Alert: low flying helicopters Friday, May 18

From the Announcement page on the Franklin website:

Please be advised that on Friday, May 18th, National Grid will be conducting low-level distribution and sub-transmission helicopter patrols in the area. In case of inclement weather the patrols will be postponed until a later date.

In the News: candidates making progress

Roy files nomination papers for state representative seat

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Padula making bid for Franklin, Medway state rep seat

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

As Foxborough folds, optimism grows in Milford for casino

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

As Foxborough folds, optimism grows in Milford for casino

via Boston Business News - Local Boston News | Boston Business Journal on 5/10/12

A decision this week by the Kraft Group and Wynn Resorts to drop their plans for a resort casino in Foxborough has kindled increased optimism for development of a casino in Milford (and no doubt other places as well), the MetroWest Daily News reports. Colorado-based developer David Nunes is looking to build a $700 million, 300,000-square-foot casino at the junction of Rte. 16 and Interstate 495 in Milford. Nunes told the Daily News that with Foxborough out of the picture, there is now going to be...

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Franklin Library: Nook eReaders

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Nook eReaders

via Franklin Public Library by Franklin Public Library on 5/10/12

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“What is Franklin?"

The last master plan was drafted in 1997, and is the document Franklin officials refer to now when making any developmental changes to town, but even that draft was never fully adopted, officials said last night. 

“We need your input,” Town Councilor and Master Plan Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy told residents, and a local cable TV camera.

“We can’t do this alone. We can’t make this work unless you participate.” 

The master plan has seven sections, explained town Planning Department Director Bryan Taberner: economic development; land use; community service and facilities; housing; natural, cultural, and historic resources; circulation; and open space and recreation. Public opinion is sought when making any changes.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x2069500175/Franklin-residents-offer-guidance-for-town-master-plan#ixzz1uSS7gvV3


Related posts on the Master Plan
From Dec 2011
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/12/what-is-franklins-master-plan.html

The recent announcement of these public hearings (next one Sat May 19th 10:00 AM at the library)
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/05/franklins-master-plan-public-hearings.html

The Committee has a website on the Franklin Town page athttp://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_BComm/Masterplan.  

It also has a presence on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FranklinMasterPlan.  

HMEA 11th Annual Independence 5K - May 20th

Run or walk for a good cause on Sunday May 20th. The HMEA is holding their 11th Annual Independence 5K Race/Walk event at the EMC facility on 50 Constitution Blvd, here in Franklin, MA.



If you want to register as a runner, you can do that directly here
http://www.active.com/register/index.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&EVENT_ID=2009516

or if you want to register and raise some funds for HMEA, you can do that here
http://www.firstgiving.com/hmea


You can also view the document here
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczMXJVVzMxLVFRazQ

Introducing "Food Chain" (video)

There is more interest in food now than at any point in our nation’s history. We have more standards with which to make conscious food choices than ever before. Yet while people want to know where their food is grown, how it’s grown, and when it was harvested, no one is really asking any questions beginning with “who”. Despite this tremendous interest in food, there is almost no interest in the people that pick it.

Found on the Civil Eats website
http://civileats.com/2012/05/02/meet-your-food-chain/

Google, MBTA Debut Innovative Station Indoor Maps

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Google, MBTA Debut Innovative Station Indoor Maps

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 5/9/12

Beginning today, MBTA riders will have a new and innovative way to get around the system. The MBTA is excited to announce that the T is the first U.S transit agency to have indoor maps of its stations in Google Maps for Android. 

Google Maps for Android users will now see indoor maps when they zoom into select MBTA stations. With indoor maps, users will be able to see station features such as stairs, escalators, elevators, entrances and exits to help guide them through the system. The "blue dot," familiar to Google Maps users can now help riders find their own location in many indoor stations. 

Indoor maps and walking directions are available in Google Maps for Android in two dozen key stations including Park Street, South Station, and Downtown Crossing. 

This new feature is the latest way that the MBTA is collaborating with Google to help riders get around the system. Last year, the MBTA was one of the first U.S. transit agencies to bring real-time transit data to Google Maps. In 2009, Google and the MBTA launched our collaboration to provide digital transit maps and schedule information.

This initiative is just one of many ways that the MBTA is working to give customers improved information. More than 50 apps answering the question, "Where's the T?" are available at MBTA.com/apps. 

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Franklin Community Garden Update

Hello Gardeners,

Every indication shows that we've passed the last of the cold weather, and have entered into prime gardening time.  The average last frost date for Franklin Massachusetts is May 1st, and the extended forecast shows pleasant weather in our future.  If you haven't had a chance to get down to the garden an prepare your bed now is a good time.  We have early weeds that are starting to go to seed, so get them pulled now before they spread the next generation into your bed and your neighbors!  Remember that you are responsible for weeding your bed and the area around it!

