"You don’t want to see them fail"

The Milford Daily News writes about the State and Federal grants that sponsor the underage drinking stings conducted regularly by some MetroWest area community police departments. Franklin is one that conducts the stings twice a year when covered by the grant. The article includes this from one of the sting participants:

"At first, I was a little nervous," he said. "But you know you aren’t going to get in trouble: You’re helping the police. You just have to be confident and levelheaded." 

Teenagers aren’t responsible enough to drink alcohol, he said, and his peers usually never think of the tragedies that can result from binge drinking or drunk driving until one hits home. 

"People don’t see that it’s bad until they lose a friend, or it’s life changing," he said.

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x719497693/Selling-booze-to-minors-Busted#ixzz2DEjCA1El


Recent suspensions:
Franklin Wine and Spirits (in the plaza with Dunkin Dounts on King St)
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/10/live-reporting-license-hearing.html

Bamboo House
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/05/live-reporting-license-hearing.html

And in 2011
DaVita's Market, Joe's American Bar and Grill, Tedeschi Food Shop, and Uptowne Pub
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/09/live-reporting-liquor-license-failures.html

"not counted as part of a formula"

The Milford Daily News writes about unaccepted roads. According to the MassDOT inventory in 2011 Franklin has 28.7 miles of unaccepted roads and 170.4 miles of accepted roads.

Franklin, whose Town Council accepts roads, sought help from the state Legislature. Lawmakers last year approved a simplified acceptance policy that eliminates some of the legal work. 

Department of Public Works Director Robert Cantoreggi said the town has been working in recent years to accept streets. State data shows the town has about 29 miles of unaccepted roads. 

Franklin will plow a road, fix potholes and perform other limited maintenance once it has three homes on it. 

"People kind of forget about it," Cantoreggi said. "No one really knows (it is unaccepted) until a road falls apart."

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x35743936/Unaccepted-roads-pose-challenges-for-residents-and-towns#ixzz2DEeFA7cR

The MassDOT report for 2011 can be found here
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/17/docs/RoadInventory/2011_ye_rpt.pdf

What is an unaccepted road? MassDOT defines this as "unaccepted roads consist of roads open to public travel but not formally accepted by a city or town, as well as some private ways." A road that is not legally owned by the local community. It was put in by a developer in order to complete the development of some number of residences. It may not have been built to the local community standard by the developer. The community may have a process to bring a road up to standard and then "accept" it as part of the community maintenance. Bringing roads up to standard can be a costly proposition and the question of who contributes to the delay in accepting the road.

Tickets on sale; "A Christmas Carol Times Two"

"A Christmas Carol Times Two!", a dramatic reading performance of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" combined with traditional 19th century English Christmas carols will happen on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 7:00 PM at the Franklin United Methodist Church, 82 West Central Street in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Actor Al LePage will become "Englishman Thomas Hutchinson, Traveling Thespian" complete with English accent, clothing of the period and other accoutrements for the dramatic reading part. Organist and local minister Rev. Dr. Dianne Carpenter will weave piano music between various scenes to set the tone for what's to come and entertain.

This is a special benefit performance sponsored by the Franklin Historical Commission and hosted by the Franklin United Methodist Church with all proceeds to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry. 


Tickets are on sale at the Franklin Historical Museum 

• today from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
• Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
• Thursday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM (also the Holiday Stroll - Nov 29th!)

For more about the show 
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/10/a-christmas-carol-times-two-dec-13.html

Construction update

Some of the side roads downtown are newly paved now. You may recall that they had their water and sewer mains worked on earlier this year.

What streets are they? East St, West St, Church Ave, Walnut Ave and Nason St.

A view down West St

A view up East St (from Union St)

The Google map for this area:


View Larger Map

This is one of my favorite spots because East does meet West!




Post and photos from October 2012
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/10/east-st-construction.html

From the Franklin DPW page we find this status
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_DPW/Construction_Projects/construction_projects_index

Dressing up for the holidays

Thanks to the Franklin Downtown Partnership, Franklin is now dressed up for the holidays.

Greens and wreaths were added down at the Main St/West Central St triangle

Ready for the Holiday Stroll!

For more about the Franklin Downtown Partnership, visit their web page here
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/

Note: I am proud to be an individual member of the Partnership as well as a member through the Franklin Food Pantry

Foggy morning

Muted colors this foggy morning. The sun will break through the cloud cover. Have a good day!

Turkey Trot Family 5K Fun Run - photo essay

The Turkey Trot Family 5K Fun Run held by Feed the Need drew over 300 participants on Thursday morning. The event benefited the Franklin Food Pantry filling the van with food and a donation of about $5,000.

