Franklin Matters

“The act of simply kicking your kid out the door could be the best thing you could do for their health,” said Mark Fenton, a transportation engineer and public health consultant.

Fenton, speaking to a group of local officials at Marlborough Hospital for a kick-off for the “MetroWest Moves” health program last month, said one of the best things that could happen for children’s health is a return to the concept of “free-range kids.”

The term refers to the type of childhood that many adults remember, Fenton said, one where mothers would kick their children out the door on a Saturday morning and not see them again until the street lights came on and it was time to come home.

Fenton said that children who are able to go out and explore and make their own entertainment are inherently more active, often traveling everywhere by bike or on foot. Simply being outside, Fenton said, also naturally encourages physical activity.

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1222861112/Health-expert-says-children-need-more-unsupervised-play-time#ixzz201lfQSVX

This is not a new idea. Richard Louv wrote "Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder". I wrote a review of the book in 2009 and you can find that here
http://joyfuljubilantlearning.com/2009/03/take-a-walk-on-the-wild-side/

Saturday, July 7, 2012

"bring more people to downtown"

In a follow up to the Public Hearing held on Jun 28th, the Milford Daily News writes:

One piece of the project business owners seem to collectively approve is the one-way traffic on Main Street and West Central Street being converted to two-way. Most agreed the change is one of its most notable, and appealing, aspects.

Michael Espinosa, owner of Fitness Together on Main Street, said he and some of the other business owners see the one-way traffic on Main Street as uninviting.

“If you miss the business you’re looking for, you have to loop back around again,” Espinosa said. “That’s very frustrating to people.”

“I think the change to two-way, it will be a good thing,” said Virginia Kon, owner of Maguro House, a Japanese-style restaurant on East Central Street. “I think it will help the (the flow) of traffic, help people driving to 495.”

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x345286605/Franklin-business-owners-hope-downtown-construction-project-doesn-t-cause-problems#ixzz1zvnE0CwN

My reporting on the public hearing can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/06/live-reporting-public-hearing-downtown.html

Design documents on the downtown project can be found here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Planning/dtimprovement

Mass. highway projects in line for federal funds

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Mass. highway projects in line for federal funds

via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 7/6/12

Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray is scheduled to be at the White House this afternoon when President Barack Obama signs the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, a $105 billion federal highway and transit funding bill that will send roughly $1.9 billion back to Massachusetts over the next two years for numerous projects, including work in Franklin, Wellesley and Needham.