In the News: Garden Club, schools open, youth leagues

Franklin Garden Club to meet

The Franklin Garden Club will resume their monthly meetings on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Pleasant St. Franklin, at 7 p.m.

Franklin schools open Aug. 27, welcome back message from superintendent

Bells will be ringing in Franklin's public schools tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 27. Here is a link to the 2013-2014 bus routes.

Hockomock YMCA youth leagues enrolling

The Hockomock Area YMCA is accepting registrations for fall sports leagues that support healthy lifestyles and instill a positive self-image in kids. Through programs including Friday night flag football and cheerleading, Saturday soccer and t-ball, and Sunday soccer, the Hockomock Y fields and gyms will be active with families that connect over a shared interest in athletics.

let's note that this is all about an 'allegation'

 What is an allegation?

An allegation (also called adduction) is a claim of a fact by a party in a pleading, which the party claims to be able to prove. Allegations remain assertions without proof, until they can be proved.^[1]

The text on allegation is from wikipedia.


In the Milford Daily News:

Police are investigating a serious allegation of misconduct against a Franklin High School teacher, who has been placed on paid administrative leave, the school district announced Monday. 

In a statement posted to the district’s website, the school department said it immediately reported the allegation to the police and sent a report to the state Department of Children and Families. The announcement came a day before students were set to start the new school year.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1655330060/Disturbing-allegation-brought-against-Franklin-High-teacher#ixzz2dA0ZfZV3



The link to the News at 6:00 segement as broadcast on Monday
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston


The School Dept statement from Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/franklin-public-schools.html

Franklin Public Schools: important message 8/26/13

If anyone happened to see the News at 6:00 PM today, this is the official schools statement from Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski

A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Franklin Public Schools Office of the Superintendent PRESS RELEASE August 26, 2013 A serious allegation of misconduct by a Franklin High School teacher was brought to the attention of the administration within the Franklin Public Schools.  The administration was devastated by hearing of this allegation and we acted immediately. Upon learning of this allegation, a report was made to the Franklin Police Department and the Franklin Public Schools is cooperating with the Police in this regard.  Also a report was made to the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).  Additionally, the Franklin Public Schools administration immediately initiated its own comprehensive internal investigation.  Our School Counsel initiated the investigation last week. We are committing our full resources to investigating and responding to these allegations.  The alleged incident is disturbing and does not reflect the expectations we espouse as a school district or as a community. We are committed to ensuring all of our students are safe, both physically and emotionally.  These allegations demean the professionalism of all educators and are inconsistent with School Committee policies and community norms.  Franklin Public Schools is fully committed to supporting students and families who have been impacted by this incident. Due to the confidentiality rights of all involved, we are unable to comment further on the particulars of the alleged incident or our resulting investigation. The individual involved in this allegation is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.  Be assured that the safety and security of all students in the Franklin Public Schools always remains our highest priority.  We will continue to work closely with relevant agencies and to take any appropriate actions in response.  We will ensure that this investigation is conducted thoroughly and with complete understanding of our obligation to uphold our public duty to our students. Our focus and mission at this time is to protect the confidentiality of our students as we open school for the 2013-2014 school year. 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.

Offer to candidates for election - November 5, 2013

To the citizens and potential candidates for Franklin's election this November 5

I extend an offer to conduct and post an interview with you here. The interview can be either text or audio.

You are running to conduct business on behalf of Franklin. Together, we can share your views, your objectives, and help to spread the word to create an informed voter.

Send me an email (shersteve at gmail dot com) and we can arrange a mutually convenient time.

Be aware that this is my public service effort conducted solely to create an informed electorate here in Franklin.

I do this for fun and education. If it stops being that way, I will stop.
This is not an advertising site. This is an information sharing site.

My disclosure statement can be found here.
My comment/editorial policy can be found here.

A similar offer was made for the Franklin, MA elections in 2011, 2009 and 2007.



The interviews for the candidates in the prior elections can be found in the archives

2011 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/08/election-2011-summary.html

2009 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2009/10/2009-election-collection.html

2007 - http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/11/franklin-election-2007.html

Getting ready to slow down on King St

The meetings around the safety of the school crossing on King St at Wachusett St for the students going to the Parmenter Elementary School made promises that are about to be delivered.

