Saturday, September 15, 2012

Update: Parmenter modular units - 1 gone, 3 to go

The Parmenter modular units are indeed moving out. They were mounted upon wheels on Thursday/Friday and one of the units is off the property. The other three are positioned to be hauled away.

The DPW is busy this morning cleaning up the space where the units had been sitting for the past 10+ years. I should have some photos of the finished landscaping work for Sunday or Monday.




Related posts and pictures on the Parmenter modular units
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/09/parmenter-modular-update.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/09/parmenter-modular-removal-underway.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/08/parmenter-modular-units.html

Circle of Friends Coffeehouse: Tom Rush

Tom Rush is playing at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse Saturday night, 8:00 PM.

To listen to "a guy with a guitar", there is no better place. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased via the Circle of Friends webpage (tickets will be held at the door for you).

To get a flavor of Tom this almost 10 minute video gives a good sample:


Find more inspiring video, audio, and images at Growing Bolder.

Oh, I don't think I mentioned that the coffeehouse does serve home cooked desserts that are absolutely delicious! When we go, this is our dessert theater!

For more about Tom visit his webpage:  http://tomrush.com/

For ticket to the concert at Circle of Friends, visit their webpage:  http://circlefolk.org/

"service like that is expected"

The Milford Daily News has an article about Robert Pirelli, father of Robert Ryan Pirelli, who passed away this week.
Pirelli died on Tuesday, after a long battle with stomach cancer. He was 60, and leaves his former wife, Nancy Sullivan of Franklin, his son, Shawn, 28, a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire, and his daughter, Stacey, 25, of Franklin. 
Pirelli started the Robert Ryan Pirelli Scholarship Fund in 2008 and over the years had raised money for college-bound Franklin High School students. His son graduated from the school before going on to study at Northeastern University.
Shawn Pirelli said his father delt with the pain of his brother's death by way of collections and fundraisers held at the Elks Lodge. “For my Dad, it was his way of grieving,” he said. “The Elks have done a lot to support my brother and the troops he served with.”

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x764815505/A-Elks-last-wish-Help-the-troops#ixzz26XEkCwFs

In the News: Library, SEPAC, art



Franklin library book discussion group to meet, Oct. 2

Friday, September 14, 2012

Farmers Market - noon to 6:00 PM today!


The Farmers Market is open today on the Town Common from noon to 6:00 PM.

Franklin, MA: Farmers Market


Where in Franklin is the Town Common?


View Larger Map

Harvest Festival - Sep 30, 2012

The Franklin Downtown Partnership will be holding the annual Harvest Festival rain or shine on Sunday, Sep 30, 2012.



Note: as a member of the Downtown Partnership, I won't have a booth for Franklin Matters. Rather, I'll be spending time at the Franklin Food Pantry and helping to spread the word about the work that the Food Pantry does. We are located in the Rockland Trust parking lot and if you visit the kids area during the Festival, be sure to stop by!

Going "Car-Free" September 17-23


This is a real challenge for those in Franklin who work outside of Franklin and other than Boston. At least if you work in Boston, the commuter rail could be a commuter option. If you work in NH or RI, there is not a realistic commuter option other than car pooling with co-workers.
Have you tried getting around Franklin without a car? The GATRA bus is one option. Bicycle and walking may be options for some trips.

What do you think? Could you go car-free?

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 9/13/12

Car-Free Week Logo 2012_urlThe Patrick-Murray Administration is encouraging residents who are able to leave their cars in the driveway and try going "car-free" – by bicycling, walking, public transit, carpooling or vanpooling for Massachusetts Car-Free Week, September 17-23.
Massachusetts joins over 1,000 cities in 40 countries across the globe in an effort to showcase the community, environmental, and quality of life benefits of reducing the number of vehicles on the road.  

For the third year in a row, Massachusetts will be celebrating an entire week of going car-free or "car-light," which includes carpooling or vanpooling instead of driving alone. No other state in the nation has proclaimed a statewide Car-Free Week celebration.

This year, those who take car-free and "car-light" modes of transportation during Car-Free Week and year-round can start earning discounts and incentives from area businesses through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's rewards program, NuRide, the nation's largest travel rewards program for individuals who take greener trips, and is free for anyone who lives or works in the Commonwealth.

"Car-Free Week is a great time to remind individuals to sign-up for NuRide and be rewarded for their efforts to commute green," said MassDOT Secretary Richard A. Davey. "NuRide is a free program, it is easy to use, and it enables MassDOT to reward travelers for incorporating sustainability into their daily commutes."

Massachusetts Car-Free Week supports GreenDOT, MassDOT's comprehensive environmental responsibility and sustainability initiative launched to support the Global Warming Solutions Act, signed by Governor Deval Patrick in 2008. The Act requires a 25% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2020, the first step toward a required 80 percent reduction by 2050. The transportation sector generates more than one-third of the total greenhouse gas emissions produced in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Car-Free Week is a collaboration between the MassDOT, MassRIDES, the statewide travel options program, and MassCommute, the Massachusetts Transportation Management Association. For more information, visit www.mass.gov/massdot/carfree or email Johanna Blue, Johanna.Blue@state.ma.us

Things you can do from here:

Trader Joe’s now open at Patriot Place

The Franklin Food Pantry is already benefiting from Traders Joe's opening. The Pantry will be picking up some food items every other week that they'll be able to share with Franklin residents.


Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by Paula Vogler/CORRESPONDENT on 9/13/12

149208 MA_NM_tjopening2.jpg
FOXBOROUGH - Hoping to fill a void in an area without local access to one of its stores, Trader Joe's opened Friday, Sept. 7, at Patriot Place in Foxborough with an eye toward drawing loyal and new customers alike.
Calling the chain a neighborhood grocery store, Trader Joe's Northeast Regional vice president Chris Maguire said the store sells everything from the basics like fruit, vegetables and milk to unique items like ethnic entrees.

Things you can do from here:

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Anti-Bullying Training


A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Good Afternoon

The Franklin Public Schools, in collaboration with MARC (Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University) is holding an Anti-Bullying Training on September 19th at 6:30 P.M. at the Mercer Auditorium at Horace Mann Middle School.  The presenter is Dr. Elizabeth Englander.  The training is open to adults, faculty and community members.


To see the flyer, click here:  http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_News/0196706F-000F8513

or go to the district web site under District News.
This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at (508) 613-1777.

In the News: door bells, EPA fine


In state rep race, a lot of door bells to ring





Franklin glass recycling facility faces EPA fine

MassBudget: New Census Data - Rising Insurance Coverage



MassBudget    Information.
   Participation.
 Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy.
Rising Insurance Coverage Nationwide
New Census Bureau data once again show that Massachusetts leads the nation in health insurance coverage, with roughly 19 of every 20 residents insured. Nationwide, the rate of uninsured people dropped to slightly below 16 percent, the first decline in several years. The decrease appears to be due to a number of factors, including: 1) growth in Medicaid enrollment and, 2) implementation of a federal health reform provision that allows young adults to be covered by a parent's health plan up to age 26. Massachusetts included a similar but slightly narrower version of this provision in its 2006 health reform law.

Also included in the Census data was information about income and poverty nationwide.
  • In 2011, median income declined by 1.5 percent, to $50,054. This is the second year in a row in which real income has decreased.
  • Across the country, 1 in every 5 children lives below the poverty line.
  • 46.2 million people live in poverty. That's a poverty rate of 15%, which is essentially unchanged from last year.

The data released today provide a useful overview of poverty, income, and health coverage on the national level, but next Thursday (9/20) the Census Bureau will release more reliable state-level data as part of the American Community Survey. At that time, MassBudget will provide fuller analysis of poverty, income, and health coverage in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER
15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700
BOSTON, MA 02108
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Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

T.O.P.S (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) - Sep 15


Would you please put this event in Franklin Matters in time -- Sept. 15th.  The organization is T.O.P.S. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly)?  Thank you.  Faith Flaherty, TOPS Leader

T.O.P.S.  Inspiration Workshop 

Inspire each person to manage their nutrition and life in ways that will help each person.  T.O.P.S. is a support group that aims to promote health and well-being nutritionally.  T.O.P.S. mission is to support our members as they take off and keep off pounds sensibly. 

When:    Saturday, September 15, 2012Where:  Franklin Senior CenterTime:    8:30 AM registration  9:00 - 12:00 programCost:     Free


More information on TOPS can be found on the national TOPS webpage here http://www.tops.org/



Wednesday, September 12, 2012

"It drives what we do"

The School Committee meeting Tuesday evening is partially covered in this article in the Milford Daily News. The District Improvement Plan was presented (as detailed) but there were other items on the agenda.

I did have the opportunity to work on the Strategic Planning Committee when the current vision and mission statements were developed. To see this latest iteration of the district plan build upon what was started then is heartening. The evolution of the planning process itself is good to see. No longer are we viewing multi-year plans, the plan will focus on a year at a time. Certain themes will carry from one year to another but they'll be able to re-focus to address the latest issues within that theme.

That the MCAS scores reflect only 20% of what goes on in the schools was one of the key reasons for this change in the planning approach.
"We wanted to take a step back," said Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski. "In the past, it has been really about our MCAS data; we decided to take a global perspective. We decided to look at a wide range of data … to articulate where we are going as a district." 
Part of this ideological shift stems from school officials wanting to spur success in all subjects, in math classes as much as art classes, as opposed to only those covered by the exam itself. 
Broadly, the core values in the plan include fostering the right academic climate, nurturing civic leadership and accepting more feedback from the community.

On the Parmenter modular units:
Essentially as these are the last of the leased units, the Town is dependent upon the contractor to remove them. Work was underway on Tuesday. They removed the cooling units from the roof of the modulars. They are scheduled to be removed from Parmenter by Friday. These delays will not be see in the removal of the other modular units as those are owned by Franklin and the DPW will control that schedule.



While there are population shifts from school to school, the district does not have a committee looking at redistricting until after the modular units are removed and the work on renovating Davis Thayer is complete. Both of these items will clarify the picture on what space is available and where the population exists within Franklin.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1803414278/Franklin-schools-improvement-plan-focuses-on-achievement-rather-than-test-scores#ixzz26FJRUcJx

For reporting on the complete agenda of Tuesday's School Committee meeting, you can find the link here:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/09/school-committee-091112.html

School Committee - 09/11/12

The collection of reporting from the School Committee meeting held Tuesday, Sep 11 can be found here


An Afternoon Tea with Downton Abbey - Nov 4th

As mentioned during the Life Long Learning update to the School Committee on Tuesday, there will be a "An Afternoon Tea with Downton Abbey" scheduled for Sunday, Nov 4th.

Additional details can be found in the following flyer: