Calendar For Biennial Town Election - NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Hello,

It time to begin the process for the November 3rd Town Election better known as the Biennial Town Election. 

Papers will be available in my office beginning on Monday, August 3, 2015. Important dates for candidates to know and remember are attached to this email. 

If anyone has any questions, please call me at 508-520-4900. Elections have always been a very exciting and busy time in the Clerk's office.

Deborah L. Pellegri CMC
Town Clerk/Election Administrator

Office Hours: 

• Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8:00am to 4:00pm
• Wednesday, 8:00am to 6:00pm and Friday 8:00am to 1:00pm

508-520-4900

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Franklin wants you!

CALENDAR FOR BIENNIAL TOWN ELECTION - NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Nomination papers available - Monday, August 3, 2015

Last day to obtain nomination papers from the Town Clerk Monday, September 14, 2015

Last day to submit nomination papers to registrars for certification. (4:00pm) Town Clerk's Office) - Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Last day for registrars to submit certified nomination papers to Town Clerk. (5:00pm) -  Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Last day to object or withdraw (5:00pm) Thursday, October 1, 2015

Last day to register to vote (8:00pm) Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Last day to post warrant - Tuesday, October 27, 2015



You can find this document online at the Franklin website
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/Nov.%203,%202015%20Town%20Election%20News.pdf

Pond St RFP responses available for review

The documents for the three RFP responses for the Pond St property were posted to the Franklin website and are available for download and review.

Town of Franklin photo of Pond St property

The PDF file can be found here:
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/02179819-000F8513


or download a copy of it here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczUXBDS0FaOGFvRFk/view?usp=sharing

News from Norfolk County Registry of Deeds

	Norfolk County Registry of Deeds
	Register O'Donnell Stresses Need to File Mortgage Discharges Responding to frequent questions when visiting the twenty-eight communities of Norfolk County, Register of Deeds William P. O'Donnell today stressed the importance of filing a mortgage discharge in a timely manner after a mortgage has been paid off. Register O'Donnell noted, "During our office hours, a frequently asked question by homeowners is do they have clear title to their property. This is determined by accessing our online records and verifying if all mortgages associated with the property have been discharged." The Register went on to say, "When a mortgage is paid off, a mortgage discharge document needs to be recorded with the Registry of Deeds to clear a homeowner's property title. A discharge is a document (typically one page) issued by the lender, usually with a title such as "Discharge of Mortgage" or "Satisfaction of Mortgage." In many instances stated O'Donnell, "Discharges are often filed directly by banks or settlement attorneys with the Registry as part of a property sale or as a result of a refinancing transaction. In other cases, the mortgage discharge is sent to the property owner who is then responsible for making sure the document is recorded at the Registry." "Whether or not a discharge is recorded by the lending institution or the individual property owner, it is ultimately the responsibility of the property owner to check and make sure that all necessary documents have been recorded at the Registry of Deeds," stated O'Donnell. The Register further mentioned that there have been cases where no discharge has been recorded against a long paid off mortgage. Unfortunately, many of the lending institutions that provided funds for these mortgages in the first place are no longer in existence, in most cases these financial entities have merged with another lending institution. If a property owner needs to retrieve an original discharge of a mortgage and is unclear which lending institution is now responsible for providing the document, an option is to contact the Massachusetts Division of Banks at 1-800-495-2265. This government agency can assist the consumer in tracking down contact information for the lending institution that is responsible for the mortgage. When recording a discharge, the original document is required. The Registry of Deeds does not accept photo copies or faxed copies of documents. The filing fee, set by state statute, is $76.00. In conclusion O'Donnell stated, "After paying off all the mortgages on their property, homeowners want to be assured that they have clear title to their property, especially if they are contemplating selling it. Being diligent and aware of what is required will go a long way in giving the homeowner peace of mind. The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds is staffed with a team of customer service representatives who can be reached Monday through Friday, 8:30AM-4:30PM at 781-461-6101. These representatives have been trained in researching documents and are well versed on the subject of mortgage discharges and what, if necessary, needs to be done to clear title to a property." To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, "like" us at facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds. The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, located at 649 High Street, Dedham, is the principal office for real property in Norfolk County. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101, or on the web at www.norfolkdeeds.org. Register William P. O'Donnell Norfolk County Registry of Deeds email: registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org phone: 781-234-3336 web: http://www.norfolkdeeds.org

