What happened to the trash/recycle schedule this week?

The adjusted schedule was not met this week. As I walked along Union St, the even side from the tracks to 140 still had not been picked up. The odd side from 140 to the Town Common had not been picked up.

Union St heading towards West Central

On my own street, the recycling was picked up on the adjusted day, the trash one day later and the tree is still there. I can assume there are other neighborhoods with similar results.

The question becomes how and why this occurred. The opportunity is also there to use this as an example where communications could be improved. The town alerts which were used to tell us about the change in schedule could also have been used to tell us why the schedule is not met.

What street do you live on and what is your status?

"It has an exponential positive effect”

The Milford Daily News has an article on local legislators and their use of the new social media or digital channels to communicate with their community. This is timely. I have a presentation scheduled for the Town Council meeting this Wednesday where I share what I have learned from publishing "Franklin Matters" over the past six years.

Some legislators admit they only joined Twitter when they ran for office, but Rep. Jeff Roy, a Franklin Democrat, said he was tweeting way before then. 

For the same reason he meets senior citizens at the senior center, Roy said he engages with younger constituents online. 

“I like to see who would retweet something that I posted,” he said. 

@JeffRoy tweeted this week: “I just committed to ride the Pan-Mass Challenge for 2014. Click here to join me!”

- See more at: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140112/NEWS/140119788/1994/NEWS/?tag=2#sthash.QSJeLBnc.dpuf

Facebook

Social media should be one of the tools in the toolkit. My presentation is part of the Town Council agenda being published today. I will be updating it to include a couple of slides with some metrics and post that here as well.

Twitter

How does Franklin Matters use social media? Briefly, each post auto generates a post to Twitter. The key posts are also scheduled to be shared on Facebook and Google+. The collection of posts on the webpage each day is emailed at 9:00 AM to those subscribers. If you would like to subscribe to the email listing you can do so here  http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

"help achieve safer homes and schools"

The Milford Daily News reports that Franklin has received some safety grants.

The town has been awarded $5,786 and $3,218, respectively, in grant funding through the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) and Senior SAFE Programs for the 2014 fiscal year. 

The funding will support fire safety education programs for students and seniors in Franklin. 

State Senators Richard Ross, R-Wrentham and Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, and State Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin, announced the awards Friday. 

In a statement, Ross said: “The S.A.F.E. Program has a longstanding history of success in educating Massachusetts children about fire safety and prevention. With the creation of the Senior SAFE Program, I hope that we are able to build upon that success and reach new populations with a high risk of fire-related injury and death.”

- See more at: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140110/NEWS/140119935#sthash.CNqmJlBG.dpuf

"market the property to small businesses"

The Milford Daily News reports on the Downtown Partnership meeting Thursday morning:

An entertainment club, a quaint hotel, a lush park — when it comes to the question of how to develop the former Town Hall on Emmons Street, the downtown business community has more than a few suggestions. 

Nearly 40 business leaders crowded into a conference room at Dean College Thursday morning to shop ideas for the property’s future. 

The hour-long session, part of the Franklin Downtown Partnership’s monthly meeting, illuminated two potential scenarios for the town: sell or lease the building for commercial use or turn the entire property into green space for the public.

- See more at: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140110/NEWS/140119987/1994/NEWS#sthash.PfGBSq7K.dpuf

Emmons St - file photo from March 2009

If you have any ideas about the Emmons St building, you can participate in the public hearing on Tuesday Jan 21 in the 3rd Floor Training Room at the Municipal Building at 7:00 PM.

