Spectra Access Northeast Open Houses Announced

Dear friends,

Spectra has just put out its schedule of Open Houses.

Algonquin Open Houses for the Access Northeast Project

Per Spectra's notice:

Algonquin will hold Open Houses in January in order to provide updated information concerning the Access Northeast Project to landowners, public officials and interested stakeholders.  The Open Houses are designed to enable people to get their questions answered by Project representatives.  In addition, since there is no formal speaking program, individuals may arrive at any time during the hours listed.  FERC representatives will also be in attendance and will be available to speak with attendees.

WALPOLE/SHARON/CANTON/STOUGHTON: Tuesday, January 19, 2016
5:30PM – 7:30PM
Four Points Sheraton
1125 Boston Providence Turnpike
Norwood, MA

MEDWAY/BELLINGHAM/FRANKLIN/MILLIS/NORFOLK:
Thursday, January 21, 2016
5:30PM – 7:30PM
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
835 Union St.
Franklin, MA

They are lumping MILFORD (and strangely enough MEDWAY again) into the West Boylston 16-inch lateral pipeline called the West Boylston Lateral:

MILFORD/MEDWAY/UPTON/GRAFTON/MILLBURY/SUTTON/SHREWSBURY/BOYLSTON/WEST BOYLSTON:

Monday, January 25, 2016

5:30-7:30PM

Highfields Golf & Country Club

42 Magill Drive

Grafton, MA

For those of you live on the east end of the Q-1 Loop, there's a piece of pipeline also proposed in Quincy and Braintree as well as the compressor station in Weymouth.  If you'd like to support their fight as well:

QUINCY/WEYMOUTH/BRAINTREE:

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

5:30-7:30PM

Boston Marriott Quincy

1000 Marriott Drive

Quincy, MA

If you want to attend any other Open Houses to show support for other towns, here's some basic information.  Let me know if you want more details:

• Wednesday, January 20: Rehoboth
• Thursday, January 21: Burrillville, RI
• Tuesday, January 26: Freetown/Acushnet/New Bedford

I will send out more information next week about what to expect at the Open Houses and what you can learn and do at them.

As usual, call me with questions.

Carolyn

508-473-3305 H

508-335-0848 C

one of several Franklin lawn signs

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Also of note:

• a group in NY against the project   http://sape2016.org/
• the group in Quincy has a website  http://nocompressor.com/tag/access-northeast/

and if you need some of the pipeline material

• Spectra Energy's Access North East page

http://www.spectraenergy.com/Operations/New-Projects-and-Our-Process/New-Projects-in-US/Access-Northeast/

as well as 

• the Atlantic Bridge portion of the project

http://www.spectraenergy.com/Operations/New-Projects-and-Our-Process/New-Projects-in-US/Atlantic-Bridge/

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 1/8/16 - THU 1/14/16

FRIDAY 1/8/16
9:30am   Canvas and Coffee at the Franklin Art Center

SATURDAY 1/9/16
10am-12pm   Information Session and Building Tour of the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School
1-3pm   Family Paint at the Franklin Art Center
6:30pm   Electric Youth 2016 Debut at The Black Box
8:00pm   Circle of Friends Coffeehouse: John Gorka and Honor Finnegan, FUSF (262 Chestnut Street, Franklin)
8:30pm   Electric Youth 2016 Debut at The Black Box

SUNDAY 1/10/16
7:30-10:30am   Sunday Morning Breakfast at Franklin Rod and Gun Club

TUESDAY 1/12/16
6:30-8pm   Knitting Circle for Adults at Franklin Public Library
7:30pm   Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Meeting at the Franklin YMCA. Public welcome!

