Franklin Matters

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Senator Ross: February 2016 State House Update

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Senator Richard J. Ross, State House Update, February 2016

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State Senator Richard J. Ross (R-Wrentham) proudly serving the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District.

State House
Room 419
Boston, MA 02133

Ph: 617-722-1555
Fax: 617-722-1054
Email:richard.ross@masenate.gov

Dear Friends,

This month, besides my legislative duties, I have crisscrossed my district visiting new businesses, meeting with students, and listening to the needs of our seniors. One thing is for certain: the people and communities I represent are truly remarkable and I am humbled to serve you.

My February newsletter is filled with Beacon Hill updates as well as a celebration of this district and my constituents.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

RECOGNIZING MILLIS AS A GREEN COMMUNITY

I was honored to join Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton, Commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources Judith Judson, and Rep. David Linsky in recognizing the town of Millis as a Green Community earlier this month. Representing the town was Town Administrator Charles Aspinwall, Vice Chair James Neville, and Energy Manager Robert Weiss.

Millis received a grant of $151,325 aimed to advance clean energy solutions and strengthen the local economy by reducing long-term energy costs. I am very excited for my constituents as this funding will go a long way to improve energy efficiency in public buildings, facilities, and schools.

We are fortunate that the Baker-Polito Administration prioritizes the needs of our cities and towns and is actively working towards the long-term stability of our communities. To learn more about Green Communities, please click here.

SECRETARY ASH VISITS NORTH ATTLEBORO

Thank you to the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash for taking the time to visit North Attleboro this month and discuss upgrades to the downtown area with town officials, Rep. Betty Poirier, and myself.

Secretary Ash toured the abandoned Balfour building site on East Street which is set to be redeveloped to include new apartments, restaurant and retail space, as well as a GATRA bus terminal.

North Attleboro secured grants through MassWorks and MassDevelopment for these projects and if completed it could bring a substantial amount of revenue for the town.

The town cares about this project very much and we are very fortunate to have an administration that is invested in the progress and success of our cities and towns.

CLOTHING DRIVE IN FRANKLIN

We have some truly amazing students in our district. In February, the Jefferson Elementary Student Government in Franklin conducted a pajama and sock drive to benefit the Friends of Foster Care and Comfort Cases for Kids.

Representative Jeffrey Roy and I visited Jefferson Elementary School to present the thoughtful students with citations from both the House of Representatives and Senate congratulating them on this selfless act of kindness.

Entering a new foster home can be hard, but a new set of clothes can go a long way to truly change someone's life for the better. These students are an inspiration for our community and I am so proud of the work they put into this.

If you would like to learn more about Friends of Foster Care or contribute, you can visit their website here.

We had a successful month of Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit Seminars and you still have a chance to learn how you can benefit from this significant program.

Just a couple dates left in five towns. Check out the schedule below to see when we will be coming to your town, and for information on what the Senior Circuit Breaker tax Credit is, visit my website here.

Friday, March 4th
Wayland Senior Center, 41 Cochituate Road, Wayland
9:30am-10:30am

Wellesley COA, 219 Washington Street, Wellesley
11:00am-12:00pm

In the News: briefs filed for against power plant, court decision stands

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

"Intervening parties and Exelon have filed briefs in opposition and in support of the company’s proposal to build a 200-megawatt expansion of an existing power plant on Summer Street.

The matter has been before the state Energy Facilities Siting Board for approval for almost a year, and hearings took place in December and January.

Medway, the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA), the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), Eversource and Exelon filed initial briefs this week, with two of those groups filing briefs in opposition to the project."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160302/medway-exelon-interveners-file-briefs

"A U.S. District Court judge announced Wednesday that he will not reconsider the dismissal of a local family's civil lawsuit against the town of Franklin and several police officers, though the case remains on appeal.

Plantiffs Amy and Jeffrey DeLucia had filed suit against the town, Police Chief Stephan Semerjian and five police officers in 2015, claiming several acts of misconduct, including a physical attack that broke several of Jeffrey DeLucia's bones.

The case was dismissed without prejudice in February, however, after the DeLucias were unable to comply with the town's requests for evidence."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160302/judge-will-not-reconsider-dismissal-of-franklin-police-misconduct-case

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Franklin, MA: Presidential Primary Results - Mar 1. 2016

From Town Clerk Teresa Burr, here are the total voters by party that cast a ballot for Tuesday's Presidential Primary.

Party	Voters
Democrat	5348
Republican	4415
Green	3
United Independent	23
	9789

Total Registered	21345

Percent Voted	45.9%

Here is the set of all the party results by precinct:

You can also download a copy here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczOWwybWZZQm83Y3M/view?usp=sharing

the election day sign on the railroad bridge

Help celebrate Franklin's 238th birthday at the Historical Museum - March 6

The Franklin Historical Museum will celebrate the town's 238th birthday on Sunday March 6th with cake and coffee in the museum library. Stop by for a slice of cake, have a look around and learn a little bit more about your town's history.

Did you know that our town was originally to be called Exeter? In the original draft of the town's charter, the name throughout the document was Exeter. But on the day that the town was to be incorporated, our founding fathers with familiar names such as Fisher, Metcalf, Lethbridge, Whiting, Hawes and Boyd were inspired to cross out the name Exeter and claim the name Franklin. But why the change?

In Blakes' History of Franklin, written at the time of the town's centennial, Blake speculated: "It will be remembered that Benjamin Franklin, with two others, had been sent to France immediately upon the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to negotiate a treaty of recognition and alliance.' The news finally arrived on the shores of this newly formed country that "on the 6th of January Louis XVI entered into a treaty of amity and commerce with the colonies."

The news was welcomed and celebrated and as a tribute to the popular statesman and diplomat the gentlemen from the 'Westerly Precinct of Wrentham' promptly changed the name on the application of incorporation to Franklin. Many other States have since honored Benjamin Franklin in the same way, but we are of course, the first.

Join us this weekend and be among the first to experience our new monthly feature, the Item of the Month! Each month we will spotlight a different item from our collection that we hope will be interesting, intriguing and will encourage our visitors to learn something new. The March Item of the Month is an 18th century 'calash'. Not sure what it is? Come on in and find out.

The museum is open Saturdays 10:00AM-1:00PM and Sundays 1:00PM-4:00PM. We are located at 80 West Central Street and we are handicap accessible.

The Franklin Historical Museum ready to party!

For more about the Historical Museum visit them on the web at
http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/

or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FHM02038

**In case you are interested, wikipedia lists 50 communities (cities and towns) called Franklin in the USA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_for_Benjamin_Franklin

Hop into Spring at the Franklin Library, Friday, Mar 4

A spring celebration event for kids is scheduled for this Friday, Mar 4 from 1:00 to 2:30 at the Library.

Friday, Mar 4 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM

This was shared from the Franklin Library webpage
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2016/03/hop-into-spring.html

Adult Education: Spring Registration Now Open

Franklin Public Schools Lifelong Learning Institute

The Center for Adult Education and Community Learning

* * * * * * * * * * *

Adult Education Spring Session
REGISTER NOW

News Flash

Classes begin later in March

This spring, participants can choose from a very interesting variety of options. Course offerings include everything from Floral Design, Winemaking and a Wine Tasting Reception to establishing a new Senior Players Group and the introduction of Kids' Kornah!,where fun and learning meet.

You will find more exercise and sports programs than ever -Yoga, Zumba, Exercise class for Active Older Adults, and Community Walking.

In addition, once again we will be offering Country Line Dancing. Men's Basketball is back this spring along with Badminton and both have expanded to two nights. Intermediate and Advanced Volleyball classes round out the field.

Indian Street Food, a cooking demonstration and tasting for adults AND a 6-week cooking class,"Super Suppers", for kids ages 10 years and up, are also on the spring menu.

Expanded Private Music Lesson opportunities are available for adolescents and adults. Whether you are interested in Adult Chorus, Voice or Instrument lessons, we have them.

This spring you will find so many opportunities and all reasonably priced.

Take a look at the spring brochure with its activated links,click here.

While you're viewing, you can register. You can also call The Center at 508-613-1480 for more information or check us out at
www.FranklinLifelongLearning.com