Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 3/7/14 - THU 3/13/14

FRI 3/7   3:30pm   Silly Science & Mystical Math, grades 1-4, Franklin Public Library. Theme: Geology Rocks!
FRI 3/7   6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked, Franklin Art Center.
FRI 3/7   7pm   Culinary Cabaret, Clarke Center Milford. $75 - tickets available here: www.fpaconline.com

SUN 3/9   1-4pm   Antique Appraisal Day, Franklin Historical Museum. 1-3 items, $5 per item.
SUN 3/9   3pm   FSPA performs with MetroWest Symphony Orchestra, Framingham. Tickets available  here: www.metrowestsymphony.org

TUE 3/11   7:30pm   Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Meeting, open to public, Franklin YMCA.
7:00pm Finance Committee - FY 2015 Budget Hearing (1st of a series) Municipal Bldg

THU 3/13 7:00pm Finance Committee - FY 2015 Budget Hearing (2nd of a series) Municipal Bldg


For more details on above events click HERE and select the event of interest.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

National Defense Authorization Act: What Would Benjamin Franklin Do?

From Rich Aucoin:

For those interested, below is the text of the speech I delivered before the Franklin Town Council last night.

____________________________

What Would Benjamin Franklin Do?

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is routine legislation passed annually to finance US military operations overseas.

But new language was quietly added to the NDAA in 2012 which authorizes Guantanamo Bay-style indefinite detentions on US soil.

The new language is dangerously vague and strongly implies that America is now a "battlefield" in the war on terror and that anyone, including US citizens, can now be denied constitutional protections and be subjected to the laws of war: kidnapped in the middle of the night on accusation alone, hooded, shackled and locked away possibly for life with no right to counsel, no right to face her accuser, no right to a jury of his peers.

So dangerous is this new language that President Obama issued a signing statement promising that his administration would never indefinitely detain Americans under the laws of war but warned that future presidents could do so unless the new language is fixed.

Benjamin Franklin's famous quote comes to mind: "They who sacrifice essential liberty to gain temporary safety shall have neither."

Franklin and the Founders took great pains to guarantee the Rights of due process and trial by jury. They carefully enumerated these Rights in both our state and federal Constitutions to ensure they could never be nullified.

To ensure these Rights would live on forever, the Founders devised a system of checks and balances, a constitutional structure of human "pillars" to uphold the rule of law. All elected office holders, including local councilors like yourselves, were to swear an oath to protect and defend constitutional governance. If at any time state or federal officials failed in their pillar duty, then the local pillars would be a last line of defense, standing by ready to take up the load and save the structure from collapsing. Each of you is a pillar in this system. Each of you bears the duty to stand up when other office holders stand down. Some local officials in other towns have claimed they do not have the authority to uphold constitutional government. But if so, why did they swear to uphold something that they did not have the authority to uphold?

The resolution I will be bringing supports constitutional government by reasserting the Right of Due Process for the people of Franklin, as enumerated in Articles 12 and 18 of our state Constitution and Amendments 5 and 14 of the US Constitution.

Congressman Jim McGovern has voiced strong support for this resolution, helping it win passage in towns like Oxford and Webster. Representatives Jeff Roy (D) and Ryan Fattman (R) have also stood up for this resolution.

Everyone watching this meeting knows how Benjamin Franklin would vote if he were here today. I am asking you to vote how Franklin would vote. I am asking you to honor his legacy. I am asking you to defend both liberty AND security. I am asking you to be a pillar for the rule of law to ensure that our children and their children will inherit the same America that we were blessed to inherit. I am asking you to keep your oath.

The draft resolution can be found here

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/proposed-resolution-restoring.html

Read Across America

Senator Karen Spilka

On Tuesday, March 4th, the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School in Franklin celebrated Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss' birthday. Teachers and students dressed in red and white and participated in many Dr. Seuss-related activities throughout the day. Various members of the community came to visit and read aloud in classrooms. We are honored to have so many guest readers visit our school and share in our celebration of reading! The event was organized by reading specialist Karen LaPlaca. 

Representative Jeff Roy

Guests included: Senator Karen Spilka; Representative Jeff Roy; Officer Chris Spillane of the Franklin Police Department; Town Administrator Jeff Nutting; Mrs. Karen Alves from the Franklin Senior Center; Paul Molla from the Franklin Fire Department; School Committee member Roberta Trahan; Franklin Town Council members Steve Williams, Matt Kelly, Brett Feldman, & Judy Pfeffer; Allison Medeiros from the Franklin Public Library; Raye Lynn Mercer & Nick Paone from FSPA; Don Tappin & Joe Mullen from the BFCCPS Board of Trustees; former Head of School Dr. Kevin O'Malley; founding teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Henderson; & eighth grade teacher Mrs. DiMartino and baby Ryan

 More photos can be found at the Charter School website www.bfccps.org.

