12 Days of Donating: Day 5

On Day 5 of the "12 Days of Donating", let's continue to look back through the events of the year and see how much we can be thankful for in Franklin.

In May, there was a whole lot going on. candidate campaigns for Rep Jim Vallee's seat started, the Master Plan Committee held its first public forum, and the annual Memorial Day activities took place among the many events for the month. 

The one event, i'd like to focus on here is the combined Library Book Sale and DPW "Touch a Truck". This is a good example of Franklin seamlessly providing a quality event and yet it is a combined Town and non-profit sponsored event. The DPW provides the facility and the vehicles are arranged for easy access around the garage and parking areas. The food is donated by local businesses. The Library Book Sale is coordinated by the Friends of Franklin Library and is an all volunteer non-profit effort. The turnout is great, the smiles and bags of books are plentiful. The Library (and hence the Franklin residents) benefit from the funds raised. There is also a separate collection for the Franklin Food Pantry (which we appreciate!).

One could walk away from the event and think this is a wonderful thing that the town does. And they would be right. It is a result of the wonderful collaboration that can be very effective among the various Franklin organizations.





Guy Supernor poses as Batman

For more photos from the Library Book Sale and DPW "Touch a Truck" day
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/05/library-book-sale-and-dpw-touch-truck.html

Another good example of collaboration is the current 12 Days of Donating where the Franklin Food Elves are combining forces with the Franklin Downtown Partnership benefit the Franklin Food Pantry. Donation bins are available at these participating businesses:

• Berry Insurance, 9 Main St.
• Chestnut Dental Associates, 38 Pond St.
• Dean Bank, 21 Main St.
• Dean College, Campus Center
• DCU, 500 West Central St.
• East Coast Driving School, 25 East Central St.
• Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, 12 Main St.
• Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, 9 East Central St.
• Jane’s Frames, 11 East Central St.
• Murphy Business, 15 East Central St.
• RE/MAX Executive Realty, 445 Franklin Village Dr.

You can also make a donation securely through the Franklin Food Pantry web page

http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

Day 4 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-4.html 
Day 3 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-3.html
Day 2 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-2.html
Day 1 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/12-days-of-donating-day-1.html

DelCarte Property (video)

While on my run Sunday morning, I stopped for a couple of minutes to take some pictures and this video. It is not always good to stop while running but I use the excuse that I am making my run twice as good by reporting along the way. The DelCarte Property is wonderful open space and when the dams are fixed, the trails upgraded, this will be a treasure for all of Franklin to enjoy!

Where is the DelCarte Property?

View Larger Map


Related posts on the development of the DelCarte Property

DelCarte Tour in 2010
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2010/10/franklin-ma-delcarte-tour.html

Town Council approved work on the dam in June 2012
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/06/in-news-leadership-delcarte-bullies.html

Ernest DelCarte donation
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/03/something-that-puts-franklin-on-map.html

Partial cell phone survey results

My thanks to the 41 folks who replied to the cell phone survey we started here yesterday before switching to the http://sensorly.com/ site. This is what we captured before we switched:



Many thanks for the quick and detailed responses. Sensorly will be a better place to aggregate our answers. I could not have replicated the maps that they provide.

Youth Employment In Massachusetts and Nationwide

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Youth Employment - In Massachusetts and the U.S. Here in Massachusetts, close to 1 in 7 young people is unemployed. Nationwide, 6.5 million "disconnected youth" are out of school and also out of work. A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, "Youth and Work: Restoring teen and young adult connections to opportunity," describes the many challenges today's youth face as they look to enter the job market. A separate issue brief from MassBudget, "Youth and Work in Massachusetts," provides more focused information about youth employment in Massachusetts. At the state level, we find that: The unemployment rate among young adults (16-24) has more than doubled since 2000. High School dropout rates have been improving, but significant disparities remain for low-income students, students with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency. Funding for higher education--which helps provide a path towards good jobs--has declined 30% since 2001. The national KIDS COUNT report also tracks the growing population of "disconnected youth"--meaning young adults aged 16 to 24 who are out of work and also out of school. Since 2000, the number of disconnected youth has increased by over 30% nationwide; and in Massachusetts, the numbers have grown from 92,000 to 134,000. As the report details, "youth who miss out on an early work experience are more likely to endure later unemployment and less likely to achieve higher levels of career attainment." Read YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN MASSACHUSETTS AND THE U.S. Visit our FACEBOOK PAGE to share these reports, along with your thoughts. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

This email was sent to shersteve@gmail.com by nberger@massbudget.org |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

Sexual assault investigated at Dean College in Franklin

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Sexual assault investigated at Dean College in Franklin

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Matt Tota/Daily News staff on 12/3/12

Local authorities are working with Dean College police to investigate a sexual assault on campus that reportedly occurred late Saturday night. The suspect is not affiliated with the school and was staying on campus as a guest, according to Gregory Chalk, a spokesman for Dean College. "Student safety is a top priority for Dean College," Chalk wrote in a statement Monday. "As of right now, we believe this to be an isolated incident with no immediate threat to our Dean community."

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

A better cell phone service map

Instead of compiling the data on cell phone coverage in our spreadsheet, another loyal reader points us to sensorly.com/

The various carrier services are mapped out so it helps to see where the coverage is in relationship to where your residence is.

Verizon 4G for 02038, 12/3/12 6:00 PM

This screen shot above depicts the Verizon 4G coverage for 02038.

I'll suspend the spreadsheet we started earlier today and recommend that all who want to participate use this instead. It is so much better!

Go to sensorly.com!

12 Days of Donating: Day 4

On Day 4 of the "12 Days of Donating", let's continue to look back through the events of the year and see how much we can be thankful for in Franklin.

In April, there was a whole lot going on. Construction on the Big Y, Earth Day,and candidates began lining up to  fulfill Rep Jim Vallee's seat. You can find all that happened during the month in the archives here. The major news item I'll take away from the events during April will be the annual Franklin budget discussion.

The process starts in the fall with each department putting together their capital requirements.  As they do this, the department also starts working on their operational budget. The department managers work with Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator, and Susan Gagner, Comptroller, to put together the overall budget. The budget document then is reviewed in a series of budget hearings with the Finance Committee followed by usually a two night budget hearing with the Town Council.

I find it disturbing that other than the department managers and a few key Franklin officials, generally the Franklin residents and voters do not participate in these budget hearings. This is where the priorities are set. This is how the decisions are made on what Franklin will do with the money it does have.

So what does the budget process have to do with "12 Days of Donating"? The money and food collected during this period help the Franklin Food Pantry serve our neighbors. When Franklin comes together and takes action, we can accomplish a great deal. This is one example of what makes Franklin a place that matters! When we give of ourselves, with whatever contribution we can make, to the 12 Days of Donating, we will be helping our neighbors.

The snow has already melted, but it will return!

The Franklin Food Elves are combining forces with the Franklin Downtown Partnership for the “12 Days of Donating” campaign to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry. Donation bins are available at these participating businesses:

• Berry Insurance, 9 Main St.
• Chestnut Dental Associates, 38 Pond St.
• Dean Bank, 21 Main St.
• Dean College, Campus Center
• DCU, 500 West Central St.
• East Coast Driving School, 25 East Central St.
• Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, 12 Main St.
• Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, 9 East Central St.
• Jane’s Frames, 11 East Central St.
• Murphy Business, 15 East Central St.
• RE/MAX Executive Realty, 445 Franklin Village Dr.

You can also make a donation securely through the Franklin Food Pantry web page

http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

Day 3 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-3.html
Day 2 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-2.html
Day 1 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/12-days-of-donating-day-1.html