Franklin 5K - recap and results

Kris and Kayla Biagiotti, referred to by many as the “K Girls”, recently entered Boston Marathon’s 117-year history – as first ever mother-daughter team to complete the race. Following two years of training, Kris succeeded in pushing her 18-year-old disabled daughter, Kayla, in a wheelchair all 26.2 miles. This is an astonishing fact because Kayla in her chair weighs more than Kris, compounding the rigorous fitness standards already expected of anyone undertaking this challenge.  

Rep Jeff Roy with citation for K girls

Kris Biagiotti has long been an inspiration to many. “One of our goals was when Kayla turned 18 was to be able to run Boston together,” explained Kris. “It’s been part of her life growing up.” Kayla, who was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease at the age of three, has enjoyed watching the Marathon each year since she joined the Boston Children’s Hospital Patient Partner Program in 2000. In the program, a patient gets teamed up with a runner who participates on her behalf. This year, Biagiotti raised about $15,500 for the hospital. 

Another way Kris gives back is through the Franklin 5K, an event she started to remember her husband and Kayla’s father, Bob, who died from a heart attack in 2005. Throughout its 9 year history, the event has raised $85,000 for the Hockomock Area YMCA’s Reach Out for Youth and Families financial assistance program and the Y’s Integration Initiative. Kris is a champion of inclusion. She supports the Hockomock Area YMCA because their Integration Initiative gives children with special needs the opportunity to participate alongside their typically developing peers in social and recreational programs and activities. As summer approaches, more children than ever will enroll in New Horizons, the Y’s fully inclusive camp setting. 

Reflecting on their run in the Boston Marathon, Kris says, “It seems impossible. All these years I’ve watched the Hoyts run, and been amazed with everything they’ve done. But to think no other mother-daughter team has ever done it, it’s overwhelming in some respects.” 

K girls finish at Franklin 5K

Because Kris and Kayla were 50 yards from the finish line when a bomb went off, forcing them to shield themselves from flying shrapnel, they did not celebrate the way they had expected. So, just three weeks later, the May 4th race in Franklin became their much-deserved celebration. On a sunny morning, Kris and Kayla got back to doing what they love, running. And when they approached the finish of The Franklin 5K, they were flocked by hundreds of runners and community members, many having jumped back on the course to be close to the duo.

In an emotion-filled moment, State Representative Jeffrey Roy presented to them their Boston Marathon medals, along with a citation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, commending the K Girls for their achievement.

The K Girls enjoyed the fanfare, with Kayla giving out dozens of hugs to those present. Reflecting on the day, Kris pointed out that The Franklin 5K is more than a race. “I do this every year because I get so much back and because of all the great things the Y does for our community.”

The event was presented by Iron Mountain. Runners placed as follows:

TOP THREE OVERALL FEMALE
Alissa Nelson, 6place, 19:36.75
Nicole Brown, 15place, 21:30.28
Violet Wolejszo, 28place, 23:10.78

TOP THREE OVERALL MALE
David Constantino, 1place, 17:39.07
Eric Taraeh, 2place, 18:41.52
Justin Bates, 3place, 18:49.53

FEMALE AGE GROUP:
10 & Under
Sydney Hawkins, 69 place, 26:42.77
Alice Rose Taddeo, 136 place, 32:29.56
Linnea Remillard, 137 place, 32:30.58

11 to 14
Ellie Chouinard, 167place, 39:08.15

15 to 19
Kimberly Hiss, 81place, 27:35.92
Melanie Lemay, 130place, 32:13.06 10:23
Kayla Biagiotti, 148place, 33:48.09 10:53

20 to 29
Lindsay Roberson, 29place, 23:16.01
Christine Walsh, 43place, 24:54.63
Lisa Stearns, 56place, 25:58.35

30 to 39
Gretchen McAuley, 47place, 25:15.79
Kelly Boucher, 53place, 25:45.59
Corrine Giordani, 57place, 26:00.50

40 to 49
Isabel Devincentis, 36place, 24:19.20
Kathleen Ford, 50place, 25:33.70
Lisa Chaffee, 54place, 25:47.46

50 to 59
Mary McNulty, 32place, 23:34.83
Nancy Robertson, 37place, 24:19.72
Elizabeth Surette, 68place, 26:37.43

60 to 69
Susan Phillips, 33place, 23:39.14
Suzanne Rice, 109place, 30:31.86
Linda Fahy, 170place, 39:26.26


