Capital Budget Subcommittee Meeting
Agenda & Meeting Packet
May 5, 2021 = 5:30 PM
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| Capital Budget Subcommittee Meeting - May 5 - 5:30 PM |
Franklin Board Of Health
Duly Scheduled Meeting And Public Hearing
Wednesday, May 5, 2021 = 5:00 PM
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| Board of Health meeting scheduled Wednesday, May 5 -5 PM |
The Franklin Food Pantry is pleased to celebrate its 2019 and 2020 Point of Light volunteer award winners. This distinction is led by the AmeriCorps in partnership with Points of Light.
Points of Light is the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. Volunteers were honored at a small outdoor ceremony during Volunteer Appreciation month. Point of Light volunteer awards recognize adult volunteers with at least 100 hours of service in the Bronze level and 250 hours of service in the Silver level. Due to the Covid-19 virus, The Pantry was unable to hold the ceremony in 2020 so is honoring both 2019 and 2020 this year.
"Our volunteers are critical to tackling food insecurity in the community. Some of their work is easy to describe weighing, carrying, packing, distributing, typing, calling, mailing, loading, unloading, delivering and more. But the real gold is in how each volunteer treat each of our neighbors with dignity, kindness, and compassion," said Tina Powderly. "It can be incredibly stressful for those who find themselves seeking the services we provide, and the words and action of our volunteers show them that they are respected, give them hope, and empower them to tackle the challenges so many of our clients face. That is priceless and while it doesn't ever go unnoticed, we formally show our gratitude to our volunteers during Volunteer Appreciation Week."
Congratulations to the 2019 and 2020 award winners:
Silver
Bronze
The Franklin Food Pantry offers a variety of volunteer jobs both within The Pantry and serving on committees that further the mission of the Pantry. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, The Pantry is currently not accepting new applications for volunteers. Please watch the website for new opportunities.
About the Franklin Food PantryThe Franklin Food Pantry offers supplemental food assistance and household necessities to over 1,400 individuals. Neighbors have access to a variety of fresh, frozen and nonperishable foods on weekly shopping trips for drive-up distribution. As a nonprofit organization, the Pantry depends entirely on donations, and receives no town or state funding. Visit www.franklingfoodpantry.org for more information.
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| 2019 and 2020 Points of Light Award Winners gather at the site of the Franklin Food Pantry's Future home, 138 East Central Street |
"The boys get it done in the first match against Canton 4-0-1! Man of the match goes to Senior Captain Anish Gundimeda and Freshman Phenom Ahan Shetty. #ForthePublics"
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/_fhsboystennis/status/1389348221684699139
Girls Lacrosse Boosters posted that the girls lead 13-0 at halftime and the final was 17-1
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/FHSLaxBooster/status/1389328618753597452 and https://twitter.com/FHSLaxBooster/status/1389320034980347904
FHS Boys Tennis and Girls Lacrosse top Canton on Monday
The Hockomock League is excited to launch the Spring 2021 Athletic Experience, which includes all of its traditional programs. We are excited to also offer Wrestling and Competitive Cheer to our Spring schedules of events. We are proud to state that “no program was left behind” due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the League has done throughout the 2020-2021 school year, we have closely followed the MA Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) guidelines for athletic events for both our participants and our spectators, to ensure the safest possible conditions for all involved. We are pleased to put forth the following policies on spectators for our Spring INDOOR and OUTDOOR events:
INDOOR EVENTS: (Boys Volleyball, Competitive Cheer, and Wrestling)
The League will remain consistent with its indoor policies adopted during the Fall 2 season. For each HOME participant, two immediate adult family members and siblings are permitted to attend an event. Additionally 2 family members of AWAY participants may attend an event. Contact tracing will remain in effect and family check-in lists will be utilized at the indoor venue.
As the recently amended EEA guidelines have stated, home and away spectator allowance at outdoor stadium events is capped at a maximum of 50% seating capacity at the stadium venue, with socially-distanced six-foot seating on those bleachers.
At open area venues, such as parks and ball fields, home and away spectators must wear appropriate masks or face coverings at all times, and remain socially distanced as much as possible.
Hockomock League: Statement on Spring Sports Spectators
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| Town of Franklin: E-Newsletter for May 2021 |
Don’t forget to add our upcoming virtual monthly FAA meeting on the first Wed. of the month as usual, to your calendar !
• May 5 , 2021 6:30 PM FAA Zoom Meeting!!
We have an exciting demo artist for this month- renowned Collage Artist Betsy Silverman. Check out Betsy Silverman’s work at her website: www.betsysilverman.com.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82181910922?pwd=ME9aTGtvRVJFVlg2aDBlMllVT1ZZdz09
Franklin Art Association: Monthly Meeting - May 5
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit www.Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| my garden bed from the Fanuele's early in the growing season 2020 |
"WITH 70 PERCENT of Massachusetts adults having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday announced plans to wind down operations at mass vaccination sites while making the shots more easily available in local communities. The shift comes as demand for the shots has been leveling out, indicating that most people eager to get a shot have already done so.
