frontage Yard and Height Requirements – Referral to Planning Board

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN


The full set of documents for the agenda as published can be found here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2013/1231113.pdf

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Letter

This letter was posted to the "News" section of the Franklin home page. It is unsigned and lacking a description as to who or what group authored it.

MPO seems to be the acronym for Metropolitan Planing Organization. MassDOT has 13 MPOs to cover the state according to the map located here. It appears that Franklin is part of the Boston Region MPO which would explain why getting assistance and funding from the MPO is difficult.

A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is a transportation policy-making organization made up of representatives from local government and transportation authorities. Federal legislation passed in the early 1970s required the formation of an MPO for any urbanized area with a population greater than 50,000. MPOs were created to ensure that existing and future expenditures for transportation projects and programs were based on a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive (3-C) planning process. Federal funding for transportation project and programs are channeled through this process. 

As transportation policy-making entities, MPOs have five core functions. 

1. Create a fair and impartial setting for effective regional decision making in the metropolitan area.
2. Evaluate transportation alternatives and needs through appropriate studies and activities as detailed in the MPOs Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)
3. Maintain a Long-Range Transportation Plan (RTP). Develop a 20-year transportation planning document which identifies existing infrastructure conditions, projects future transportation needs and provides a plan or program to attain the stated goals and visions.
4. Develop a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Develop a program based on the long range plan and designed to serve the MPO’s goals using spending, and other financial tools.
5. Involve the public. Involve the general public and all significantly affected sub-groups in the four essential functions listed above.

More about the MPO and process can be found on this MassDOT page
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/PlanningProcess/RegionalPlanning.aspx

ECDC Open House - Jan 13th

The F.X.O’Regan Early Childhood Development Center located at 224 Oak Street Franklin, Ma, will have an Open House on January 13th and January 21st from 3:30pm-4:30pm. This will be for new parents who are considering sending their child/children to the preschool in the fall of 2014. Please check our website (www.franklin.k12.ma.us) for more program information and if you have any questions, call 508-541-8166 ext. 2938

FX O'Regan Early Childhood Development Center

The application can be found here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01C2B3B5-000F8513.1/NEW%20APPLICATIONS.pdf

"We had time to kill"

Milford Daily News reports on the blood drive at the Franklin Public Library on Saturday.

At the Franklin Public Library, Mike Green was also donating blood to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in honor of his sister, Meredith, a 2008 graduate of Franklin High School who was diagnosed with cancer in January of 2012. 

With his sister in remission as of July of last year, Green said he hopes people realize the need to give blood, especially since his sister required transfusions when she was hospitalized. 

"It’s just a good thing to do," he said. "People don’t realize the need for blood."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915450921/Blood-drives-help-children-cancer-patients-in-Milford-Franklin#ixzz2mt0Cy9It

Hockomock Area YMCA: Holiday Gift Drive

holiday gift drive

Attached is an invitation to participate in the YMCA's annual giving tree program.  Sharing gifts with families in need this holiday season exemplifies the caring of our community, our staff, and our YMCA members.  On Christmas morning last year, 705 gifts found their way to the homes of 118 Y families, for which we were truly thankful to all involved.  That meant together we brightened the lives of 357 children, women, and men in our community. 

Thank you in advance for your consideration in printing the attached release to help make the holidays much brighter for those families with tags remaining on our lobby trees. 

Scholarship Fund in memory of Colleen Ritzer

From the Essex County Community Foundation website:

To carry on the legacy of our beautiful daughter and sister Colleen and her passion for teaching, we have established the Colleen Ritzer Memorial Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will be awarded to students who are pursuing a degree in education so they can continue her legacy of making a difference in a student's life. 

Colleen Ritzer

The Colleen Ritzer Memorial Scholarship Fund is managed by Essex County Community Foundation. If you have any questions regarding your online donation, please contact Kathy (978) 777-8876 or k.moriconi@eccf.org. If you prefer to make a donation by mail you can make a check payable to: 

ECCF/Colleen Ritzer Fund and mail to: 

Essex County Community Foundation
175 Andover Street
Danvers, MA 01923

You can donate online via this link
https://secure.etransfer.com/ecomm/donation/donation1.cfm?d2org=EssexCCF&d2tool=ColleenRitzerMemorialFund


Who was Colleen Ritzer? An Assumption College graduate and teacher at Danvers High School.
http://www.massteacher.org/News/archive/2013/ms_ritzer_scholarship_fund.aspx

"the regulations tighten the town’s rules on smoking in public places"

The Milford Daily News reports on the public hearing being set up for Jan 7th to review proposed new tobacco regulations for Franklin.

