Reporting by Walking around Franklin

Most of the photos were from Monday morning's walk some slipped in from other walks. I'll let you know which ones.

rain garden at Parmenter Elementary doing what it is supposed to

If you have not signed up for the rain garden training on June 4th, there might still be spots open
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/05/rain-garden-training-and-demonstration.html

fox running down Wachusett St

I thought I had a better picture of him until I saw this later. It was moving pretty quick.

Agway was open early on Memorial Day

the Franklin Garden Club has done a great job with the flowers and blossoms around the monuments on the Town Common

WWI dough boy wet and solemn on Monday

sidewalk gaps along Main St are now filled with concrete

the foundation is in and utility work being done for the new building at 150 Emmons St

as the parking meters were removed for the construction on Main St,
the flags went into slots on the railing along the bridge

and from other recent walks

an Irish Pub will try its luck in the restaurant location most recently used by Chinese Murch

You can follow along with the preparation for Teddy Gallagher's Irish Pub
https://www.facebook.com/teddygallagherspub/

free little library - take a book, share a book

The Franklin Federated Church has installed a 'free little library' on its front lawn. This is the second one in Franklin. The first is on Lincoln St

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/the-free-little-library-franklin.html

Mac City closed for roof repairs

Mac City is still closed reportedly due to rook repairs.. I hope it doesn't take too much longer

the FHS principals office is still not complete and operation but is currently being used for to prepare the diplomas for graduation Friday June 3rd

"cyber art is at its best when it appears almost to be magic"

"The marquee is just an amazing thing. It is an LED sculpture unique in the world in its size, in its shape, in its multiplicity of screens. Every artist who does work on it, when they first see it on the marquee, their eyes widen and their jaws drop. I think it’s the most spectacular public art medium in the entire city. It really runs the gamut of artistic expression you can do in a 30-second piece."

You can read the full article in the Boston Sunday Globe Magazine here
http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/05/26/lighting-them/XKT6YvXnNj12lIHfY2MhPK/story.html


The marquee outside the Boston Convention Center is sure to catch your eye. What is that? A rotation of photos, advertisements, and works of art scroll across the expansive surface.


From April 2015, two views of the marquee:

fun facts touting the ladybug as the state insect (Yay, Franklin!)

honeybees working in the hive

Parade Canceled - Noon Ceremony to be held as planned

Due to today's rain the 2016 Memorial Day Parade has been cancelled.

The 12:00 noon ceremony on the common will continue as planned.

Memorial Day is a day to honor our Veteran's, especially the Veterans that have left us over the past year. As a community we continue to have the important task of ringing the watch and sounding the taps for our deceased Veterans.

We ask that you join us at 12noon on the Franklin Town Common in honoring our Veterans that have gave us the freedoms that we have today.

Matt Kelly
Parader Coordinator
Franklin Rotary Club

WWI Doughboy on the Town Common

FHS outdoor track girls and boys results from MIAA EMass D1 meet

GIRLS TEAM RESULTS

1. Andover – 75.50
7. Mansfield – 33
12. Franklin – 28
19. Taunton – 15

100M
1. Brianna Duncan, Cambridge – 12.32
3. Jessica Kroushl, Franklin – 12.61

1 Mile
1. Margie Cullen, Needham – 4:55.73
4. Nicole Clermont, Franklin – 5:10.56

2 Mile
1. Margie Cullen, Needham – 10:28.55
15. Sabrina Roche, Franklin – 11:48.13

4×100 Relay
1. Framingham – 49.88
19. Franklin (Aubree Ronan, Sabrina Roche, Daniella Pierre, Jessica Kroushl) – 53.16

4×400 Relay
1. Acton-Boxborough – 3:59.13
10. Franklin (Ashley Jacques, Daniella Pierre, Brianna Cummings, Meghan Doherty) – 4:11.07

4×800 Relay
1. Lincoln-Sudbury – 9:25.23
2. Franklin (Brittany Robinson, Meghan Doherty, Katherine Hartnett, Nicole Clermont) – 9:30.55

Shot Put
1. Roxy Wint, Newton North – 37-04.00
10. Sarah Goodermuth, Franklin – 31-04.00

Discus
1. Rebecca Andersen, Lexington – 106-03
8. Allison Rizoli, Franklin – 92-07
17. Brianna Young, Franklin – 76-06

Javelin
1. Nicole Jorgenson, Quincy – 129-05
23. Erika Stone, Franklin – 82-01

Long Jump
1. Brianna Duncan, Cambridge – 20-00.00
6. Jessica Kroushl, Franklin – 16-10.50

Triple Jump
1. Brianna Duncan, Cambridge – 39-02.00
13. Brianna Cummings, Franklin – 33-09.00

