Gov Baker: “Reopening Massachusetts is working”

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

"Restaurants that have been serving patrons on patios and sidewalks for the past two weeks will be able to welcome diners indoors beginning Monday as Gov. Charlie Baker announced Friday that he was triggering the next stage of his economic reopening plan.

In the midst of a heat wave, no less.

Baker, at a State House press conference, also said offices would be able to bring back to work more employees and increase their capacity from one quarter to 50% of their workforce. And close-contact personal services offered at nail salons, massage and tattoo parlors and personal training can resume on June 22.

The progress through the phases of the Baker’s administration’s reopening strategy comes as Massachusetts has continued to see downward trends in hospitalizations, which are now under 1,000, and positive test rates, which have fallen to 2.3%."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200620/baker-reopening-massachusetts-is-working/1

Additional info on the re-opening Part 2, Phase II
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/06/reopening-massachusetts-baker-polito.html

"With the state’s finances in disarray and the COVID-19 pandemic making it extremely difficult to predict the next 12 months, Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday filed a $5.25 billion interim spending bill that would keep government running beyond June 30 through July.

The new fiscal year is set to begin in less than two weeks, but neither the House nor the Senate have produced an annual spending proposal as they wait to gauge how severely the pandemic-caused recession will erode state tax revenues, and how slowly or quickly the economy might rebound.

House and Senate leaders have not laid out a timeline yet for completion of a budget for the full fiscal year, but Baker said the money that would be authorized in the temporary budget would be sufficient to cover government operations through July."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200620/baker-seeks-525b-interim-state-budget

Town of Franklin: COVID-19 portal

Reopening Massachusetts: Baker-Polito Administration Initiates Transition to Step Two of Second Phase of Four-Phase Approach

Consistent with Public Health Data and Trends, Step Two of Phase II of Reopening Massachusetts Set to Begin on June 22

Today (Friday, June 19, 2020), the Baker-Polito Administration announced that Step Two of Phase II of the Commonwealth’s four-phase reopening plan, Reopening Massachusetts, will begin on Monday, June 22 to allow additional industries to resume operations under sector-specific guidelines.

Businesses and sectors set to begin operating in Step Two of Phase II are subject to compliance with all mandatory safety standards.

On May 18, the Administration released a four-phased plan to reopen the economy based on public health data, spending at least three weeks in each phase. Key public health data, such as new cases and hospitalizations, has been closely monitored and seen a significant decline allowing for Step Two of Phase II to begin on June 22.

The following will be eligible to reopen in Step Two of Phase II on Monday, June 22:

• Indoor table service at restaurants;
• Close-contact personal services, with restrictions;
• Retail dressing rooms, by appointment only;
• Offices, at 50 percent capacity

Full list and safety protocols available at www.mass.gov/reopening.

In order to give Step 2 businesses time to prepare, the Administration had previously released sector-specific guidance in advance of Phase II for industries including restaurants, close-contact personal services and sectors not otherwise addressed:

• Guidance for Restaurants  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/safety-standards-and-checklist-restaurants
• Guidance for Close-Contact Personal Services  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/safety-standards-and-checklist-close-contact-personal-services
• Guidance for Other Industries  https://www.mass.gov/resource/reopening-sector-specific-protocols-and-best-practices
• Guidance for Sectors Not Otherwise Addressed  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/safety-standards-and-checklist-sectors-not-otherwise-addressed

Before these sectors can resume operations under the guidelines, businesses must meet all safety standards, create a COVID-19 control plan, and complete a self-certification.

VIEW THE FULL REPORT  https://www.mass.gov/doc/reopening-massachusetts

VIEW GOVERNOR BAKER’S PHASE II EXECUTIVE ORDER  https://www.mass.gov/doc/june-6-2020-phase-ii-reopening

Video update link for June 19, 2020 = https://youtu.be/jT5dDSQIHUU

Franklin Downtown Partnership Reminds Residents to "Keep It Local"

The Franklin Downtown Partnership (FDP) wants to remind residents to “keep it local” by supporting small businesses in Franklin who have been there for them year after year.

With this in mind the FDP's goal is to provide Franklin residents with one place they can visit for all updated information on local businesses, as well as one website, www.franklindowntownpartnership.org, which lists small businesses in Franklin that sell gift cards.

“During this time of social distancing, the Franklin Downtown Partnership is working hard to keep the community updated on the re-opening plans for each business,” said FDP Executive Director Lisa Piana. “With each new opening phase there is new information that needs to be communicated to residents. The FDP is committed to getting this information out in a timely manner.”

Franklin Downtown Partnership

Businesses should email the FDP at Downtown.Franklin@yahoo.com so they can get their updated business information listed on the Partnership website.

