#SNETTPhoto2020 – Photo Contest

Fall photo contest featuring the SNETT Rail Trail! Here is what you need to know.

DETAILS AND RULES

    Who should enter

Anyone, any age. Exceptions: FBRTC Executive Board Members and members of the FBRTC Judging Panel.

    Categories

Under 18, Over 18.

    What to enter

Any photos taken on the SNETT (Southern New England Trunkline Trail) of nature, landscapes, people on the trail.

Note: A signed release from any recognizable people in your images is required, and you must be able to provide copies of those releases to the Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee upon request.

    How to enter

    Take a photo on the SNETT rail trail and post on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter only) with a hashtag #SNETTPhoto2020
    Then email the photo (including the photo caption and photo location), your name, and category (Under 18, Over 18) to fbrtcommittee@gmail.com. Photos should be jpg/jpeg files no larger than 10MB (no screen shots). One photo per contestant.

    When to enter

Contest runs October 1 – October 31, 2020

    Judging

Top 4 finalists from each category will be selected by a panel of the FBRTC volunteer members. All decisions made by the judges are final. The 8 winning photographs will be published in The Country Gazette (Photographer’s Portfolio page).

    Rights

By entering this photo contest, you hereby grant to the Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee (FBRTC):

 -   Non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable publication rights for your photos in all FBRTC’s publicity materials (print or electronic), and the right to use your name in such publications.
 -   This includes the right to use your photos on our website, social media, in print and electronic advertisements and promotions.
 -   All photographs will be credited with the caption “©Person’s Name.”

Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee reserves the right at our sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the photo contest. 

Shared from https://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/event/snettphoto2020/

#SNETTPhoto2020 – Photo Contest

Commonwealth Magazine: ‘Why don’t you just cancel Halloween?’

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said on Tuesday that he won’t try to stop Halloween from happening, saying it is much safer for people to engage in outdoor trick-or-treating than it is to hold parties indoors.

“A whole bunch of people say to me, ‘Why don’t you just cancel Halloween?’ And the reason we’re not canceling Halloween is because that would have turned into thousands of indoor Halloween parties, which would have been a heck of a lot worse for public safety, and for the spread of the virus, than outdoor, organized, and supervised trick-or-treating,” said Baker at a press event in Salem with the city’s mayor, Kim Driscoll.

Baker said his administration will put out guidelines to cities and towns for safe trick-or-treating, but noted that communities will be able to make their own call on how they want to see the holiday roll out. The governor and Driscoll both said individuals will decide on their personal level of participation; Driscoll said homeowners who don’t want to give out candy can just shut off their lights.

The governor said he anticipates “hundreds of thousands of people” coming to Salem for Halloween-related festivities during October. “It’s like the swallows going home to Capistrano or wherever it is they go,” he said. “It’s just going to happen.”  

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-not-calling-a-halt-to-halloween/ 

Franklin does not control Halloween either and shared the guidance from the CDC and MA DPH  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/09/town-of-franklin-ma-halloween-activity.html

The Commonwealth article is a result of the discussion at Governor Baker's press conference on Tuesday. You can view the view conference here: https://youtu.be/24A3e_D-sis  

Note there is intermittent video focus problems but the audio quality is consistently clear

Halloween in Salem. (Photo by Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism)

Commonwealth Magazine: "Pollack accepts upgraded at-grade throat proposal"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"STATE TRANSPORTATION Secretary Stephanie Pollack embraced a new all at-grade proposal for the so-called throat section of the I-90 Allston interchange that locates a bike and pedestrian path and a tiny portion of Soldiers Field Road in the Charles River.

The latest at-grade proposal, backed by the city of Boston and the business group A Better City, cleared a major hurdle when Pollack approved it as one of three alternatives to be reviewed by state and federal regulators. One of the three alternatives will be selected as the preferred alternative in the coming weeks.

Backers of the at-grade approach say momentum is building for their design, largely because it doesn’t erect an elevated highway as a wall between BU and the river and provides a large bike and pedestrian path and a refurbished river bank.

“Both A Better City and the city of Boston see this as a victory,” said Rick Dimino, the president and CEO of A Better City. “We see no reason why it shouldn’t move forward as the preferred alternative.”

