Sunday, March 10, 2019

St Mary's: Women's Faith Formation Group - Mar 16

All women are invited to join the St Mary's Women’s Faith Formation Group on Saturday, March 16 from 9 – 10 AM in the lower church hall at St. Mary Church in Franklin (One Church Square). 

We continue our viewing of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series, with small group discussion to follow. Since segments are on independent topics, we encourage you to attend even if you missed previous sessions. 

Light refreshments will be served. Feel free to bring a friend - all are welcome!

St Mary's: Women's Faith Formation Group - Mar 16
St Mary's: Women's Faith Formation Group - Mar 16

"Of the 62 public requests filed, only about half were successful"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Sunshine Week: These are the highest-paid employees in the Milford area"
"How much do municipal workers make? 
Across the globe, governments are publishing more of their records online, putting information in the hands of citizens who could help improve the public sector. 
But in the era of big data, when any piece of information seems a Google search away, try finding the salary of your local police chief. 
With more limited resources, cities and towns often lag behind in making their records available to the public. To help narrow the gap, the Daily News will launch an effort today to provide readers more insight into spending in their own backyards."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190310/sunshine-week-these-are-highest-paid-employees-in-milford-area

Editor note: I hesitated to post this as more information is needed for a worthwhile comparison. While the article and payroll tool provides salary and compensation data, it does not provide the context on the size of the community and budget or work load to help make the comparison fair. Simply using the data provided is comparing apples to oranges. As a result of multiple discussions over the years on making the case to position Franklin appropriately with communities of its size and operational scope, this is not an easy task. So while the real picture is not available, be aware, that at least some data is.

I would rather have had the focus on the fact that 55% of the information requests were actually fulfilled. For a Sunshine week impact, there is not a lot of sun shining.

Saturday, March 9, 2019

State Representative Jeffrey Roy announces office hours

State Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) announced today that constituent office hours will be held in Franklin and Medway on the following days:

Franklin – Thursday March 21, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill Street Franklin, MA

Medway –Saturday April 6th 24, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM at Galante’s Restaurant
320 Village St. Medway, MA

James Gay, his staff director, will be accompanying him.

Representative Roy stated that all office hours are open to any residents of Franklin and Medway who may have questions or concerns that they wish to bring to his attention. Walk-ins are welcome; no appointment necessary. He looks forward to hearing from you.

He also invites all constituents to call him at his State House office at (617) 722-2030, to stop by Room 43 in the State House, or to email him at Jeffrey.Roy@MAhouse.gov.

State Representative Jeffrey Roy announces office hours
State Representative Jeffrey Roy announces office hours

In the News: Store location to become a mini-mall; Jeep snow sculpture capturing attention

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

Store location to become a mini-mall

"The Bob’s Store building on East Central Street may be springing back to life.
A Wellesley company is proposing to bring an indoor trampoline park to the building at the Horace Mann Plaza.
 
The Planning Board is hosting a public hearing Monday at 7:15 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers on the proposal from Franklin Shoppers Inc. 
Bob’s Stores’ corporate parent, Vestis Retail Group, announced in November that the store was closing, but did not disclose when that would occur. For now, the store remains open. 
Town Planner Amy Love said Thursday that the 26,656-square-foot building at 303 East Central St. will be subdivided into five spaces, with the trampoline park proposed for the largest of those. She said it’s unclear what, if any, other businesses are planned."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190308/franklin-indoor-trampoline-park-sought-for-bobs-space

MDN twitter photo
MDN twitter photo


Jeep snow sculpture capturing attention
"Sometimes when life gives you piles of snow, you’ve just got to make a sculpture out of it. 
That’s exactly what Kerry-Lynn Houghton, of Franklin, did in the wake of this week’s snowstorm – the first significant snowfall this winter. 
When she looked out at the snow, she didn’t see just a giant shoveling chore. In the loads of snow that fell in her family’s yard, she envisioned a snow jeep and set to work to carve it out - not unlike Michelangelo, who famously remarked, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” 
“I love jeeps and I thought it would be great to build something the kids could actually sit in,” Houghton said of her inspiration to create the snowy vehicle rather than a more traditional snow person."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190309/snow-jeep-turns-heads-in-franklin

Erin says goodbye to the Franklin Food Pantry

Catching up to sharing this. I missed doing it before as I was away. I was fortunate to have led the Food Pantry Board when we hired Erin and it clearly turned out to have been a good move. Thank you Erin for all you have accomplished.

Steve Sherlock




Erin says goodbye to the Franklin Food Pantry
 Special Announcement

February 21, 2019

 Farewell to Erin

  
No one in our community has been a stronger advocate for those facing hunger than Erin Lynch. Her passion and energy has fueled the mission of the Pantry for 7 years. As Executive Director, she has spearheaded innovative programs and services beyond the imaginations of many. She helped change the lives of many more.