Pentathlon
1. Michaela Sliney, Haverhill – 2806
6. Beth Neal, Franklin – 2355
7. Miranda Smith, Franklin – 2277

BOYS TEAM RESULTS

1. Newton North – 78
8. Mansfield – 31
20. Taunton – 17
24. Attleboro – 9


1 Mile
1. Zachary Manickas-Hill – Lexington – 4:19.32
35. Jimmy Robbins, Franklin – 4:45.73

2 Mile
1. Marcelo Rocha, Peabody – 9:10.23
23. Ryan Spelman, Franklin – 10:15.19

400M Hurdles
1. Fabian Tineo, Lawrence – 56.67
10. William Jacobs, Franklin – 59.65

4×100 Relay
1. Newton South – 42.62
17. Franklin (Chris Chieng, Farley Asmath, Nathaniel Dale, Jake Wolowacki) – 46.05

4×400 Relay
1. Billerica – 3:22.69
19. Franklin (Paul Kroushl, Brian Sun, Matt Hanifan, Alec Hurd) – 3:33.68

4×800 Relay
1. Lexington – 7:56.51
17. Franklin (Jimmy Robbins, Jeff Wu, Ryan Spelman, Robert Moreau) – 8:32.42

Long Jump
1. Anthony DeNitto, Newton South – 24-05.25
17. Chris Chieng, Franklin – 20-09.00

For all the Hockomock League results
http://hockomocksports.com/miaa-emass-d1-outdoor-track-hockomock-results/

FHS Panthers

Memorial Day Events

Parmenter School will hold their Memorial Day ceremonies on Tuesday, May 31. The ice cream social is scheduled for June 1.

• Milford Daily News covers the Memorial Day event at Jefferson Elementary

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160529/franklin-jefferson-elementary-students-observe-memorial-day

Boston Common flag garden - 2016

If you got to the Boston Common this weekend, you might have seen the flag garden.

"Each of the 37,000 flags we plant at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument will represent every brave Massachusetts service member who gave his or her life defending our country since the Revolutionary War."

plaque noting the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and acknowledging John Hancock as a sponsor 

a view of the flag garden

another view of the flag garden

Video I captured on Thursday during my lunch break:




Follow the link for a time lapse video of putting the flags in the garden
http://www.massmilitaryheroes.org/our-work/community-building-events/public-program-events/memorial-day-flag-garden-planting/


Note: I am employed by John Hancock, one of the prime sponsors of the flag garden

"By controlling the draw, a team controls the pace of the game"

"Franklin head coach Kristin Igoe also uses a rotation for draws. 

Freshman Annie Walsh, senior Kenzie Pleshaw and sophomore Grace MacCallum have all taken a large number of draws for the Panthers, who went undefeated in the Hockomock and won the Kelley-Rex title. 

On May 3, the Panthers were decidedly outdrawn by Lincoln-Sudbury, but a draw control by Walsh in the final minute helped to secure a 10-9 victory. 

“Being able to win a draw late in a game is huge, whether you have to win it and score or to kill the clock,” said Igoe, a two-time All-American at Framingham High and four-time all-ACC honoree at Boston College."

• Continue reading the full article in the Boston Globe West on Sunday (subscription may be required)

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2016/05/26/drawing-upon-success-needham-high-girls-point-circle/9VTit04WEhsWJwPHShmR7I/story.html

Franklin won the Kelley-Rex Division with senior midfielder Emily Spath
one of the key returning players. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

"It's given me a better experience and challenged me more than a school orchestra would have"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

"The young musicians get the chance to play with the professional Claflin Hill musicians in the Grand Ballroom at Milford Town Hall and other venues, LaChapelle added. 

Cellist Domenic Narducci, 18, of Franklin, said it's been a good experience for him. 

"It's really helped me in terms of being a musician. I think I learned more about playing in a large group,” said the Franklin High senior. “In high school we have a group, but it's not large. (At Claflin Hill) we have a full orchestra.” 