The Board of Health will hold a public hearing next month on whether to pass comprehensive new tobacco regulations. 

The three-member board scheduled the hearing for its Jan. 7 meeting, set to begin at 10 a.m. at the Municipal Building, 355 East Central St. Health Director David McKearney wrote the proposed regulations. 

If passed, the controls would reshape how the town handles tobacco sales, raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 19 and establishing a tobacco and nicotine delivery products permit, administered by the board. Currently the town does not have a local tobacco permit for businesses, which still must acquire a license from the state Department of Revenue in order to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/blog/healthconscious/x915450461/Franklin-Public-hearing-set-for-new-tobacco-regulations#ixzz2mnGuTbfg

Franklin Elks - BPOE 2136

The membership and association clubs such as the American Legion and Elks would also be included in the new regulations to ban smoking within their facilities.

I would hope that there would also be a hearing scheduled for some evening as any of the voters/residents who work during normal business hours are disenfranchised by this particular time of day for the 'public hearing.'

Weekend events in Franklin

• The Annual Christmas Fair takes place at St John Episcopal Church on Saturday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

• Bubbles and Bark, wine tasting and special hot dogs to raise money for the Forever Home Rescue New England at Pour Richard's on Saturday from 1:00 Pm to 4:00 PM

What is missing from this list? Is something else happening here in Franklin this weekend?
Please leave a comment to include that item.


Updated 12/6/13 6;00 PM


Saturday, December 7th from 8am-11am,

• Cub Scout pack 126 will be holding its Annual All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast with Santa. 

It is being held at The Elks Lodge, 1077 Pond Street , Franklin Ma.
The cost is $6 per person, with children under 3 and Pack 126 scouts in uniform free.
Breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, orange juice, coffee and tea.
Santa will be available for photos for a cost of $3.
There will be a raffle to win one of our gift baskets, with tickets on sale to benefit the scouts!
Scout popcorn and candy bars will be available for purchase.
Pack 126 will also be hosting a toy drive for local children in need. You may bring to the breakfast a new unwrapped toy if desired.

• Craft fair open house at Akin Bak Farm from 9:00 - 6:00 PM! Also selling fresh trees and wreaths

Hockomock Football awards recognize Zucco and Tighe

HockomockSports.com continues their fall award announcement with Football. Nick Zucco and Griffin Tighe represent Franklin on the 'Hock 5" for their respective positions. Nick among the quarterbacks and Griffin among the offensive line.


Read the full listing of the football awards here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2013/12/hockomocksportscom-2013-football-awards.html

Stories told via postcards

A regular reader shares this bit of info:

"Given the holiday season, we are striving to make more people of your towns aware of the book. Postcard History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, makes a marvelous holiday gift and one that parents and children and other town folks would enjoy reading. The book provides unforgettable memories about each of the communities as well as serves as a reference."

The book tells stories of the towns in Norfolk County including a section on Franklin. The stories are told with post cards from each town. The picture book is a good size so it would not make a 'stocking stuffer' it would be more of a 'coffee table book'.

Part of the interest in this books comes from the story on how it was written. James and Paul Tedesco started writing it after getting the idea from a note on the back of an old postcard. James, the son, died a couple of years into the writing effort and the father Paul completed the book.

You can read the WickedLocal article on this book here
http://www.wickedlocal.com/dover/news/x511637164/Dover-resident-writes-postcard-history-of-Norfolk-County

If you want to order one, you can email Paul Tedesco at postcardbook3@aol.com

Welcome myBigY members to the New BigY.com

We're upgrading our website to bring you more of the features you've been asking for.

Click here to view in browser

Welcome myBigY members to the New BigY.com! Hello! We'd like to introduce all of our MyBigY members to the new bigy.com and updated myBigY. As a member, you know that at Big Y, the customer is Job #1 and we're upgrading our website to bring you more of the features you've been asking for this year. • clean and bright new design • easy to navigate • new recipes with nutritional info • meal planning information for healthy living • and coming soon...     Special offers only on bigy.com     Special deals that load right to your Big Y Express Savings®     or Silver Savings Club® card In order to continue to offer you great customer service and a fast and efficient online experience, please reset your MyBigY password in order to keep your information secure and accessible. Simply click on the link below and continue to take advantage of great service, great sales and an easy way to get both! UPDATE myBigY now Thanks for being a myBigY member and for shopping Big Y, The Big Y Web Team

©Copyright 2013, Big Y Foods, Inc., 2145 Roosevelt Avenue, Springfield, MA, (413) 784.0600

"We're growing, and that's good news"

The Milford Daily News reports on a slight reduction in the income tax rate coming Jan 1, 2014.