Construction on the past couple of days have resulted in some tree branches trimmed back

note: tree branches trimmed

one tree removed

note: stump and sawdust remains where tree was

poles installed for better marking of the crossing

new sign pole on corner

speed warning signs have been installed. This one shown is on King St heading to i495. There is a similar one on King St heading towards Wachusett St.

new speed sign

With school opening on Tuesday, the work to finish the installation seems like it can be completed on Monday.


From the archives
the meeting at Parmenter with Franklin officials was mentioned during the January Town Council meeting
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/01/live-reporting-closing.html

the plan to prepare for this installation was voted on and approved by the Finance Committee in March and then by the Town Council
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/delcarte-recreation-proposal.html
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-mar-27.html

new Franklin High School parking arrangements

With construction of the new building underway, part of the main parking lot has been returned to Franklin for use when school opens on Tuesday.

The fences previously restricting the parking lot to the construction work zone have been relocated.

the fences have been removed

Access to the high school parking lot from the Horace Mann bus loop entrance has been restored.

the access road from Horace Mann/Oak St is re-opened

There are eleven parking spots marked for energy efficient vehicles

priority spots for energy efficient vehicles

There are eleven parking spots for car pools

priority spots for car pools

A view of the new lot as you come in from the Horace Mann/Oak st access

a view of the lot

"the field remains wide open"

A recap of the folks who have taken out election papers is available in this article from the Milford Daily News. The election will be held on Tuesday, November 5th. The election timeline was posted here earlier in case you want a refresher.

Councilors Tom Mercer, Andrew Bissanti, Judith Pond Pfeffer and Glenn Jones will run for re-election in November. The only newcomer to the council running thus far, Brett Feldman, a member of the Finance Committee, took out papers earlier this month. 

Chairman Robert Vallee, Vice Chairwoman Tina Powderly and councilor Matt Kelly are still mulling whether to run. But State Rep. Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) has announced an end to his local political career, as he forges ahead in his freshman year at the State House. 

Council candidates will need to round up 100 signatures to run, while others need 50. Sept. 18 is the final day to return the documents.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1868831264/Candidates-for-Franklins-Nov-6-election-trickling-in#ixzz2d48Onn00

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Aug 27, 2013

Vision Statement

The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.

AGENDA

"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."

1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the July 16, 2013 and August 13, 2013 School Committee Meetings.
Payment of Bills Mrs. McIntyre
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence: none

2. Guests/Presentations

a. Elementary - School Improvement Plans

1. ECDC
2. Davis Thayer
3. Jefferson
4. Keller
5. Kennedy
6. Oak Street
7. Parmenter

b. Middle - School Improvement Plans

1. Horace Mann
2. Remington
3. Annie Sullivan

c. High School – School Improvement Plan

3. Discussion Only Items

4. Action Items
a. I recommend budget transfers as detailed.
b. I recommend approval of the ECDC School Improvement Plan as detailed.
c. I recommend approval of the Davis Thayer School Improvement Plan as detailed.
d. I recommend approval of the Jefferson School Improvement Plan as detailed.
e. I recommend approval of the Keller School Improvement Plan as detailed.
f. I recommend approval of the Kennedy School Improvement Plan as detailed.
g. I recommend approval of the Oak Street School Improvement Plan as detailed.
h. I recommend approval of the Parmenter School Improvement Plan as detailed.
i. I recommend approval of the Horace Mann School Improvement Plan as detailed.
j. I recommend approval of the Remington School Improvement Plan as detailed.
k. I recommend approval of the Annie Sullivan School Improvement Plan as detailed.
l. I recommend approval of the FHS School Improvement Plan as detailed.
m. I recommend approval of the request of Peter Light to declare Science books as detailed as surplus.
n. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from BJ’s Wholesale for Keller Elementary School.

5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports

6. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

7. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations

8. Adjourn

The 'phantom ecologist' can do better

A loyal reader found this note posted on one of the information kiosks at the DelCarte property last weekend and shared the photo with me. A series of emails with Michele Grenier, the Franklin Conservation Agent, and Jeff Nutting, the Town Administrator,  confirmed the following.

