BEN's Bulletin: Senior Village and the Crossing

Moving forward (with a Master Plan in hand!)

BEN's Bulletin (02/24/25)   New year, new Plan! Thanks in part to the consistent support of BEN, the 2025 Master Plan Update unanimously passed the Planning Board & Town Council last month. The Plan lays out a strong vision for a Franklin with complete, inter-connected neighborhoods that balance the Town's environmental, economic, and housing needs. As always, feel free to join our monthly meeting (every third Thursday at 7pm) at Franklin TV or virtually at the following link: meet.ben4franklin.org. Key Agenda Items We return to our regularly-scheduled programming of providing BEN's Take on upcoming meetings of interest. Click HERE for live links to the agenda items. What We're Consuming Can luxury housing do anything for homelessness? (Justine Underhill) Donald Shoup had a major impact on cities (Congress for the New Urbanism) Nook and Cranny Urbanism: How To Maximize Every Inch of Space (Strong Towns) Reach out with any comments or questions. Thanks! The BEN Brigade Know someone else who may be interested in this content? Please share! Newsletter Sign Up Ben 4 Franklin, 23 Hutchinson St, Franklin, MA Send free email today

Town Administrator Evaluation Ad Hoc Committee meeting scheduled for February 27, 2025

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR EVALUATION AD HOC COMMITTEE

Agenda & Meeting Packet

February 27, 2025 - 7:00 PM

Meeting will be held at the Municipal Building

2nd floor, Council Chambers

355 East Central Street

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR EVALUATION DISCUSSION & RECOMMENDATION

a. Chair Memo & Evaluation

b. Town Council/Town Administrator Goals list September 2024-25

c. Town Administrator Contract Language

d. Staff Input:

• i. James McLaughlin, Fire Chief
• ii. Ryan Jette, Recreation Director
• iii. Felicia Oti, Library Director
• iv. Amy Frigulietti, Deputy Town Administrator
• v. Kerri Bertone, Chief Financial Officer
• vi. Other Department Heads

3. ADJOURN

Agenda doc also contains remote participation info -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02272025-1604

Town Administrator Evaluation Ad Hoc Committee meeting scheduled for February 27, 2025

"Look Up" Gallery by: Ali Rheaume at the Franklin Public Library Mar 1 - Mar 29

March 1st-29th @ the Franklin Public Library

For brain injury awareness month, this gallery containing acrylic paintings

of clouds embodies my personal journey after brain injury that God has

brought me though, amidst different circumstances and emotions. 

During the opening event, I will be sharing my story about how I went

from being an elementary PE teacher to an award-winning artist! 

Come view the art, hear about the process, and enjoy a meet-and-greet!!

 

March 1st-29th @ the Franklin Public Library

*Opening Event: March 7th, 3:45-4:45pm*

*Opening Event: March 7th, 3:45-4:45pm*

Boston Globe: "Here’s how Massachusetts proposes to measure graduation readiness for students, post MCAS"

Massachusetts education officials are proposing interim graduation standards that would require students, beginning with the class of 2026, to pass specific classes after voters last fall dropped the MCAS exam as a graduation requirement.

graduation readiness for students

The proposed new requirements would remain in place while a new graduation council explores long-term options

“This is a change the voters have put in place, and it’s a step until we get something that is more robust,” acting Commissioner Russell Johnston said Tuesday during a state education board meeting.

Shared from -> https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/25/metro/mcas-massachusetts-graduation-requirements-competency-determination/

You can access the full article at the Boston Globe with your Franklin Library card    ->    https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/how-to-access-online-resources-with.html

Fderal Government spending in one handy chart via USA Facts

At USAFacts, we believe that American taxpayers — the shareholders responsible for providing most government funding — are entitled to information on how the federal government and its budget operate. Every year, the federal government brings in and spends trillions of dollars.  

 

We've spent weeks combing through spreadsheets to help you track where that money goes. 

This new, searchable visualization displays government revenue from taxes and other sources, totaling $4.9 trillion for fiscal year 2024 and the $6.8 trillion the government spent.  

 

This chart even allows you to see spending data on specific federal agencies and programs. For example, type "Department of Labor" into the search bar at the top right of the visualization, and you'll see the department spent $66.2 billion in FY 2024. 

This new, searchable visualization displays government revenue from taxes and other sources

Shared from -> https://usafacts.org/government-spending/

Rockland Trust announces 3 PM closures for Franklin branches on March 12, 2025

Dear Customer,

On Wednesday, March 12, our branches and Customer Information Centers will be closing at 3:00 PM for our annual All Employee Meeting. This event is an important opportunity for us to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and accomplishments of our team members throughout the year.

