"the giving season spans the entire year"

Franklin Phone-A-Thon to raise money for pantry

by Matt Tota/Daily News staff

Losing a day to the Blizzard of 2013 has not deterred the more than 30 volunteers for today’s Franklin Food Pantry Phone-A-Thon from endeavoring to beat last year’s fundraising total.

Franklin Food Pantry

Those staffing the phones have a list of more than 3,000 residents to call. "There’s 15 phones, and we have three different shifts," Lynch said, adding that Dean has graciously offered to feed the volunteers. 

That makes for a lot of dialing, but also a lot of excitement. 

"It’s absolutely fun," Lynch said. "It’s a great way for people to feel like they are making a difference." 

And whatever the final amount, she said, "We’re so grateful for all of the community’s support. It’s been wonderful."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1433784738/Franklin-Phone-A-Thon-to-raise-money-for-pantry#ixzz2L3vtZ3Ya

To make a secure donation online, you can visit the Franklin Food Pantry webpage
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

or use the Donate Button on the top right corner of the Franklin Matters page. The donation routes directly to the Food Pantry account.

Disclosure: I am  honored to lead the Board of the Directors of the Franklin Food Pantry. Helping our neighbors matters very much to me.

Rail Trail: Program Notes

An email with updates from the Franklin-Bellingham Rail Trail Committee;

The Franklin Historical Museum will be sponsoring a presentation this Sunday about the history of railroads in Franklin and our rail trail project.  Ron Clough, Forest Supervisor, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, will present a slide show at 1:00 on Sunday at the Museum at 80 West Central Street in Franklin. Ron will cover the history of railroads and when and how they came to Franklin, as well as their importance to the community and region. He will also discuss how things changed over time-- with a succession of different railroads in town and the abandonment of some  lines -- paving the way for the current interest in rail trail creation here and nationally.   

Following the slide show, Ed Barth of the Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee (FBRTC) will discuss our efforts to re-purpose the railroad in Franklin into a multi-use, universally accessible recreational path.

Please also note that the FBRTC 3rd annual road race to benefit the trail will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2013.  You can register online at franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/3rd-annual-road-race/register 

Thank you for being part of the rail trail effort!

SNETT Entrance on Grove St, Franklin, MA

For more information on the Rail Trail effort you can visit their website
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/

Upcoming DOR Senior Circuit Breaker Info Sessions

Note: Franklin is scheduled for one of these meetings, March 13 at 2:00 PM at the Senior Center.

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Upcoming DOR Senior Circuit Breaker Info Sessions

via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Edward Peters on 2/15/13

DOR has had a great turnout for our early series of information sessions for seniors. These sessions are short presentations to educate taxpayers 65 and older about the benefits of the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit.

For tax year 2012, the credit is worth as much as $1,000 for eligible taxpayers 65 and older who either own or rent their home. The credit is refundable, meaning that if a taxpayer does not have an offsetting state tax liability, or has a liability that is smaller than the credit, they receive a check from the Commonwealth for either the entire credit or for the portion left after taxes are paid.

Seniors who live in public or subsidized housing are not eligible for the credit.
We hope to see you there!

Date/Time	Location/Address	Phone
February 20, 10:30 a.m.	Concord COA, 1276 Main St.	978-318-3020
February 20, 12:30 p.m.	Acton COA, 50 Audubon Dr.	978-929-6652
February 21, 10:30 a.m.	Merrimac COA, 100 East Main St.	978-346-9549
February 21, 12:30 p.m.	Ipswich COA, 25 Green St.	978-356-6650
February 25, 10:00 a.m.	Natick COA, 117 East Central St.	508-647-6540
February 25, 11:30 a.m.	Needham COA 83 Pickering St.	781-455-7555
February 25, 1:00 p.m.	Wellesley COA, 219 Washington St.	781-235-3961
February 27, 1:00 p.m.	Wayland COA, 41 Cochituate Rd.	508-358-2990
March 6, 10:00 a.m.	Attleboro COA, 25 South Main St.	774-203-1906
March 6, 1:00 p.m.	N. Attleboro COA, 204 Elm St.	508-699-0131
March 7, 1:00 p.m.	Waltham COA, 488 Main St.	781-899-7228
March 13, 11:00 a.m.	Norfolk COA, 28 Medway Branch Rd.	508-528-4430
March 13, 12:30 p.m.	Wrentham COA, 400 Taunton St.	508-384-5425
March 13, 2:00 p.m.	Franklin COA, 10 Daniel McCahill St.	508-520-4945

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Franklin Liquor: Wine Tastings

 Saturday, Feb 16th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM - Wine tasting and sale!