MALE AGE GROUP:
10 & Under
Ryan Taddeo, 48place, 22:43.29
Braden Kennedy, 132place, 32:22.99
Benjamin Powell, 143place, 33:12.22

11 to 14
Liam Pek, 21place, 22:29.75
Aidan Nickerson, 27place, 22:46.90
Devin Ming, 35place, 24:18.48

15 to 19
Ian Schopf, 8place, 19:47.42
Kyle Pandiscio, 17place, 21:53.08
Jack Laplante, 34place, 24:14.74

20 to 29
Ryan Craig, 7place, 19:40.98
Chuck Sherwin, 14place, 21:19.95
Pavol Liska, 22place, 22:36.41

30 to 39
Jeffrey Bears, 10place, 20:38.45
Mark Anderson, 13place, 21:06.40
Jim Wrobel, 16place, 21:40.85

40 to 49
Bob Trejo, 4place, 18:55.06
Jeffrey Leplante, 5place, 19:09.94
Kevin Uniacke, 9place, 19:57.02

50 to 59
Conor Creedon, 19place, 22:01.09
John Robertson, 24place, 22:42.44
Max Schopf, 31place, 23:30.86

60 to 69
Ray Phillips, 49place, 25:27.44

To find out more about the Hockomock Area YMCA’s Reach Out for Youth and Families program or the Integration Initiative, contact Laura Murphy at 508.643.5285 or lauram@hockymca.org.


About Hockomock Area YMCA:

The Hockomock Area YMCA is an organization of men, women, and children sharing a commitment to nurture the potential of kids, promote healthy living, and foster a sense of social responsibility. With over 31,000 members, half under the age of 18, the YMCA is committed to partnering and collaborating with others to create and deliver lasting personal and social change in the 15 communities they are privileged to serve.

The Y is for Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.

'money isn’t the most important thing'

As reported during the Town Council meeting on Wednesday night, the anaerobic digestion proposal was tabled.

The questions about anaerobic digestion, a biological process that converts organic waste into energy, overshadowed the positives of the burgeoning technology. 

With support from the Economic Development Committee, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting and officials in the Department of Planning and Community Development had hoped to tweak the zoning to allow for an anaerobic digester facility on the former Pond Street sewer bed.

Read more from the Milford Daily News article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x187943264/Anaerobic-digester-plans-stymied-in-Franklin?rssfeed=true&utm_source=feedly#axzz2VEwegE1l

Franklin Library: Krafty Mondays - Father's Day Gifts!

Krafty Mondays - Father's Day Gifts!

Father's Day gifts

Franklin Public Library - 118 Main Street Franklin MA 02038 - 508.520.4940

Sen Karen Spilka: Announces her candidacy for 5th Congressional District

Dear Steve,
I have some very exciting news to share with you: when Ed Markey becomes our next U.S. Senator this month, I will be a candidate for Congress from the 5th Congressional District. 

You and I have worked hard and achieved some great victories together for Massachusetts over the past 12 years. Now, I'm asking for your support again. 

I'm running for Congress because I have never been afraid to fight for what I believe in—and I know how to turn that fight into real results. In a time of cynical sound bites and the promise of quick fixes, I always follow one simple formula: lead with your heart and back it up with a lot of hard work. It's the reason why we now have public bus service in MetroWest, a statewide system of mental health services that keeps our teens out of the criminal justice system, and a cost containment measure in our healthcare reform that will save us $1B over 10 years—all things that someone, somewhere, said could never be done.  

Our country faces seemingly insurmountable challenges, including creating good jobs at every skill level, putting middle class families back on the solid foundation we deserve, and rebuilding our infrastructure so our economy can get humming again. Someone, somewhere, is saying that these things can't be done.  

Together, we can prove them wrong. 

Volunteer to knock on doors, make phone calls or write a post card to your neighbor, and together we can ensure more funding for our kids' education. Donate $3, $12, $25 or more today, and together we can fight for good jobs for middle class families. Invest in our campaign today, and I will invest my heart and hard work in creating a brighter future for all of us. 

I hope you will join me. Regards,Karen

P.S. Sign up today to join our volunteer team, and we will be in touch very soon with opportunities to get involved!

Paid for by Karen Spilka for Congress

Karen Spilka for Congress
PO Box 5178
Framingham, MA 01701

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Franklin Town Council sends BMAC Down Under!