The entry fee was 20 cans or $20. Part of the entry fees collected:

At the end, the Franklin Food Pantry van was filled with all the contributions:

The view of the group before the Start

One happy group running in costume on the course:

On behalf of the Franklin Food Pantry, Many thanks to Hayden Whitmore, the Eagle Scout who organized this event. Thanks to his family and the many volunteers who helped. The contributions to the Food Pantry are deeply appreciated.

"It was an amazing experience"

How quickly can you solve the Rubik's Cube? Andrew Ricci has the fastest recorded solve time in all of North America.  The Milford Daily News article tells how Andrew practiced.

"Speed methods don’t really have anything to do with math," he said. "The methodology behind solving the cube doesn’t really involve math unless you’re looking at it from a level of theory." 

According to Ricci, the most important attributes when "speed-solving" are time and patience. 

"There’s a lot to learn in order to solve the cube fast," he said. "It really comes down to having a lot of time to practice and being really motivated to practice." 

Ricci said he would perform up to 400 solves a day "back when I was really into it," before his record-setting competition.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1107413569/Fast-fingers-mind-in-Franklin#ixzz2D2pccq00

Feed the need 5k

Part of the donations gathering here for the feed the need turkey trot 5k.

The Franklin Food Pantry appreciates the community support!

Giving Tuesday

Will you be shopping on Black Friday?

Will you be shopping on Cyber Monday?

How about giving back to others on Giving Tuesday!

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. This year help create #GivingTuesday™, the giving season’s opening day. 

On Tuesday November 27, 2012 charities, families, businesses and individuals are coming together to transform the way people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. 

It’s a simple idea. Find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to join in acts of giving. Tell everyone you can about what you are doing and why it matters. Join a national celebration of our great tradition of generosity. 

And together we’ll create ways to give more, give better and give smarter.

Giving Tuesday can take many forms. What are you comfortable doing? What is reasonable for you?

On this Thanksgiving, perhaps spend a moment or two to plan for giving Tuesday

More information on #givingtuesday can be found on the webpage here  http://givingtuesday.org/

"Everyone in town knows him"

The Milford Daily News provides a nice profile and background article on Peter Willis.

Peter, she said, is very social, outgoing and friendly. From volunteering at the Hockomock YMCA in Franklin to photographing weddings and other events, he's always involved in some activity. 

However, Peter Willis, 20, was not always as outgoing as he is today. 

When Peter was born, he was diagnosed with failure to thrive, or insufficient weight gain. As he grew, he was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, as well as Lujan-Fryn syndrome, a genetic disorder that results in mild mental retardation and a tall, thin stature.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x719496573/Up-to-the-challenge-in-Franklin#ixzz2CwrJ0DLP

Up hill to finish!

For those walking or running the Turkey Trot 5K Thursday morning, there is a good slope as you come back for the finish. You may not have noticed this with the excitement at the start. You'll still be in a pack as you head down this.

Coming back to the finish, the crowd will have separated. You'll turn the corner and see the uphill and spirits may drop. Do not despair. It is a short hill and the finish is right there on the top!

There is still time to register online. Payment is taken on race day with either the canned goods or $20 per entry.  http://www.feedtheneed.org/

The Feed the Need race is benefiting the Franklin Food Pantry.

School break

The school week is already over with only two days in school this week.

The frost is not as heavy this morning as it was Tuesday when this photo was taken.

For those traveling, may your journeys be safe!
For those sticking around Franklin, may you have a good time with friends and family.

"help our friends in Franklin"

The Milford Daily News reports on the activities of the Friends of Franklin as the holiday season gets underway.

This time of year, the Friends of Franklin get into the act, too. The members of the local charity are busy working behind the scenes to ensure that the holidays are bright for fellow residents who have fallen on hard times. 

On Monday, the Friends put up one of their annual Angel Trees at Shaw's Supermarket in Horace Mann Plaza, hanging it with dozens of angel-shaped tags, each one bearing the special Christmas wish of a Franklin child whose family might not be able to afford it. 

"We put the angels up on the tree and people come and take them and get the things on the tags," said Priscilla Cornetta, Friends co-president with Sheila Hooper. "Each tag has the child's age, clothing size, gender and a gift they would like."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x719495938/Friends-of-Franklin-begin-gift-drive#ixzz2CrFXg1QF

"giving back and giving thanks"

Students at the Remington Middle School prepared a Thanksgiving meal for their parents as reported in the Milford Daily News:

"We tell them over and over again, ‘You are going to have to work really hard,’" said Kristen DeSimone, a seventh- and eighth-grade special education teacher who for the past seven years has planned Remington’s annual Thanksgiving Harvest Luncheon. 

The mouth-watering event, DeSimone said, teaches the 18 students who participate valuable social and life skills, while challenging them to put to use some of the lessons they’ve learned in class. 

For instance, math came up during the shopping spree last week, she said. Students had to bargain hunt, identify the best prices and manage their food budget. 