Wine tasting, Feb 16, 2013

Thursday, Feb 21 at 7:00 PM, Grady Family Vineyards, RSVP required as seating is limited

Grady Family Vineyards, Feb 21, 2013

For more information on the Grady Family Vineyards, you can visit their web page 

http://www.gradywine.com/

For more information on Franklin Liquors you can find their website here

http://www.franklinliquors.com/  or on Facebook here  https://www.facebook.com/FranklinLiquors

State Champions at State House!

The Franklin High School girls soccer team visited the State House recently. You may recall the team won the State Championship last fall.

FHS Girl's Soccer Team visits MA state House

Senator Karen Spilka, Representative Jeffrey Roy, and Lt Governor Tim Murray are pictured with the team and coaches.

FHS Soccer

Thanks to Sandy Frongillo for sharing this photo and information!

FHS Winter Carnival 2013!

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

FHS Winter Carnival 2013!

via Pantherbook by zacharyborrelli on 2/14/13

Franklin High School will be putting on its annual Winter Carnival on March 10th from 12-4pm.

Fun events for kids all ages will take place in the FHS field house and small gym. Admission is five dollars for all children over the age of three, all children under age 3 get free admission!  All proceeds from the event will go to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund.

This year's Winter Carnival will not only have fun activity for kids of all ages, but live music, entertainment, and food!

Any students interested in volunteering for the Winter Carnival should see Mr. Leighton, come to a Student Government meeting on Thursday right after school, or get in touch with your class representatives. Winter Carnival is not only for a great cause but is also a great way to earn community service hours!

So be there or be square, March 10th from 12-4pm in the FHS field house and small gym for Winter Carnival 2013!

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Pantherbook using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

A "self-healing" asphalt

Franklin road conditions have been the topic of many conversations over the past several years. 200 miles of roads, a limited budget, how will Franklin keep them in good shape?

In this TED Talk "Paved roads are nice to look at, but they’re easily damaged and costly to repair. Erik Schlangen demos a new type of porous asphalt made of simple materials with an astonishing feature: When cracked, it can be “healed” by induction heating. (Filmed at TEDxDelft.)"




Impressive. I wonder how long until it is commercially available?


For additional background material on the conditions of Franklin's roads

The Franklin Road Condition report
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/franklin-road-conditions-from-worst-to.html


Voices of Franklin: The road conditions on Ledge St
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/voices-of-franklin-what-to-do-about.html


The Long Range Planning Final report references the need to budget for road repairs
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/07/franklin-ma-long-range-financial.html

Franklin Library: Family Storytime & Winter Carnival

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Family Storytime & Winter Carnival

via Franklin Public Library by Franklin Public Library on 2/14/13

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Franklin Public Library using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Legal Clinic at Chamber, Fri March 8

The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDC) is holding a free legal clinic for small businesses at The United Regional Chamber of Commerce, 42 Union St., Attleboro, on Fri. March 8 , from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.   The law firm of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP will be available to discuss general legal questions such as corporate structure, leases, contracts, insurance, employment, franchising, etc. You will be able to schedule a confidential 30 minute meeting with Chris Cassara, a partner at Partridge Snow & Hahn.   To make an appointment, call MSBDC's office at 508-673-9783 x10. Any business participating in the clinic will be expected to sign a general waiver regarding conflicts, etc.

Forward email The United Regional Chamber of Commerce | 42 Union Street | Attleboro | MA | 02703

New 2-Year DOR Strategic Plan Posted

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

New 2-Year DOR Strategic Plan Posted

via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Edward Peters on 2/13/13

DOR has posted its 2013-2015 Strategic Plan.  This plan outlines a comprehensive set of goals and actions which will serve as a roadmap to success for the agency.

