South Station Air Rights Project: Construction Update - September 17, 2021

View this email in your browser The following is an update on construction activity for the South Station Air Rights Project. As construction progresses into Stage 2, work will transition from the station and concourse areas into established construction work zones adjacent to Atlantic Avenue, including Track 13 on east side of the railyard and the primary Tower Work Zone. We will continue to send construction advisories to outline the project progress and schedule, as well as any passenger impacts. We also encourage you to visit the project website and check out the updated Project Photos and Documents page to see the new gallery of construction photos.  During construction, crews will continue to work as efficiently as possible to minimize impacts to the traveling public. We appreciate your patience and engagement during this time.  Construction Update - September 17, 2021 Suffolk Construction, the contractor for the South Station Air Rights Project, will continue daytime and overnight construction at South Station. Please allow extra time (5–10 minutes) as you get used to new construction zones and paths of travel at the station. Trains might arrive and depart on a different track than what is typical. Be sure to check your track number before boarding. Photo taken on September 14, 2021 showing work on the steel structure that will cover the railyard.  Activity on Tracks and Platforms The contractor is currently erecting a steel structure that will cover the entire railyard, which will support the expanded bus terminal. The next phase of steel erection has begun, and the structure (which is currently over Tracks 1-6) has begun to cover Tracks 7, 8, 9 & 10. The contractor will continue to place concrete on the new steel structure above the tracks as the structure is completed.    In the Tower Work Zone, the contractor is continuing with pre-excavation operations to support installation of the tower deep foundation elements, which will begin in October. This work will be entirely behind the construction barriers, but customers may hear work and experience vibrations from it.    In the next few weeks, a second crane will be set up to assist with the construction of the steel structure and the expansion of the bus terminal. This crane will be located between the station and the Post Office (adjacent to Track 13). Once it is operational, Track 13 will continue to operate normally during the day, but will be closed between 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM. The overhead canopy, located between Tracks 12 and 13 will be removed in October. This work will occur at night. Pedestrian travel routes will be maintained at all times and clearly delineated. There will be access to CharlieCard validators used for the Fairmount Line.   The common platform has expanded around the work zone, providing direct access to all tracks. Passengers can use the new bifold doors near Tracks 1 and 2 to access the outdoor concourse and platforms. The other sets of doors are now closed. The contractor has also completed the infill of Tracks 1 and 2, further expanding the platform. Activity in Atlantic Avenue Area A crane, located in the Atlantic Avenue Work Zone, is currently erecting the steel structure for the new bus terminal expansion and parking garage overbuild.   The lane on Atlantic Avenue formerly available for parking will continue to be used for pedestrian access around the work zone while steel erection work continues.   Commuters traveling between the South Station concourse and the South Station bus terminal are encouraged to use the Platform A walkway to bypass the expanded Atlantic Avenue Work Zone. Activity in Summer Street Plaza Area Work in this area is taking place behind construction barriers. This area serves as the main construction access for the Tower Work Zone. A uniformed police officer is stationed in the area when the gate is in use. Pedestrian travel routes will be maintained at all times and clearly delineated. There will be access to CharlieCard validators used for the Fairmount Line.  For more information: Visit the project website, www.southstationairrights.com If you have questions, please email the project team: team@southstationairrights.com  Project hotline (for complaints, emergencies, and general inquiries): 617-445-3500 The schedule for this infrastructure project is weather dependent and subject to change without notice. Please encourage your friends, colleagues, and neighbors who may be interested in this project to sign up for email alerts as well. Visit www.southstationairrights.com for more information.

South Station Air Rights · 51 Franklin St Ste 400 · Boston, MA 02110-1335 · USA

Andy & Judy to perform at the Franklin Public Library - Sep 19

Andy & Judy to perform at the Franklin Public Library

Andy & Judy to perform at the Franklin Public Library - Sep 19

Andy & Judy are a Contemporary Folk duo hailing from southeastern Mass. They play guitars, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and other instruments and have performed on Folk coffeehouse stages, in libraries, festivals and in retirement communities in 24 states. During a concert, Andy & Judy perform original songs in many different styles, such as traditional Folk, roots music, country swing or bluegrass. There is always an open invitation for the audience to participate by singing along, clapping or stomping to their original tunes. As contemporary folk singer/songwriters, Andy & Judy tell stories through song - many of which are based on historical events, times or places. Also, the audience will experience the tradition of folk singing as evidenced through their learning and singing of new songs in the spirit of community. They strive to write songs that are carefully crafted and performed so that the listener experiences all of the emotions woven into the music. This performance is free and open to the public. For more information about Andy & Judy, please visit http://www.andyjudysing.com/ .

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/news/andy-judy-perform-franklin-public-library

FHS Hockey Bottle & Can and Food Pantry Drive! Sep 25

Update - FHS Hockey Bottle & Can | Food Pantry Drive! Drop off your bottles, cans & food items on 9/25 btw 8-12 @ Franklin's Pirelli Ice Rink.

For Food Pantry items click: https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/give-help/donate-food/current-needs-list/

@FHSSports @PanthersJVPuck @ToFranklinMa @FranklinRec @FYHockey @FranklinFoodPan

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1438938146322923521?s=03

FHS Panther Hockey:  bottle/can drive - Sep 25, 2021

FHS Golf, volleyball, field hockey, boys soccer, and football teams all post wins on Friday

Via @HockomockSports and Twitter we share the results of the FHS fall sports action on Friday, Sep 17, 2021 

Football = Franklin, 37 @ Brockton, 7 – Final

"Final: Franklin 37 Brockton 7. Boxers drop to 0-2 for the first time since 2008 and have allowed 89 points in the two losses.

Franklin senior running back Mac Gulla the big star in this one as he runs for 285 yards and 2 TDs on 30 carries. "   https://twitter.com/gdudek10/status/1439029316554313733

Boys Soccer = Oliver Ames, 1 @ Franklin, 2 – Final

"BIG 2-1 DUB VS OA Goals by Terry (from Hansy) and Tyler (from Noah). Juice goes to Sexy Rexy for stepping up big time in the back. Next game on Monday @ Taunton. "  https://twitter.com/_FranklinSoccer/status/1439015577595564034

Boys JV Soccer with a 5-3 win against Oliver Ames Friday. Great game boys!     https://twitter.com/FHSBoysSocBSTRs/status/1439184009377075204

Girls Soccer = Franklin, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final

Field Hockey = Franklin, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final

Volleyball = Franklin, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final 
– OA won a close first set, 27-25, but then Franklin rolled over the next three sets (25-12, 25-13, 25-12) to pull out the win and stay perfect on the season. Cailyn Mackintosh dished out 21 assists and added eight kills. She also chipped in with four aces and 27 digs. Taylor Lacerda also had eight kills for the Panther and Brigid Earley had four kills and seven blocks. Addyson Smock had a pair of blocks for the Tigers and gave them an aggressive presence at the net. Hadley Rhodes led OA with 20 assists and five kills and Maddie Homer was strong in serve-receive and on defense with 27 digs and 32 receptions.

Golf = Mansfield, 168 @ Franklin, 166 – Final 
– Franklin defended its home course to hand Mansfield its first loss of the season. Sophomore CJ Steel show the low round of the afternoon, carding a 38. That was one stroke better than Mansfield’s Cian Goulet. Caden Sullivan added a round of 42 and Ben Paterson and Caroline Woelfel each shot 43s for the Panthers. Cody Nieratko shot a 40 for the Hornets, who also got a round of 43 from Jordan Tavares and a 46 from Brendan Vokey.

"Big win for Panthers golf today!

Nice job by sophmore CJ Steel coming in with low round 38 and freshman Caden Sullivan firing a solid 42 to bring home the victory.

Co-Captain Caroline Woelfel with her 5th straight top 4 finish along with soph Ben Paterson shot 43's "   https://twitter.com/FHSGolfTeam/status/1439008033825345537

 

For other results around the Hockomock League

https://hockomocksports.com/fridays-schedule-scoreboard-09-17-21/

The FHS Sports Twitter list to follow for results and updates

https://twitter.com/i/lists/823290154886512641

FHS Golf, volleyball, field hockey, boys soccer, and football teams all post wins on Friday

Boston Veterans Job Fair! - Sep 23, 2021

Boston Veterans Job Fair!

September 23, 2021 - Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA 

11:00 AM  -  3:00 PM.

LOOKING FOR A JOB? 

The Boston Veterans Job Fair will be held on on Thursday, September 23, 2021 from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM at Gillette Stadium on Route 1 in Foxboro.

The Mass/Hire Metro South/West Career Center team is working with employers across the region to assist with recruitment needs in many industries including automotive, banking, IT, manufacturing, accounting, sales & marketing, cyber security and more!

For more information, contact the Mass/Hire Norwood Career Center at:  1-781-269-5494 

Shared from  https://www.franklinma.gov/veterans-services/news/boston-veterans-job-fair

Boston Veterans Job Fair! - Sep 23, 2021

Senator Rausch to host virtual office hours in October and November

SENATOR RAUSCH ANNOUNCES VIRTUAL FALL OFFICE HOURS 

Senator Rausch (D-Needham) will host her next virtual office hours on Friday, October 9 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am (link here). 

In keeping with best practices and recommendations from public health officials, conversations with the Senator and her staff will  take place via video conferencing and phone calls. 

Residents from any part of the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District are welcome to share their questions and opinions on state issues with Senator Rausch and her staff. Constituents may reserve 15-minute appointments in advance at beccarauschma.com/office-hours.  

Senator Rausch will also hold virtual office hours on The following dates: 

• Friday, November 5 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 

• Friday, November 10 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 

To subscribe to Senator Rausch's newsletter, please visit https://beccarauschma.com/newsletter. Constituents can still contact the Senator and her team at 617-722-1555 or email becca.rausch@masenate.gov to share their opinion on state issues, seek assistance, or schedule a call with the Senator or her staff. Residents can also get live updates from the Senator via Twitter (@BeccaRauschMA) and Facebook (@BeccaRauschMA). 

Senator Becca Rausch represents the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District, comprised of Attleboro, Franklin, Millis, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Plainville, Sherborn, Wayland, Wellesley, and Wrentham. Currently in her second term, Senator Rausch serves as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture and the Senate Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. 

 

Senator Rausch to host virtual office hours in October and November

Harvest Moonshine Festival - Sep 18

It has been a long time since you heard from us at OCC Coffeehouse – since the start of the COBID pandemic in February or March 2020.  Times have been difficult, but we are still here.  The future has begun to look much brighter in many respects, and you will be hearing more in the near future.

In the meantime, here is your invitation to a wonderful festival in Wrentham that will be well worth going to this afternoon, Saturday, September 18, from 3:30 until 8 PM at White Barn Farm in Wrentham.

Be sure to let them know that you heard about it from Ken Graves at OCC Coffeehouse, and let me know how you like it.  I may very well see you there.

The Festival will be held at White Barn Farm, 458 South Street, Wrentham, MA.  Tickets are $15 no matter how long you want to stay.

Music features Billy Wylder, Hawthorn, and DJ Rutabaga!

This is the 10th anniversary celebration on the farm.

For more information, go to whitebarnfarm.org. 

Harvest Moonshine Festival - Sep 18

Franklin's Event Outlook: Sep 17 - Sep 23, 2021

Friday and the Farmers Market comes around again. Jamie Barrett shares his music in a performance at the Market today. Cobi Frongillo and the DPW are also scheduled to be there today to talk about "Complete Streets". In addition to the kids activities provided by the Library, there is also the Book and Bag sale this weekend. On Saturday morning, get rid of stuff with the recycling and energy drive at Beaver Pond.

