Franklin Matters

Friday, October 4, 2013

Farmers Market - noon to 6:00 PM

Yes, it is October and the Farmers Market is still open on Friday throughout this month. Come down to the Town Common for fresh produce!

farmers market sign downtown

Stop by to get fresh produce!

farmers market on a sunny day

"the council should not approve particular developments from particular developers"

The Milford Daily News gets into a recap of the zoning bylaw changes coming up for a second reading on Oct 16th. The bylaws were moved to the second reading by a 5-2 with two councilors recusing themselves. The measure requires 6 votes to pass.

Taken together, the amendments create a new residential district for the Cook’s Farm parcel allowing for several single-family units as long as the developer meets certain requirements, such as receiving a special permit from the Planning Board.

The town’s planning director, Bryan Taberner, said the amendments provide "the opportunity for multiple single family homes on one parcel.

"And that parcel would be condominium owned," he said. "It would not really be an apartment complex. The roads would be private."

Library: Book Sale - Oct 26th

Found this posted on the Library website:

Library Book Sale

"WIC will remain in operation for the immediate future"

This is good news. Given the impasse in Washington, that this program is still being operated will help those women and children most in need. As reported earlier this week, the activities at local food pantries has continued to increase due to the overall economic conditions.

The federally funded Women, Infants and Children program known as WIC will remain in operation for the immediate future. At this time there is no impact on the nutritional services delivered by the Massachusetts WIC Program, according to program director Sharon McCollum.

Currently all WIC program offices in the following locations: 300 Howard St., Framingham; 32 South St., Waltham; and 230 Maple St., Marlboro, are open for business. All WIC services and benefits continue to be provided and all WIC checks will be accepted at WIC grocery stores and pharmacies.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

"Citizens Bank is a model partner"

September was Hunger Action Month and in recognition of this, Citizens Bank made the following announcement.

The Citizens Bank Foundation will donate a series of 11 grants totaling $525,000 to several food organizations across the state as part of its One Million Meals initiative. The money will be used to provide meals to children and families.

Two of the food banks benefiting from the grants are the Greater Boston Food Bank and the Worcester County Food Bank, both of which supply goods to food pantries in the Milford area, including the Daily Bread Food Pantry in Milford and the Franklin Food Pantry.

Jerry Sargent, president of Citizens Bank in Massachusetts, said in a statement Tuesday: "When nonprofits, corporations and consumers work together, we can make a positive impact for the millions of people across America, and thousands here in Massachusetts who struggle with hunger and food insecurity."

http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

For more about the Franklin Food Pantry:
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/2013/09/the-franklin-food-pantry-takes-stock.html

For more about Citizens Bank and its community efforts: http://www.citizensbank.com/community/default.aspx

Disclosure: I am proud to be employed by RBS Citizens Bank and to help the Franklin Food Pantry!

NEB Mortgage - Ribbon Cutting

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting event at NEB Mortgage, 195 Main St., Hayward Manor, Suite #2, Franklin on Sept. 26. NEB Mortgage, a division of Northeast Bank, celebrated the grand opening of its office.

ribbon cutting participants (see listing below)

Pictured at the event in the front row: Patrick Dignan of NEB Mortgage, Deborah Redmond of NEB Mortgage, Gretchen O’Donnell of NEB Mortgage, Nicole Fortier of Franklin Downtown Partnership and Dean Bank, Jim Dell’Anno of NEB Mortgage, Denise Cousineau of NEB Mortgage, Mary Buck of NEB Mortgage, Claire Bean of NEB Mortgage, Richard Wayne of NEB Mortgage, Beth Caico of NEB Mortgage, Erika Paulhus of the office of State Sen. Richard Ross, Franklin Town Administrator Jeff Nutting, State Rep. Jeffrey Roy, and Jack Lank of The United Regional Chamber of Commerce.

United Regional Chamber of Commerce

MassBudget: Declines in Funding for Higher Education in Massachusetts

MassBudget		Information.
MassBudget		Participation.
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center		Democracy.

Higher Learning, Lower Funding

A strong system of higher education helps students gain the knowledge they need to succeed, and it also helps ensure that we have the kind of skilled workforce that can support a vibrant, high-wage economy.

MassBudget's new chartpack, Higher Learning, Lower Funding: The Decline in Support for Higher Education in Massachusetts finds that state support for public higher education has fallen 25% since FY 2001. As state support has decreased, tuition and fees have gone up, shifting the cost onto students and their families.

Higher Learning, Lower Funding also finds that:

Between 2001 and 2013, the cuts to higher education funding in Massachusetts were larger than 43 other states.

The amount we spend per pupil is slightly below the national average

If our state budget included an additional $940 million for public higher education, we would be right at the national average in terms of the share of our economy spent by the state on public higher education. Looking at public higher education spending in this way - namely, as a percentage of our total economic resources - gives a better sense for our capacity to make additional investments

Read HIGHER LEARNING, LOWER FUNDING: THE DECLINE IN SUPPORT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN MASSACHUSETTS

In addition to this report on higher education, MassBudget is also releasing its annual assessment of education funding in Massachusetts, "Census Data Shows Massachusetts has Untapped Capacity to Invest in Public Education."

Using the latest Census data on state-by-state education spending, we find that:

As with public higher ed., Massachusetts devotes a smaller portion of its total economic resources to K-12 education than most states.

Per-pupil spending for K-12 students in Massachusetts is relatively high (the fact that Massachusetts is a high-income state means that it can spend more than others on a per-pupil basis while still using a smaller percentage of the state's total resources)

Read CENSUS DATA SHOWS MASSACHUSETTS HAS UNTAPPED CAPACITY TO INVEST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

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