Franklin Matters

Monday, October 12, 2026

You can purchase some Food Pantry clothing to show your support !!!

"Purchase Franklin Food Pantry Merch now through October 18 through the Pantry Swag Store! Get your gear on and show your support for The Pantry.

Merchandise will be shipped to your address by mid-November.

Link to purchase" -> https://xpressionprintsinc.printavo.com/merch/franklin-food-pantry

Registration Deadline - Monday, October 12 - 7th Annual Halloween House Decorating Contest!

FRANKLIN, IT’S TIME TO GET SPOOKY! 👻

The Franklin MA Lions Club is excited to announce the 7th Annual Halloween House Decorating Contest!

Registration Deadline - Monday, October 12 - 7th Annual Halloween House Decorating Contest!

It’s time to pull out the pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons, witches, lights, and all your Halloween creativity! Whether your house is spooky, creepy, silly, spectacular, or completely over-the-top — we want to see it!

TWO WAYS TO PARTICIPATE!

IN IT TO WIN IT

Think your Halloween display has what it takes? Enter to have your home judged and compete for Halloween decorating bragging rights!

SHARING IS SCARING

Love decorating but don't want to compete? You can still register your home and share your Halloween display with the Franklin community!

AND THE BEST PART… PARTICIPATION IS FREE!

Open to all Franklin, MA residents

Registration Deadline:

Monday, October 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM (Noon)

So start planning, start decorating, and start getting SPOOKY!

Let's make Franklin SCARY GOOD this Halloween!

Presented by the Franklin MA Lions Club

#FranklinMA #FranklinMAEvents #HalloweenInFranklin #HalloweenHouseContest #Halloween2026 #FranklinLions #SpookySeason #HalloweenDecorating

Registration Challenge added for BFCCPS Fun Run Oct 16, 2026

via B.F.C.C.P.S Parent Community Organization

It's a LONG WEEKEND and we are a LONG WAY away from our goal at just 35%, so we are adding a REGISTRATION CHALLENGE to our incentives! These funds are crucial to sustain our programming!

Registration Challenge added for BFCCPS Fun Run Oct 16, 2026

The CHALLENGE: The grade with the highest total registrations by Tuesday at 8 pm will receive a SPECIAL PRIZE next week.

Kindergarten is currently in the lead! Our whole school has already earned a PJ DAY for Wednesday as we hit 10K this weekend!!

Every registration, share, and donation if you are able helps us continue our mission and make a huge impact on our students and the school community.

Our hope is that if you have not registered yet, you will take the time to do so this long weekend! OUR FUN RUN IS THIS FRIDAY!

Thank you for your support!

👉REGISTER HERE:

👉WE NEED VOLUNTEERS: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A44ADA62EA3FC1-66400119-funrun?#/

Tri-county Open House scheduled for Saturday Nov 7, 2026

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Monday, October 12, 2026

Yes, Franklin has its own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a brand new schedule for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves.

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

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

Franklin TV schedule for Monday, Oct 12, 2026

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

7:00 am Aging Boldfully: Roberta Trahan

8:00 am Veterans' Oral History Project: Dave Cargill

9:00 am Franklin 4th: Richiman and Groove Nice

10:10 am Franklin 4th: Jamie Barrett

11:30 am Cooking Thyme: Candy Apples

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Scones

12:30 pm Learn to Cook with Linda: Brunch Bake

1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: White Pizza

2:30 pm New England Candlepins Summer 2023 Show 3

3:30 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 4

4:00 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Referee Shortage 2

5:00 pm FM Journal October 2026

6:00 pm Aging Agenda: Arthur Vigeant

7:00 pm Frank Presents: Diana DiZoglio

7:30 pm Frank Presents: Wayne Adams

8:00 pm Franklin Matters: Cemetery Tour

9:00 pm Vera Meyer: Glass Armonica

10:00 pm Circle of Friends - Lucy Kaplansky

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

8:30 am Veterans Oral History Project: Joseph McMannus

9:30 am Winning Ways with the MIAA: Referee Shortage 2

10:30 am Jazz Cafe 03-06-26

12:30 pm Middle School Winter Music: 2025: Band

2:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Soccer v Taunton 10-06-26

4:00 pm Franklin History: Tommaso Juglaris

9:00 pm FHSTC: Curious Case of the Cottingley Fairies

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

8:00 am Planning Board 09-28-26

11:00 am Joint Budget Subcommittee 10-07-26

2:00 pm Planning Board 09-28-26

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

Sunday, October 11, 2026

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, October 11, 2026 ???