Zentangle Class Wednesday January 15th at Jane's Frames

Zentangle Class Dear Steve, Wednesday ,  January 15th, 6:00-8:30 at Jane's Frames. Zentangle is a meditative artform that anyone can do!  No art experience is needed.   The cost of this 2 hour class is $35.00, it includes the Zentangle kit, so you can continue creating your tangles at home. Please RSVP soon as the class  fills up quickly! When you call or e-mail, I will send you additional information about the class.  After 14 months of enjoying the relaxing and inspiring process of creating Zen-tangles,  in June  2012 , I was fortunate enough to attend a  three and a half day long course, along with over 100 attendees from all over the world, in order to become a certified Zentangle teacher. The instructors,  Marie Thomas and Rick Roberts, are the co-founders of Zentangle.   I am so pleased to be a Certified Zentangle Teacher,  and I now am proud to add CZT after my name!  What is Zentangle? Zentangle is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.  Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being. The Zentangle method is enjoyed all over this world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages. For more information go to QUICK LINKS A very Special Thank you goes to my friend Cathy Corcoran, a true Angel on earth, who introduced me to Zentangle over 16 months ago. I have been enjoying this relaxing and inspiring process ever since. It was through Cathy's joy of presenting what she loves, generosity of spirit and inspiration that drew me into the world of tangling. I am forever grateful! Joyfully and Thankfully Yours, Jane Curran, CZT Jane's Frames Zentangle Class Relaxing & Eye Opening Quick Links www.zentangle.com www.janesframes.com www.tanglepatters.com A sample of creations from an Zentangle Class of first time tanglers.

Forward this email Jane's Frames | 11 East Central Street | Franklin | MA | 02038

Franklin Library: Book Sale Jan 18-19

The Library is hold a book sale on Saturday, Jan 18th and a Bag Sale on Sunday, January 19th

Library Book Sale - Jan 18th, Jan 19th

This was initially posted to the Library webpage
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2014/01/book-sale.html

"an opportunity to both tell HMEA’s story and help a local business"

The Milford Daily News reports on new videos produced by Six One Seven Studios for HMEA.

When directors from Six One Seven Studios first sat down with the Horace Mann Education Associates to discuss a series of short promotional films, they wanted to learn everything they could about the nonprofit. 

The production team was quickly overwhelmed. 

They struggled to grasp how one company could do so much for so many people, from the children with autism trying to make it through school, to the mentally disabled adults grasping for some semblance of independence. 

But after spending 15 days last summer with the people of HMEA, the directors, Peter Jacelone, Joe Palumbo and Bryan Roberts, not only understood the company’s story, but learned from it, too. 

"They have such a powerful story to tell," Palumbo said. "It helped us grow."

- See more at: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140110/NEWS/140119986#sthash.R8K6R5qD.dpuf


One of the videos currently on the HMEA webpage: (not likely one of the new videos mentioned in the article, once those are posted, I'll share them here too)




For more about the HMEA, you can visit their webpage at http://www.hmea.org/

Annual Report 2013: Recreation

The Recreation Department is located at 150 Emmons Street. The Recreation Department offers Franklin and Medway residents a variety of programs and events for youths and adults as well as coordination of youth sports organizations field use and coordination of maintenance at athletic fields. The department operates and schedules activities for Chilson Beach at Beaver Pond, Fletcher Field, Dennis Pisani Field (formally Theron Metcalf), Henry “Ski” Faenza Tot Lot (Nason Street Tot Lot), King Street Memorial Field, Dacey Community Field, and Meadowlark Lane Athletic Fields. The department is also responsible for scheduling the use of all school athletic fields during the summer, when school is not in session. Our department works closely with the various town youth sports organizations and Athletic Director Brad Sidwell to schedule all youth sports activities around the high school team practices and games.

This year, Chilson Beach was a busy place with over 3000 visitors utilizing the many functions of the pond. Canoeing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and hiking were some of the activities available at Chilson Beach. We continue to operate soccer, football, boys lacrosse and cross country running on and around the turf field. The turf field was used for NFL Flag football, Pop Warner football, soccer, and lacrosse, as well as yoga for senior citizens, tai chi, boot camp, and many other recreational activities. A portable recycled plastic walkway was installed for handicap accessibility to the water and playground area. The Franklin High School soccer, lacrosse and field hockey programs play all of their home games on the turf field as well.

