Franklin: Santa's Coming

Franklin: Santa's Coming, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Sunday 11/25/07 4:00 - 6:00 PM

Franklin: Setting up

Franklin: Setting up, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The elves were busy setting up the Town Common for the tree lighting ceremony and associated festivities on Sunday, November 25th from 4:00 - 6:00 PM.

Franklin: Holiday decorations

Franklin: Holiday decorations, originally uploaded by shersteve.

There were flowers
and the season for them passed.

There were empty pots
and now they have been filled.

Franklin: Elves have been busy

Franklin: Elves have been busy, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The elves have been decorating for the holidays.

Franklin in the News

The Milford Daily News has the following items of interest to Franklin:

Winners of the Franklin Art Association's annual members exhibit, Autumn Talent Unveiled, held recently at Hayward Manor, were announced during the recent artists reception.

Best in show was awarded to Susan Pratt Sheridan for "Afternoon in Piensa," watercolors.

Click through to the full story to read about the other winners.

When the Conservation Commission visits the pond-dappled DelCarte property Sunday, members will take another step toward determining the future of the overgrown sanctuary, widely regarded as the most generous gift in town history.

In 2001, Shirley Stewart donated 130 acres off Pleasant Street to Franklin on behalf of her deceased father, longtime landowner Ernest DelCarte. Following his final wishes, the town agreed to maintain the $3 million property as open space and to ban all fisherman on the man-made ponds except for a few neighbors.

Read the full story about this "Hidden Gem". Be sure to click though and view the multimedia slide show with some photos of what Franklin Reservoirs looks like today.

The Boston Globe has a recap of the leaking library situation:

Now that Franklin voters have rejected a property tax increase to raise Community Preservation Act funds, town officials are scrambling to pay for as much as $6 million in library repairs, or at least enough to prevent further damage this winter.

The town's leaking library was on the top of the list of projects to receive Community Preservation Act money if voters had approved the tax surcharge this month. It was rejected by about 60 percent of voters, 2,174 to 1,528.

Water is seeping through the roof and inside walls of the Franklin Public Library, which opened in 1904, said Ken Wiedemann, chairman of the library's board of directors. Some water has already reached murals that adorn the reading room, and other paintings are vulnerable.

He said the situation isn't "desperate" yet, but can't wait too long, either.

Read the full story here.

Franklin: Autumn Color

Franklin: Autumn Color, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The forecast doesn't seem to have bright and clear skies for this Thanksgiving Day so a picture from a recent 'good' day is appropriate.

We have so much to be thankful for in Franklin.

We can work through our problems, we can continue to be a Top 10 community to raise a family, a Top 100 community to retire, and continue to be a place to be thankful for!

School finances being looked into

The Milford Daily News is reporting that the current school department finance person has been placed on leave while a shortfall of $580,000 from last years budget is investigated.

A previously undisclosed shortfall of $580,000 from last year's budget was apparently moved to this year's ledger, the School Committee announced yesterday, prompting an outside investigation and the placement of the school finance director on leave.

The discrepancy was discovered in recent weeks by Town Comptroller Susan Gagner as she squared away the district's books for fiscal 2007. Moving funds between fiscal years is illegal, as state law dictates that each year's budget be balanced individually.

It is not good that credibility in our town's finances takes another hit with this news.

Read the full story that Michael Morton has reported here.

Vote Analysis

I need to get to the Town Clerk's office to get the details on the recent election. I'd like to get into some planning for what may come up during 2008. With the requirements for fixing the library, renovating the high school amongst the major capital requirements, nevermind trying to restore the $2 million dollars the school budget got cut this past year, there are plenty of needs but few sources of income other than an other override.

I found this article with some insights on the youth vote. As strong as the elderly vote is here, the youth vote is going to become as important as any other section of the demographics.

Now a disclaimer, I plan to do this analysis not to play one group against another. That is not how to win at this game. I plan to do the analysis to simply better understand the demographics of the town.