As reported earlier Brittany MacLeod, also known as 'BMAC', is on a campaign to be selected as the "Chief Funster" of Australia. She created a social media campaign that got her out of the pack of 600,000 to be one of three finalists. On Wednesday, Rep Jeff Roy hosted her at the State House where they gave her a royal send off.

The city known as the Town of Franklin was not going to be upstaged by folks in Boston, so the Town Council gathered to pose with Brittany.

BMAC and the Franklin Town Council

From left to right, Brittany MacLeod, Judy Pfeffer, Tina Powderly, Robert Dellorco, Bob Vallee, Tom Mercer, Andy Bissanti, Matt Kelly, Jeff Roy, and Glenn Jones


The Town Council presented with Brittany with a proclamation wishing her all the best in her quest to become the Chief Funster.

Rep Jeff Roy, BMAC, Council Chair Bob Vallee

I don't think there could be another candidate to be more qualified than BMAC to be the 'Chief Funster',

Best of luck to you Brittany, may your travels be safe, full of fun and rewards!



To continue to follow the exploits of BMAC as she goes to Australia Jun 10th and then finds out Jun 20th, there are a number of social media links in this post:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/send-bmac-down-under.html

Anaerobic digestion tabled in Franklin

The Town Council heard from more residents than the Planning Board did and decided to 'table' the proposal to bring an anaerobic digestion plant to town owned land on Pond St. The former sewer property has sat unused since 1978 when Franklin joined with the neighboring communities in the Charles River Pollution Control District sending its sewerage to the plant in Medway.

Development efforts over the years have come and gone and the land seemed to be a good spot for the anaerobic digestion plant. Franklin officials had performed some due diligence in visiting a couple of sites one in MA and one in MI. They coordinated with MA DEP who would also be involved in the permitting process. The MA DEP folks were present for the Planning Board meeting but their lack of presence at the Town Council meeting on Weds did not help the matter.

The due diligence prepared to answer a number of questions and the intent was to get to the RFP stage where additional questions would be better answered. The bottom line benefit of approximately 500,000 to $1 million dollars was not sufficient to overcome the unanswered questions and concerns.

• How safe is this technology really?
• Is our fire department prepared to handle a fire or explosion?
• Adding the truck traffic to the intersection will make a bad situation even worse
• What guarantees are there about the air quality?
• Do you expect us to trust the EPA and DEP on air quality standards?

In the end, Councilor Glenn Jones made the motion to table the proposal rather than have it be brought up and voted down. This does allow the Economic Development Committee to do the additional work to answer the questions if they want. Given the amount of hurdles to be overcome I think it is not likely to make much further progress. Granted Franklin needs to expand its revenue base,  (long time readers may recall I have mentioned almost yearly about "expanding the pie"), the consensus seems to be we can do much better than this.

For the full set of notes reported live from the Town Council meeting, you can check these:

• Live reporting - closing

• Live reporting - legislation continued (medical ma...

• Live reporting - Legislation continued (anaerobic...

• Live reporting - Legislation

• Live reporting - mayor question

• Live reporting: anaerobic digestion plant presenta...

• Live Reporting - Town Council - June 5, 2013

• 
  

Special Flag Ceremony - Jun 14 - Lance Corporal Shayne Cabino

On June 14, at the Hockomock Area YMCA’s Bernon Family Branch in Franklin, there will be a special flag dedication ceremony to honor the memory of Lance Corporal Shayne Cabino of the United States Marine Corps and a lifelong Franklin resident. The ceremony, which will be held on National Flag Day, will feature the unveiling of a memorial on the Y’s camp grounds in his honor. At age 19, Shayne lost his life serving our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005.

After Shayne was killed and his family was planning his funeral services, his mother Jodi Cabino Cipriano, had a wish to honor her son in a special way. “I was driving in Bellingham one day and saw a wood carved eagle in front of a business,” recalls Jodi. “I inquired about it and was given Jesse Green’s information.” Realizing that the loss of Shayne had come to a seven-year mark, his mother Jodi Cabino Cipriano, knew that it was time to have something at the cemetery representing her son besides his plaque. Recognizing that still she was unable to finalize his death in her heart, Jodi decided to have something on a temporary basis placed there as she wrestles with the loss of her son. “I was driving through Bellingham one day and I saw this carved eagle in front of someone’s house, “ recalls Jodi. “ I pulled in the driveway and asked if anyone knew who made the eagle. I was given Jesse Green’s information.” Jesse Green, often referred to as ‘The Machine’ is a master chainsaw sculptor and is the star of the National Geographic Channel’s hit show American Chainsaw. Green is also a Medway resident.