THURSDAY 1/14/16
7-9:30pm   Zentangle (Winter Bear) at the Franklin Art Center

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

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

The Tri-County Insider January 7

JANUARY 7 To the Tri-County Community, Happy New Year! We are almost at the midpoint of the school year- there is a Ferris Bueller quote in here somewhere about time flying by. Our Winter Sports are in full swing. We are preparing freshmen to select their programs soon, and seniors will begin their Senior Project presentations next week. Ms. Haney will be planting the garden before we know it. Our MCAS results have been made public and Tri-County is once again a Level 1 school with all of tested programs making gains towards their 2017 goal. It is rewarding to see students work so hard to achieve these goals and a faculty so willing to do whatever they can to help them. We hear and read a great deal about college and career readiness in the news, and here at Tri- County and the other vocational programs across the state this idea of college and career readiness is lived out every day. Congratulations to all the teachers, students, and parents on our 2015 performance. More congratulations to our Computer Information Systems students on their "Late Pass" app that was entered into the Verizon App Contest and won Best in State winner in the Verizon Innovative App Challenge. Please read below how to help our students succeed at the next level of the competition. Thank you all for your support, Mr. Procaccini Upcoming Events Grade 9 Shop Selection Night Wednesday, January 13 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, January 18 About The TC Insider The TC Insider is a biweekly newsletter for the families of Tri-County students. Forward to a Friend Follow on Twitter Like us on Facebook View Email In Browser Tri-County RVTHS 147 Pond Street Franklin, MA 02038 www.tri-county.us 508-528-5400 Tri-County admissions webpage image Note: the newsletter was shortened for publication here, you can view the full set of contents here

Blood drive and bone marrow drive this Saturday in Norfolk

Via the Franklin network:

The Gary Mirliss Memorial Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Campaign Has Arrived Next Saturday your donation can make a difference in someone's life. We need your help, your family's help, your friend's help, and your neighbor's help to reach our goal of collecting  200 Units of Blood       BE THE ONE THAT PUTS US OVER THE TOP  When Saturday, January 9, 2016    From 8 AM to 3 PM Where King Philip Middle School 18 King Street  Norfolk, MA 02056 All participants names will be placed in a raffle for the chance to win great donor raffle items and enjoy a pancake breakfast and pizza See you next Saturday, January 9th Schedule Appointment Sponsor Code: Mirliss Forward to Family, Friends, and Neighbors STAY CONNECTED:

MBTA: New feature: Subscribe-by-train for Commuter Rail

Dear T-Alerts subscriber, We've introduced a new feature for Commuter Rail T-Alerts. Subscribers can now choose a specific commuter rail train(s), instead of everything that runs during a specific time of day. This way you'll only receive the alerts that matter most. To update your subscriptions to take advantage of this feature: Log in to edit your T-Alert subscription at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MABTA/subscriber/new Check your trains to subscribe to them (You can hover your mouse over the blue "i" symbols to see each train's scheduled stop times) Click "submit" at the bottom when you're done We hope this feature improves your T-Alerts experience. - The MBTA T-Alerts Team

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train at Franklin/Dean station

Strategic Materials fined for violating state air pollution control and wetland protection regulations

"The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has assessed a $17,200 penalty on Strategic Materials, Inc. of Houston, Texas, which operates a glass recycling facility at Kenwood Circle in Franklin, for violating state air pollution control and wetland protection regulations. 

State of MA DEP

Strategic Materials holds an air quality permit issued by MassDEP, which establishes emission limits and operating requirements for the glass bottle-crushing facility. Inspections conducted by MassDEP staff in 2014 identified violations of both the permit and the Wetlands Protection Act regulations."

Continue reading the press release by the State of MA DEP
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/news/releases/franklin-recycling-facility-assessed-17200-penalty.html

Live reporting: Economic Development Committee - Jan 6, 2016

Wednesday night was a rush as the Economic Development Committee met in the 3rd floor training room at 6:00 PM and ran until just before the Town Council meeting scheduled for the Council Chambers at 7:00 PM.

I chose to take my notes both on paper and tweet the highlights. I did make an audio recording of the meeting and assuming the quality is good, I'll share that soon.

Note: be sure to scroll within the Storify window to read the full set of notes

image shared from Eileen Mason

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In the News: senior assistance approved, recycling business fined, feedback from seniors sought

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

The Town Council considered - and ultimately accepted - two initiatives intended to make it easier for local seniors to pay their property taxes. 