To join the any of the Claflin Hill youth musical groups, students must take private lessons to help take their musical skills to the next level."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/entertainmentlife/20160529/students-take-their-musical-talents-to-next-step-with-claflin-hill

Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra

Norfolk County Registry of Deeds: Promotes Protection Against Real Estate Fraud

	Norfolk County Registry of Deeds
	Register O'Donnell Promotes Protection Against Real Estate Fraud Continuing his efforts to protect homeowners against dishonest individuals, Register of Deeds William P. O'Donnell reminds residents about the availability of a free on-line Consumer Notification Service offered by the Registry to protect Norfolk County property owners against fraud. "The F.B.I. has reported that property and mortgage fraud is one of the fastest growing white collar crimes in the United States. Multiple jurisdictions across the country have reported individuals recording fraudulent documents and making it appear like they own another person's home or property. While we have been fortunate that this problem has not revealed itself here in Norfolk County, I want to make sure my office is proactively and vigorously protecting consumers," noted Register O'Donnell. Any owner of real property in the twenty-eight communities comprising Norfolk County can sign-up for the Consumer Notification Service free of charge by doing the following: Go to the Registry's website, www.norfolkdeeds.org, and click on the Consumer Notification Service Get Consumer Alerts button to complete the initial registration. From there, follow the remaining sign-up instructions. Once you have signed up for the service, each subscriber will be able to input two names, individual or business, and the corresponding city or town in Norfolk County for monitoring. They can monitor their real estate for such activities as changes in deeds, mortgages, non-mortgage liens, Homesteads or other land documents that might be recorded against their property. If a document is recorded against one of the names inputted for monitoring, the subscriber will be alerted via email, usually within 24 hours. The person can check the Registry's on-line land research records at www.norfolkresearch.org as an option. If a subscriber believes a fraudulent land record has been recorded against their property, they should then immediately contact the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101. The subscriber would also be given a list of public safety referrals by the Registry. Register O'Donnell concluded, "As your Norfolk County Register of Deeds, I take very seriously the Registry's responsibility to provide secure, accurate and accessible land records for all Norfolk County communities. I also want to be proactive in ensuring that there is no fraudulent activity related to land document recordings. By offering the Consumer Notification Service, we are able to provide a level of protection to the program's subscribers against unscrupulous individuals who would attempt to commit real estate fraud. We are delighted already to have more than 400 residents sign-up for the free service." 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

Sent by registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org in collaboration with Try it free today screen grab of Norfolk Deeds webpage

Town Council passes FY 2017 budget

The second budget hearing for the FY 2017 fiscal year took place on Thursday, May 26. The perfunctory reading of the budget line items, department, total salary, total expenses was interrupted three times with a request to put an item "on hold".

The 'on hold' items were then discussed in some more detail in a brief conversation between the councilor with the question and the appropriate department head. In the case on Thursday, Police Chief Semarjian and Police Chief McCarragher were questioned about their submittals for the budget.

After the brief discussion, the Council approved with budget by an 8-0-1 vote. Jones abstained from voting as Franklin has a portion of the Tri-County budget as part of the overall town budget and Jones is currently employed there as a teacher. You may recall that he had left the council after he got hired into this position to avoid the 'conflict of interest' as it had not been disclosed while he was running. He left, campaigned again in 2015 and was re-elected.




My notes captured live during the meeting:

• LIve reporting: Budget Hearing #2 - May 26
• Live reporting: Town Council - Budget Hearing #2 -...

concrete sidewalks were filled in where they had been either skipped or left aside earlier in the process

   The budget document can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/05/franklin-ma-town-council-budget-hearing.html


The video of the meeting can be found here
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=363

Town Council - Actions Taken - May 25

I missed the Town Council meeting on Wednesday due to a family commitment. The actions taken during the meeting were recorded by the Deputy Town Administrator as shown in the following document

The actions taken by the Town Council:




The full agenda and associated documents for this meeting



When the video of the meeting is available for replay by Franklin TV, the link will be shared here

The video of the meeting can be viewed here
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=361

brick pavers ready to be installed on the sidewalks downtown

From hydroponics to "Crazy Reading Ladies" all in one School Committee meeting

The School Committee meeting on Tuesday May 24 heard presentations from Parmenter and Horace Mann, reviewed three policy changes and received some updates from the Superintendent. The highlights and details follow.

• Parmenter School provided an update on their hydroponic gardens and how that is being used to foster education and collaboration.

• Horace Mann provided an update on the student efforts to help make transition to middle school better as well as the "All In" reading program. The reading program achieved major notoriety this year when the author heard of their efforts via Twitter, arranged to visit, and the brought along one of the surviving Coast Guard men who were part of real life "The Finest Hours." 

Co-author Casey Sherman and Coast Guard engineer Mel Gouthro with one of the "Crazy Reading Ladies"

• The School Committee started the review of three policy changes and moved them to a second reading. Most of the material change is bringing the language current with legal and regulatory requirements.

• Dianne Plouffe was announced as the new District Music Director replacing Nancy Schoen who is retiring after this year.