Forward email screen grab of Norfolk County Deeds webpage Norfolk County Registry of Deeds | 649 High Street | Dedham, | MA | 02026-1831

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 7/17/15 - THU 7/23/15

FRI 7/17   12-6pm   Franklin Farmers Market at The Town Common
FRI 7/17   6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked at Franklin Art Center
FRI 7/17   8-9:50pm   Frozen Friday DJ Public Skate at Pirelli Arena
FRI 7/17   8pm   The Mark Poniatowski Situation - Jazz Concert at The Black Box


SAT 7/18   9am-4pm   Book Sale at Franklin Public Library
SAT 7/18   9-10am   Betty Kushner playing classical music during the Library Book Sale
SAT 7/18   11am-3pm Franklin Solar Challenge: the last Open House

SUN 7/19   9am-12pm   Library Bag Sale at Franklin Public Library

MON 7/20   10:30am   Meet Elmo!!! at Franklin Public Library
MON 7/20   1-2pm   Drop In Craft at Franklin Public Library

TUE 7/21   10:30am   Get Ready for Kindergarten (ages 3-5) at Franklin Public Library
TUE 7/21   6-8pm   FREE Outdoor Concert: Jesse Liam Band at Franklin Public Library (bring a picnic dinner, blanket and your dancing shoes, 50’s to today’s music)

WED 7/22   10:30am   Terrific Toddlers (18 months to 3 years) at Franklin Public Library
WED 7/22   1pm   Indian Dance with Mouli Pal for all ages at Franklin Public Library
WED 7/22   6-8:30pm   Concerts on The Common: Forever Fab, Children’s Program: Kizzy the Clown at 6pm.

THU 7/23   10:30am   Story and Craft (ages 3-6) at Franklin Public Library
THU 7/23   1pm   EPA - The Environment and Your Health for ages 5 and up at Franklin Public Library

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

For all Summer Programs at the Franklin Public Library click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

Franklin Solar Challenge: the last Open House is scheduled for July 18th 11AM-3PM

Now is the time to go solar!

The Franklin Solar Challenge is in Tier 5 pricing!

SolarFlair Energy, the selected installer for the Franklin Solar Challenge, will be holding the last open house this Saturday. Food and soft drinks will be provided, with SolarFlair representatives on hand to answer your questions. 

The Open House is scheduled for July 18th 11AM-3PM.

• Prewitt Residence 
• 17 Sunset Rd. 
• Franklin, MA

Franklin Solar Challenge

Franklin Flyers Learn to Skate and Introduction to Hockey registration is now open!

Franklin Youth Hockey has opened the registration for their Learn to Skate and Introduction to Hockey programs. 

Each program has three consecutive 9-week sessions. Session 1 will start on Sunday September 27, 2015. 

You can register and get additional information on their website, franklinflyers.org. 

Act now before the sessions fill up, these are the only Learn to Skate and Introduction to Hockey programs affiliated with the Franklin Flyers.

Franklin Flyers 

"the school will receive solar credits"

Tri-County is waiting until students return in the fall before celebrating the completion of a new solar farm that will provide 85 percent of its electricity. 

Sometime after classes resume in September, the school will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to christen its 1.3-megawatt solar farm. Nearly finished, the solar array is set to save the school about $1.8 million on energy costs over the next 20 years and will serve as a four-acre lab, allowing students to study the technology behind solar power. 

“Since this is an area of study for our engineering technology students, we decided to hold off until they are back in school so that they can learn more about the solar array during the ceremony,” said Tri-county spokeswoman Jessica Silva.

Tri-County website header

Continue reading the article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150716/NEWS/150717172/1994/NEWS

Now there are three proposals for Pond St

I got caught working late in Boston but John Pazniokas kept the Pond St group informed via Facebook and I can share his meeting summary here.

The EDC meeting tonight introduced the three proposals for the parcel: 

- A sale/development proposal from Baystone Development, proposing 85 townhouse condos and 14,000 square feet of "Office/Retail". (Unofficially, the developer indicated that they'd rather go full office space on that 14,000, but that's not in the proposal.) 

- A land-lease proposal for solar by Kearsarge Energy. 

- A land-lease proposal for solar by Solect Energy. 

The three proposals were presented at the meeting, with little if any prereading done by anyone. (Chairman Bissanti basically claimed a cursory reading; nobody else sounded familiar with any of it.) There was a three-page memo from the town summarizing them. 