Sunday, October 11

12:00pm 7th Annual Pumpkin Patch (St John's Episcopal Church)

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:15pm Sunday Speaker Series (Franklin Historical Museum)

Library closed for the holiday Sunday/Monday

*** NO Town Meetings today ***

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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 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-calendar

Frank Presents Wayne Adams (video)

Frank (Falvey) Presents Wayne Adams

Interview with Wayne Adams of The Civil Right Coalition. For more information go to www.thecivilrightscoalition.com.

Video link - https://youtu.be/t2wKrrfRGqg?is=BMAfhD39bBHX_qbm

Town Council starts set of 3 workshops to understand split vs. single tax rate issue

📢 UPCOMING TAX RATE WORKSHOPS

The Town Council will hold three workshops to discuss whether Franklin should maintain a single property tax rate or adopt a split tax rate.

🏛️ Residents and business owners are encouraged to attend and share their feedback!

📅 View workshop dates and Town Council meeting agendas: https://buff.ly/599jiS9

Agenda for the first session, Wednesday, October 14

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10142026-2560

Franklin Restaurant Week Coming back this December !!!

Calling All Franklin Restaurants:

Franklin Restaurant Week is coming Saturday, December 12 through Sunday, December 20, and we’re inviting Franklin restaurants to participate!

Franklin Restaurant Week Coming back this December !!!

Restaurant Week is an opportunity to showcase Franklin’s vibrant dining scene and encourage residents and visitors to explore local restaurants, try something new, and support the businesses that help make our community special.

The Town of Franklin and the Franklin Downtown Partnership are collaborating to bring this celebration to the community, with participating restaurants and their offerings promoted and highlighted on a dedicated program website created specifically for this winter’s Restaurant Week.

A Festive Start to Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week will kick off on Saturday, December 12, the same day as A Wreath of Franklin, taking place throughout downtown Franklin from 11 AM to 4 PM.

The day will feature holiday festivities, local shopping, arts and cultural activities, and a pop-up arts market at THE BLACK BOX, creating a great opportunity for residents and visitors to spend the day downtown, shop local, and enjoy a meal at one of Franklin’s restaurants.

With Restaurant Week beginning that same day, we hope to create a festive kickoff to the holiday season while encouraging visitors to shop, dine, and celebrate local throughout the week.

Interested in Participating?

As part of the form, restaurants will be asked to submit their final Restaurant Week menu, special, deal, or other promotional offering. Please have your offering finalized when completing the form, as this information will be used to promote your restaurant during Restaurant Week.

Restaurant Sign Up Form

Please complete the participation form by Friday, October 23.

Questions?

Contact Communications Director Liz Kalaijian at ekalaijian@franklinma.gov

or Franklin Downtown Partnership Executive Director Jenna Reilly at franklindowntownpartnership@gmail.com .

We hope you’ll join us for Franklin Restaurant Week and help us celebrate Franklin’s local restaurants, businesses, artists, and community this holiday season!

Franklin Union St Cemetery tour (video)

Dean College professor Rob Lawson walks through the Union St Cemetery with Scott Mason sharing stories.

Video link = https://youtu.be/wgAonH4qHxA?is=y0bNzIwSwLRKE-Zg

Franklin TV: new episode of FM Journal airs Monday, Oct 12 at 5 PM (video)

Read the programming guide to find out more about the next FM Journal episode airing Monday, October 12 at 5 PM.

Programming guide - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ErMrnMj4aekoPsANY6y3XZkyl7f5-s9K/view?usp=drivesdk

Town of Franklin 2025 Master Plan: Key Issues and Opportunities - Part 3 of 8 - Land Use

Land Use

ISSUES

Zoning

Historically, land use policy in Franklin has been reactive to development, with restrictive dimensional regulations hindering desired multifamily and mixed-use development in the downtown area. Building height requirements and large minimum lot size, frontage, and setback requirements conflict with historic development patterns and limit overall vibrancy. Stakeholders, including the Franklin For All project, have noted that zoning regulations may be overly prohibitive, restricting desired development.

