Franklin Matters

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Fall Fun, Food Planned for Franklin’s Harvest Stroll October 6

Celebrate fall and the completion of the Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project at the Franklin Downtown Partnership’s Harvest Stroll on Thursday, October 6, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Partnership is planning exciting new attractions for its 14th annual fall festival, including a hayride, delicious food options, a variety of entertainers, and more games and activities for kids.

Franklin Downtown Partnership

Main Street will be closed to car traffic for the event, which also will include participating businesses and activities along Summer, East Central and West Central streets. Join members of the FDP and state and local government at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Main Street to officially mark the revitalization project.

“We have a lot to celebrate this year. The downtown revitalization project is nearly complete and the downtown is more walk-able than ever before. The Franklin Downtown Partnership is excited to invite the community to our fall street festival and showcase the unique offerings of our local businesses,” says Scott Martin, event co-chair.

Organizers expect thousands of visitors to enjoy the party that evening, sampling fall-themed foods and activities, watching talented local artists, discovering shopping specials and learning about helpful community resources at more than 50 booths and locations downtown.

“We invite everyone to come see first-hand the revitalization of our downtown and enjoy the new amenities,” says Lisa Piana, FDP Executive Director. “For 15 years FDP members have worked hard to bring more economic viability to downtown Franklin and we look forward to showing off the progress that’s been made so far.”

There is still time for crafters, organizations, performers and interested community groups to participate in the Harvest Stroll. Booths are free to FDP members and cost $75 for non-members ($150 for non-member food vendors). Registrations are due by September 15. Forms can be found on www.franklindowntownpartnership.org or on the FDP Facebook page. Contact Scott Martin at scottm@hockymca.org with questions.

Many local businesses are sponsoring this event.

Middlesex Savings Bank and Rockland Trust are Gold Sponsors.
Dean Bank, Franklin Ford and Keefe Insurance are Silver Sponsors.
Beaux Regards Photographic Art by Marjorie Sardella, Chestnut Dental and Michael Dunsky, Branch Manager Guaranteed Rate, Inc. are Bronze Sponsors.
D.G. Ranieri Real Estate, Maven Hair Company, Simon’s Furniture and Tom Fricker Heating & A/C, Inc. are Friends Sponsors.

If you would like to sponsor this event, please contact the FDP office at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com or (774) 571-3109. Sponsorship forms and a full list of opportunities can be found on the FDP website, www.franklindowntownpartnership.org, under the Sponsors tab.

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is celebrating its 15th year as a non-profit, 501©3 organization made up of businesses, residents and community leaders working to revitalize downtown Franklin. The Partnership runs events such as the Strawberry Stroll, the Harvest Stroll and the Holiday Stroll, and is involved in streetscape and design efforts, greenspace and sculpture projects. New members are always welcome. Learn more at www.franklindowntownpartnership.org.

Sep 10 Garnet Rogers at Circle of Friends Coffeehouse

Next show is Sep 10th featuring Garnet Rogers. Tom Rush on Sep 24th.

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GARNET ROGERS with Shawna Caspi
Sep 10th 8PM $20

The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse begins its 27^th season on Saturday September 10^th with famed Canadian singer Garnet Rogers. Garnet has established himself as "one of the major talents of our time". Hailed by the Boston Globe as a "charismatic performer and singer", Garnet is a man with a powerful physical presence and a voice to match. With his "smooth dark baritone" his incredible range, and thoughtful, dramatic phrasing, Garnet is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the finest singers anywhere.

His music, like the man himself, is literate, passionate, highly sensitive, with a deep purpose. An optimist at heart, Garnet sings extraordinary songs about people who are not obvious heroes and of the small victories of the everyday. As memorable as his songs, his over the top humor and lightning-quick wit moves his audience from tears to laughter and back again.

Garnet suggests that you bring a non-perishable food item as a donation to the Franklin Food Pantry. http://www.garnetrogers.com/

Toronto based singer Shawna Caspi will open the show. She sings of love, travel, home, and heart, distilling each experience into a series of vibrant snapshots, colored with humor and grace and arranged with care and craft. Her latest release, Apartments for Lovers, is a solo guitar and voice album that showcases her rich voice and remarkable fingerstyle guitar technique. http://www.shawnacaspi.com/

Don't forget to order tickets for Tom Rush who will be appearing on September 24th. All of his previous shows at Circle of Friends have been sellouts.

The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse is a non-profit organization affiliated with Franklin's First Universalist Society. Concerts are presented in a smoke free and alcohol free environment at the Society's handicapped accessible Meetinghouse, 262 Chestnut St. in Franklin, and begin at 8:00 PM; doors open at 7:30 PM. Beverages and gourmet desserts will be available. Admission is $20. Please call (508)528-2541 or visit http://www.circlefolk.org/ to purchase tickets or for more information.

Upcoming Shows

Sep 10 Garnet Rogers with Shawna Caspi
Sep 24 An Evening with Tom Rush
Oct 15 Jim Henry and Abbie Gardner (Red Molly)
Nov 5 Matt Nakoa, Rachael Kilgour, & Kirsten Maxwell
Nov 19 The Kennedys

Circle of Friends Coffeehouse · First Universalist Society · 262 Chestnut St · Franklin, MA 02038 · USA

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

A new edition of The Franklin Connection is available

A new edition of The Franklin Connection has been published on the Town of Franklin web site.

