Budget, budget, budget - oh, and the 'Master Plan' are key topics for the week beginning January 27

Looking ahead to the week beginning January 27, 2025

Yes, the FY 2026 budget and "Master Plan" takes center stage this week. 

Monday begins with a couple of key sessions: 

• School Committee Chair Dave Callaghan amd Vice Chair David McNeill hold a "State of the Schools" session at the Franklin TV studio at 7 PM. https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/reminder-state-of-franklin-schools-jan.html
• The Master Plan Update committee mets at 6:00 PM to finalize their doc and presentation of the "Master Plan" to the Planning Board meeting at 7 PM the same night.  https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01272025-1476

The School District brings the "Superintendent Recommended Budget" forward at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Jan 28.  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-for_01254023424.html

The Town Council Capital Budget subcommittee gets their view on the capital budget approved last week by the Finance Committee  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/franklin-ma-capital-budget-subcommittee.html

The first of six Listening Sessions begins Thursday, January 30 at the Elks Lodge. https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/all-of-us-are-worthy-of-welcome-video.html

Note: only the March 8 session at the Council Chambers is scheduled to enable remote participation. All six sessions will be broadcast to Comcast, Verizon, & YouTube. 

ONLY, the March 8 session will include Zoom to enable a question or comment. If you want to ask a question, make a comment, or suggestion, you need to be there for the other 5 sessions.

https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

Looking back at the week that was 

(January 20 - 26, 2025)

The Town of Franklin updated its webpage (breaking all prior links). If you set up an account, you can enable more notifications for specific topics (i.e meeting agendas, etc.) than previously. I did so and they are working well.

The School Committe and the Town Council both met at the same time on Wednesday, Jan 22. While Chris broadcast and recorded the Council meeting, I was upstairs in the training room recording the audio for the School's budget workshop. 

School Committee budget workshop recap & audio (exclusive) ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/school-committee-gets-preview-in.html

Town Council Quarterbacking session condenses the meeting ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/tom-mercer-condenses-jan-22-2025-town.html

Town Council video & audio links ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/town-council-meeting-of-jan-22-2025.html

Budget, budget, budget - oh, and the 'Master Plan' are key topics for the week beginning January 27

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For all the meetings and cultural eventss, check out the calendars, or visit Franklin Matters where each day, that day's events on posted on the top of the page

• Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
• Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

Subscribe for the daily dose of information ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> 

https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, January 26, 2025 ???

Sunday, January 26

• Fiber Art Installation (Franklin Public Library) 
• Last days to buy Music Booster calendar raffle for February

9:00am Fallen Heroes: William 0. Martello (Veterans Walkway, Town Common)

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free) 

1:30pm Vera Meyer performs on Ben Franklin’s glass armonica (Dean college, Marvin Chapel)

2:00pm Family Concert Series: Discover the World of Classical Music (THE BLACK BOX)

2:30pm Chess Group (Franklin Public Library)

**  NO  Town Meetings today   **

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Why are there multiple calendars?

What's happening today in Franklin? 

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=37&showPastEvents=false

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendars

Fallen Hero Recognition: William O. Martello - Jan 26, 2025 - 9 AM

Memorial event today (1/26/25) at 9 AM on the Town Common Veterans Walkway to honor William O. Martello.   

This program will include the placing of a Memorial Wreath for the day, the playing of Taps, a salute from those present, and a reading of whatever history  may be available for that veteran.  This is a way of keeping the memory of that veteran alive.

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Fallen Hero: Ensign William O. Martello, U.S. Navy

Ensign William Olindo Martello, U.S. Navy, was born on April 14, 1920, son of Theresa and Olindo Martelli. Willam was raised by Theresa and her second husband, Nicholas Martello, at 17 Howard Street with his four sisters and one brother. “Willie” attended the Franklin Schools and graduated from Franklin High School in 1937. William went on to Boston University where he graduated with honors with an A.B. degree and was initiated into Phi Beta Kappa.  

William Martello was a student, artist and musician as well as a fighting man. “Willie” was an accomplished concert pianist and was rated as one of the most promising young pianists in New England. Prior to his naval service “Lindy” traveled on the Grace cruise line to South American as an onboard pianist.  

William O. Martello enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserves on April 17, 1942 and later began his active naval service on April 8, 1943. William O. Martello attended Columbia’s naval officers training program and was commissioned an ensign upon completion of the program on July 28, 1943. He served as second in command aboard an invasion craft off the coast of the Anzio beachhead below Rome. Survivors of Ensign Martello’s landing craft, which had struck a mine in the waters off Anzio, reported that Ensign Martello had refused to heed the order to abandon ship, had fitted out a life raft with provisions, and when last seen, just as the ship turned over and went down, was hurling life belts into the sea for his crewmen swimming in the water.  