For example:

Tip #1: The youth vote is not synonymous with students. In fact, students make up only a small part of the eligible youth vote. Only 21% of all 18-29 year olds are currently attending a college or university. That means that when you report on "students", you are leaving out the other 79% of all the individuals that make up the "youth vote." These people serve in our military, are struggling to raise families - and yes, have very different concerns from college students. I understand that makes it difficult for you to cram them into a cookie-cutter story about student aid activism and tuition costs, but you do them and your readers and our democracy a disservice when you limit your coverage to students.

Food for thought.

Where in Franklin? #19

Where in Franklin? #19, originally uploaded by shersteve.

How observant are you?

Where do you go to "Relax, Renew, Revive"?

Guidelines for playing "Where in Franklin?" can be found here.

Enjoy!

Franklin School Committee blog

Jeff Roy and others on the School Committee have their own blog: Franklin School Committee.

Jeff as an attorney by day finds some good items of interest to the school environment. For example:

When is hugging appropriate?

Intelligent design on trial.

What do you stand for?

Click on over to review what they have to share.

Five O'Clock Shadow @ Circle of Friends Coffeehouse

Caught concert Saturday night by Five O'Clock Shadow at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse. Here is a brief bit of one of their songs:



If you like live music, especially folk, the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse is one of Franklin's gems.

Milford Daily News- Carlo Reflects

Just because Willow Street resident Carlo Geromini recently retired from town service after four decades, don't expect him to give up one of his public arena passions: Perfecting his command of parliamentary procedure and encouraging others to follow suit.
``Some people like to read detective stories, some people like to read science fiction,'' Geromini, 79, said as he relaxed in his home office this week. ``I like to read Robert's Rules of Order.''
The longtime public servant still owns a pristine paperback copy of the book, a backup complementing the dog-eared hardback he lugged to meetings for many years. After serving on the School Committee in the 1960s, he won election to Town Council in 1981, holding a seat there for all but two years until leaving before this fall's election.

If you missed the Franklin Gazette, you can read Carlo's reflections on his years of service here, as written by Michael Morton of the Milford Daily News.

Where in Franklin? Answer #18

Ken Norman provided a clue the other day which didn't help anyone else I guess.

His clue was:
the cow's head over the door has nothing to do with this farm's name.

He came back to also provide the correct answer:
Four Feathers Farm on Mount St

Thanks for playing!

Stay tuned for #19.

Sidewalk - starting over

Sidewalk - starting over, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Yes, they are starting over.

The previous pictures can be found here.

Fire Station - new doors

Fire Station - new doors, originally uploaded by shersteve.

New doors!

Just in time, it is getting cold out there.

New Stop Signs on Southgate

Stop Signs, High Springs, originally uploaded by adobemac.

Michael Morton reports on new stops signs that have been added to Southgate creating 4-way stops where for the previous 20 years there was no stop required.

Yes, the signs are new. Bright red and white. But folks are blowing right by them.

It is not that they are crazy. The human body learns well. No signs were there for 20 years. The drivers are into their zone, their mind spinning along on the errands they are making; whether going shopping, or picking up the little one, or dropping off the middle one. They have been trained to travel without the stop signs. The mind is not aware of the change because it is a small change.

When unlearning is required, it takes time. It will take a big sign, or something significant to catch their attention to start making the change.

The police can position a cruiser to attract attention. Or the neighborhood can get together and in groups create awareness with balloons, costumes, anything to break the normal attention span of the drivers on Southgate.

Hopefully, it will not be a serious accident!

Veterans among us

Horace Mann Middle School's celebration of Veteran's Day is highlighted in an article by Michael Morton.

Asked by a group of eighth-graders yesterday whether he had wanted to be drafted during the Korean War, veteran Donald Barrow replied that young people back then held different assumptions.

"It was just something you grew up expecting," he said as he sat next to his grandson, student Andrew Wilson. "It was part of growing up at that time."

Horace Mann Middle School took a slightly different approach to celebrating Veterans Day yesterday. While it held the standard school assembly filled with invited guests and patriotic messages, the school also had students break into small groups later to learn firsthand from those who served in the military.

In one classroom, Douglas Bernard, the step-grandfather of math teacher Kim Bishaw, related both humorous and tragic memories from his time as an infantryman in World War II.

Read more about the day's event, especially the interaction between the veterans and students in this wonderful learning experience.

As a plug for one of my other projects; I am working with my father to record his oral history. Dad, Gerald (Jerry) Sherlock, grew up in Pawtucket, RI and served in the US Marines 4th Division during World War II on Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. We have recorded up through the war and are just now getting into the post war period where he come home to find work, find and eventually marry my mother. You can listen to Jerry's Story here.

Sprinkler Law Taking affect

The Fire Safety Act, signed into law by former Gov. Mitt Romney in 2004, requires all bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues that hold 100 people or more to have automatic sprinklers. The legislation was passed in the wake of The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which killed 100 people in February 2003.

Gee, why are some folks complaining now? It is not like this just came out yesterday. For those in business prior to the law being signed, they have had time to get their act together.

Ira Cantor's writing in the Franklin Gazette has details on the three establishments in Franklin required to put them in. (I think there might be a couple more but they are already not operating for a variety of reasons so the count is skewed.)

Franklin Historic Walking Trail Proposed

Seeking to follow in the footsteps of Boston and its Freedom Trail, leaders of a downtown booster group announced yesterday that they want their own walking route connecting points of local culture.

"There are so many historical sites," said Lisa Piana, the executive director of the Downtown Partnership. Citing one, she added, "I would guess 90 percent of residents haven't been to the (Horace Mann) museum."

The trail proposal was one of several topics discussed during a meeting on downtown revitalization at Dean College which drew two dozen merchants, politicians and educators.

Read more in Michael Morton's article in the Milford Daily News

Good News Wanted

If you have good news about Franklin, like this, or like this. Good news that may not make it to the local paper, send it along and I'll see what we can do to get it published here. Send it to shersteve at gmail dot com. Be aware that I have limited access during normal business hours. You can reference my disclosure statement. Only good news, please. There is enough bad news in the world already.

Fire station sidewalk update

I forgot to mention that coming home from the train station on Tuesday I came by the new fire station and the sidewalk had already been torn up. Let's hope that this time when they pour the concrete, they put a few more signs and ropes around to keep the walkers away.

Where in Franklin? #18

Where in Franklin? #18, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The guidelines for playing Where in Franklin? can be found here.

Enjoy!

What could Franklin do?

What can 10 million dollars and a community do together?

Make a commercial, of course!



Would the money have been better spent elsewhere? on something more important than beer? There might be something to discuss on that topic.


Guinness just launched "Tipping Point", the most expensive TV ad in its 80-year marketing history, with a domino rally that features cars, flaming hay bales and grandfather clocks. Shot up an Argentinian mountain, the ad shows a community coming together to create the mother of all domino-toppling spectacles. Genius! (Production cost: $10 million)

Zip Skinny

This is a slick web site that gathers and presents information from the 2000 Census for a specific zip code. I set this up for Franklin. Once on the site, you can change the zip code to check another one, or compare up to ten others with Franklin.

Have fun!

Nonni Roses Bakery Page1

Updated: June 2012
The bakery has closed or moved to an unknown location

Nonni Roses Bakery Page1, originally uploaded by shersteve.

We stopped for coffee on Saturday as Dolores and I did our walk. They weren't open when we passed on Sunday. They won't normally be open on Sunday but due to their grand opening were going to be. I went back in the afternoon to get a baguette.

Sliced and warmed in the oven, the baguette was a perfect companion for some supper's home-made Venus de Milo soup.

Nonni Roses Bakery Page2

Updated June 2012
The bakery has either closed or moved to an unknown location

Nonni Roses Bakery Page2, originally uploaded by shersteve.

This bakery just opened at 357 Union St. It moved to Franklin from Bellingham.

Senior Center: path to Oak St/Horace Mann

Senior Center: path to Oak St/Horace Mann, originally uploaded by shersteve.

One of the better things I noticed about the new Senior Center, is that the fence previously dividing the property from the next door Oak Street Elementary, Horance Mann Middle and the Early Childhood Development Center School complex was taken down and enhanced with a path way.

A bridge for the generation gap!

Two critical populations for Franklin now have a way to connect. Let's encourage both the seniors and the schools to make good use of this path.

Senior Center: horseshoe pits

Senior Center: horseshoe pits, originally uploaded by shersteve.

If boccie is not your game, maybe you'll be up for tossing a few shoes!

Note that unlike many basketball hoops in Franklin driveways where the hoop height is lower for the younger kids, the stakes have not been shortened here for the seniors to use a handi-cap!

Senior Center: boccie court

Senior Center: bocci court, originally uploaded by shersteve.

A well rounded senior needs physical exercise and a good game of boccie can help.

Senior Center: Back patio

Senior Center: Back patio, originally uploaded by shersteve.

On nice days, this will get used but it will need some awnings. It lies in the direct sun.

Senior Center: Parking lot

Senior Center: Parking lot, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The parking lot was full, cars were parked all along Oak St. My father and I actually parked at the Oak Street School parking lot and walked back to the Senior Center for our visit.

One of the facility workers was chuckling that "they" had planned for about 200 folks to show up. This was busier than the high school field house during voting on Tuesday.

Senior Center: meeting room in front

Senior Center: meeting room in front, originally uploaded by shersteve.

off the main entrance area to the right and toward the front of the building this meeting room looks out to the parking lot and Oak Street.

across the hall there is a good size exercise room. it was being occupied by a rehearsal (or peformance?) of some 30 or so members of a chorus

Senior Center: Conference room in back

Senior Center: Conference room in back, originally uploaded by shersteve.

off the center hall in the rear of the Senior Center is this nice conference room.

Senior Center: other half of common room

Senior Center: other half of common room, originally uploaded by shersteve.

the other half...

What is not shown - there is also a stage at the right and a grand piano

Senior Center: common room

Senior Center: common room, originally uploaded by shersteve.

one half of the large common room

Senior Center: Library

Senior Center: Library, originally uploaded by shersteve.

a nice room, even with the crowd for the open house, I felt I could pull up a chair and get lost in a book.

Senior Center: entrance area

Senior Center: entrance area, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The Open House at the Senior Center was well attended today. Probably more people than turned out to vote last Tuesday.

Flowers on the bridge

Franklin: Flowers in the bridge, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The picture yesterday showed the empty flower pots on the other side of the railroad bridge.

This picture was taken earlier this year. I have resurrected it to help refresh our memories of what the flowers looked like.

May the memories keep us warm this winter.

Enjoy!

Where in Franklin? Answer #17

Where in Franklin? Answer #17, originally uploaded by shersteve.

We had two correct replies on this one. The first from Michael LeBlanc, the second from Ken Norman.

The picture for #17 was taken from the corner of the building seen here to the left.

The Rome is a Franklin treasure!

Stay tuned for the next picture.

Poor sidewalk planning

Poor sidewalk planning, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The nice sidewalk laid down Friday afternoon was marked off with some traffic dividers. That's ok for the auto traffic. The foot traffic (yes, this is West Central and heavily trafficked) was not blocked off with anything so folks just walked on.

Some as they realized what they were doing got off. Some were more opportunistic and wrote their name. This could easily have been avoided with some more effective blocking. Where is the "Don Not Cross" tape when you need it?

Note that the sidewalk on East Street does not have the same foot or name markings. It is less heavily traveled.

Franklin: Good planning

Franklin: Good planning, originally uploaded by shersteve.

An example of good planning. To lay the bricks straight and even, there are guidelines on each corner. Three of those guidelines are pictured here.

Too bad the folks who just put in the sidewalk near the new fire station did not take similar planning precautions. Now they have some re-work to do.

Franklin: All the flowers are gone!