Summer Playground Program
An eight week playground program was held at Fletcher Field & Medway’s Choate Park from June 24-August 19 2012. The program hours were Monday-Friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm daily. Activities included: organized games, arts and crafts, water activities, sports, and weekly visitors. The themed weeks featured water slide Tuesday, a trip to Regal Cinema on Wednesdays, a giant slip and slide every Thursday, and Pizza day Fridays. The program grew this summer to over 800 registrants.

The Franklin Summer Playground Program Director this year was Kaitlyn Williamson. The Franklin Summer Playground Program staff included: Stefan and Erik Herlitz, Paul O’Donahue, Anne Versprille, Nicole Ellin, Jake Versprille, Brandon Kuzio and Vicky Rondeau.

The Medway Summer Playground Program Director was Becky Tingley. Their staff included, Arianna Burke, Bryany Burke, Kelly Dubowski, Alec Marshall and Matthew Harrington.

Youth Basketball Program
The Youth Basketball program continues to grow and now involves over 1,500 children, 162 teams, 310 coaches, and utilizes every school gymnasium in town. The Recreation department expanded its basketball program to include High School aged kids looking to
continue playing. This intramural program gives kids in grades 9-12 a chance to continue playing pick up basketball on Saturday nights. The program utilizes school gyms at Parmenter, Davis Thayer, Horace Mann Middle School, Remington Elementary, J.F.
Kennedy School, Keller Sullivan Middle School, and Franklin High School auxiliary gym.

This year the youth basketball program ran from November 11th-March 3rd on Saturdays. The FYBL is divided into ten divisions: Kindergarten (co-ed), 1st & 2nd Grade Boys, 1st & 2nd Grade Girls, 3rd & 4th Grade Boys, 3rd & 4th Grade Girls, 5th & 6th Grade
Boys & 5th & 6th Grade Girls, 7th & 8th Grade Boys, 7th & 8th Grade Girls and High School Intramural division.

This year, our coordinators were Steve Ellin 3rd and 4th Boys, Mike Vinson 3rd and 4th Girls, Mike Canesi and John Jette 5th and 6th Girls, Tim Saunders and Kevin O’Connell 5th and 6th Boys, Mark Marinelli 7th and 8th Girls, Steve Skaza 7th and 8th Boys, and Mike Vinson  It is because of these individuals and the volunteer coaches, that this program is a success. The K-4th grade leagues are set up as a non-competitive learning experience for the children with the focus on fundamental basketball skills. Grades 5th-8th grade basketball leagues start to teach the kids different rules, zone defense, pressing, and traits of competitive basketball. Ten players are drafted to each team and games are played weekly on Saturdays. Participation trophies are awarded to all Kindergarten through 4th grade players, and a “breakup” pizza party is held for all K-2nd grade players after the final game of the season.

Pee Wee Baseball
The Pee Wee Baseball program was created in 1999 by Director, Ryan Jette. Since then, the program has grown from 26 kids to 300 kids annually. Taking his lifelong baseball coaching experience coupled with past employment with Major League Baseball International, Ryan created a beginners baseball program that teaches kids the proper techniques of hitting, fielding, base running and throwing. This fun league features 4 practice sessions and 8 controlled games. The use of tees, soft bats and spongy balls make this program a safe and enjoyable start children ages 4-6 years old. Head Instructors Mike Massuer and Chris Reagan will be on site to run the drills, organize the scrimmages, and support the volunteer coaching staff.

Kid Care Babysitting
The Recreation Department continues to offer this 6-hour training program for kids ages 11-16 years old. Kelley Brooks teaches kids the business of babysitting while coordinating lectures on childcare, fire and police safety, nutrition, and diapering. Classes were offered monthly throughout the year and over 300 kids were introduced to the business of babysitting.