The council unanimously approved a higher tax exemption for seniors older than 70 who make less than $19,000 a year and a higher ceiling for the senior tax work-off program. 

Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said an increase in the state's minimum wage at the beginning of the year - from $9 to $10 an hour - allowed the town to bolster its work-off program, in which seniors volunteer at town departments in exchange for credit on their tax bills. The town is only allowed to pay seniors up to the minimum wage.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160107/franklin-council-approves-senior-tax-measures

A Kenwood Circle glass recycling business has been fined by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for violations of state air quality and wetlands rules, the department announced Thursday. 

The company - Houston-based Strategic Materials, Inc. - was fined $17,200 by the department after staff discovered violations in 2014, according to the announcement.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160107/franklin-facility-fined-by-dep

Franklin Senior Center

State Rep. Jeffrey N. Roy, D-Franklin, will host a community conversation with senior citizens to discuss issues that impact their lives and to provide information on the various state programs available to them. Area seniors, their loved ones, and caregivers are invited to the event that will take place at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 15 at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill St. 

Roy’s special guest for the event is State Rep. Denise C. Garlick, D-Needham, the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs. Garlick, who is also a registered nurse, will speak about the $3.5 billion dollars allocated to the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and MassHealth for senior programs. Aside from MassHealth, Garlick will address other funded initiatives including homecare and nursing homes, prescription drug assistance, Council on Aging funding, protective services, elder housing and nutrition programs.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160107/state-rep-roy-to-host-conversation-with-franklin-medway-seniors

FHS track and swimming teams split meets, both hockey teams win

The results from Hockomock League action on Wednesday show the FHS teams split the track meets against Taunton (boys losing, girls winning), also split the swim meets against Taunton (boys losing, girls winning), while both hockey teams won (girls vs KP, boys vs OA). All the details from Hockomock Sports.

Indoor Track (@ Reggie Lewis Center)

Boys 

• Franklin 32 vs. Taunton 68 – Final

Girls 

• Franklin 72 vs. Taunton 28 – Final

Swimming

Boys

• Franklin, 36 @ Taunton, 58 – Final

Girls

• Franklin, 60 @ Taunton, 34 – Final

Girls Hockey

• King Philip, 2 @ Franklin, 5 – Final

Boys Hockey

• Oliver Ames, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final

– Jake Downie and Jeremy Miller had two goals and an assist apiece to lead the Panthers. Brendan O’Reilly had the other goal for Franklin and Nick Jasinski recorded 15 saves for the shutout. OA goalie Zach Walsh made 30 saves in the loss.

http://www.hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-010616/

Jake Downie (9) and Jeremy Miller (5) each scored a pair of goals for the Panthers in a 5-0 victory over OA. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Josh Perry, Managing Editor writes in detail on the game:

Heading into their first Hockomock game of the season, the Panthers seem to have solidified the blue line, but there are still question marks about who will provide the goals for the defending league champs. 

On Wednesday night at Pirelli Veterans Arena, senior Jake Downie and sophomore Jeremy Miller provided the offensive punch. The second line forwards contributed four goals and two assists to propel the Panthers to a 5-0 victory over visiting Oliver Ames.

http://www.hockomocksports.com/downie-and-miller-spark-panthers-against-oa/

"They want us to pay for their pipeline so they can export their gas"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

Area residents at Wednesday's Town Council meeting said a proposed natural-gas pipeline that would run through Franklin - as well as other nearby towns - was unnecessary and environmentally unfriendly. 

A group of concerned citizens gave a presentation to the council, saying the local demand does not justify the 119-mile Spectra Energy pipeline. 

Mendon residents Rand and Carolyn Barthel narrated a slideshow presentation in which they made their case against the project. 