Rockland Trust announces 3 PM closures for Franklin branches on March 12, 2025

We appreciate your understanding as we take this time to show our gratitude to the people who work diligently to serve our customers. As a reminder, ATMs, online banking, and mobile banking are always available to access your accounts.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to serving you soon.

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025

Time/Day			Wednesday
7:00 AM	12:00 Noon	5:00 PM	Jazz
8:00 AM	1:00 PM	6:00 PM	FM Radio - Sherlock
9:00 AM	2:00 PM	7:00 PM	Wonderful World of Wine - Lenzi/Simone
10:00 AM	3:00 PM	8:00 PM	Frank's Music - Falvey
11:00 AM	4:00 PM	9:00 PM	Music

8:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM   Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock 

Franklin and its local government, services and events  (repeats Saturday at 2 PM)  

This segment features the my conversation with Laura dDoherty, Associate Director of the Franklin Food Pantry as we cover their strategic plan  ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/laura-shares-insights-from-pantry.html

9:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM  The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone    All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points.    (repeats Saturday at 1 PM)  

Mark & Kim talk conduct an "Interview with Ray Isle "

 ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/the-wonderful-world-of-wine-www-episode_01672919605.html?

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Wednesday

Franklin TV schedule for Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 6, Verizon 26) = WEDNESDAY

7:30 am Mental Health: Diane Plouffe & Jamie Barrett

8:30 am Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter

10:00 am Vera Meyer: Glass Harmonica

11:30 am Cooking Thyme: Lasagna

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin': Peppers

12:30 pm Cooking with Linda: Monkey Bread

1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: Margherita Pizza

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Summer '19 Show 2

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 11

4:00 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Pt 2 01-16-25

5:00 pm Concerts on the Common: Heartland Radio

8:00 pm Shelley Otis: Harpist

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel        (Comcast 8, Verizon 28) = WEDNESDAY

7:00 am Public School Concert: Elementary Winter Music Pt. 3 01-15-19

8:30 am Public School Event: Remington Winter Music 2022

10:00 am Pickleball Tournament: Pickleball Tournament

11:00 am All-Town Showcase 2024: Band

12:30 pm FHS Boys Varsity Hockey v Attleboro 02-05-25

3:00 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Pt 2 01-16-25

5:00 pm Hockomock League Swim Championships Day 1 2025

8:30 pm Hockomock League Swim Championship Day 2 2025

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 9, Verizon 29) = WEDNESDAY

8:00 am Town Council 02-05-25

11:30 am Joint Budget Subcommittee Listening Session 3 02-19-25

2:00 pm Town Council 02-05-25

5:45 pm Economic Development Subcommittee  CHAMBERS  830 4343 9906

7:00 pm Town Council  CHAMBERS  825 4353 5467

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

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 ???

Tuesday, February 25 

2:00pm Rainbow Cafe (Franklin Senior Center)

7:00pm Musical Bingo (Raillery Public House)

Library events (follow link for details)

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=24&showPastEvents=false

**  Town Meetings today   **

4:00 PM - Franklin School Committee (executive session - negotiations)

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02252025-1583

7:00 PM - Design Review (remote only)

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02252025-1597

7 PM - Police Station Building Committee (broadcast & Zoom)

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02252025-1601 

--------------

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

Reminder: Joe Crookston Scheduled to Perform at Circle of Friends Coffeehouse - Mar 8, 2025

The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse in Franklin is thrilled to welcome Joe Crookston back on Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 PM. 

Joe is a force of nature on stage. Pure magic. He’s in his power and communes with his audience. He’ll surprise you. He awakens the cynics. His rhythm is infectious. In concert, he is funny as hell one moment and transcendent the next. Whether he’s weaving through lap slide songs or fiddling an American Southern tune, he’ll draw you in.

Joe Crookston March 8 

Joe has toured with Gordon Lightfoot, headlined major US festivals, and received a Folk Alliance International “Album of the Year" award. He’s played with Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, David Francey, John McCutcheon, John Gorka, Judy Collins and 100’s more. Please join us at this outstanding show. https://www.joecrookston.com/

The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse is a non-profit organization affiliated with Franklin's First Universalist Society. Concerts are presented in a smoke free and alcohol free environment at the Society's handicapped accessible Meetinghouse, 262 Chestnut St. in Franklin, and begin at 7:30 PM; doors open at 7:00 PM. 

Beverages and gourmet desserts will be available.  Admission is $25.  

Please  visit http://www.circlefolk.org/ to purchase tickets or for more information.

Upcoming Shows

• Apr 5  The Kennedys
• May 17 John Gorka