Highlights from the meeting:
- Interestingly, Bissanti opened the meeting by stressing rules of procedure and an unwillingness to permit personal or professional attacks. Not sure what THAT was about. 

- Vallee is disappointed in the response to the RFPs, referring to it as an "ideal parcel" to have only 3 proposals. He seemed to take 'the process' to task for not getting the word out enough, and suggested that he wanted to try to get more proposals. 

- Bissanti, again, brought up the specter of the anaerobic digester, which he, again, pointed out he had opposed. This was to warn us that these proposals were pretty good. 

- The Planning Board rep spent most of the meeting critiquing the solar proposals and insinuating that, if anything, the Baystone bid was waysuperawesomer than anything else. (I'm sorry, but I can't un-type that now.) 

- Bissanti, again, insinuated that everyone "but these seven people in the audience" were basically seen as in favor of whatever the council decides.

Town of Franklin photo of the Pond St property

When the RFP responses are posted to the Town webpage, I'll share the links. It is likely they will be posted to the same page where the other info on the Pond St property is found.
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Planning/pondrfp

"the human cost of operating a farm in a culture of cheap food" (video)

There are three local farms in Franklin: Grateful Farms, Ak-Bak and Hoffman Farms. Scenes from their locations could fit in this film. #shopFranklin and shop local when you visit the Farmers Market on Friday!


Seedlight Pictures premieres a new film:

GROWING LOCAL—A mid-length film in three parts that explores the growing pains of the local food movement and the uncertain fate of the farmers and farmland that keep it alive.

The locavore movement is old news. Growing Local takes the conversation to the next level. While "buying local" is on the rise, these three poignant vignettes make clear that small farms and access to locally produced food is not a sure thing. 

In Growing Local, we meet father and son organic dairy farmers struggling with the realities of producing a commodity food product to keep their farm going and in the family, we follow an artisanal butcher who helps us understand how healthy, thoughtful meat production can be supported and sustained, and the series closes with the story of a young farm couple who, on risky sweat-equity, have revitalized a fertile piece of farmland into a thriving community food hub. These stories help us to better understand the interconnected fates of farmers and farmland, consumers and the local food movement.

Growing Local (Trailer) from Seedlight Pictures on Vimeo.

Artist Bridget Besaw talks about the Making of Growing Local

"We’ve made a series about small farms and the uncertain fate of the local food movement. The challenge of this series was weaving together three separate but connected stories to create a coherent narrative about local food and local farms. Our goal was to craft a project that will help fellow Mainers, and hopefully others around the country, better understand the agrarian landscape surrounding us and the important role it plays in growing community as well as food. We hope to inspire viewers to actively seek out local foods for their own health, the health of their communities and that of the planet."

Continue reading what Bridget says about the film here
http://www.growinglocalfilms.org/about-the-series/artists-statement/

For more about "Growing Local" check their webpage  http://www.growinglocalfilms.org/

hat tip to Sarah Mabadry for finding this piece to share

2015 Whatever Theater Festival performs at the Franklin Cultural Festival

The 2015 Whatever Theater Festival will feature a production of Shakespeare's Henry IV (Part 1) on Franklin Town Common and a series of one-act plays staged at THE BLACK BOX. 

Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) will present the Whatever Theater Festival from July 29 - August 1, with performances offered free to the public.

Wednesday, July 29, 8:30 pm - One-Act Plays staged at THE BLACK BOX

Thursday, July 30, 7:30 pm - Shakespeare's Henry IV (Part 1) on Franklin Town Common

Friday, July 31, 7:30 pm - Shakespeare's Henry IV (Part 1) on Franklin Town Common

Saturday, August 1, 8:30 pm - One-Act Plays staged at THE BLACK BOX

arts happen here - Franklin Cultural Festival

This year’s Whatever Theater Festival will be part of the first annual Franklin Cultural Festival, hosted by the Franklin Cultural District Committee. 

The visual, performing and culinary arts celebration will take place at various downtown Franklin locations within the proposed Cultural District from Wednesday, July 29 to Sunday, August 2. 

FPAC’s Whatever Theater Festival is sponsored in part by grants from the Franklin and Norfolk Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information, call (508) 528-3370.

For more information on the Franklin Cultural Festival visit www.franklinsculturalfestival.org.