Lance Corporal Shayne Cabino

Jodi Cabino Cipriano wrote to Green, asking him if he would make a battlefield cross to memorialize her son. Cabino Cipriano and Green began corresponding via email right before July 4, 2012. In an email one day, Jodi shared with Jesse her son’s story. “I felt Jesse had every right to know who my boy was, especially because he was honoring him in this special way,” said Jodi humbly and describes Jesse as a man who is kind to the core.

Jodi was unable to place the cross where Shayne is buried due to regulations. Board member of Mount Hope Cemetery Steve Clapp, also a Hockomock Area YMCA Board of Director called Jodi. She recalls, “Steve said that he knew the perfect place for Shayne’s battlefield cross. He said Hockomock Area YMCA President Ed Hurley would be honored to do a memorial for Shayne, and if I was willing, incorporate the battlefield cross in it,” states Cabino Cipriano. Seeing as her entire family had ties to the Bernon Family Branch of the Hockomock Area YMCA, it was a good fit, and she agreed.

Jesse recalls, “I have a deep admiration for our troops and I just thought; here's a mom who's young son has made the ultimate sacrifice so that my family and I can live on and continue to enjoy the American Dream,” adds Jesse proudly. “I ended up pushing aside my wait list and spent that July 4th carving Shayne's battlefield cross. It was a powerful experience,” says Green.

Green and Cabino Cipriano will meet for the first time at the unveiling of the battlefield cross – a gift from Jesse to Jodi and her family. “This moment is very important to me,” Jodi says in anticipation of the unveiling. The dedication will feature a military ceremony, a flag presentation to the Cabino Cipriano family, a pledge of allegiance, and a memorial dedication to Lance Corporal Shayne Cabino. Jesse Green will personally unveil the battlefield cross memorial. “Creating anyone’s memorial sculpture is a really meaningful thing and I've done many,” says Green. “This one was something even greater than that. Shayne deserves every honor there is. It’s a token of gratitude to him and all like him,” says Jesse.

The origins of the battlefield cross date back to the American Civil War when fallen soldiers were buried where they lay, placing the soldier’s rifle with bayonet fixed into the ground and his helmet on top to indicate the remains of an American serviceman. Over time, this image was associated with military loss. During Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the battlefield cross began to attract popular attention, with numerous units erecting battle crosses to commemorate their comrades. Since they could not attend the funerals of their fellow soldiers, some units made a habit of paying tribute at the battlefield cross. The battlefield cross is a visible reminder of the fallen soldier.

Shayne Cabino’s memorial will be placed at the Y’s camp grounds. Beginning June 17, Bernon Family Branch Summer Camp will commence and every camper will come to the memorial, which includes a flag and flagpole, to say the Pledge of Allegiance and learn about sacrifice and dedication through Shayne’s story. “Children will learn what a battlefield cross is and learn about freedom and honor. They’ll learn all of this on the same field my Shayne and his siblings played and had fun on,” recalls Jodi fondly.

Lance Corporal Shayne Cabino grew up “on the hill” of Forge Hill Road where the Bernon Family Branch is located in Franklin. Shayne’s mother, a resident of Franklin for the past 33 years, recalls her children’s experiences at the Y. “My kids took part in the day programs as toddlers and the afterschool care program and summer camp as youngsters. Before we were married, my husband Tony Cipriano and I worked at the construction company that helped build the Bernon Family Branch. When I asked my boys, Justin, Billy, Zachary, and my daughter Brandi what they remember about growing up at the Y, they shared going on nature walks, doing arts & crafts, and having fun playing kickball, tetherball, four square, capture the flag, and swimming in the first pool built there. Their favorite was manhunt which they brought into the community and played almost every night,” says Jodi. Shayne was part of the Hockomock Area YMCA family and the Y is proud to honor his memory at this dedication and in the years to come.

The ceremony will be held outdoors on Friday, June 14, 2013 from 9:30am – 10:30am at the Hockomock Area YMCA Bernon Family Branch located at 45 Forge Hill Road in Franklin, MA. All in the community