Click the link below to read the latest edition.
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Senior/sept16connection.pdf

Franklin Senior Center

For more about the Senior Center, visit their page on the Town of Franklin website
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Senior/index

You can also get a copy of the Sep 2016 Connection here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczMmN1dEtLVjl5R0k/view?usp=sharing

In the News: back pack drive success, Walgreens recognized

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

"Thanks to a robust backpack donation drive, more than 250 needy students in the area now have the supplies necessary for the new school year.

The effort - held this summer - was organized by the Hockomock Area YMCA, in partnership with the Franklin Elks and the Franklin School District. Drive leader Michell Branche said 274 backpacks full of supplies were distributed to families in the area.

Branche said the partnerships helped the drive acquire more supplies than last year's iteration, which garnered 64 backpacks.

"It certainly grew from last year's total," she said. "We got quite a lot of support from the community ... I thought we could get a couple hundred backpacks. This is perfect."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160830/franklin-ymca-backpack-drive-success

"Area officials, emergency personnel and elected representatives were on hand Tuesday afternoon to recognize the local Walgreens pharmacy for providing access to overdose-counteracting drugs.

The award, according to Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Rowe, came as the result of a survey of area pharmacies. Undercover visitors, she said, went to the county's 120 pharmacies and provided the results of their trips. The Franklin pharmacy rated highly in providing Narcan, which counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose.

While the district attorney's office has recognized pharmacies before - for things like vigilance in rooting out forged prescriptions - Rowe said this is the first Narcan-availability award given out."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160830/franklin-walgreens-rates-highly-in-providing-anti-overdose-drugs

Walgreens - at the corner of happy and healthy

Franklin Police sets hiring exam for Nov 5

The Town of Franklin is currently seeking interested and qualified candidates for full-time Police Officer positions.

A great place to live, work and do business! One of the “Best Town’s for Families” The Town of Franklin was named one of Family Circle’s 2007 "Ten Best Towns for Families" in the United States. This honor was bestowed on Franklin and nine other towns and small cities "that offer what parents and children want most - affordable homes, good jobs, top-rated schools, open spaces and a lot less stress".

Franklin is located 28 miles south of Boston, 26 miles north of providence, RI and is bounded by the towns of Medway, Norfolk, Wrentham and Bellingham. The town has a residential population of 33,590 and spans 27.01 square miles.

Franklin Police Dept, 911 Panther Way

Franklin enjoys good transportation networks with Route 140, two exits to Interstate 495, and easy access to major routes such as Interstate 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike), Interstate 95, Route 1 and Route 126. In addition to a well integrated roadway system, Franklin is host to two MBTA commuter rail stations, and has fixed route bus service through the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority.

The mission of the Franklin Police Department is to work collaboratively in partnership with our community to enhance the quality of life in our town, while maintaining order and protecting the people we serve. We will accomplish this mission by providing high quality law enforcement service, doing so with professionalism, honor and integrity.

The Franklin Police Department currently employs 47 sworn officers, 8 full-time and 4 part-time civilian personnel who provide telecommunication and administrative services.

The essential functions of a Franklin Police Officer are:

Perform a variety of duties involved in the enforcement of laws and prevention of crimes;
Control traffic flow and enforce State and local traffic regulations;
Participate in and conduct a variety of criminal investigations;
Provide a high level of customer service and integrate the community into policing activities;
Participate in community based police activities and programs; and
Perform a variety of technical and administrative tasks in support of law enforcement services and activities.

The work of this position involves responsibility for the protection of life and property, and prevention of crime, apprehension of criminals and the general enforcement of State laws, and local ordinances.

Duties normally consist of routine patrol, preliminary investigation, and traffic regulation and community policing. Patrol officers also may be assigned duties as detective, school resource officer, field training officer, K-9 handler, bicycle patrol, motorcycle patrol, Drug Recognition Expert, etc. The work involves an element of personal danger and the employee must be able to act without direct supervision and to exercise independent judgment in meeting emergencies.

The Franklin Police Department is partnering with Police Exam Solutions to host a police officer entrance exam on Saturday, November 5, 2016. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in beginning a career in law enforcement. The department expects to have several patrol officer positions available in the near future for qualified candidates. For more information and to register, please click the link below.

Thank you for your interest in the Franklin Police Department.

Registrations accepted online here -->>

This was shared from
http://www.policeexamsolutions.com/#!franklin-pd-exam/otv9u

Meeting to focus on Regional Transportation Challenges

The 495/MetroWest Suburban Edge Community Commission, co-chaired by Senator Karen Spilka, Representative Kate Hogan, and Assistant Secretary for Communities and Programs Juan Vega, will hold a meeting focused on regional transportation challenges.

The 495/ MetroWest Suburban Edge Community Commission was established by the Legislature in Section 233 of Chapter 165 of the Session Laws of 2015. The commission will study development challenges experienced by edge communities, including transportation, water, cellular, and energy infrastructure, transit services, residential development, reuse of former industrial facilities and historic mills, brownfields reclamation, downtown redevelopment and other such constraints.

The commission will then develop policy responses and recommendations to ensure that edge communities can participate in state development initiatives and benefit from state resources. The commission will focus its investigation and study on the 35 municipalities served by the 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership, Inc. and develop a pilot program to address the issues to be studied and investigated by the commission.

WHEN:
Friday, September 16, 2016, 11:00 am

WHERE:
Warren Conference Center
529 Chestnut St,
Ashland, MA 01721

WHO:
Senator Karen Spilka
Representative Kate Hogan
Assistant Secretary for Communities and Programs Juan Vega
Senator James Eldridge
Senator Richard Ross
Representative Carolyn Dykema
Representative David Muradian