In the News: Grant received, Pond St proposals

After applying jointly for Community Development Block Grants from the state Department of Housing and Economic Development, the towns of Bellingham, Franklin and Hopedale were awarded a total of $894,082 for housing rehabilitation and a fuel assistance program. 

The Baker-Polito Administration announced 33 grants totaling $26 million to 65 communities Wednesday. 

The federally-funded grants will help cities and towns provide housing, infrastructure improvements, childcare vouchers and other services, a press release said.

Continue to read the article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150715/NEWS/150717728/1994/NEWS


The grant was applied for in early 2014 and reported on here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/questions-were-raised-answers-sought.html

and here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/150-emmons-st-sold-pond-st-parcel-re.html

The town is vetting three potential developments proposed for more than 30 acres of land on Pond Street that officials have been trying to sell for at least a decade. 

Two developers proposed solar farms for the property near Interstate 495, and the third submitted a commercial project with 85 condominiums and 14,000 square feet of office and retail space. 

The town’s Department of Planning and Community Development received the proposals July 9.

Continue reading the article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150716/NEWS/150717691/1994/NEWS

THE BLACK BOX: Mark Poniatowski Situation - July 17

Enjoy a cool summer night out at THE BLACK BOX as Jazz in July welcomes The Mark Poniatowski Situation Friday, July 17, 2015 8:00 PM THE BLACK BOX is pleased to present The Mark Poniatowski Situation, led by bassist, composer and arranger Mark Poniatowski, with Robert Gallegos on trumpet, Jon Garniss on trombone, Kenny Hadley on drums, Joe Mulholland on piano and Jared Sims on saxophone. The Mark Poniatowski Situation released a self-titled CD of jazz instrumentals composed and arranged by Poniatowski in 2010. An associate professor in the Contemporary Writing and Production department at Berklee College of Music, Mark Poniatowski's extensive experience includes performances with the Bruce Katz Band, Toni Lynn Washington Band, Kenny Hadley Big Band, Soul Kitchen, Floyd Dixon, Sid Caesar, Rita Moreno, Bob Newhart, Junior Watson, Janiva Magness and Kid Ramos. Click link below to purchase tickets online https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=5195bd3307096b7e3e5ff89eafb6c516 Tickets will also be available at the door Cash Bar for Beer and Wine

Franklin Performing Arts Company uses Vendini for ticketing, marketing, and box office management.

Franklin Performing Arts Company - PO Box 16, Franklin, MA, 02038, (508) 528-8668

Vendini, Inc. - 660 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 94104, 1 (800) 901-7173


View as a web page.

Franklin Library: Book Sale - Sat - Sun July 18-19

This is the weekend for the monthly Franklin Library Book Sale. 

The standard schedule applies; books for sale on Saturday from 9:00 - 4:00 PM. 

Books by the bag for sale on Sunday from 9:00 AM to noon.

Franklin Library - Book Sale

This was shared from the Franklin Library page:
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2015/07/library-book-sale.html

"how to handle a growing number of “sexting” cases"

At the State House Tuesday, Roy and Reilly, joined by a Bridgewater State University psychology professor, testified before the Judiciary Committee in favor of the bill. According to Roy, the legislation would not hinder legitimate child pornography investigations, but rather establish an important, potentially life-altering distinction between child porn and sexting among teens. 

“This bill would set up a new section of the statute to give police officers and prosecutors more tools to curb this behavior,” Roy said. 

Filed earlier this year, H.1567, An Act Relative to Transmitting Indecent Visual Depictions by Teens, has found supporters beyond the Legislature, including in law enforcement and academics. One letter of support came all the way from a professor at the University of Colorado. 

The bill, Roy said, protects minors who participate in sexting as long as they do so consensually. Instead of a felony, 15- to 19-year-olds convicted of sexting would have to enter a mandatory diversion program; other penalties range from a civil fine to community service.

Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150714/NEWS/150718263/1994/NEWS

Would a wheelchair fit here?

One of the reported benefits of the Downtown Project is to make getting around town easier. Traffic calming cross walks will be installed along Main St to make it easier for the Dean students to cross and to make it easier for drivers to slow down for the cross walk.

Based upon the placement of the new utility poles, handicap access according to ADA requirements was left out of the planning process. These are a couple of photos from Sunday's walk along Main St. I have several more with similar situations present along West Central.

eventually take away the 'old' pole on the right

and same here, take away the old pole on the right

Assuming the 'old' pole is removed, does that leave enough space for a wheelchair or stroller to get by?