On Monday, they had to measure just the right amount of ingredients while baking pies for dessert. 

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x719495966/Franklin-middle-schoolers-celebrate-Thanksgiving-early#ixzz2CrDssT7U

2012 Annual St John's Christmas Fair - Dec 1

This year St. John’s Christmas Fair will be held Saturday, December 1st from 9am - 3pm in the St. John’s Parish Hall located at 237 Pleasant Street in Franklin, MA.

There will be homemade gift baskets, Cookie Walk, pastry table, as well as hot soup and coffee to enjoy.

Pictures with Santa as well as other activities for the kids! Join us for a fun day!

Coles Tavern: Fund Raising for NJ Hurricane Sandy survivors

Please join us in an effort to give back! On November 29th at Coles Tavern in Franklin. From 7:30pm ~1:00 … make a simple donation to the Red Cross of New Jersey.

Hurricane Sandy is NOT over! The rebuliding has just begun. Please give a little. People just like you, without homes or electricity and all of their possessions have been washed away.

Every little bit counts.

There will be raffles, 50/50 and wonderful prizes like jewelry from Tiffany’s, a Booze Basket, Celtics Tickets, a beautiful painting from Simons Furniture.

hThe donations have been overwhelming and the support has been unforgettable. So with just $5 at the door, you can make a HUGE difference to these people affected by the hurricane.

So Please, please, please spread the word and help out your fellow human beings by giving back.

Rebuliding has begun but they need all the help they can get. Come to Coles Tavern on the 29th and make that dream possible!

Join us for a fun night of dancing and drinking….all for a great cause! Look forward to seeing you there. Spread the word and we can bring a little peace of mind back to New Jersey! Thanks for your support!

MassBudget: Building a Better Future Together

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Building a Better Future Together Our state budget is a statement of our priorities, a reflection of the choices we make together to strengthen our communities, support vulnerable residents, and build a vibrant economy. MassBudget's new online slideshow, Our State Budget: Building a Better Future Together, describes the ongoing fiscal crisis, recent budget cuts, our tax system, and the choices we will face moving forward. In most of our emails, this is the point when we would tell you to GO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW. This time, as part of our ongoing effort to reach new audiences, we would also like to encourage you to: LIKE the slideshow on our Facebook page (and LIKE the page while you're there). SHARE the Facebook post with friends who care about the condition of the Commonwealth. COMMENT on how you see the budget choices that will shape our future. In general, email will remain our core method for communicating with you--whenever we release a report, finish a factsheet, or update our budget browser. But we will also be using social media to share shorter pieces, research highlights, and information about interesting reports from other organizations. VIEW OUR BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE TOGETHER SLIDESHOW VISIT US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US ON TWITTER 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

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

"This is a very active town"

The Milford Daily News reports on Meghan White the new program coordinator for the Franklin Recreation  department.

Recreation Director Ryan Jette said losing Reagan was difficult, given how long he worked for the department, but that White’s background in athletics and education makes the transition easier. 

"We just started our winter registration, so it’s a busy time for us," Jette said. "Around here, winter is arguably the biggest time of the year. Megan is picking up real quick, learning very fast. I’ve had a lot of compliments about her already. She’s going to be a good fit." 

White's experience as a student athlete and coach lends her a unique set of skills. 

"As an athlete, I feel that thinking about programs, how they need to be ran and how to interact with the different players, comes naturally," she said, adding, "Any athlete wants to work in a sports-related job. If they aren’t, then they don’t like their job."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1107412889/Meet-the-new-Franklin-Recreation-program-director#ixzz2Cl2c0I00

Slowing Revenue Growth Derails Automatic Income Tax Cut

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Slowing Revenue Growth Derails Automatic Income Tax Cut

via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Ann Dufresne-DOR Communications Director on 11/19/12

The State Department of Revenue (DOR) recently certified that there is insufficient tax revenue growth under the terms of a  2002 state law that would trigger a 0.05 percentage point cut in the Part B indivdual income tax rate beginning in 2013. As part of the legal process determined by the Legislature, an automatic tax cut would go into effect if the following thresholds in revenue growth were exceeded:

• Inflation-adjusted baseline revenue growth for the previous fiscal year surpassed 2.5% and,
• There was positive inflation-adjusted baseline revenue growth in each of the consecutive three-month periods starting in August and ending in November in the current calendar year compared to the same consecutive three-month periods in the previous calendar year.

DOR certified on September 6th that FY2012 inflation-adjusted baseline revenue increased 2.77% over the previous fiscal year. The agency also certified that revenue growth was 4.12% for the first growth period and 1.88% for the second growth period. However, revenue growth was negative (-1.29%) during the third period so the 5.25% Part B individual income tax rate will remain the same for 2013.

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