• Trapa natans is an invasive species, it is not legally sold in MA.
• Franklin will put a plan together to remove the plant from the pond
• The 'phantom ecologist' should come forward with anything else they find and reach out to the Conservation Agent.

The contact information for Michele (email and phone) can be found on the official Franklin webpage
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Conservation/index

Additional info on the trapa natans can be found on the National Park Service page here
http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/trna.htm 

or wikipedia here  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_caltrop

What does the trapa natans look like?

From Evernote:

Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) Clipped from: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/trna.htm

trapa natnas

Photo of 'phantom ecologist' note

In case the text is hard to read, it has been recopied here:

Water chestnut (Trapa natans) has been observed in DelCarte Pond #4, the pond immediately behind this kiosk. The plant has not previously been observed in Franklin. 

This is a highly invasive non-native plant most probably introduced by geese and/or swans. If not controlled the pond is expected to be completely controlled by the plants' floating mats in just a couple of years, reducing sunlight and dissolved oxygen to the extent that fish kills can be expected, severely limiting the potential for fishing and bating at DelCarte. 

Currently there are dozens of colonies, composed of a few hundred individuals. This population has grown in just a single season (it was not observed in 2012) giving an idea of how it quickly it multiple geometrically.  

It is still feasible to control this plant by manually pulling the plants, although it may take several years to completely eradicate it. The plants have dropped their seeds in July, so no control measures are planned until next spring and summer.  

If allowed to grow for another year or two, removing the plants manually will be impractical. There are mechanical and chemical controls that can be applied for established infestations, but are prohibitively expensive. next summer is our best chance to control this plant and maintain the ability to fish and boat at DelCarte. 

Information will be posted here next spring regarding an attempt in May/June 2014 to manually pull the plant using canoes and kayaks. 

- the phantom ecologist - 8/16/2013

How much do you want to play football?

Nine year old Kyle Florio has been deaf since birth. He was born with the love of football. Kyle's parents are also deaf and they wanted their son to be able to play sports just like all the other kids. So they supported his decision when he wanted to join the Pop Warner league. 

"I feel like it's a little different. Most of the time, feels just normal," says Kyle through an interpreter. 

This year mark the third year Kyle has been drafted by the Charger's as a defensive back. And thanks to his team's generosity, they have raised thousands of dollars every year to make sure Kyle has an interpreter right there on the field with him, putting Kyle on a level playing field with everyone else. 

"It's really nice to have an interpreter there. Have full communication access, full enjoyment. It's almost like a sense of equity among the players, says Steve Florio, Kyle's father, through an interpreter.

Read more: http://www.myfoxny.com/story/23233829/team-raises-funds-for-child#ixzz2cqHBKTky

The fund raiser was held this past Friday night at Cole's. If anyone knows if the team is still accepting donations and where to send them, please let me know. We can update this posting to share the info.

The team needed to raise $3,600 to pay for an interpreter this season. If you'd still like to help the team, visit: http://www.gofundme.com/Communication-Access-Fund 

Read more: http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/23247306/2013/08/24/franklin-football-players-raise-10k-to-help-deaf-teammate#ixzz2d0ya5QA3

New York News

Franklin Public Schools: School Improvement Plans (SIP)

On the agenda for the School Committee meeting on Tuesday Aug 27 is the presentation, discussion and acceptance of the school improvement plans.

The district improvement plan is set and then each individual school works out how they can meet the overall objectives based upon their student population and individual requirements.

The School Administration earlier this year introduced a checklist to enable better tracking of the improvement plans and detailed action items. The checklist can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/02/fps-district-improvement-plan-checklist.html


The individual school improvement plans can be found on the link to each school name.