My notes captured live during the meeting can be found here

• Live reporting: Discussion items to Closing
• Live reporting: Horace Mann update
• Live reporting: School Committee - May 24, 2016

From the archives:

•   The post recounting the visit of Casey Sherman and Mel Guthro

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/03/it-touched-me-not-because-you-loved.html

FHS baseball, softball drop non-league games on Saturday

Baseball

• Franklin, 2 vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 5 – Final 

– Franklin scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game but LS responded with three runs in the top of the fifth to get the win. Ryan Hodgkins went 2-3 with a triple and a run scored, Josh Macchi was 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored, Mike Skaza went 2-3, Jason Ulrickson was 1-2 with an RBI and Alex Bissanti had a pair of hits for the Panthers.

Softball

• Franklin, 0 vs. Abington, 3 – Final

http://hockomocksports.com/saturdays-schedule-scoreboard-052816/

FHS Panthers

Library Closed - Sunday/Monday for Memorial Day weekend

The Franklin Public Library has relocated to 25 Kenwood Circle while renovations on the building are conducted. It operates from Kenwood Circle for its normal hours. However, this Sunday and Monday it is closed for the Memorial Day weekend.

The Franklin Public Library will be closed on Sunday and Monday for the Memorial Day weekend

For additional information about the Franklin Library, visit them on the Internet at  http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_TownLibrary/index

HMEA celebrates an incredABLE 5K Walk, Run and All-Day Family Fun

HMEA celebrates an incredABLE 5K Walk, Run and All-Day Family Fun that raised much-needed funds to help those with autism and developmental disabilities live up to their potential and reach for independence

Michael Moloney, CEO of HMEA, and Massachusetts Representative Jeff Roy, were all smiles at the finish line of HMEA's incredABLE Walk, Run and All-Day Family Fun at EMC2 in Franklin, MA, on May 22

HMEA looks to its incredABLE future and finding an innovative way to deliver the services, supports and therapies families in Central Massachusetts desperately need.

The rain didn't stop hundreds of families and runners from celebrating the ABLE in all of us during HMEA's incredABLE Day on Sunday, May 22 at EMC2 in Franklin, Mass.

HMEA's incredABLE annual signature family event and fundraiser raise much-need funds so those with autism and other developmental disabilities have the services and supports they need to reach for independence!

"We want to focus on what people with autism and other developmental disabilities can accomplish and teach us," says Mike Moloney, chief executive officer of HMEA.  "Let's build on the strengths that we all have."

Moloney points to HMEA's array of services and supports that span an entire life. "Our whole-life services and supports begin in infancy and continue through adolescence and into adulthood," he says. "We not only help the person with autism or developmental disabilities, but we also support his or her family, too."

HMEA looks to pioneer policies that will improve 

health and human services in Massachusetts

Moloney sees HMEA not only as a health and human services agency but a family service agency, too.

HMEA's array of services aims to help families as soon as the need arises. "When we help an individual, we help a family. And when we help a family, we help to strengthen the community," he says.

The need is growing.

Autism currently affects one out of every 68 children and one out of every 42 boys in the United States Today, more than 1.5 million people have the condition in the United States — and most are under the age of 22. Central Massachusetts, like the rest of the country, lacks robust services and supports to help these families. When they age out of our school systems, families are left with uncertainty, sleepless nights, and, in some cases, having to give up their job to care for their child.

Before HMEA and other health and human services agencies can help these families, they must overcome some challenges — funding, advocacy and awareness. But according to Moloney, the biggest challenge agencies like HMEA faces is recruiting and retaining the dedicated people who can deliver the services and supports.

"Direct care workers make an average of $13 an hour, grouping them in a new economic class considered working poor," Moloney says. "Add the burden of student loan debt with low wages and it's a recipe for failure. Without a dedicated direct care workforce, we will fail the most vulnerable people throughout Massachusetts."

To face this challenge, Moloney is working with Massachusetts Representative Jeff Roy on House Bill 124 that allocates $750,000 to help alleviate human services workers' student loan debt.

Under the leadership of Senator Jennifer Flanagan, House Bill 124 has received a favorable response and has been assigned to the committee on Health Care Financing and is awaiting a hearing.

"Representative Jeff Roy, along with others on Beacon Hill, see the need and are working hard to alleviate the burden our direct care works face," Moloney says. "He believes in HMEA's mission and understands the important work our staff does every day."

About HMEA

HMEA, Inc. is a family and human services agency that offers hope, help and a bright future to those diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities throughout Central Massachusetts.

Founded in 1961, HMEA's mission is to help children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities reach their potential and become productive members of their communities. HMEA supports the family and advocates for greater acceptance.

HMEA's Children's Services, Adult Services, Family Supports, Residential Services and Employment Programs provide a continuum of care for people with disabilities from infancy through their adult lives. HMEA currently supports over 4,000 people and families in 110 Massachusetts communities. HMEA is headquartered in Franklin, Massachusetts. For more information, visit hmea.org.