Franklin Matters

Friday, June 24, 2016

Downtown Project Update #37

Work Schedule for the week of June 27 to July 1.

The Contractor will be milling for crosswalks only beginning at the intersection of Main/Pleasant St. Sunday night and Monday night.

The Contractor is scheduled to pave Wednesday night and Thursday night. The area they plan to pave will be East Central St, the small section of West Central St and any additional area on Main St we can get to. We will be able to keep at least one lane open so there will be no major detours.

There will be no night work Tuesday night.

Please contact the Town Administrator's Office at 520-4949 with any questions. We will continue to keep the public informed through our website, Twitter and Facebook.

milled crosswalk ready for the brick shaped polymer

Annie Sullivan Middle School - Class of 2016 Lip Sync

And this year's class performs:

2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SazRnJgI1uM

2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTFCzS0AQsc

2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr4Qm0bwYG8

2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vufsaoeoUXA

Keller Sullivan school sign

In the News: downtown parking to change, water restrictions to be enforced

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The town is looking to retool its parking rules as a two-year project to reconstruct the downtown concludes.

Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting presented a proposal for changes at Wednesday night's Town Council meeting. The plan contemplates two-hour parking in many areas throughout the morning, with fewer restrictions as the day continues.

Parking in downtown was once governed by meters, but those were taken down to accommodate the road construction and have not been replaced. A new plan, Nutting said, would allow for more common-sense rules and better use of existing spaces."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160623/franklin-parking-downtown-likely-to-change

The details on the parking proposal (including the map) can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/06/downtown-parking-proposal-for.html

"The town will be stepping up efforts to enforce its water conservation measures in the coming days.

Department of Public Works Director Robert "Brutus" Cantoreggi said that despite the water restriction - residents are allowed to water their lawns one day a week on trash day - the town had seen a spike in usage last week (to 3.5 million gallons from around 2 million earlier in the year).

"People are not supposed to be watering their lawns," he said.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160623/franklin-to-be-on-lookout-for-water-restriction-violations

DPW Director Brutus Cantoreggi discussing the water restrictions at the Town Council meeting on Wednesday

Thursday, June 23, 2016

39 graduate from Tri-County Post-secondary programs

The Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical School District held commencement exercises for its Post-Secondary Practical Nursing and Cosmetology programs on Friday, June 17.

Tri-County Continuing Education Director Marc Koczwara, Superintendent-Director Stephen Dockray, Cosmetology Valedictorian Carol Colella, and Practical Nursing Class President Jane Annis addressed the graduates. Cosmetology instructor Barbara Perron joined Practical Nursing instructor Penelope Hennessy and Mr. Dockray in presenting certificates to the graduates.

Instructors Lisa Ferrigno, Tara Lane, and Patricia Munger presented the school nursing pins to the Practical Nursing graduates.

The graduates from Tri-County's Practical Nursing Day Program are Kaitlyn Johnson, and Breda Ryan, of Franklin, Tiffany Anderson, and Kristina Last, of Millis, Eli Agbenya, and Maurice Joseph, of North Providence, Zilpa Auma, Olivia DaFonte, Cassandra Dwyer, Amanda Michaud, Kerith Moore, and Ariel Nunes, of North Attleborough, Thais Dickerman, of Northborough, Colleen Calzaretta, Kasey Spencer, and Samantha Zabel, of Plainville, Terina Francis, Jessica Martinez, and Musu Saygbe, of Providence, Julie Clodius, of Seekonk, Laurie Ducat, of Whitinsville, and Jane Annis, Jennifer Boucher, Dyan MacLean, and Marietta Tisdale, of Wrentham.

The Cosmetology Day Program graduates are Christine Colonero, of Douglas, Jean Carmignani, Carol Colella, Jenna Gleason, Alyssa Granato, Moriah Hosford, and Kelly Robinson, of Franklin, Mark Rushton, of Mansfield, Erin Hanlon, of Medway, Kathryn Troy, of Millis, Domenic Cucinotta , of Natick, Marissa Theiss, of North Attleborough, Emily Martin, of Plainville, and Brielle Eaton, of South Attleboro.

During the ceremony, Kerith Moore learned she was the Valedictorian of the Practical Nursing Class of 2016. Tiffany Anderson was also announced as the recipient of the 2016 Clinical Excellence Award. All of the Practical Nursing students joined their instructors in reciting the Florence Nightingale Pledge.

Practical Nursing instructor Penelope Hennessy leads graduates of Tri-County Regional’s Post-secondary Practical Nursing Program in reciting the Florence Nightingale Pledge during their commencement ceremony

Retiring Police Chief Semerjian's letter to the Franklin residents and businesses

To: The Residents and Business People of the Town of Franklin

When I first took the oath of service before self in 1978 it never crossed my mind then that I would be authoring this letter as the retiring Police Chief some 38 years later. Much time has passed since then and I can say in all honesty that I would not have wanted things to go any other way. Our Town Government, my Family and Friends, our Police Officers (then and now) and the people of Franklin have all become part of who I am and what I have been able to accomplish over these many years. The opportunity to be your Chief of Police has been without a doubt the high point of my professional career. During my four years as Chief Franklin has had the distinction each year of being recognized as one of the safest cities in Massachusetts and the United States to work, reside in and raise a family. This is an honor that I am proud to share as we have all taken a part in making this happen.

To those of you who have taken the time to comment on our department Facebook page or send me congratulatory cards I want to say “thank you” for your very kind words and well wishes. Those of you from the Class of ‘72’, my old classmates, teachers and coaches I send along a very special “thank you” (Dennis that sounds just fine!). Thinking back to the 1960’s and 70’s I’m not sure any of us had any idea just what and where we were heading in our lives. I think it safe to say that the “old” Franklin High School and athletic fields prepared us all well for our future.

Over the years I have always strived to make the impact I made here a positive one. This job brings with it the potential to very much help, or very much hinder people both professionally and personally. This is what comes along with the responsibility of having been sworn to enforce the law. It is my hope that I was able to help many more people than not. The measure of one’s success or failure is determined by those he serves. I like to think the litmus test of how the community has judged me will be counted by the many well wishes, smiles and handshakes that continue to be extended to me.

I’d be remiss if I did not mention these two unsolved cases which I had been involved with. In December of 1978 Theresa Corley was the victim of homicide; she was located on an embankment off Route 495 northbound in Bellingham. In July of 1988 Jane Gilboy was also the victim of homicide which occurred in her home in Franklin. Both cases remained unsolved to this day. I ask if there is anyone out there who has any information whatsoever on either of these cases to please contact the Franklin Police Detective Division or the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office State Police Division. It goes without saying that as members of society we all have an interest in bringing individual(s) capable of committing such violent criminal acts to Justice.

It has been my honor and privilege to have had this opportunity to serve you all as Police Chief for the Town.

I wish you all the very best of luck, good health and good fortune.

Sincerely

Chief Stephan Semerjian

Franklin Police, 911 Panther Way

The PDF of the Chief's letter:

In the News: Franklin 5K runs Sunday, Police chief sworn in

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Hockomock Area YMCA will host a race and family event this weekend with the aim at furthering its programs for special needs children.

Sunday's 5K run/walk, which starts from the Remington and Jefferson schools, will be the 12th running of the event. Timothy Shaw, the YMCA's program director, said the race was started by the Biagiottis, an area family.

"(Kristine and Kayla Biagiotti) are a mother-daughter tandem," Shaw said, noting that they had run the Boston Marathon, with Kristine pushing the wheelchair-bound Kayla along the race course. "The race was originally known as 'The Run for Bob,' in memory of Kris' late husband."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160622/franklin-ymca-5k-this-weekend

Franklin 5K - Sunday, June 26

"A packed house watched Wednesday night as Thomas Lynch was sworn in as police chief.

The Town Council, Franklin police personnel, area law enforcement officials and family members watched Town Clerk Teresa Burr administer the oath of office to Lynch and new Deputy Chief James Mill. Hearty applause rang out through the council chambers as the ceremony came to an end.

Lynch, in his remarks following the oath, praised the department as one of the finest in the state.

"I'd like to thank those who supported, influenced and put faith in me," he said. "I'd like to thank all members of the Franklin Police Department, past and present, who have supported me these past 20 years."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160622/new-franklin-police-chief-sworn-in

For all the news from the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, check the real time reporting here:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/06/real-time-reporting-town-council-62216.html

How does Mass compare to other states for child well-being?

MassBudget		Information.
MassBudget		Participation.
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center		Democracy.

2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book finds MA youth lead in education and health; many struggle economically

Children in Massachusetts lead the nation in educational achievement and also rank highly in health measures, but more than one in seven live in poverty, according to the 2016 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. MassBudget is home to KIDS COUNT in Massachusetts, a national and state-by-state effort funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to track and improve the well-being of children across the United States. The annual report measures child well-being state-by-state across four categories: health, education, economic well-being and family and community.

For instance, the Data Book tracks reading proficiency in fourth grade and math in eighth grade. Massachusetts students lead the nation in both measures, with 50 percent of our students proficient in reading and 51 percent in math. But while the data show that Massachusetts leads the nation, the report also shows that half of our students are not achieving these goals. There are similar mixed messages for other education measures: 12 percent of our students do not graduate high school on time - that's too many, but down from 18 percent in 2008.

While Massachusetts ranks at the top in educational attainment and near the top in child health, on measures of family economic well-being it ranks 11th. Raising the incomes of low and middle income families remains an important challenge for our Commonwealth. The well-being of families has a direct effect on their children. Policies that improve wages and working conditions - such as minimum wage increases and paid family leave laws that make it easier for parents to take time to bond with a new child - can help children get a better start in life.

Read the 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book (HERE). There's a two-page summary of the Massachusetts profile (HERE). You can see all of MassBudget's KIDS COUNT Resources (HERE).

You can read MassBudget's recent fact sheets on Paid Family and Medical Leave, including how the program differs from similar programs (HERE), how such programs impact businesses and families in other states (HERE), how Massachusetts residents currently cope without paid leave (HERE), and answers to frequently asked questions (HERE).

For more information on evidence-based strategies to support children from pre-Kindergarten through high school, see Roadmap to Expanding Opportunity.

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER