Parmenter School: Nature Trail Guide

The trail guide for the Nature Trail at the Parmenter Elementary School on Wachusett St in Franklin, MA.

Parmenter Nature Trail Guide 2010

Enjoy!


Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Express Line - v2 #2

Franklin's newsletter - The Express Line is now published and available:

Franklin, MA: Express Line_Nov 1, 2010


You can subscribe to receive your own copy directly to your inbox:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/subscriber-news


Franklin, MA

Letter from Theresa D'Amato

How did the nature trail at the Parmenter School come to be?
This letter from Theresa D'Amato, a teacher at Parmenter (now retired), tells the story.

Dear Parmenter Parents/Guardians,

Franklin, like many other communities, has lost much of its forested areas to development thus limiting the opportunities for children to experience the natural environment and to have outdoor educational experiences. It was for this reason that grant proposals were written to fund a project designed to meet this critical need for the students at Parmenter School.

In 1999, a Franklin Education Foundation grant provided the funds to create a habitat to attract birds and butterflies at Parmenter. At that time, Parmenter students designed and planted the garden. In addition, Franklin High School football players moved rocks to border it. Today, Parmenter students maintain the garden, fill the bird feeders, and create nature-friendly crafts for the birds.

In 2001, The Massachusetts Audubon Society, in partnership with Parmenter School, received an Eisenhower grant to create a nature trail on the school property and to provide all teachers with the information needed to integrate environmental sciences into their curricula. To complement and improve this resource, a grant from Lowe’s was obtained in 2006. Using these funds in conjunction with the service of former Parmenter students, guideposts, a wetland boardwalk, trailhead sign, and erosion timbers were installed on the G. M. Parmenter Nature Trail. Future projects are planned to continue to enhance the trail.

At this time I would like to thank all of the parents—too numerous to mention—who since 1999 have helped with the habitat and the trail; I-Jen Chen who created the GPS map, and Anthony D’Amato who created the trail guide. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Robert Young, Colin Young, and Jeremy Harmon who chose to conduct their Eagle Scout projects at their former elementary school.

The completion of the trail required several years of work and was funded by grants and maintained by hundreds of hours of volunteer labor. Importantly, the trail is a resource to be enjoyed by the entire Parmenter School Community and I invite you to utilize this nature trail and to inform your extended family and friends of its existence. Moreover, it is my hope that the G.M. Parmenter School Nature Trail will provide a resource for environmental education experiences that create a sense of stewardship for the Earth’s natural resources. Please use the enclosed trail guide to enrich your walk as you enjoy the beauty of nature that exists right out our backyard.

Sincerely,

Theresa F. D’Amato

I managed to catch Theresa when I stopped by Saturday to check out the Story Walk. The Story Walk is placed along the nature trail.

The Story Walk was born in Vermont. I'll have pictures of the walk later this week.


Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Change to Winter Parking Ban proposed

The agenda and associated documents for the Town Council meeting on Nov 3.

Of interest is the proposed change to the winter parking ban. The ban would change from a set parking ban for 150 days, to one triggered by storms. The penalties for compliance would remain the same but folks could park overnight on the 100 or so winter nights that there isn't a storm.


Town Council 11/03/10 Agenda


Franklin, MA

In the News - Treasurer/Collector, walk inside

Franklin voters to decide on treasurer

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley, Daily News staff

A walk in the warm in Franklin

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley, Daily News staff

The high school will be open from 5:30 to 7:30 on Mon, Tue and Wed evenings in a pilot program to allow residents to walk the halls indoors and out of the weather. Coordinated as part of the Life Long Learning program for the Franklin School District.

Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Election Day, Nov 2, 2010 - Information

What will my ballot in Franklin ask me to vote on?
You can find the complete set of candidates for office on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's web site: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

You can put your Franklin address into this form and receive a full set of the candidates and ballot questions (3 state wide and 2 specific to Franklin).


What are the ballot questions for this election?
You can find the complete set of questions as published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-ma-election-2010-ballot.html

Ballotpedia entries for each Question 1, 2, and 3 can be found in the links below. Each entry provides background on the issue as well as information on both sides of the question.

Question 1
http://www.ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Massachusetts_No_Sales_Tax_for_Alcohol_Initiative,_Question_1_(2010)

Question 2
http://www.ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Massachusetts_Comprehensive_Permits_and_Regional_Planning_Initiative,_Question_2_(2010)

Question 3
http://www.ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Massachusetts_Sales_Tax_Relief_Act,_Question_3_(2010)

Information on the Franklin Charter Changes can be found in this posting

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/fm-75-charter-changes-vote-nov-2.html

Where is Franklin High School?
The high school can be found at 218 Oak St. The map below can provide directions from your address.


View Larger Map


Quick Facts:

• The polls will open at 6:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM.
• Absentee ballots can be applied for at the Town Clerk's office up until noon on Monday, Nov 1
• All absentee ballots need to be received by the Town Clerk by 8:00 PM on Tuesday, Nov 2 to be counted.

Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - 11/3/10

A. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

B. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Executive Sessions September 29, 2010 and October 6, 2010

C. ANNOUNCEMENTS - Meetings of the Town Council are Recorded

D. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

E. CITIZEN COMMENTS

F. APPOINTMENTS
Recreation Advisory Board - Kinjal Patel

G. HEARINGS

H. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

I. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Senator Richard Ross
2012 Budget Discussion� 2012 Budget Discussion2012 Budget Discussi2012 Budget Discussion

J. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

K. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Bylaw Amendment 10-651: Chapter 170, Vehicles and Traffic – 1st Reading

L. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

M. OLD BUSINESS

N. NEW BUSINESS

O. COUNCIL COMMENTS

P. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

Q. ADJOURN



Franklin, MA

Have a good laugh!

Franklin's Let's Laugh Today group meets

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc.

The Let's Laugh Today laughter club will meet on Monday, Nov. 22, from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. at the First Universalist Society in Franklin Meetinghouse, 262 Chestnut St.

Franklin, MA

FM #75 - Charter Changes - Vote Nov 2

Let's take a few minutes to prepare for the election, Tuesday, Nov 2, 2010. There are five ballot questions for Franklin voters, 3 are statewide questions and two unique to Franklin.


Time: 11 minutes, 55 seconds



MP3 File



Session Notes:


Let's take a few minutes to prepare for November 2, election day here in Franklin, across MA and the US.


The leadership positions of the commonwealth of MA are open, some are contested campaigns some are not. I won't spend any more time on reiterating who is running for what. By now, you have probably been inundated with campaign messages, phone calls, signs in public places, etc.


Amongst the five ballot questions Franklin voters will see on Tuesday are three for the commonwealth and two specifically and uniquely Franklin's.


These two questions are the end step in the process that began a few years ago with the Charter Committee co-chaired by Paul Cheli and Larry Benedetto . The proposed charter changes have been covered extensively here in the past year as the committee made their presentation to the Town Council in July of 2009, the Council formed a special subcommittee and their presentations and discussions lead to the vote in April where the changes were approved by a 6-2 vote. Zollo and Jones voted against, Vallee was absent for the vote.
http://franklinmattersweekly.blogspot.com/2010/04/fm-64-week-ending-41110.html 


The changes went to the Legislature and received final approval with Gov Patrick's signature in September to put the question on the ballot for us to have our say this Tuesday.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/09/charter-changes-approved-by-governor.html


There are two questions – the first basically cleans up some technical language. The second approves the change of the Treasurer/Collector from an elected position to an appointed position.


I won't spend time reviewing the arguments for an against. I will include the clip from the Town Council meeting Oct 20th when Cheli and Benedetto took a few minutes during the citizens comments to speak on the changes. You can listen to there comments here:


(inserted clip)


They were followed by Jim Dacey, the current Treasurer/Collector who spoke for the charter change and in his words answered some of the questions around the change. Jim summarizes it very well:


(inserted clip)


The posting with the ballot questions, candidates and positions to be filled is attached and will be re-posted on Tuesday.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-ma-election-nov-2-franklin.html
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-ma-election-nov-2-franklin_22.html


I encourage everyone to get out and exercise your civic duty to cast an informed ballot. If there is a question that you think I might be able to answer, please feel free to reach out and ask me.


I will do what I can to help.




As I close this session this week, let me remind you that

• If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
• If you don’t like something, please tell me

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission

I hope you enjoy!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to listen to the audio podcast.



Franklin, MA

Vote Nov 2 - 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, absentee ballots available

... Franklin Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri said her office has received more than 400 requests since she advertised the ballots were available.

"So many people have said they will be out of town and won't be able to make it back in time to vote," said Pellegri. "There has been a steady stream of people."

Town residents who are registered voters that plan to vote via absentee ballot have until noon on Monday to request a ballot from their local town clerk's office. In order to be counted, the ballot must be returned to the clerk's office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.

 Read the full article in the Milford Daily News:
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1673647778/Many-have-taken-out-absentee-ballots


Note: the article says that the voting booths will be open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM on Tuesday, November 2. That may be true for other communities but Franklin's voting hours are 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM

This can be checked by Debbie Pellegri's notice on the Franklin website
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_News/2010%20absentee%20notice.pdf



Franklin, MA

Hanging With Franklin's Own Tom Brady Jr.

This month I interviewed Franklin’s one and only Tom Brady Jr. I have wanted to interview Tom Brady Jr.for some time. We all know how busy Tom is juggling his wife, two kids, and traveling for work, so I was thrilled when we finally sat down for this interview last night.

Hello Mr. Brady it is a pleasure to meet you. I am a big fan. May I call you Tom?

But of course.

 Can you state your full name on the record?

Thomas Andrew Brady Jr.

Hmm? I thought that your name was Tom Edward Patrick Brady, Jr.?

No

Well you do play football right?

Yes

Right, for the New England Patriots.

No

Oh Sorry. What team do you play for?

The Brady Family team?

Not like the NFL?

No, Like Tom and Pru. You know touch football.

I am beginning to think that I have the wrong Tom Brady Jr. here. Are you at least a big patriot’s fan?

Oh Yes.

More so or less so since the year 2000? 

The same.

So when Tom Brady became famous in the year 2000 it didn’t ruin your team loyalty?

No.

How did your life change?

I have a company called Tom Brady Carpentry and the year we went to the Super Bowl. I had “Tom Brady” signs in my truck that fans took. I also had magnetic “Tom Brady” signs on the sides of the truck that fans also took.  

Oh dear.

My voice mails were loaded with young girls looking for Tom Brady. I had a kitchen cabinet set being delivered and the delivery guys stole the delivery labels off them because they were made out to Tom Brady. That was just the first year.

Well lots of young girls?  That must have been a plus?

My wife didn’t think so.

Oh dear, Oh my, that’s terrible. Did you get any perks?

After the Super Bowl my best friend David the plumber would go out to bars and tell the bartender that Tom Brady was coming in for beers. The bartender never believed him so they’d make a bet. Then I’d show up, show the bartender my license and we’d drink for free.

I love free stuff! Any other perks?

Well after the first Super Bowl win John Henry called my parents house the day after to congratulate Tom Brady on the win. My mother with the thickest Irish brogue said that she thought that he had the wrong Tom Brady. He said “No I don’t believe I do?” She laughed and said “okay” and hung up.

And for idiots like me who is John Henry?

Do you know the Red Sox?

Obviously I don’t know as much about them as I should.

He’s one of the owners.

I am so ashamed…I know who Bob Kraft is….

Oh I met Bob Kraft when I did the signs for Bass Pro Shops, for Bob’s Signs.

Did he think it was funny that your name was Tom Brady?

He stopped me in the stair well because my picture was in the Boston Globe the day before.

Really?  For what?

There was a picture of me hanging the signs for the Bass Pro Shops. I was on the front page.

Really? You are a celebrity! What did Bob Say?

I asked him for his autograph and he said that you are my other Tom Brady. So I asked for more zeros in the end of my paycheck.