The Massachusetts income tax will drop slightly in the new year — to 5.20 percent from the current 5.25 percent — because of stronger-than-anticipated growth in revenues, state officials said Wednesday. 

The tax rate will automatically drop on Jan. 1, Revenue Commissioner Amy Pitter said. 

In a letter sent Wednesday to Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor, Pitter said revenue growth met a number of thresholds over the past several months required to trigger the automatic reduction. Tax collections in November were 10.6 percent higher than in the same month a year ago. And through the first five months of the fiscal year, total revenue has grown $766 million, or 9.7 percent.

This is estimated to be about $39 for "a married couple filing jointly who own a home, have two children under 12 and $100,000 in income".

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1275648373/Massachusetts-income-tax-to-be-cut-a-bit-on-Jan-1#ixzz2mgthKTiW

Holiday Stroll and News from Jane's Frames

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5th Annual Holiday Stroll Thursday, December 5th  4pm-7pm (or perhaps we'll be singing a bit longer)  Dear Steve,          Join the festivities beginning with Tree Lighting and Carolers at Dean College at 4 p.m. Then head Downtown to Jane's Frames. Come by for some treats and get some unique ideas for your Holiday gift giving. Lucy Gallagher will be offering hand massages as she shares organic skin care products from Neals Yard Remedies from 4-6pm. Also from 4-6 the kiddos are invited to create their own Holiday ornament. At 6pm Jamie Barrett will be entertaining young and old with his talented singing and guitar playing.           We are collecting for the Franklin Food Pantry beginning on December 1st until December 12th. Please come view the community mural that was created at the Strawberry Festival and Harvest Festival this year. At an event in 2014, there will be an auction for the mural with proceeds going to the Franklin Food Pantry. Thank you,        Jane                           December 5st   4:00-7:00pm (ish) (I expect we'll be celebrating til 8pm)   Treats for young and old  Cookies, Hot Cider, a relaxing hand massage by Lucy G, Create your own Holiday Ornament, Enjoy Live Entertainment by Jamie Barrett  Drop off your Donation for the Franklin Food Pantry Check out the 2013 Red Sox World Series Panoramic print    Photo Restoration is our specialty!  There is still time to get your antique photos restored and framed for that unique Holiday present. We specialize in creating beautifully restored photos printed on high quality artpaper. They will look just like the originals once did! When you frame them using our archival framing methods they will last through many generations. Your "Name In the Frame"     Professional   Baseball  Football  Hockey College Sports, Family Name, Golf, Soccer, Sports pubs and many other choices $40. each plus starting at $20 for framing a 14 x 11

Forward email Jane's Frames | 11 East Central Street | Franklin | MA | 02038

Bubbles ‘n Bark! - Saturday, Dec 7th 1-4 PM

Pour Richard's Wine and Spirits

Pour Richard’s Announces:

Bubbles ‘n Bark!

Saturday, Dec 7th 1-4 PM

Pour Richard’s 14 Grove Street Franklin, MA

To benefit Forever Home Rescue New England

Forever Home Rescue

Forever Home Rescue has saved over 900 dogs, and placed them in loving homes. Do some holiday shopping, eat delicious hot dogs, and help real live dogs, too! 

Featuring many, many delicious wines, a craft cocktail demonstration by the cocktail wizard Corey Bunnewith AND a special guest appearance of the Snappy Dog ladies, Lisa and Teresa. These are not your average hotdogs! Check out what the Boston Globe says about Snappy Dogs, below: http://www.boston.com/2013/11/04/snappy/AgoE7iI7W9nrTejGEhgh4K/story.html

$10 Suggested Donation. Pour Richard’s will also donate 20% of our profits to Forever Home Rescue

Snappy-Dogs

Hockomock Boys Soccer Awards: Kalil, d'Entermont

Joe Kalil was named to the 1st Team and given an honorable mention as Player of the Year when Hockomock Sports.com released their 2013 Boys Soccer Awards. Jesse d'Entermont was named to the 2nd Team.

Read the full article here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2013/12/hockomocksportscom-2013-boys-soccer-awards.html