A month before his death Ensign William O. Martello wrote to his mother the following lines in a letter to her: 

“As for the war, we had to adjust ourselves to the personal problems it brought, and if a guy can’t take it, then his life is a failure. That is why I am not even afraid of death. If I did one thing that indicated cowardness, the rest of my life would be miserable.” 

Ensign William O. Martello, U.S. Navy, was lost at sea off Anzio on January 26, 1944 at the age of 23.

Fallen Hero: Ensign Martello

For the full published series of Fallen Heroes you can visit this link
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/franklin-fallen-heroes-series.html

Photo album of the Fallen Hero pillars along the Veterans Walkway

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oRGdmq9krLNEBnjJ7

You can find all the videos for 2024 in one playlist -> 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo3eJGInVXU&list=PLbAODFjFPJ0zOqXRuHZ5-_LPf6UwmBNSA

Franklin, MA: Capital Budget Subcommittee - Agenda for Meeting Jan 29, at 7 PM

Capital Budget Subcommittee 

Meeting Agenda & Meeting Packet 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025 7:00 PM

1. FY25 Capital Plan & Subcommittee recommendations 

a. Town Administrator Memo  

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/4098/2025-01-29-CBSC-Agenda---1a-FY25-Capital

b. FY25 Department Summary Requests & Capital Plans  

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/4117/1b---Capital---Dept-Requests-and-5-Year-Plans

c. Quotes  

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/4116/1c-Quotes

2. Adjourn

The agenda doc also contains remote participation info ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01292025-1526

The capital budget proposal on the agenda for the Capital Budget Subcommittee Wednesday

The Finance Committee reviewed this capital budget among the items on its agenda at their Jan 15 meeting. The recap, audio and video links are available here ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/01/finance-committee-approves-recommended_0799398139.html

Town Council meeting of Jan 22, 2025 available for audio replay (audio)

FM #1362  This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1362 in the series. 

This session shares the Franklin (MA) Town Council Meeting of Wednesday, January 22, 2025. All 9 of the members participated in Council Chambers. 

Quick recap:

• APPOINTMENTS - Police Station Building Committee - Andrew Woodward

• PUBLIC HEARING - rescheduled to Feb 5; New Common Victualler Section 12 Restaurant All Alcoholic Beverages License and Approval of Karan Goswami as the Manager - Kaushik Restaurants Inc. d/b/a Mirchi Indian Cuisine

• PRESENTATIONS / DISCUSSION on Maple Hill and Schmidt Farm Update - Breeka Li Goodlander, Conservation Director

• 2 Zoning Bylaw Amendments for Signs, first reading and approved to move to second reading

• 2 Zoning Bylaw Amendments for their second reading, and receiving unanimous final approval

• Grant of Underground Gas Distribution System Easement for work by Eversource at the Pump Station near the Recreation Dept.

• Approval of a donation for the Senior Center

• TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

• Emergency housing potentially ended by year end (if not sooner)

• New website, agenda issue for Jamie, kins to be worked out

• Senior Center heating issue, funding planned for ‘permanent’ fix

Let’s listen to the meeting recording which runs about 2 hours and 10 minutes.  Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1362-town-council-mtg-01-22-25/

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Franklin TV video available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/live/whUEjE1HPjY?&t=149 

The agenda doc -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01222025-1501 

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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

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

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

For additional information, please visit 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"

Town Council meeting video available for replay - Jan 22, 2025 (video)

FHS girls hockey fall to Medfield 1-2 on Saturday (video)

Via Twitter, Franklin TV, and our subscription to HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the Winter sports competition for Franklin High School on Saturday, January 25, 2025

Girls Hockey = Franklin, 1 vs. Medfield, 2 – Final

Franklin TV video available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYUaLHNBZDE

West Springfield Tournament (Franklin), 10:00AM 

- no results available at this time

For other results across the Hockomock League (subscription required) 

https://hockomocksports.com/saturdays-schedule-scoreboard-01-25-25/

FHS Panther sports results shared via Twitter & subscription to HockomockSports.com

Franklin TV: Cooking in 2025

Learn to Cook, with Linda Waters

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 01/26/2025

Ingredients for Chicken Pot Pie filling, all ready for camera

On Thursday we began our 2025 production season of ‘Learn to Cook, with Linda’. The theme of the day: comfort food. The recipes: Chicken Pot Pie, Mac-n-Cheese, and Shepherd’s Pie. Whenever we record cooking shows in our TV kitchen it’s a vaguely Pavlovian experience. We tend to record three episoides in the normal course, and as each one is completed the production crew starts to salivate – drooling like Pavlov’s dog hearing a bell that signified food was at hand.