Raised bed in April, 2012

When you visit the garden you may also notice a new structure in it, we now have a garden shed with tools in it thanks to a generous grant from the Franklin Rotary!  The shed has a keyed lock on the front, and you can obtain your key to the lock at the Recreation department.  Please be sure to lock the shed after you leave, and return any tools you've borrowed.   If you'd like to further suppress weeds in your area feel free to take woodchips from the large pile and add them on top of any weed hotspots.  The wheelbarrow and tools in the shed makes moving them easy, and there are gardening gloves in the shed to aid handling.

The water seems to be running slowly, but hasn't been officially turned on.  We're in contact with the town to have to water turned on fully as soon as possible.

We have a number of gardening events coming up in May!

May 12th: 9:30 am to 11:30 am - An Introduction to Gardening and Garden Planning at the YMCA 45 Forge Hill Road Franklin, MA
May 19th: 9:00 am to 11:00 am - A Tomato Planting & Support Demonstration at the King St. Memorial Garden
May 28th: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm - King St. Memorial Garden 1st Anniversary Celebration at the King St. Memorial Garden

We hope to see you there!

The Franklin Community Garden Committee

Additional Event Info

An Introduction to Gardening and Garden Planning
Hosted By: Chris Clay, Friends of Franklin Community Gardens, and the YMCA
May 12th: 9:00 am to 11:00 am
YMCA 45 Forge Hill Road Franklin, MA

This class will give you a basic introduction to gardening and what you need to do to have a successful harvest.  We'll also go over the basics of planning out what you'll be putting in your garden throughout the growing season, and have materials on hand to help you plan your garden for this year.  All those who attend will also be able to pickup some free seeds, and meet fellow gardeners.

A Tomato Planting & Support Demonstration
Hosted By: Chris Clay and Friends of Franklin Community Gardens
May 19th: 9:00 am to 11:00 am
King St. Memorial Community Garden

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable among home gardeners, and with good reason.  The flavor of a tomato fresh off the vine is something you simply cannot find at the supermarket.  They also happen to be my favorite vegetable, and in this presentation I'll go over the tips and tricks for successful tomato growing I've collected.  I'll also cover additional information on tomato varieties, how to prune tomatoes, and setup proper support structures for optimal tomato health.

King St. Memorial Garden 1st Anniversary Celebration
Hosted By: The Friends of Franklin Community Gardens and the Franklin Community Garden Committee
May 28th: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
King St. Memorial Community Garden

On May 28th, 2011 the King St. Memorial Community Garden official opened for gardening.  Join us as we celebrate the our first successful first year of gardening, and the many years to come.  There will be seedlings on hand for sale to support The Friends of Franklin Community Gardens efforts to continue to expand on the garden, and other events and activities.  Drop by to share a story, a piece of cake, or just the view.
--

www.franklincommunitygardens.org

Visit us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Community-Gardens/152040424825578

Follow us on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/#!/FRKLNCommGarden

Franklin Cub Scouts looking for shoes and a few good boys to have fun

Boy Scouts Maxwell McGuire and Liam McGuire from Troop 2 in Franklin 

If you’ve been at any of the local playing fields or the Town Common any of the last few Saturday afternoons, you’ve probably seen a few Cub Scouts – and lots and lots of shoes.  The five Cub Scout packs in Franklin, in conjunction with the charities Soles4Souls® and Rerun ShoesTM, have been running a charitable drive to collect gently worn shoes for impoverished and disaster-stricken people worldwide.  They are urging Franklin area residents to clean out their closets and donate their old shoes this Saturday, the last day of the drive.

“To tell the truth, we don’t even know how many pairs of shoes we’ve collected so far,” said Ed Milham, cubmaster of Pack 29.  “Thanks to the Franklin area community, as well as the efforts of many dedicated volunteers from our Cub Scouting families, the collection effort has been so successful that there’s been little we could do to keep count!”  The packs will be getting an accurate count after this Saturday’s final day of the shoe drive, though, because the pack that’s collected the most shoes will win an ice cream social, courtesy of the other four packs.

Another reason they’ll need that count is that the five packs are collaborating on a membership registration event on the Franklin Town Common on Sunday, May 20th, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the newly-registered boy who guesses the closest to the actual number of shoes collected will win a free membership in Cub Scouts for his first year.  The packs plan an afternoon of fun activities that show off some of the things boys can learn and do in Cub Scouts.  Kids can participate in a “Rain Gutter Regatta,” a compass course, a knot tying demonstration, an interactive animal tracks display and a model rocketry activity.  Boys currently in kindergarten through fourth grade will be able to sign up right at the event, and start participating in the packs’ summer activities right away. Of course, if they can’t wait one more week, the boys can sign up online today at BeAScout.org.

“We’ve been really excited about the community getting to see our boys participating in a public service activity like the shoe drive,” added Milham. “It's activities like this that help the boys learn to be responsible members of their community, a concept that is central to Scouting. Last month, Pack 29 participated in the Franklin Earth Day activities, as we do each year.  And of course, there’s the nationwide ‘Scouting for Food’ drive every November.  One of the core values of Scouting that the boys learn is to ‘do a good turn daily,’ to help other people without thought of recompense or reward.”