The zoning bylaw in Franklin lacks a clear definition for mixed-use development, potentially causing confusion and inconsistency in development projects. Current zoning requirements make small infill developments challenging and restrict existing parcels from redevelopment. Developers identify high parking requirements as barriers to redevelopment projects.

Balancing growth and Small-Town Character

Franklin faces the challenge of balancing needed growth and development with other goals like expanding protected open space, historic preservation, and retaining the town’s small-town character (that stakeholders often see as at odds with growth). Land use planning and zoning will play a critical role in guiding future development that supports Franklin’s vision for its future.

OPPORTUNITIES

Zoning

Downtown Franklin represents an opportunity for the Town to be more proactive in its planning by readdressing dimensional requirements that currently restrict multifamily and mixed-use development in the core downtown area.

Mixed Use

Simplifying regulations and allowing mixed-use development by-right in appropriate districts, such as the Downtown Commercial, Commercial I, and Mixed Business Innovation Districts, would improve clarity and consistency in development projects. Additionally, considering mixed-use development by special permit in the Mixed Business Innovation (MBI) District could encourage innovative projects while maintaining a focus on commercial use. For example, in the MBI District, the Town could decide to require that more than half of the square footage is designated for commercial use.

Designating a Local Historic Preservation Overlay District

Although Franklin has two local historic districts, the Town has not yet established a Historic Preservation Overlay District. Establishing this overlay district would give Franklin greater opportunities to preserve historic properties and create guidelines for renovation and redevelopment on historic properties.

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Continue reading this Master Plan section in PDF format

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gtnxpyp39SnfKinQcUlp2U7M1Sas3cdB/view?usp=drive_link

Complete 2025 Master Plan report

https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4018/Final-Report

Town of Franklin Master Plans (prior years)

https://www.franklinma.gov/295/Master-Plan

Town of Franklin 2025 Master Plan: Key Issues and Opportunities - Part 4 of 8 - Natural, Cultural, Historic Resources

Natural, Cultural, Historic Resources

ISSUES

Water Supply

Franklin depends on groundwater for its public water supply. Protecting and managing both the

quality and quantity of this resource is critical for the town’s sustainability.

Environmental Concerns

The town faces challenges related to invasive species management, water quality, and flood control. Beaver populations and their dams contribute to flooding issues, while algae blooms in water bodies threaten wildlife and water quality and diminish the overall attractiveness of these areas to residents.

Development Limitations

Most easily developable land has been utilized, but remaining lands contain environmental constraints, such as wetlands. The permitting process for residential subdivisions on Chapter 61B land highlights the challenge of balancing development with environmental preservation.

Capacity Constraints

The town experiences limitations in staff, resources, and time, which can impede the effective management of environmental issues and the implementation of conservation initiatives.

OPPORTUNITIES

Natural Resources Education

Continuing education about natural resources and environmental conservation presents an opportunity to raise awareness and foster community involvement in protecting the town’s resources.

Accessibility

Improving accessibility to open space areas and preserving them for recreational and educational purposes can enhance community well-being and environmental stewardship.

Indigenous History Integration

Increasing knowledge of indigenous history and incorporating it into open space areas promotes cultural enrichment and fosters a deeper connection to the land and its heritage.

Schmidt’s Farm

Developing amenities such as bike trails and sitting areas at Schmidt’s Farm can attract residents to enjoy open spaces while promoting sustainable recreational activities.

Wildlife Management

Exploring more ethical ways to manage wildlife populations, such as beavers and deer, presents an opportunity to address environmental challenges while respecting animal welfare. In 2022, there were eighteen incidents related to beavers, often requiring lethal removal or dam breaching in various locations across Franklin.

Natural Resource Protection

Protecting valuable natural resources such as forests, wetlands, and water bodies provides numerous benefits, including climate resiliency, habitat preservation, and water quality improvement.

Cultural and Historic Resources Preservation

Franklin has numerous historic sites and landmarks that contribute to its cultural identity. Opportunities exist to preserve and maintain these sites, through partnerships with the Cultural District Committee and Cultural Commission. Additionally, supporting art festivals, cultural celebrations, and performances could help showcase the diversity and vibrancy of Franklin’s art community and cultural resources.

Water Bodies Protection

Prioritizing protection efforts for water bodies including the Charles River, Mine Brook, and Uncas Pond, which serve as drinking water sources and support endangered species, is crucial for long-term environmental sustainability.