The ‘kitchen’ day is just one step in a production process that begins a week or so earlier. Linda begins recipe planning and lays out the ingredients and cooking instructions in PowerPoint. She provides a shopping list, and we then gather all the necessaries from local markets and farm stands. We make sure to buy and prepare enough for the production crew – lest they become ‘hangry’ – and mutiny.

A well-fed crew is a happy crew.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching. 

Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.

And staying informed at Franklin●news.

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf   

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

Call for Artists to participate in the 1st Annual Fakes and Forgeries Exhibit

CALLING ALL ARTISTS:  

1st Annual Fakes and Forgeries Exhibit

The Franklin Art Association is collaborating with the Franklin Historical Museum to present the 1st Annual Fakes and Forgeries Exhibit.  This exhibit is open to all artists including student artists in Franklin and the surrounding areas.  

There is no entry fee to participate.   

The exhibit will be held at the Franklin Historical Museum June 7 - June 22, with a registration deadline of May 23rd.  

Artists may request an entry form and exhibit guidelines by emailing the Franklin Art Association at faasecretary@gmail.com.  

So get those brushes and paints out and help make this first of its kind Franklin community event a huge success!

FISH of Franklin need volunteers - Can you help?

TRANSPORTATION AND TELEPHONE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Do you have one day a month to volunteer for FISH of Franklin?

FISH of Franklin is a non-profit organization of volunteers that provides transportation to medical appointments for Franklin residents who have no other means of transportation. Our local Franklin Chapter has been providing services to clients since 1973.

FISH volunteers are caring and compassionate men and women who devote one day a month to telephone and/or transportation for our FISH clients.

FISH of Franklin need volunteers - Can you help? 

To learn more about FISH volunteer opportunities, please call:

FISH of Franklin

508-528-2121

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BWZspvk84/

You can also listen to my conversation with Barbara Steele, Nancy Rappa and Terry Robbins, all with FISH of Franklin. We had our conversation in the Franklin TV Studio conference room on Tuesday, August 29, 2023.

Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1053-fish-of-franklin-celebrate-50-years-08-29-23

Reminder: Friends Of Franklin Library Fudge Sale - your order is due by Feb 6, 2025

Friends of the Franklin Library is partnering with The Fudge Lady of Uxbridge for our 3rd Annual Valentine's Day Fudge Fundraiser. You can choose from 17 delicious specialty fudge flavors, including two vegan and one sugar free option. Also, 15 of the 17 fudge flavors are gluten free.

Reminder: Friends Of Franklin Library Fudge Sale - your order is due by Feb 6, 2025

With Valentine's Day coming up, this is the perfect gift for that special someone, your friends, family, or co-workers. And don't forget to treat yourself, too!

All proceeds will help Friends of the Franklin Library continue to support and fund a variety of library-run programs, services, and initiatives at our beloved Franklin Public Library.

 This year there are two ordering options:

• Option 1:  Mail your completed order form + check to:
                    Friends of the Franklin Library, PO Box 147, Franklin, MA 02038

• Option 2:  Email your completed order form to fofl02038@gmail.com and  VENMO your payment to @FriendsofFranklinLibrary

Orders are due by Thursday, February 6th and will be available for pick up at the library during designated times Tuesday, 2/11– Thursday, 2/13.  

CLICK HERE to start your order!

The Friends thank you for your continued support!

Best,
Friends of the Franklin Library

Order form -> https://www.fofl02038.org/_files/ugd/9c642c_5bcfed6d9897404880a8bcdd379d9297.pdf

Consider taking this Country Line Dancing class Feb 13

Starts Thursday Feb. 13th

Line dancing is great exercise and really fun! Plus, it's a great way to meet people. Click the link below for all the info. For information and to register, visit: Community Learning Exercise & Wellness Classes

Lifelong Learning Institute - Franklin Public Schools | 218 Oak Street Room 137 | Franklin, MA 02038 US

Reminder: State of the Franklin Schools - Jan 27 at 7 PM at Franklin TV Studio

School Committee Chair Dave Callaghan and Vice Chair David McNeill will provide a brief presentation on the "State of the Schools" and spend time with Q&A.

State of the Franklin Schools - Jan 27 at 7 PM at Franklin TV Studio

Dealing with spam texts, emails, and junk mail

Dealing with spam texts, emails, and junk mail By Andrew Rayo If it's not scammers spamming your phone with texts or filling up your inbox with emails, it's your mailbox crammed with ads and other mail you didn't ask for. The junk messages and mail might seem endless, but there are some ways to help scale it back. Read more -> https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/01/dealing-spam-texts-emails-and-junk-mail?