Franklin Downtown Partnership has a few dates to remember

The Franklin Downtown Partnership has set the dates for this year's events and general meetings. 

Contact information for the chairperson for each of the events can be found under the Events tab located on the Downtown Partnership webpage. 

Franklin Downtown Partnership - 2014 event dates

For additional information on the Franklin Downtown Partnership, visit their webpage here
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/

What is the public need?

The 2.5 hour Town Council meeting on Wednesday covered many topics. One of the more contentious was the license application for the 'last' beer/wine license currently available. During the course of the discussion, it was revealed that

• there are 13 or 16 beer/wine licenses in Franklin (does anyone really know the total?) 
• only one is open at this time 
• the amount is limited by population and reset with each census count every ten years
• there is some turn over of licenses from time to time due to business (one business could close freeing up the license)
• the open one arose from the Davita Market obtaining the full alcohol license and they gave back the beer/wine license
• the applicant filed their interest in November 2013
• the applicant only came up now due to the meeting schedule and having worked out some details on the application itself
• the applicant has been up for a license before, when the prior beer/wine license was advertised, they were one of three and did not end up with it
• the public need is the primary reason for consideration of the license
• competition (i.e another liquor store across the street is not to be considered, legally)
• the applicant has been operating since 2001
• the applicant did not obtain their license request by a 5-4 vote
• this current license will be advertised, the applicant may re-apply 
• the applicant may also appeal the council decision to the state ABC commission

For a Town Council looking to foster local business, this decision doesn't make sense. You got to wonder what else might have been in their minds to vote no.

Fortunately, this is not over. There will be a new try for the applicant (assuming they decide to pursue it).


The detailed live reporting notes for the remainder of the meeting can be found here. Given the long meeting Tuesday and last night's long session. I have additional info to post and make available for both the Tue and Wed meetings.

Franklin Municipal Building

• Live reporting - closing
• live reporting - legislation
• Live Reporting - Facilities
• Live reporting - Sewer study appropriation
• Live reporting - Audit report
• Live reporting: Town Council - Mar 5, 2014
• 
  

Elks Care Elks Share 5K Road Race & Walk

The Second Annual

Elks Care Elks Share 5K Road Race & Walk

to benefit the

Franklin Food Pantry & Wounded Warrior Project

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

FRANKLIN ELKS

1077 Pond Street

FRANKLIN, MASSACHUSETTS

Registration:  9:00 AM    Start: 10:00 AM

Help Support the Franklin Food Pantry and

Wounded Warrior Project

·       Post race refreshments, giveaways, raffles, and prizes 

·       T-SHIRTS available to runners that register online. While supply lasts.

·       REGISTER NOW to get your T-SHIRT!!!

·       Run or Walk Route - 5K loop of paved roads

·       Awards given to top three male & female finishers in each age group

·       Professional Race Timing by RaceWire

·       Online registration fee $25.00                                                                                         https://www.franklinelks5k.racewire.com

·       Giveaways, raffles, and prizes

·       More info on Web Site  http://franklinelks5k.com/

·       Follow us http://www.facebook.com/FranklinElksAnnual5K

"the last one available"

In a memo to the council, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said he’d prefer professional offices, which create less traffic, for the south side as opposed to commercial development. 

"Professional office space helps the tax base without the heavy traffic counts, noise, etc., found with commercial development," he said, adding the Planning Board could issue a special permit for offices. 

Nutting also urged councilors to consider the recent condominium development for the Cook’s Farm property on East Central Street, saying it could create additional traffic on Rte. 140. 

Rezoning the residential zone on the north side of Rte. 140 for commercial use, he added, may create the perception of an "extended strip mall" from one end of Franklin to the other.

Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140306/NEWS/140307915/1994/NEWS


Note: The Milford Daily News is implementing a 'pay wall' for their website. They had recently changed their website and it has been riddled with bugs. Hardly a day goes by where I encounter no errors on the page (and this occurs across multiple browsers so it is not just one issue).  The amount of material shared from their webpage may decline. I'll need to consider subscribing. If I do subscribe and continue to link to their material, it will also 'force' you to consider subscribing. I have stopped sharing articles from the Boston Globe for the same reason. That was an easier decision as they rarely had an article that covered Franklin. MDN has more articles but does not have something every day.

For the 2.5 hour meeting, the decision to move the zoning of RT 140 to the Economic Development Subcommittee took less than a minute. For complete coverage of the meeting, you have come to the proper place.