"This is a regional issue, a national issue and an international issue," Carolyn said, noting that such area towns as Milford, Bellingham, Medway, Franklin, Millis, Norfolk and Walpole would be affected by the pipeline.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160106/franklin-residents-decry-pipeline-project

screen grab of one of the presentation slides

Live reporting from the meeting including a copy of the presentation document used can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/01/live-reporting-presentation-on-spectra.html


Also on the Spectra pipeline from Upton
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160106/upton-residents-seem-unconcerned-by-pipeline-proposal

Lifelong Learning: Fitness For Active Older Americans AND Meditation, Too

Franklin Public Schools - Lifelong Learning Institute The Center for Adult Education and Community Learning  at Franklin Presents Fitness For Active Older Adults AND Meditation, Too Fitness For Active Older Adults Beginning Tuesday, January 12 for 8 weeks     It's never too late to feel great! Our new Active Older Adult (AOA) class is for men and women in their 50's, 60's, and 70's! This exercise class is designed to help active older adults like you, not athletes, interested in improving their life through exercise. Class combines three key components of fitness: Strength Training, Flexibility, and Cardio Conditioning and is taught by a certified instructor. Each class is a full hour, held indoors once each week, given in a fun environment making it the fitness choice for Active Older Adults. Note: Bring your favorite free weights with you...2 lbs. to 8 lbs., your choice.  Register online now. Just click here                                                   Meditation Workshop   A Sunday morning session at Tranquil Souls Yoga on January 17  Join us for a blissful 75 minutes of relaxation and mediation that will leave you refreshed and revitalized. We will start with a group discussion on mediation, then move though some relaxing yoga and breath work that will transition into a guided mediation and finally an optional individual mediation. You will leave feeling ready to start your own mediation practice at home or expand your existing practice. Returning students welcome. Register online now.Just click here. Contact Contact: Brenda Reed, Director Adult Education & Community Learning 508-613-1480 reedb@franklin.k12.ma.us www.FranklinLifelongLearning.com Adult Education Register Today "Instruction ends in the school-room, but education ends only with life." - Frederick W. Robertson

Forward this email FPS- Life Long Learning | 355 East Central Street | Franklin | MA | 02038

Live reporting: to closing

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
– Fiscal Forecast
to be posted to webpage this week (is as part of agenda doc now)
state aid is always an unknown, there are variations within the components
the charter school is looking to expand the school with a new facility, this could affect the reimbursement

when we saw the 17 and 18 numbers, it makes 19 look a little better
do have collective bargaining agreement with all the locals
teachers union remains to be worked by Schools

will be used by the Finance Committee as part of the budget process

change in harassment policy - for review by Council

L. OLD BUSINESS
Bissanti - alcohol awareness
Cerel - looking into this, no litigation to provide guidance
can provide before license is issued or if there is a problem

Jeff - survey sent to all the license holder, if they require training of their staff
Kelly - waiting for them to get their info together so we can put it on the agenda

draft report on DelCarte in couple of weeks (an update on an old item for Padula)

M. NEW BUSINESS
none

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Jones - happy new year, looking forward to goal setting session next Tuesday

Dellorco - Coalition, next meeting Feb 2, begins at 7 at FHS auditorium

Bissanti - happy new year, EDc has a lot of things going on

Pfeffer - happy new year

Vallee - rumors about the FHS football team with nasty remarks about
can someone enlighten me on how come we can't produce a winning team?

Mercer - open bids on Senior Center project last week, all 9 bids came in under budget, vetting low bidder; taking extra step to go to DECAM and vet the bidder their, looking to vote to award the contract. Beaver St possible entrance still under discussion

Padula - I had the privilige to be coached by Leone, it is a serious issue, the kids are affected by it, we are watching it and will weigh in on it

Pellegri - congrats to Alexis for MA Teen
can we keep the lights on through January?
Betty Noble, election worker and teacher for many years passed away this past week

Kelly - happy new year

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION
- Pending or threatened litigation

Proposed Excelon expansion of Medway electric generating facility pending before Energy Facilities Siting Board.
Proposed Spectra gas transmission line through Franklin.

motion to go to executive session, seconded, passed 9-0