It is with heartfelt gratitude that we say farewell to Erin. The impact she has made during her tenure at the Pantry is unparalleled. 
Erin says goodbye
Erin Lynch
"After seven incredibly rewarding years with the Franklin Food Pantry, I have recently made the decision to begin a new chapter," said Erin. "It has been an honor to work with this amazing team and generous community, and I look forward to continuing the many wonderful friendships that I have made here throughout the years," said Erin.

According to Jeff Ellis, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, "We are so grateful to Erin for all she has done for the Pantry, and are extremely saddened by her departure. Her vision, dedication and hard work helped move the Pantry to new heights, and she will be greatly missed. We feel lucky that Erin built such a great team  that will continue the mission of the Pantry. We wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors."

Amy Cataldo, the Pantry's Assistant Director, has agreed to serve as Interim Executive Director during the transition. "We are fortunate to have on staff someone with the leadership skills, qualifications and experience who can step right in to guide the Pantry during this time. Amy has been a part of the Administrative team for several years and is extremely knowledgeable about the Pantry, its operations and its mission. We greatly appreciate her support and commitment to continuing the vital work of the Pantry during this interim period."

About Amy

Amy has been a part of the Pantry family since 2014, serving as a volunteer before she joined the staff in 2016 as Special Projects Coordinator. She was responsible for launching the Food and Fund Drive Tool Kit which streamlined the Pantry's food drive process. Amy has also served as the Project Manager for the Pantry's signature fundraiser, the Empty Bowls Dinner, which is now entering its 4th year. Among her many accomplishments was the research and  implementation of a volunteer management software program, as well as the Pantry's first strategic review that resulted in operational improvements for the Pantry.

Last year Amy was promoted to Assistant Director and served as a key member of the strategic team working closely with Erin in providing leadership and management to the organization. She was responsible for senior level project management and infrastructure improvements that ensured smooth daily workflow for the administrative and program staff. She handled volunteer recruitment and management, as well as direct responsibility for managing Client Services.

Amy is pictured with long-time volunteer Donna O'Neill, Client Services Trainer
Amy is pictured with long-time volunteer Donna O'Neill, Client Services Trainer.
"I look forward to this expanded role to help the Pantry in any way I can," says Amy. "I am lucky to be surrounded by a staff and group of volunteers who are committed to meeting the needs of our community members who count on us. I am excited to continue fostering the incredible relationships with donors and other supporters who were engaged by Erin."

Amy encourages anyone with questions to reach out to her at acataldo@franklinfoodpantry.org


Franklin Food Pantry       www.franklinfoodpantry.org

Our facility is generously donated by Rockland Trust.
We are located at 43 West Central Street, Franklin, MA,
on Route 140 in the Rockland Trust parking lot, 
across the street from the fire station.

Rockland Trust 
Franklin Food Pantry, 43 West Central Street, PO Box 116, Franklin, MA 02038

Sent by mgeorges@franklinfoodpantry.org in collaboration with
Constant Contact

FHS girls basketball wins at buzzer for first Sectional Championship 61-60

Josh Perry, Managing Editor of HockomockSports.com, provides the game recap for the FHS girls basketball first ever Sectional Championship. They won at the buzzer 61-60 beating undefeated Wachusetts.
"Franklin got the look it wanted to try and win the game. 
Down by one with less than 10 seconds remaining, Erin Quaile swung the ball around the perimeter to her backcourt partner Shannon Gray, who looped the ball into Ali Brigham on the left block. The 6-foot-3 junior center, who had 28 points to that point, turned into her smaller defender, took a dribble, and got a look at the rim. 
Unlike so many other chances that Brigham converted in Friday night’s Div. 1 Central final at Worcester State University, this one didn’t find the bottom of the net. Instead, it kicked off to the far side, but her classmate Megan O’Connell was there and pulled down the offensive rebound between three Wachusett defenders. 
O’Connell instantly went back up with an off-balance shot. It bounced on the right side of the rim, took a touch on the backboard, and dropped through to put Franklin ahead 61-60 just as the final horn sounded on the program’s first-ever sectional title."

Continue reading the game recap:
https://hockomocksports.com/oconnell-beats-the-buzzer-and-lifts-franklin-girls-basketball-to-first-title/

For a photo gallery of the game:
https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2018-2019/Winter-2018-2019/Franklin-Wachusett-Girls-Basketball-3-8-19/


Franklin girls basketball celebrates on the court after beating Wachusett at Worcester State to earn the program’s first-ever sectional title. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
Franklin girls basketball celebrates on the court after beating Wachusett at Worcester State to earn the program’s first-ever sectional title. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

FHS boys Indoor Track 4x800 relay team takes 4th in Nationals

FHS boys Indoor Track 4x800 relay team takes 4th at Nationals Emerging Elite with an 8:03.92.

1) Dylan Kehoe
2) Camden Harrington
3) Nicholas Calitri
4) Michael Hagen
Heat
2

#LapSplit
12:00.6322:00.632
22:01.9584:02.589
31:59.9106:02.499
42:01.4228:03.920
https://results.armorytrack.com/meets/1724/relays/11646/results

FHS boys 4x800 relay team
FHS boys 4x800 relay team