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Saturday, September 26, 2020
What to do when someone steals your identity
Friday, September 25, 2020
Franklin's Weekend - Sep 25, 26, 27
Farmers Market
Friday, Sep 25 - noon to 6:00 PM
THE BLACK BOX Sings... WICKED
September 26 at 2:00 and 7:30; September 27 at 2:00
St. Vincent de Paul Friends of the Poor Walk
Saturday Sept. 26, 2020 -registration required
Franklin's Weekend - Sep 25, 26, 27
Listening Sessions start on Weds, Sep 30 - How can we help Franklin determine its future?
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"FITCHBURG MAYOR Stephen DiNatale’s office bears all the markings of the workspace of a small-city Massachusetts leader working hard to pull up his community, a place that has struggled for years following the exodus of industries that once made mill towns like this hum with economic vigor.
There are sketches of planned development projects, a big photograph showing downtown Fitchburg back in its pre-World War II heyday, and in one corner a group of shiny ceremonial shovels standing against the wall, mementos from recent groundbreaking celebrations that DiNatale is anxious to replicate. The affable 68-year-old former state representative is laser-focused on economic development, and in a hurry for it to happen. “I’m not a patient guy,” said DiNatale.It’s easy to see why. Median household income is $55,000 in Fitchburg, $22,000 below the statewide average. Meanwhile, the pandemic has hit the city hard, with its 15.5 percent unemployment rate in August the eighth highest in the state."
Continue reading the article online
Is there something Fitchburg is doing, that we should also consider?
Franklin starts listening sessions next week. The first one on Weds, Sep 30. The agenda for the September 30th Listening Session, which will focus on Downtown Franklin, the Crossing and the Franklin Cultural District, can be found here https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/2020-09-30_edc_listening_session_1_agenda.pdf
For reference here are links to the MAPC Town of Franklin Market Study
For reference here are links to the MAPC Town of Franklin Market Study
a Demographic & Economic Profile of the 495/MetroWest Region; details specific to Franklin can be found on pages 57 and 58
To sign up for one of more of the series of listening sessions, register here
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| Listening Sessions start on Weds, Sep 30 - How can we help Franklin determine its future? |
Franklin Downtown Partnership has been busy and shows!
Downtown decorated for Fall
"On September 16, members of the Franklin Downtown Partnership, Franklin Garden Club, resident volunteers and DPW decorated the downtown area with mums, pumpkins, and other autumnal decor from Hillside Nurseries and Franklin Agway.
“This year, we feel it’s more important than ever to roll out the red carpet to our downtown by beautifying it with autumn decorations,” said Roberta Trahan, vice president of the FDP. “We want to encourage people to shop local and support Franklin businesses.”
Long-time chair of the beautification efforts in downtown, Eileen Mason, said all the volunteers maintained appropriate social distancing and wore masks while installing the fall decorations.
“We wanted to make sure we beautified the downtown in the safest way possible,” said Mason. “Many thanks to our volunteers, Hillside Nurseries, the Department of Public Works and Franklin Agway for making this possible.”
Continue reading the Downtown Partnership post
Kindness Rocks find new life
"Franklin Downtown Partnership, Berry Insurance and other local volunteers are spreading kindness and positivity by breathing new life into the Kindness Rocks Garden located in the green space next to Rockland Trust in downtown Franklin.Originally installed in the summer of 2018, the Kindness Rocks Garden was a huge hit with people who took rocks painted with inspirational messages and pictures. Now, a new push is on to create more painted rocks to place at the Kindness Rocks Garden.
“We’re excited to continue the new tradition of a Kindness Rocks garden in downtown Franklin. Together we can help spread more kindness one rock at a time.” said Kaitlyn Pintarich of Berry Insurance.
The project is an extension of a popular national initiative called The Kindness Rocks Project that has a mission of promoting random acts of kindness to unsuspecting recipients by painting and dropping inspirational rocks."
Continue reading the Downtown Partnership post
John F Kennedy Elementary named a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School
Franklin Public Schools (FPS) is proud to announce that Kennedy Elementary School has been named a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education!
Please find the press release
Congratulations!
Micro-Enterprise Grant Program Overview and Application
Small business owners may qualify
- The business must qualify as a microenterprise (a for-profitbusiness that has 5 or fewer employees, including the owner(s).(Note 5 employees means actual people, whether full-or part-time NOT Full-Time-Equivalents (FTEs) that has been adversely affected by Covid-19. The business can be a sole-proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC.;
- The business must have a physical establishment in one of the participating towns:
- Bellingham
- Foxboro
- Franklin
- Medfield
- Walpole
- Wrentham
- The business must be currently in operation and have must have been established prior to January 1, 2019;
Additional qualifications can be found in the following information regarding the Micro-Enterprise Grant Program attached here:
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| Micro-Enterprise Grant Program Overview and Application |
The pressure from Gov Baker and DESE's Riley - getting pushback
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Thursday continued to push schools to bring students back in person while denying allegations by the state’s largest teachers union that his administration is “bullying” local districts.
“If you are a low-risk district, and you’ve been a low-risk district for eight weeks, and you have no plan to return to in-person learning when most people in education and public health and the pediatric communities all believe that in-person learning, especially for young kids, is a critical part of their educational and social development, we want to know what your plan is to get back,” Baker said. “I don’t think that’s bullying. I think it’s a perfectly appropriate question to ask on behalf of people in those communities and particularly the kids.”
In August, Baker released a color-coded map indicating levels of COVID-19 transmission in each community, and he has been pushing communities with low levels of transmission to open their schools. But teachers’ unions have pushed back, saying many schools are not prepared to safely reopen."
Continue reading the article online
** Meanwhile one of the organizations Gov Baker claims to have participated in crafting the schools' guidance is saying they did not and have been trying to reach him but without success.
Steph Solis at #IRE20 (@stephmsolis) tweeted at 0:53 PM on Thu, Sep 24, 2020:
Carlene Pavlos of @MAPublicHealth says they didn't endorse or weigh in on in-person learning, despite @MassGovernor's comments: "Since March we have repeatedly asked to meet with Governor Baker or a staff member from the Governor's office, but we have received no reply."
Carlene Pavlos of @MAPublicHealth says they didn’t endorse or weigh in on in-person learning, despite @MassGovernor’s comments: “Since March we have repeatedly asked to meet with Governor Baker or a staff member from the Governor’s office, but we have received no reply.” pic.twitter.com/z6mPKXnMcZ
— Steph Solis at #IRE20 (@stephmsolis) September 24, 2020
https://t.co/z6mPKXnMcZ
(https://twitter.com/stephmsolis/status/1309174108047978498?s=03)
** Also from the Amesbury Mayor comes the notification back to DESE's Riley outlining their response to his most recent request.
(https://twitter.com/stephmsolis/status/1309174108047978498?s=03)
** Also from the Amesbury Mayor comes the notification back to DESE's Riley outlining their response to his most recent request.
Here’s Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove’s response to Commissioner Riley...well done, Mayor Gove. @TracyNovick @MASCSchoolComm pic.twitter.com/LwB7L7RvUS
— Mel (@MelWebster) September 24, 2020
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| Image from Commonwealth Magazine |
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