Friday, September 17
1:00pm - Book Sale
2:00pm - Farmers Market
3:30pm - Kids craft activity by Library Youth Services

Saturday, September 18
9:00am - Book Sale
9:00am - Recycling and energy drive
9:30am - St Mary's Women's Faith Formation
10:00am - Historical Museum (always free)
1:00pm - Bag Sale

Sunday, September 19
1:00pm - TBB: Rock'n Lobster Roll (fund raiser)
1:00pm - Historical Museum (always free) 

Find the full calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

The School district meeting calendar is found   https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

Community Calendar

Franklin Food Pantry re-evaluates and changes plans for 138 East Central St

The Board of Directors, at the recommendation of Franklin Food Pantry leadership, Franklin Food Pantry Building Committee, and the team of professionals hired to build out 138 East Central Street, has decided to put 138 East Central Street on the market for sale, effective immediately.

We are extremely disappointed that this property no longer meets the operational needs of the Franklin Food Pantry (FFP). We are appreciative of the hundreds of hours of work spent exploring every possible avenue to successfully open the building as the Pantry’s new location. Not only have staff and our team of architects, builders, engineers, traffic consultant, legal services, and site planning experts worked tirelessly to vet potential solutions, the public also has been incredibly supportive of this endeavor.

After almost 18 months of work, we concluded that while 138 East Central was a viable option for FFP pre-pandemic, COVID-19 so drastically changed our operations and programming that the property no longer allowed us to fully meet the needs of our neighbors.

Some of the new programs that this property was challenged to support include:

• Curbside Distribution – shown to be incredibly important for our neighbors with health issues, mobility concerns, young children, constrained schedules etc.
• Home Delivery – critical for our most vulnerable neighbors facing chronic disease, cancer treatments, transportation limitations, and other situations that restrict travel
• Holiday Distributions – this program grew under COVID, adding a permanent Summer Distribution to augment the two winter distributions

We also faced logistical challenges on the site that would have limited the ability of our community to contribute through the food drives or our community donation bin – both of which are key aspects of our success. Finally, a number of discretionary site planning requirements became evident. Meeting these would have drastically and negatively impacted our services.

We are actively pursuing other options for a new Franklin Food Pantry site. The limitations of our current site remain, and our reach has expanded beyond what our current site can do. We are grateful to Rockland Trust for allowing us to continue to operate under their roof – our neighbors rely on us, and them, to access support during difficult times. What we learned through this process is valuable and will be applied to the next site. While this pivot is a temporary change in direction, the strategic decision to move to a new location has not wavered and the project has not lost steam.

For all of those who financially supported our new building campaign, rest assured that it is happening. For all of those who provided your expertise, letters of support, time on our various Committees and continue to be Ambassadors to what we do every day – thank you. We take that commitment to our mission very seriously and will achieve our goal of a new space.

In the meantime, we continue to serve those who need us. Food insecurity isn’t merely a physical struggle, but a social, mental and emotional burden that FFP tries to meet with kindness, grace and humility. We will continue serving, every day, without waver, while we work to secure our new home.

 

Franklin Food Pantry re-evaluates and changes plans for 138 East Central St

The Coaches Corner: Wachusett Win (video)

"The Coaches Corner! Wachsett Win! at The New Coaches Corner Studios

@glenpharmer

@Coach_Bain

@fhs_gridiron

@FHSSports

@jphref

@tommycassell44

@HockomockSports

@BostonHeraldHS

@danorlovsky7

"

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinjpapa/status/1438329041963061250

Video link -> https://youtu.be/WME-VdKf14c

FM #603 - Economic Development SubComm Mtg - 09/15/21 (audio)

FM #603 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 603 in the series. 

This shares the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting that was held on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. 

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid mode; the three committee members present were in the Council Chambers, along with some public participants and the Town Administration staff. Others were able to via the Zoom conference bridge. 

Links to the meeting agenda and my notes are in the show notes. The meeting recording runs about thirty-seven minutes (~:37).  Let’s listen to the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting for Sep 15. Audio file => https://player.captivate.fm/episode/bbb4f182-2c73-46c5-8a8b-f7ad8a00e315

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Meeting agenda 

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/_2021-09-15_edc_agenda_.pdf 

My notes captured via Twitter and shared here in summary form

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/09/recap-economic-development-subcommittee.html 

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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?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

 

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/

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"

FM #603 - Economic Development SubComm Mtg - 09/15/21 (audio)