NFL Flag Football
The Recreation Department teamed up with the NFL to bring this non-contact flag football league to kids aged 6-14 years old. 482 kids signed up to play each Tuesday & Thursday evening at the Beaver Pond Turf Field. Reversible NFL game jerseys, playbooks, wristbands, belt/flag setup and access to the NFL Kids website gives kids the opportunity to follow their favorite player or team. Players learned the fundamentals of throwing, catching, running and teamwork. Punt, pass, and kick competition will allow
kids to showcase their skills in a competition against area youths.

Tennis Program
The Tennis program was expanded from a summer program to a three season (summer, fall and winter) program. The youth tennis instructional program was offered at the Franklin High School Courts. The six week program was under the supervision of Diane Reinertson, Drew Reinertson and Tighe Poirier. Classes were run at the Franklin High School tennis courts, Monday through Thursday for all skill levels. Over 300 children participated in our tennis program.

Golf Lessons
The Recreation Department expanded the golf lessons offered into the summer months, by offering a full or half day camp in the summer. The Recreation Department, in conjunction with Golf Professional, Mark Copithorne, offered Adult and Junior Golf instruction at the New England Country Club in South Bellingham. The lessons covered all aspects of the game of golf (putting, chipping, bunkers, irons, and woods). Registrants met one day a week for 6 weeks to practice their skills. Lessons were offered during the summer and fall season for over 340 residents attending. Express 2 day lessons were offered over April Vacation. Participants enjoyed playing the course following the six-week lesson to see what they learned.

The Recreation Department has been running the Girls lacrosse program since 2005. The program has grown from 28 girls to over 280 girls. Our teams participate in the Massachusetts Bay Girls Lacrosse League. There were four teams at the 1st-2nd grade division which was coached by Greg Tracy, Mike Wright, Mike Ryan, Kim Carney, Michelle Hess, Renee Tolonen, and Matt Hawkins. There were five teams at the 3rd and 4th Grade division, which were coached by Barry Regan, Mike Grasso, Ryan Jette, Tom O’Rourke, Matt Hawkins, Kevin O’Connor, Rob Atkinson, and Mark Goguen. There were three teams at the 5th and
6th Grade level, which was coached by John Jette, Heather MacCallum, Ted Mazukina, Mike Hanson, Charlie Clark, Kinjal Patel, John Grace, Mark Goguen and Rob Atkinson . And three teams at the 7th and 8th Grade level, which were coached by Roger Jette, Pete Lounsbury, Todd MacCallum, Jack Reardon, Paul DeStefano, Chris Schmidt and lots of FHS players . All levels had successful seasons and played in 8 regular season games. Franklin Girls Lacrosse is the largest girls lacrosse program in the state of Massachusetts.

Respectfully submitted,

Ryan Jette

Director of Recreation
Girls Lacrosse

Dacey Field

The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/

"a training exercise as realistic"

What was happening at Dean College on Wednesday when the police were swarming all over the campus?

The Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council’s SWAT division performed a training exercise Wednesday at the college. Known as MetroLEC, the council— a consortium of 43 police and sheriff departments that work together to offer unique and highly specialized law enforcement resources — simulated a crisis involving a sole shooter roaming the campus. 

"At the time we arrived, we did not know where exactly the person was located on the campus," said Medway Police Sgt. Jason Brennan, one of the commanders of the SWAT unit. "We identified two buildings that we wanted to work in, and the teams worked to clear both of those buildings and extricate anyone trapped inside, escorting them off campus." 

Such exercises introduce the tactical team to different environs, each calling for different responses, Brennan said. 

"We focus on running these drills with the mentality that, the more we do this, and in some cases the more mistakes we make, the better prepared we’ll be God forbid we ever have to actually come to the campus."