“Now that we believe we are going to hit the 4.1 million goal we started with over the next few weeks, it’s time to adapt our vaccination efforts to make sure we get to some of the harder to reach populations,” Baker said at a State House press conference.
According to the CDC, 3.9 million people in Massachusetts have received at least one shot as of Monday, or 70 percent of eligible adults. Another 180,000 people have scheduled appointments to get a first dose in the next week. When the COVID-19 vaccines first rolled out in December, Baker set a goal of vaccinating 4.1 million state residents, and he said those people are on track to be fully vaccinated by the beginning of June.
As a result, the governor announced that four of the state’s seven mass vaccination sites will close by the end of June. These include Gillette Stadium, Hynes Convention Center, DoubleTree hotel in Danvers, and the Natick Mall. Baker said those sites were chosen because of the availability of alternative vaccination sites in the area and projections about interest in appointments there. The Hynes site is also part of a federal partnership with FEMA, which was always scheduled to end after eight weeks. The seven mass sites have administered 1.2 million vaccine doses so far."
"Early in the pandemic, when vaccines for the coronavirus were still just a glimmer on the horizon, the term “herd immunity” came to signify the endgame: the point when enough Americans would be protected from the virus so we could be rid of the pathogen and reclaim our lives.
Now, more than half of adults in the United States have been inoculated with at least one dose of a vaccine. But daily vaccination rates are slipping, and there is widespread consensus among scientists and public health experts that the herd immunity threshold is not attainable — at least not in the foreseeable future, and perhaps not ever.
Instead, they are coming to the conclusion that rather than making a long-promised exit, the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will continue to circulate in the United States for years to come, still causing hospitalizations and deaths but in much smaller numbers."
"The MSP and @StPoliceAssocMa are grateful to Dr. Greg Chiklis and team at MRN Diagnostics for guidance & assistance provided to the Department during the pandemic. The union presented them an engraved copy of Rockwell's "The Runaway" in recognition of that gratitude." https://t.co/lw9kyuusUA
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| Mass State Police recognize Dr Greg Chiklis, MRN Diagnostics |
The Franklin Cultural District is sponsoring a three-day art and cultural event – Franklin ArtWALK Celebration!
The Franklin ArtWALK Celebration will run from Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 13 and include live performances, art exhibits displayed throughout town at local businesses, family activities from the Franklin Public Library and entertainment at THE BLACK BOX.
Visit the Franklin Cultural District website for a calendar and details on all the events. https://www.franklinculture.org/
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| Escape to the Arts - Jun 11-13 |
The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: members of the Finance Committee, selected guests, and Town Administration personnel were in the Council Chambers, the remainder were remote along with the public via the Zoom conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda including documents released for this agenda.
Let’s listen to this budget hearing on "all things DPW"
Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/d4c456be-97e9-4a06-b37d-acb36622db3e
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--------------
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit www.Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
 |
| FinCom member Susan Dewsnap |
The 4th and final of the budget hearings for FY 2022 held by the Finance Committee is scheduled for May 4.
We are excited to be kicking off the 2021 season in 1 month. The first Market will be on June 4, new hours this year are 2-6 PM. We have a lot of exciting vendors and events to offer. We will be posting vendor highlights on social media over the next month. Be sure to follow us daily using our new hashtag #buyfrankfreshShared from Facebook: https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4181562898570329&id=533086900084632
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| Franklin Farmers Market set to open season June 4 |
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| Franklin Downtown Partnership: "Ladybug Trail Springing to Life" |
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| Rhapsody’s Victorian Coffee House: Special Announcement |
by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 05/02/2021
March,2020 – we closed up shop. Our building, shuttered. Our routine, shattered. Things taken for granted were taken away. A sad and uncertain time.
As dark months crept by, the building lost its vibrance. Hibernating.
“ Is this really necessary? Seems extreme.” Or, so some part of me thought at the time. We all knew little then. It’s not over just yet, but we know more now, We know what to do; what not to do, and we have vaccines and protocols.
Armed with that knowledge, we are currently planning to reopen the studio in the weeks ahead. We will do so safely, with limited staff on premises. But, we will be open nonetheless. I consider reopening (however cautiously) as an act of defiance. It’s a step toward some normality in a post-pandemic world.
May is a naturally optimistic month. Classically primavera, it brings us flowers and a warm hug. It encourages us to ‘do something – anything’. So, indeed we shall.
There won’t be any fanfare. No ribbon cutting, balloons, streamers or flag banners. Just unlocking the front door and turning the lights back on will be enough. We will have one or two of our staffers present during normal business hours, and our doors will be open to visitors on a limited basis. Step-by-step.
Life, albeit limited, will return to our studio. That’s the ‘grand’ part.
And – in this most enthusiastic month, we will remember. Memorial Day is an oddly appropriate way to wrap up May’s natural optimism. We take pause to remember that there were front-line heroes in all this.
For those among them who are no longer with us, we welcome May.
Thanks to them, we get to reopen.
And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.
And, thank you for watching.
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| Franklin TV: Grand Opening! Life! - Coming Soon to a TV Studio Near You. |
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| Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - May 5, 2021 |