Elementary - School Improvement Plans

1. ECDC
2. Davis Thayer
3. Jefferson
4. Keller
5. Kennedy
6. Oak Street
7. Parmenter

Middle - School Improvement Plans

1. Horace Mann
2. Remington
3. Annie Sullivan

High School – School Improvement Plan

1. Franklin High School

Bottle and Can Drive - FHS Boy's Hockey - Sep 7

The FHS Boy's Hockey Bottle and Can drive 

Saturday, Sep 7th

Pirelli Veterans Arena

8:30 AM to 2:00 PM

"SNAP dollars" are used like regular money

In an effort to expand their customer base and provide fresh and affordable food to low-income families, some Bay State farmers markets are accepting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. 

Previously known as food stamps, SNAP is a federally-funded program that offers nutritional assistance to millions of low-income families. The U.S. Department of Agriculture budgeted $82 million for the program in fiscal year 2013. 

According to MassGrown, which is overseen by the state Department of Agriculture and provides information on farm products and activities, 80 farmers markets in Massachusetts now accept SNAP benefits, including Ashland, Framingham and Hopkinton.

Read more on the Milford Daily News webpage here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x511616740/Farmers-markets-starting-to-accept-SNAP-benefit?rssfeed=true

Voices of Franklin: FRANKLIN HEIGHTS: Family Community Dream or Foreclosure Nightmare?

The Franklin Heights development is a Townhome/Condo Community located off of Lincoln St. My family purchased our town home in May 2008, at that time there were two townhome buildings with 4 units per building on the property. We were told at the time of sale there were plans for a beautiful family community and 109 townhomes were to be built in two phases. 

Soon after our sale, we noticed that things weren’t happening the way that we were told they would. Since our development was not complete, our association was run by the Trustee, the current builder. He had the control over how our condo fees were distributed and we were unaware of how much money was not being used as we were told until the development went into foreclosure and we were told that our condo reserve was gone. During this time, we had no landscaping or road maintenance. Our yards were literally overgrown, there were big mosquito infested holes from where construction had begun but not finished. From what I understand, the Condo association is required to have a 10% reserve in the budget for units to be sold and re-sold. We have never, in the 5 years that I have lived here, been given a budget or statement of how our fees are distributed. Our fees were quickly raised to make up for this reserve that is needed. We are threatened with liens on our property if we are delinquent on payment. After the foreclosure, we were told (through our own research through the Registry of Deeds and demands for information from realtors on the property) that there was a new property developer taking over our development. The new developer has since only developed the 18 unit complex located on the property that was abandoned for years. It took our own research through the Registry of Deeds to find out that a member of this new company was the new Trustee of our association. He has told us that his hands are tied in relation to the existing townhome units. He will not answer my emails or talk to me about my concerns. He will only send impressions of legal action if I continue to speak out with my opinions. We are told by Continuing Care (Property Management Company that handles our association money) that there is no money in our budget for road/driveway maintenance, recycling, and regular maintenance of our units. This is all outlined as the responsibility of the Trustee/Association in our condo documents. All townhome units pay month HOA fees, some units as high as $310/month. Just recently, homeowners have begun to use their own money to make repairs to prevent damage to our cars and provide safe spaces for our children. 

My mission is to raise awareness about this development in hopes that drawing attention will force the “board” and “association” and “Trustee” to start running this neighborhood as a true association with unit owner involvement and proper maintenance of our units and roads. 

Thank you,
Rachel Brancato

Voices of Franklin guidelines
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/03/introducing-voices-of-franklin.html

"we have a long way to go"

The Citizens Committee is exploring how to get the downtown train station on the historical register according to this article in the Milford Daily News.

Describing what comes with placement on the registry, McNiff said, "If it’s a commercial property, there are some tax benefits available. Work done on it would have to be reviewed by the historical commission if what’s being done does not conform with the historic nature of the building." 

"There are preservation grants that are available," he continued, "and those are open to communities and nonprofit entities. It’s a competitive program so you have to make an application." 

One of two T stops here, the downtown station dates back to the 1800s. "A lot of us who grew up in Franklin remember what the station looked like: a picture-perfect postcard," Benedetto said. "Now it looks like the South Bronx."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1655329783/Franklin-panel-envisions-station-on-historic-list#ixzz2csdfSPQf

The station roof was being repaired when I made the rounds in Franklin recently to capture some photos. Boarded up to do the roof construction certainly gives it a different appearance.

Downtown train station under construction