This is water

This is water. "The capital T Truth!"




A good video for any day but maybe the best video to spend ten minutes with as this work week ends!

Past, Present, and Future of Farming in Franklin

The Franklin Historical Museum will be looking at the past, present, and future of farming in Franklin, Sunday, May 19

Until little more than a generation ago, Franklin was still a community with many large and active farms. Today, in the wake of suburbanization, a few “pioneers” are working to keep a place for agriculture in 21st Century Franklin.. Join Seth Rousseau of Akin Bak Farm and Nick Hoffman, who is opening a new community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm on Daniels Street, for a look back and a look ahead.

They will provide a brief review of how and why early settlers chose to come to Franklin to farm, with a coverage of the notable activities of earlier times – from the Garelick family, to cranberry bogs, and the famous Parmenter Red chicken. They will also describe how they hope to serve the community in the coming years with their new approach to an ancient tradition.

In addition, The Garden Girls from the Franklin Garden Club will Divide & Conquer. They'll be splitting Irises and other tabular rooted plants. They'll discuss the correct timing and the proper method of successful root splitting to create beautiful healthy plants.

The event will be hosted during regular Museum hours from 1:00-4:00pm on Sunday May 19th.

Franklin Historical Museum

Franklin Historical Museum
80 West Central Street
Franklin, MA

Parmenter - Car wash and Bottle/can drive - rescheduled to May 18

Updated: 5/10: Due to the iffy weather forecast for Saturday May 11, this has been rescheduled for Sat May 18th

Parmenter Elementary School is having a car wash and bottle and can drive on Saturday May 18, 2013 from 9 am - 1 pm. 

Please bring us your bottles and cans and have your car washed. This is to benefit our 5th grade class the class of 2020! 

Parmenter Car Wash - 2012

MassBudget: 1) comparing revenue proposals & the investments they fund, 2) health care in the House Budget

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Investing in Transportation, Education Our state budget describes not only what we want to do together as a Commonwealth in the coming year but also longer-term investments to strengthen our communities, create high-wage jobs, and ensure the future vibrancy of our economy. In recent months, the Senate, the House, and the Governor have all committed to raising various amounts of new revenue to support some new investments. "Comparing Revenue Proposals for Transportation, Education, and Other Investments" outlines the differences between their plans--both for next year and for FY 2018, when the plans are fully phased in. The House and Senate proposals focus largely on transportation, particularly in later years. This is in contrast to the Governor's plan, which raises significantly more revenue to increase funding for college scholarship programs and to expand access to high-quality early education & care, among other things. By FY 2018, the House and Senate would devote less money to fixing and repairing our roads, buses, bridges and other transportation networks than the Governor's proposal. The House and Senate proposals would raise comparable amounts of new revenue, and both count on similar funding support from transportation agencies (likely including user fee increases). The two proposals differ in that: 1) the Senate version includes an additional $38 million in new revenue and; 2) the Senate dedicates $77 million to transportation that the House would leave unrestricted. "Comparing Revenue Proposals for Transportation, Education, and Other Investments" is part of a series of MassBudget briefs analyzing key elements in the budget proposals for FY 2014. Read COMPARING REVENUE PROPOSALS FOR TRANSPORTATION, EDUCATION & OTHER INVESTMENTS See ALL OF OUR BUDGET RESOURCES Health Care in the House Budget A new factsheet, The House FY 2014 Budget for Health Care, describes the Massachusetts House of Representatives' Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other subsidized health coverage programs. The House's budget bill allocates $13.38 billion to these programs, about $221 million (1.6 percent) less than the Governor's proposal. As in the Governor's budget, the House bill reflects the significant changes to health care programs that will occur midway through the fiscal year, when central provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act take effect. This brief is the second in a series of reports describing the effect of each budget proposal on Health Care programs in Massachusetts. The briefs are produced by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute--and published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI). Read about HEALTH CARE IN THE HOUSE BUDGET 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

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

massDOT: travel updates

Mother's Day: Busy Travel Weekend

MassDOT encourages travelers to plan ahead and travel safely during the upcoming Mother's Day weekend especially for travelers using the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) or traveling to Cape Cod.

I-95 Foxborough: Upcoming Weekend Lane Restrictions

MassDOT alerts motorists of upcoming weekend work on Interstate 95 Southbound in Foxborough and to expect possible traffic delays due to lane restrictions. The bridge deck surface replacement project on I-95 Southbound 

"I don’t think the town is ready to have a mayor yet"

"I think it’s time for a change," said Town Council Chairman Robert Vallee, who on Wednesday proposed adding the measure to the ballot. 

Still growing, the town of more than 33,000 already uses a "hybrid" city form of government, with a council and town administrator, said town attorney Mark Cerel. 

"It is a city that calls itself the town of Franklin," he said. 

Adopting a mayoral form of government would require either a charter commission or a home rule petition.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x179157012/Non-binding-ballot-question-to-see-if-Franklin-voters-want-mayor#ixzz2SsoInXhL

In related news, the Town Council agreed to the ballot question to ask the voters to approve the Treasurer/Collector position as appointed instead of elected.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/a-long-and-winding-road.html

Volunteers needed - Help Stamp Out Hunger

Thank you! We do have enough volunteers for Saturday. If you want to sign up to help for a future event, please do so by visiting the sign up form

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Once again, the Franklin postal carriers will be participating in the "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive. Residents are notified by their carriers about this event and the carriers pick it up on Saturday, May 11th. The donations will be delivered by the carriers to the Food Pantry that day. Then, the fun begins!

Franklin Food Pantry

We will need several volunteers on Saturday, May 11th between the hours of 2:00pm - 6:00pm. This would be a minimum of a 2-hour commitment. Some of the responsibilities include unloading postal trucks as they arrive, weighing the items, checking expiration dates, sorting, carrying items to the pantry and stocking the appropriate shelves.

Available shifts:
2-6
3-5
4-6

Stamp Out Hunger

Appropriate footwear is mandatory (no flip-flops!). Because the mail trucks come in randomly, there may be some down time. We will assign specific tasks so respond as soon as possible to secure your spot. You will receive an email back from us to confirm your shift.

Please let us know by send an email to volunteers@franklinfoodpantry.org