Read more: http://www.wickedlocal.com/franklin/news/x1266955428/SWAT-team-trains-at-Dean-College-in-Franklin#ixzz2pzb5HC67

Networking Workshop-Fisher College on Thursday January 23rd from 6-7:30 PM

What is the YPO? The YPO is THE place for young professionals who have an interest in social and business networking, community involvement, and professional development.   Come meet other young professionals in your area and check out the YPO!        YPO Now Accepting New Members The YPO Membership Application is now available! For your convenience, you can download the application here, or you can complete it online at our new website: www.unitedregionalypo.org/join. Membership fees are $50 per person, annually. If your business is a member of the United Regional Chamber of Commerce (URCC), your first year of membership into the YPO is free! Applications can be returned: Online: unitedregionalypo.org/join Email:unitedregionalypo@ymail.com Fax: (508) 223-5220 Mail: 42 Union Street, Attleboro, MA 02703  Thank You to our Event Sponsor       Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA  Networking Workshop Tips and Techniques to Make More Connections   Join the United Regional YPO and our guest Ed McDonough for our 1st quarterly workshop of 2014 at Fisher College on Thursday January 23rd from 6-7:30 PM. This workshop will be held in Room 3 of the North Attleboro campus at 451 Elm St. Ed will share how tips on how to engage the person or audience you are speaking to and cover the do's and don'ts to networking effectively. He'll also show you how to create a 30 second "elevator" speech that gets you noticed! Ed McDonough is a Business Growth Expert, certified Business Coach, a respected Marketing Consultant and the founder of Executive Coaching in Walpole, MA. Since 2001 Ed has been a successful entrepreneur and multi-business owner who has a unique talent for developing and implementing long-term profitable marketing strategies. In addition to his business owner experience, Mr. McDonough spent over 25 years as a top-level Information Technology professional and Project Management Consultant in Corporate America, making him well versed in all facets of the business environment. His real-world brick and mortar business experience combined with his passion for effective web-based marketing has lead him to coach business owners throughout North America to success from the ground up.      Be sure to check out our upcoming events on our website and stay up to date with everything YPO by connecting with us online. We look forward to seeing you at our next event!    Kind Regards, United Regional YPO Important *Must be at least 21 years old to attend events For more info call 508-488-9761 or e-mail unitedregionalypo@ymail.com .

Forward email United Regional YPO | 42 Union Street | Attleboro | MA | 02703

Annual Report 2013: Public Library

In FY2013, the Franklin Public Library continued to strengthen its programs and services.

The Library welcomed Allison Meideros, Youth Services Librarian. Allison has brought a fresh perspective and boundless energy to programming. This enthusiasm is reflected in the number of new regularly scheduled programs, special programs and new collaborations with Downtown Partnerships, the Franklin School of Performing Arts, Community Partnerships and the Mom’s Club. This fall, Community Partnerships will introduce a new Science Friday program and a special music story time.

You found value in our many services.

1. Annual Circulation
Total circulation in FY2013 stood at 310,897, up 1,090 from FY2012. The graph below depicts these numbers.

2. Weekly Internet Usage
The library experienced a tremendous increase in internet usage between FY2013 and FY2012. In 2012, the weekly internet usage was 167. This number increased almost two fold (174% increase) to 457 in FY2013.

3. Library Visits
Library usage continues to increase steadily – a clear testament to the quality and depth of programming and services that the library continues to offer. In FY2013 library visits increased by 16,009 to 193,333 over FY 2012 visits of 177,324 – a 9% annual increase.

4 Children’s Programs Attendance
Attendance in children’s program has seen a phenomenal increase for FY2013. In FY2012, children’s programs attendance stood at 5,328. In FY2013, this number increased by 1,540 or 29% to 6,868. The library continues to expand its programs to meet the needs of its young patrons and this increase is a clear evidence of the attractiveness of these programs.

Student Assistance Center
Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, our commitment providing homework assistance to students in grades 1-8 had another successful year.

You asked for an ongoing used book sale in the library and we provided two for your convenience, one for our young patrons on the ground floor and another for tweens, teens and adults on the second floor.