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/pollack-accepts-upgraded-at-grade-throat-proposal/

 

Visit Mass DOT for additional info on the i90 Allston project  

https://www.mass.gov/allston-multimodal-project  or this update

https://www.mass.gov/service-details/recent-developments-and-next-steps-for-the-allston-multimodal-project

 

 

Picture shows elevated Massachusetts Turnpike between BU and Charles River with Soldiers Field Road at grade. (via Commonwealth Magazine)

Ad Hoc Superintendent's Evaluation Sub Committee Meeting - Oct 8

Ad Hoc Superintendent's Evaluation Sub Committee Meeting

Virtual Meeting (Links in agenda)  Oct 8, 2020 - 4:30 PM

 Agenda

• Planning for Superintendent’s Evaluation Workshop

 

Read more  https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee/agenda/ad-hoc-superintendents-evaluation-sub-committee-meeting

Agenda doc =  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/adhocsuptevalsub_com_agenda_-_10-8-20.pdf

Ad Hoc Superintendent's Evaluation Sub Committee Meeting - Oct 8

In the News: COVID-19 expenses an issue for higher ed; White House spreader event still be examined

 From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin:

"The COVID-19 pandemic has presented colleges and universities with financial challenges that will likely extend for multiple years and may not be sustainable for all institutions, heads of public and private universities told state lawmakers Tuesday.

“We don’t view this as a one-year deal,” University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan told the Higher Education Committee. “We view this as a two- to three- to four-year deal, and I will say Madam Chairman, there are universities and colleges in New England who won’t survive this. What we’re trying to do at UMass is make sure at the end of this crisis that we still have five UMass campuses that are all nationally ranked and that are successful.”

The committee, chaired by Sen. Anne Gobi and Rep. Jeff Roy, heard virtual testimony from state education officials, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and heads of community colleges and private and public universities for an update on the field’s status amid the economic and logistical disruption of the pandemic."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201006/there-are-universities-and-colleges-in-new-england-who-wont-survive-this-pandemic-impacts-rippling-across-higher-education?rssfeed=true

 

"Epidemiologists continue to scrutinize a White House event after more than a dozen people, including President Donald Trump and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, announced they tested positive for COVID-19.

Several of them attended a ceremony held outside in the Rose Garden on Sept. 26 where Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, in front of more than 180 people.

The suspected “superspreader” event highlights the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing, even when outside. But some health officials, including leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, say they don’t always wear a mask outside."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201006/white-house-superspreader-event-in-rose-garden-reminds-people-that-yes-you-should-still-wear-mask-outside/2?rssfeed=true

 

Franklin's Sculpture Park one of "Five Hidden-Gem Outdoor Sculpture Parks to Visit on a Quick Trip from Boston"

Boston Magazine's Nathan Tavares writes:

"The town of Franklin manages this petite park, spreading out over just about an acre at the past site of the now filled-in old town pool, where you can now float around the 13 sculptures. Opened in 2014, the park’s gentle walkway curves around a pond, showcasing view of local wildlife and artwork, like the painted PVC pipes of “The Trees of Life” that rise from the water, and Buddy Olson’s giant welded steel bear named “Ursus.” Many of the artworks were created by students from the Franklin Art Center and elsewhere, so bring the kiddos here to spark some creativity."

Free admission. Daily, dawn to dusk. Panther Way, Franklin, MA. 

Read all about the other four "hidden-gem" sculpture parks 

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/travel/2020/10/05/outdoor-sculpture-parks/

 

2 works of art at the Park

  

Other photos taken at the end of September on a walk around the Sculpture Park

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vDiwJ2wMv9MbsVFN6

 

350 Mass Endorses The Community Preservation Act (CPA) For Franklin

Members of the Franklin Node of the statewide organization 350 Mass voted to endorse The Community Preservation Act (CPA) in Franklin. 350 Mass is a movement of volunteer members who carry out both municipal-level and statewide campaigns intended to broadly and systemically confront the climate crisis, hold our politicians accountable and undermine the destructive influence of the fossil fuel industry.

Carolyn Barthel, coordinator of the Franklin Node, said that the local node encourages Franklin residents to vote yes on question 3 on the November ballot because the CPA is in alignment with our goals of resource preservation and affordable housing. With the Community Preservation Act, Franklin will have the resources to purchase land for open spaces, maintain and improve parks and recreation areas, restore historical sites, and provide more affordable housing.

Raymond Milici, Franklin resident and a member of 350 Mass, points out that several surrounding towns, including Norfolk and Wrentham, already enjoy the benefits of CPA, and Franklin should do the same. In addition to revenues raised, via a small surcharge on property taxes (details in link below) the state will also contribute funds to help support town projects covered under the Community Preservation Act. We would get a lot for a little. A win-win for Franklin. For open spaces and more, please vote yes on 3.

For more information on what CPA is and how it works go to

• CPA for Franklin flyer = https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WTBRSlvC_HpcNpBg22mKyLDYhtpkF-S6/view
• Official Town of Franklin one page Fact Sheet =http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/cpa_fact_sheet_4.pdf

 

350 Mass Endorses CPA For Franklin