Franklin: All the flowers are gone!, originally uploaded by shersteve.

It is that time of year. The flowers, so colorful and welcoming, are now gone for the season.

The memories remain.

Thanks to the volunteers who helped to create these flower boxes and keep them watered and maintained during the growing season.

How not to spend Community Preservation Act dollars

More taxdollars are on the line in Wareham, where some political activists are fuming over some $1.1-million given to a property owner for her beachfront land. The money is coming from Community Preservation Act funds, but the larger issue is how residents and towns spend tax increase revenue.

Read more about this in the Boston Globe posting here.

As I read this article and more importantly, read between the lines (with all due respect to my newspaper contacts, news papers are out to be sold and headlines help) this is not so much an issue with CPA as it is an issue with apparent collusion amongst the town officials in Wareham who found a way to do what they wanted, period. If they had enough money in the coffee fund, they would have used that.

For Franklin voters and tax payers, this is message of diligence on how the town handles its affairs and not a condemnation of CPA. CPA while recently rejected, is a good thing. Maybe not yet for Franklin but someday.

Amesbury rejects "under" ride

Yes, Amesbury voters have voted down a proposal to reduce their taxes.

By a 2-1 margin, voters in Amesbury on Tuesday rejected a proposed $1 million Proposition 2 1/2 ‘‘underride,’’ or tax cut, that had been strongly opposed by Amesbury Mayor Thatcher W. Kezer III.

Read the Boston Globe Override Central posting here.

Franklin: Grand Opening

Franklin: Grand Opening, originally uploaded by shersteve.

I think Dolores and I will stop by to visit on our walk Saturday.

Franklin: Holiday Bazaar

Franklin: Holiday Bazaar, originally uploaded by shersteve.

While the sign is posted in front of the current Senior Center, with the new one celebrating the grand opening on Sunday the 11th, the bazaar will be held at the new facility off Oak/Beaver Streets.

Franklin: Center Commons building brickwork

Franklin: Center Commons building brickwork, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Brick by brick, the somewhat tedious but artful process of bricklaying creates a building of structure.

Local Scenes from Steve's 2 Cents

To view the local scenes from Steve's 2 Cents follow this link

To view the local scenes as posted here, you can click on the Label in the right column for "local scenes"

Where in Franklin?

As part of the refocusing of my writing here, I am starting a new feature.

When:
As you have seen, I have been posting some pictures of the local scenes in and around Franklin. On Wednesdays and Sundays, I'll post a picture and ask for your participation to identify where it is in Franklin.

Who can play:
Anyone can play but realistically, I understand that this will limit participation to those readers who are Franklin area residents (or at least local neighbors). Don't worry, we'll do something else for those of you who are outside Franklin.

What kind of picture:
The picture will be of something seen from the sidewalk or road while walking, or riding a bike or car. All pictures will be found within the confines of geographical Franklin. The picture should be something of beauty, specialness, architectural, natural or the like that is found within Franklin.

How to play:
If you recognize the picture, send me an email or leave a comment on the post identifying where the picture is or what it is of. Cross streets, street addresses, or significant defining descriptions accepted. In case of a tie in identification, the time stamp on the entry (to indicate the first correct answer) will determine the winner.

Deadlines:
I'll post a new picture each Sunday and Wednesday morning. I'll announce the winner of the previous picture at the same time.

All entries for Sunday's picture will close at midnight on Tuesday.
All entries for Wednesday's picture will close at midnight on Saturday.

Prize:
The glory and honor for identification of the picture. I'll publish as much of your name or identification as you will allow me to.

Why am I doing this?
To help us all explore the real beauty of what we have here. Sure there are great sites to see when we travel but "there is no place like home". If this effort does just a little to help us better see, understand, and appreciate our own Franklin area, then it will have succeeded. This will unite my desire for "life long learning", my passion for the good customer experience, and of course, my home town: Franklin.

Where in Franklin? - Part 2:
You can also send me a picture to post. You'll get credit for the picture and assist in judging the winner. Contributions should be emailed to shersteve at gmail dot com. If the picture is not something I am comfortable in posting safely, I'll let you know via email.

Disclaimer:
This is meant to be a fun thing to do.
If this gets to be not fun, well, I'll give notice and stop.

Oh, and the residents of my immediate household are not eligible to play.

Did I miss anything?
Please, let me know.

Updated 11/9/07 with the move from Steve's 2 Cents to Franklin Matters
Updated 8/26/07 to change from once per week to twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday)
Updated 10/4/07 to change from "Where am I?" to "Where in Franklin?"

Franklin Election 2007

This will take you to the posts leading up to and following the election on November 6, 2007.

Franklin Override 2007

This will take you to the list of the original posts leading up to and following the override vote on May 22, 2007.

Where in Franklin? Summary

The 2013 edition of Where in Franklin? guidelines can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/2013-where-in-franklin.html


2013 - 01 Nature trail behind the Parmenter School
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/where-in-franklin-2013-1.html

2013 - 02  Lamp on outside of 44 Main St
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/where-in-franklin-2013-02.html

2013 - 03  marker at Fletcher Field
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/where-in-franklin-2013-03.html

2013 - 04  Panther Way, new sidewalk
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/where-in-franklin-2013-04.html

2013 - 05  bench at Ben Franklin statue at Library
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/where-in-franklin-2013-05.html

2013 - 06  Jefferson Elementary School playground
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/where-in-franklin-2013-06.html

2013 - 07  water trough on downtown triangle
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/where-in-franklin-2013-07.html

2013 - 08
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/12/where-in-franklin-2013-08.html





The guidelines to play Where in Franklin? can be found here (2007 edition)

Picture 17, Answer 17 The Rome Restaurant

Picture 18, Answer 18 Four Feathers Farm on Mount St

Picture 19, Answer 19 Stop & Shop

Picture 20, Answer 20 Four Corners Building

Picture 21, Answer 21 Municipal Building

Picture 22, Answer 22 Montessori Sunrise School

Picture 23, Answer 23 open pit by Chestnut Ridge, along RT 140

Picture 24, Pix 2 - 24, Answer 24, Horace Mann Plaza entrance

Picture 25, Answer 25 Davis Thayer Elementary School

Picture 26, Pix 2 - 26, Answer 26 St Mary's Church

Picture 27, Answer 27 East Central Car Wash

Picture 28, Answer 28, better photo Ginley Funeral Home

Picture 29, Pic 2, Answer 29 Franklin Federated Church

Picture 30, Answer 30 Franklin Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Picture 31, Answer 31 Glen Meadow Apartments & Condominiums

Picture 32, Answer 32 Ficco's Bowladrome

Picture 33, Answer 33 Franklin Common

Picture 34, Answer 34 Keigan Chevrolet

Picture 35, Answer 35 Ben Franklin Statue at Library

Picture 36, Answer 36 Ben Franklin Banking branch office

Picture 37, Answer 37 Water Tower, Upper Union St

Picture 38, Answer 38 Stobbart's Nurseries

Picture 39, Answer 39 Horace Mann Museum

Picture 40, Answer 40 Best Deli

Picture 41, Answer 41 Hayward Estate carriage house

Picture 42, Answer 42 Franklin Country Club - golf driving range netting

Picture 43, Answer 43 former Thompson Printing Press, Dean Ave

Picture 44, Answer 44 the well on Jordan Road

Picture 45, Answer 45 Verizon building on Main St.

Picture 46, Answer 46 Adirondack Club

Picture 47, Answer 47, Church of the Latter Day Saints, Jordan Road

Picture 48, Answer 48, Bullukian Oil on Alpine Row

Picture 49, Answer 49 Open space off Lincoln St

Picture 50, Answer 50 Franklin Lumber Company

Picture 51, Answer 51 - Parmenter School on Wachusett St



Where in Franklin? was posted prior to November 9, 2007 on Steve's 2 Cents

The summary of the first 16 photos can be found here