Ben Franklin statue outside the Library on a sunny day

Moving Forward: Assessing the Future
You engaged us with constructive feedback and invaluable suggestions for the future. For all of you participated in the focus group interviews and the online survey we say, thank you. Your input will help identify service priorities and guide the allocation of resources.

I attribute our growth and strength to an incredible group:
• The Board of Directors for their commitment to service excellence and responsible stewardship,
• The Town Administrator and elected officials who make library funding possible,
• The hard-working staff,
• The Friends, volunteers and generous donors,
• The Franklin School of performing Arts for entertaining many patrons with plays and dance this summer,
• Kyle Perry for organizing and soliciting donations for a week long Lego challenge,
• The Teen Advisory Board for their time and outreach efforts.
• Andrea Burke and her programming committee for their hard work in planning adult programs,
• And our patrons whose insights and strong, consistent use of the library’s varied collections and services make us better.

Respectfully submitted,

F.Oti, Library Director


Note: given the layout and use of photos in this section of the report, the full section (available on the Library page) is also shared here:




The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/

"Lifelong Learning has been busy with all things SUMMER"

... Lifelong Learning has been busy with all things SUMMER. The Math Academy, Summer Music, Summer Art Institute, Solutions Summer Adventure, High School Academics, the High School Experience, Ready ... Set ... Kindergarten, Oceans of Fun, and STAR are returning with another summer of interesting courses. 

Numerous course proposals for STAR have been submitted and are in the process of being reviewed. This summer STAR offerings will include: art, science, sports & fitness, crafts, STEM, cooking, adventures, and more.Watch for the course registration to go "live" after the middle of January. If you have any questions about the summer programs email us: lifelong@franklin.k12.ma.us.

Read the full article on the Lifelong Learning website here
http://lifelonglearningfps.blogspot.com/2014/01/wednesday-january-8-2014.html

"To see smiles coming off the ice it was exciting"

HockomockSports.com reports on the Franklin boys hockey team game vs. Stoughton:

Franklin scored six goals in the second period, sandwiched between a one goal first period and a two goal third period to blank Stoughton, 9-0, on the road Wednesday evening. Franklin picks up just their third win of the season after having to battle some of the best teams from Massachusetts as well as other states. For the Panthers, it was all about getting back on track.

"That was the only mindset we had," Franklin head coach Chris Spillane said. "Coming in 2-4, we just needed to play some hockey and score some goals. The first period was a little disappointing, we came out a little slow. Their goaltender had a great game, everything we threw on net he stopped. The second period I think we got more selective with our shots. It's a good win to have.

Read the full article here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2014/01/franklin-gets-back-on-track-with-offensive-outburst.html

"Single cigars account for about 80 percent of all tobacco sales"

The Board of Health tabled approval of their proposed revision to the tobacco regulations until the Feb 4th meeting. This action came after the public hearing during which testimony from multiple parties was presented. One of the advocates proposing to raise the age to buy tobacco fell short in his presentation:

Dr. Lester Hartman, a Westwood pediatrician and advocate for increasing the age limit to buy tobacco products to 21 statewide, said that 90 percent of underage smokers purchase cigarettes from fellow teens between the ages of 18 and 20. 

The idea, he said, is raising the age to 21 cuts out those teenagers buying cigarettes for their younger high school friends. 

"You take the distributorship out of the high school," he said, acknowledging, however, that he lacks data to support the theory.

- See more at: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140107/NEWS/140109804/?tag=1#sthash.V0CQYB9n.dpuf


If you missed reading the proposed regulations you can find the listing here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/01/regulations-tighten-towns-rules-on.html

FYI: Police Training Exercise

Training Notice/Police Activity

January 8th, between the hours of 8am and 1pm, members of the FPD along with other departments, will be conducting a training exercise on Dean Campus property. You will see many officers and police vehicles in the area. There is NO need for concern; it is a training exercise only.

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