The Strategic Plan describes how DOR will support the Executive Office of Administration and Finance's (A&F) Better Performance goal by taking a proactive approach to improve performance, effectiveness and efficiency across the agency, developing and actively measuring standards of quality for core processes, and actively working to improve the skills, processes and technologies to better support the core functions of the agency. The plan also describes how DOR supports A&F's Better Government goal by creating a customer-focused culture and processes that will support communication, collaboration and co-design with a broad range of stakeholders.

The plan is an important part of DOR's operational foundation and provides a blueprint by which its divisions can measure and report on their success.

Please take a look at our plan -- we trust that you will find it to be comprehensive, informative and useful.

Note: if you require an accessible version of the plan, please see the DOR homepage. 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

In addition to the links provided above, you can view the plan here

Curbside Chronicle: Feb - May 2013

The recent Curbside Chronicle is available here




You can also find this on the Franklin, MA webpage here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Recycling/index

Rep Roy: Medway Girls Scouts

Rep Jeff Roy met with a Girl Scout troop from Medway when they visited the State House recently. Sen Karen Spilka hosted the troop.

Medway Girls Scouts visit State House

The photo includes leaders: Tracey Twamley, Eileen McGonigle, Pat Davis, and Kathy MacDougall. The Girl Scouts include: Maya Twamley, Marissa Galante, Cayla McGonigle, Anita Cuff, Grace Brueckner, Andrea Hester, MaryKate MacDougall, Sophia Flotta, Maevis Fahey, Olivia Cardillo, Katelyn Piche, Lindsey Blenkhorn, Lindsay MacLeod, and Lily Ouellette.

Photo credit to Rep Jeff Roy's office

Thank you, from National Grid

To view this email as a web page, click here. Thank you, from National Grid Despite challenges such as huge snow banks, narrower-than-usual roads and limited access to some facilities, National Grid has restored power to nearly all customers affected by the blizzard that tore through the state Friday and Saturday. Winter storm Nemo was yet another historic storm to affect our region with blizzard winds, downed trees and wires and as much as 2+ feet of snow in some areas. As soon as it was safe, our crews worked around the clock to restore service.   Throughout the storm, we have been boosted by the patience and words of encouragement offered by our customers via our call centers, social media and email responses. Your kind words have not gone unnoticed. As always, we thank you for your continued support of our crews, linemen and employees. With Nemo behind us, we encourage you to stay connected now so that when the next storm hits, you'll be ready.   You can join the over 100,000 customers that have already registered for storm text alerts by texting the word STORM to NGRID (64743). You can also find us on Facebook or Twitter in order to stay connected. You can learn more about the other ways to stay connected during a storm by going to our Stay Connected webpage. If you are still without power or want to report an outage you can reach us at 1-800-465-1212. For all other questions you can reach us at 1-800-322-3223. We thank you again for your support. National Grid Here with you. Here for you. © 2013 National Grid USA Service Company, Inc. This email was sent by: National Grid One MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, U.S.A.

In the News: Tech Day Camp, drunk driving, Scott Brown

Chamber to hold Tech Day Camp on March 23

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold an all-day Tech Day Camp on Saturday, March 23, at Tri-County RVT High School, 147 Pond St.

Man faces drunken driving charge after rollover crash in Hopkinton

by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

A Franklin man was charged with drunken driving after a Main Street crash Tuesday in which his car ended up on its roof, police said.

Scott Brown takes Fox News job

Fox News Channel is hiring former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown as a contributor, and the Republican is making his debut in prime time on Wednesday.

Food Pantry Phone-a-thon Feb 16th

Food Pantry Phone-a-thon sign on the triangle before the storm

The snow storm, blizzard Nemo, buried the opportunity to make phone calls last weekend. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate for this Saturday. 

Volunteers are still needed. You can contact Bob Hamilton via email at bob@franklinfoodpantry.org or call the Food Pantry 508-528-3115 and use option 5 to leave your name, phone number or email address.

Thanks to Dean College we will be using their phone bank and calls from us will show up as "Dean College" for those with caller ID.

If you would like to donate via the Food Pantry website, we are enabled to take your donation securely online.  http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/