Any luck?

Oh God no.

Did he laugh?

Yes, hysterically.

I am assuming that you still got the autograph?

Yes.

Did you ever get to meet Tom Brady?

Of course, more than once, I’ve met him three times.

What! Really?

Yeah I met him at Gillette stadium and once at Patriot place.

What?  Just walking around?

He was jogging around Gillette field and I was working for Bob’s Signs again. We were putting up flags.

How did you meet him if he was jogging?

I stopped him.

How? Did you throw yourself in front of him?

Well, I stood in front of him.

Really? He’s 6’5” and you're short like me. He didn't run you down?

No.

 Was he annoyed?

No at first he was surprised, then very pleasant.

That’s just crazy. Did you talk long?

A little then he said that he had to keep going on his routine and he jogged off.

That’s too funny? What about the second time?

He was walking to his car after practice and I got his autograph. I told him that my name was Tom Brady and he signed it “To Tom Brady oh what a name, (then he signed it) Tom Brady #12”

Amazing, then you met him yet again?

I met him at Patriot Place in front of Circuit city. He was shopping, he was running out and said a quick hi.

I am so jealous. It must be nice to be Tom Brady.

Well, whenever I order food for takeout in Franklin, its ready 10 minutes earlier.

Do the people look all disappointed when you come in?

Yes, I disappoint people all of the time.

Well you have not disappointed me. You are a fascinating guy. Before I let you go, do you and Tommy #12 have anything else in common?

We both have a beautiful wife and two beautiful children.

Public Notice: Tree Removal of Public Shade Trees

TREE REMOVAL OF PUBLIC SHADE TREES

A public hearing will be held on Thursday, November 4, 2010, 3:00 PM on the Franklin Town Common for the cutting and removal of thirteen hazard/dieing trees. The public shade trees to be removed are located at the Town Common. All interested people should meet at the gazebo at 3:00 PM. All trees to be removed will be marked with yellow caution tape.

Robert A. Cantoreggi
Tree Warden/Director of Public Works


Franklin, MA

In the News - Iron Chef at Dean

Dean College students enjoy Iron Chef competition

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Franklin, MA

Gallery 218: works of the summer

A crowd, behaving nicely with one another. The work came from the summer. When time was freer and easier than dictated by the school bells, the bus schedule or homework requirements.

Intent on observing a video or one of the paintings on the wall. Observation can lead in so many directions.

A self portrait. Is it close? What do you see when you look in the mirror?

What can you do with your hands, some paint, paper, or knitting needles and yarn? How handy are you?

These works are a small of what some of the Franklin teachers and students did this summer. Representing all the K-12 schools in the district, there are over 100 works on display at Gallery 218 in Franklin High School.

The Gallery is open immediately before and after school. Access off hours can be arranged by contacting Mike Caple, Director of the Art Program.


Art Bonus:
There is also a showing of some Franklin Teachers works at the Hunakai Studio in Foxboro. The show is called "Art of the Educator" and closes Nov 19th this weekend. Take a drive out this Saturday or Sunday to view it before it closes.

Hunakai School of Fine Arts
16 Chestnut Street Suite 410
Foxboro, MA 02035
(508) 543-5665


Updated 11/5/10 - after posting this about the show at Hunakai, I managed to catch up with Carla to find out more about the show and that it was extended until Nov 19th due to the great reception the show has received.


Franklin, MA

"The move to Franklin has been everything we had hoped"

"There is no other community that has put on such an effort," said Jack Lank, president of the United Regional Chamber of Commerce. "People here in Franklin get it, they really do."

The summit highlighted the town's ability to offer tax incentives to businesses that expand within six so-called economic opportunity areas designated over the last two years.

The areas include Forge Park, Franklin Industrial Park, North Grove Street, South Grove Street and Pond Street. There are about 100 parcels available, totaling more than 900 acres.

Read the full article about the economic summit held yesterday in Franklin:
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x370072951/Franklins-focus-on-business-applauded


Franklin, MA