Pack 29 is chartered by the Franklin United Methodist Church, and is made up mostly of boys from the Oak Street School neighborhood.  The pack meets on the second Tuesday of each month at the Franklin VFW post on Pond Street.

“The best thing about Scouting is that the boys learn about a huge variety of subjects, without really feeling like they’re learning,” Milham continued, “They’re self-motivated to learn.  And it’s not just the hiking and camping and other such things that people associate with Scouting; it’s history, civics, science, the arts, sports, the whole gamut of what makes up a well-rounded individual.”

And there is no shortage of fun activities for the boys, as well.  In recent months, Pack 29 has gone hiking in the Blue Hills Reservation, gone to see the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Providence Bruins, and the Harlem Globetrotters, and sent boys to the Seven Rivers District Pinewood Derby at Bass Pro Shops at Patriot Place.  In the near future, you’ll see them marching in parades and replacing flags on veterans’ graves.  They also plan a summer of hiking, camping and fishing, as well as a trip to the Boston Harbor Islands, a visit to Battleship Cove in Fall River, and a sleepover at McCoy Stadium after a PawSox game.

Meanwhile, the shoe drive continues for one more week.  This Saturday, May 12th, Franklin area residents can bring their used but still usable shoes to any of the following locations between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. (with one exception, as noted):

• Fletcher Field on Peck Street
• Dacey Community Fields on Lincoln Street (from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
• King Street Memorial Park on King Street
• Beaver Pond on Beaver Street
• Town Common across from St. Mary’s Church

In the News: 4th July, gas, security

Planning under way for 4th of July celebration

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

BP stations pumping gas again

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Secure Communities being launched in Mass.

by ASSOCIATED PRESS

Parmenter 5K - Jun 10

This year's 4th Annual Parmenter Fun Run for All Ages will be held on Sunday, June 10th at 10am.

You can register online here

http://www.active.com/running/franklin-ma/4th-annual-parmenter-run-for-all-ages-2012

For specific questions, one can email parmenter5k@gmail.com

StarPLUS this summer for middle schoolers!

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

StarPLUS for Middle Schoolers!

via Lifelong Learning by Pandora Carlucci on 5/8/12

Visual Arts, Forensic Science, Cooking, Games Theater, Inventor's Lab and Builders of the Future. Franklin Public Schools is offering the second summer of StarPLUS, which is just for middle school students.

StarPLUS has two, one-week sessions planned for Summer 2012: July 9 to July 13 and July 23 to July 27. Classes meet from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The morning is separated into 3 sessions and students choose what they want to do. They select classes that focus on their interests and strengths.

The program is directed by Ms. Orfalea and Ms. Leazott, and will be held at the Horace Mann Middle School. It is open to all middle school students from Franklin and the surrounding communities.

For additional information and registration, please visit our website: www.franklin.k12.ma.us, select Lifelong, select Summer Program, select view all classes, select StarPLUS. Please telephone or email us with any questions: 508-553-4814 or lifelong@franklin.k12.ma.us.

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Franklin Art Center Calendar Project Call for Artists

Franklin Art Center CREATIVITY     CULTURE     COMMUNITY ARTIST PROJECT 2013 Artist Calendar Project Open Call The Franklin Art Center is looking for local artists who have done work based on the Town of Franklin. We are accepting all mediums and will be working with a professional photographer to capture high quality imagery for the calendar. 2013 Town Calendar Project Bring your work in now! Let you friends know. OPEN TO ALL Working with the Historical Society, the school system, and the town of Franklin the calendar will be all about our great community. Important dates from our town's past to upcoming events will be displayed along with the Artist work and information. The work can be anything from famous monuments, buildings, to our beautiful open spaces. The Center's Board will be choosing the work so get you piece in now we only have 12 spots. For more information about drop off times contact Linda atfranklinartcenter@gmail.com. Or call 508 887-2797. You're receiving this newsletter because you have signed our contact list

"I think we’re pretty much staying on top of everything"

“What I was looking for, personally, was to find out how many work orders come across Facilities’ desk in the course of a day, or a week, or a month, or a year, because I really don’t have any idea,” Councilor Thomas Mercer said. “I’d like to know, and I’d like to know how long it takes for each of those to get dealt with.” 

The topic came up at last week’s Town Council meeting, when councilors took some time grilling Facilities Department Director Michael D’Angelo, and Facilities Manager Richard Gaskin about various problems — mostly roof leaks — in town buildings. 

The discussion touched on leaky roofs and damaged ceiling tiles in the Remington-Jefferson school building and the Senior Center. Some residents have complained that the existing high school is in poor condition due to insufficient maintenance.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1456178378/Franklin-Town-Council-wants-repair-reports#ixzz1uGonl8Xu

This topic was a frequent one during the recent high school building project vote. The issue can be addressed very simply with a regular report on tickets open by category with some status on aging. It can be posted to the website and available for everyone to read.