Franklin business owners or residents who would like to receive the FDP newsletters should contact the FDP office. The newsletter provides updates on local businesses, town news and information that affects local businesses. The FDP also provides lots of information through social media - follow the FDP on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a nonprofit, 501©3 organization made up of more than 300 business owners, community leaders and residents working to stimulate economic development downtown and create a positive impact throughout the area. Visit www.franklindowntownpartnership.org for more information. 

Pantherbook: "Getting To Know Our New Principal, Mr. Hanna"

Via Pantherbook we find an introduction to Mr Hanna, the new FHS Principal.

"As Franklin High School says a goodbye to our former principal, Mr.Peri, many of us are curious about the new chapter of our high school, and the person who will lead it. Starting the fall 2020-2021 school year, we will receive Mr.Hanna as our new principal. Keep reading if you want to know more about Mr.Hanna, his plans for the school, or how you will be affected by him!

Here is a little background about our incoming principal. Mr.Hanna has two kids, 9, and 12, so he is familiar with the highs and lows of school received by students. Previously an assistant principal at Hopkinton High School since 2013, Mr.Hanna is experienced in the field of educational leadership;

“I think just understanding the logistics of a school, the scheduling, the behind the scenes work that as a teacher you’re not as aware of; also having difficult conversations with parents, students, and teachers… anytime you’re a leader you’re dealing with situations that aren’t simple. So it helped me learn how to effectively lead a school…” he says, in response to how his leadership at HHS has prepared him to take on the role of principal at FHS.

Prior to his position Hopkinton, Mr.Hanna was a History teacher and football coach at Natick High School for 13 years. A chance to grow and the pride of Franklin in its students, schools, and teachers motivated him to make the move to Franklin."

Continue reading this at Pantherbook
https://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2020/06/16/getting-to-know-our-new-principal-mr-hanna/

Shared via Twitter: https://twitter.com/FHSPantherbook/status/1273000783919951874?s=09

Joshua Hanna, incoming FHS Principal (Pantherbook photo)

Last 50+ Program Franklin session - June 26 - "Creating focus and momentum in your job search"

Date: Friday June 26; 9 AM
Platform: Zoom
Hosting Town: Franklin
Topic: Creating focus and momentum in your job search
If Time Permits: We will also discuss Dealing with Ageism.

Special Guest: Tom McDonough of the Institute for Career Transitions

Tom is a career and life coach, Director of Programs and founding Board member for the Institute for Career Transitions. Though his career story has allowed him to experience many roles, the underlying theme is helping colleagues clarify and align personal and career goals with their core values.

Tom will teach you a two-part approach to create focus and momentum in your job search:

1. Job Search Triage: Identifying where the bottlenecks are located in your search.
2. Next Step Sprint: Once you identify your highest leveraged activity, that if achieved, will keep you moving forward, you'll design a two-week sprint to achieve that outcome.

Program Pre-Registration (once per town location) is required: https://50plusjobseekers.org/outreach/registration/

If you have registered previously with the town that virtually hosts the session, there is no need for you to register again.

Session Registration is also required for this specific online meeting:

After you register for the 50+ Program, we will place you on a list to receive the email that contains the session's registration information.


For additional information about this program, please contact Erin Rogers; Social Services Coordinator, Franklin Senior Center; erogers@franklinma.gov; (508) 520-4945.

50+ Program Franklin session - June 26

Let's Go On With the Show: A Virtual Benefit for the Franklin Performing Arts Company

Join this star-studded cast on Sunday, June 21 at 7:00 pm EDT on the FPAC YouTube channel for an evening of fundraising with fantastic performances by Tony Award Winners, Broadway Stars, FPAC Favorites, and more!

Donations made throughout the evening will support FPAC and help keep THE BLACK BOX open!

View the Facebook Event here  https://www.facebook.com/events/264355961342385/

Let's Go On With the Show

Town of Franklin: COVID-19 Case Count Status

"The chart below details the confirmed, recovered, and isolated cases of COVID-19 in the Town of Franklin. This data reflects the most current information available and will be updated with additional information as confirmed counts are released through the Franklin Board of Health from the state Department of Public Health (DPH). Data for this table is based on information available in the Department of Public Health surveillance database at a single point in time.Case counts for specific cities and towns change throughout the day, as data cleaning occurs(removal of duplicate reports within the system) and new demographic information (assigning cases to their city or town of residence) is obtained. Statewide data is here​ (https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/04/16/coronavirus-cases-by-city-and-town-in-massachusetts)."

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/covid-19_case_counts_6.pdf

This confirms that what we are doing (social distancing, face coverings, washing hands, etc.) is working. Let's keep it up as we gradually re-open.

Town of Franklin: COVID-19 Case Count Status