"moving to LED would save approximately $70,000 per annum"

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

"Seeking energy efficiency, the town is exploring options to replace its current streetlights with LED versions. 

Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said this latest effort was prompted by new state incentives for making the switch. 

“The state Department of Energy Resources is offering a 30-percent grant on the labor and materials costs,” he said. “I know the town of Franklin had looked at this in the past, but the return on investment then was still seven or eight years.” 

The DOER money, Hellen said, would change that break-even date, meaning the town would start seeing overall savings in half the time. The entire project is estimated to cost around $600,000, with the town hoping for about $250,000 to offset that - a combination of utility company incentives and the approximately $135,000 state grant."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170425/franklin-exploring-streetlight-switch

street lights could be switched to LED with a state grant
to help reduce the payback time on the total cost

DelCarte Cleanup - Saturday, April 29

Please join us in getting Delcarte Recreation

and Conservation area ready for Spring!

Saturday April 29th

9am-11am

Volunteers are needed to help with trash pick up and trail maintenance. Please sign up to volunteer by emailing conservation@franklin.ma.us

DelCarte - the northern pond Saturday, April 22

Earth Day Cleanup at Beaver Pond - Apr 29

Saturday, April 29, 2017

9 am– 12 pm

Meet at Beaver Pond parking lot and volunteer to clean up targeted areas around Franklin.

• Please bring your own gloves and rakes.
• Community service certificates will be issued.
• Free pizza and beverages for volunteers at 12:00pm at Beaver.
• Free T-shirts to the first 300 volunteers!
• Free dogwood and rose of sharon saplings to first 100 volunteers!

Earth Day Celebration at Beaver Pond on April 29

Tri-County Raises $1,800 for Marathon Runners from Franklin for Dana Farber Research

The Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School Cosmetology Program raised $1,800 for 4 Franklin runners who participated in the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge 2017.

Cosmetology Junior Alexandra Ostergren
who is cutting Cloey Murphy’s hair

The third annual Cut-A-Thon and Style-A-Thon was held on Thursday, April 13. Students in the high school and postsecondary Cosmetology programs along with alumni raised funds to support local Franklin runners Bonnie Cameron in her first Boston Marathon; Bonnie’s daughters, Katie and Kerry Cameron, and cousin, Micaela Cameron, all who ran on Team Dana-Farber in the Boston Marathon.

The event began immediately after school, with dozens of students visiting the salon to show their support. Faculty members and members of the community visited the salon throughout the afternoon to have their hair cut or styled in exchange for a $10 donation for adults and a $5 donation for students.

Katie Cameron (left) and Bonnie Cameron

In addition to having their hair cut or styled, attendees purchased raffle tickets for the chance to win generously donated gift baskets. Two of the gift baskets contained Paul Mitchell hair care products from HairLines in Shrewsbury. Other gift baskets were from Summer Scoops in Plainville and Hair Mania in Franklin.

The team of 4 women raised over $24,000.00 overall. All proceeds will go to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Cancer Research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Tri-County RVTHS, located at 147 Pond Street in Franklin, is a recipient of the High Schools That Work Gold Achievement Award and serves the communities of Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham.

Town of Foxborough Presents Free Narcan Training and Drug Take Back Program

The S.A.F.E. Coalition, in association with SAFE Foxborough, Foxborough Fire Department, Foxborough Police Department and BAMSI (Brockton Area Multi-Services Inc.) will present a Free Narcan Training Session and a Drug Take Back Program on Saturday April 29, 2017 from 10:00 AM – Noon. The public is invited. Reservations are welcome but not necessary.

You can make a difference!

“Foxborough Police, Fire and EMS are collaborating with our community partners in an effort to bring this deadly affliction of opioid abuse under control. This problem requires an open mind and open heart and all the resources we can muster to save lives.”

Foxborough Police Chief William Baker

“We are a community that is always there for our family, friends and neighbors. Overdose deaths caused by heroin and synthetic opioids have reached an all-time high. We need to strive to save those opioid overdoses by administering Narcan and save the life. Foxborough has always been known as a community that never forgets, and we need to always be there for any individual experiencing an opioid-related overdose.”

Foxborough Fire Chief Roger Hatfield

“Generic Narcan (naloxone), an opioid antagonist, is perhaps the one most critical drugs in combatting overdose with heroin, fentanyl and other illicit opioids. Without this drug, untold numbers of lives, far in excess of those already lost, would have not been given the chance to battle Substance Use Disorder. It is critical that ‘Narcan’ become widely available during this prolonged and growing epidemic until we can stem the deaths associated with these opioids.”

Jordan E. Warnick, Ph.D. Professor of Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Associate Dean (Ret.) University of Maryland School of Medicine and Secretary, S.A.F.E.Coalition

Town of Foxborough Presents Free Narcan Training and Drug Take Back Program

For more about the S.A.F.E. Coalition visit their webpage  http://safecoalitionma.com

Empty Bowls Dinner Promotes Hunger Awareness “Somewhere, Someone’s Bowl is Empty”

With more than 1,000 individuals seeking food assistance from the Franklin Food Pantry, a movement is underway to educate the community about the level and impact of hunger in Franklin. A dinner featuring a simple meal of soup and bread will set the stage for community members to learn more about the true effects of hunger.

The 2nd Annual Empty Bowls Dinner on May 2, from 6 – 8 p.m. at Franklin High School will remind guests of the many “empty bowls” that exist in the lives of those who experience hunger. The awareness and fundraising event, co-hosted by the Franklin High School Empty Bowls Club and the Franklin Food Pantry, is a family-friendly event and caters to all ages.

Franklin High School Empty Bowls Club students
(standing, left to right), Julia Mahon and Jess Netto,
helped participants in a recent Empty Bowls Project event 

“We hope attendees gain a better awareness of the impact of hunger in our community,” says Erin Lynch, executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “Reducing hunger leads to a healthier community. If you aren’t hungry, you can focus on helping your kids with their homework; you have more energy to look for a job; your kids do better in school. If we can work together to help our neighbors in need, our community will be stronger.”

Lynch said she is grateful for the partnership with the Franklin High School Empty Bowls Club. Students have been making ceramic bowls throughout the year to be used at the dinner. They have also hosted bowl-making events open to the community.

“Our students are excited to be part of such a meaningful effort,” said Brenna Johnson, FHS art teacher and advisor for the Empty Bowls Club. “In addition to making the bowls, they will volunteer the night of the event. They were a huge help at our first dinner held last year which was a sell-out success and attracted 250 people. We are thrilled to be able to accommodate 350 attendees this year!”

Event participants will choose a hand-painted, ceramic bowl to take home as a reminder that “somewhere, someone’s bowl is empty.” A silent auction will feature more elaborate pieces that have been created and painted by members of the FHS Empty Bowls Club and community members. Donations made via the Giving Wall will be used to purchase food for neighbors in need. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Franklin Food Pantry and will be used to fight hunger locally.

Tickets will be available for purchase on April 1 and must be bought in advance online at www.franklinfoodpantry.org. Seating is limited to 350 guests so tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Depending on advance ticket sales, tickets may be available at the door. The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for children and students.

Empty Bowls is an international grass roots effort to fight hunger and raise funds to support local pantries. The Franklin Food Pantry and the FHS Empty Bowls Club work together to support the cause locally. For more information on the dinner, visit www.franklinfoodpantry.org or call 508-528-3115.

Reminder: Pub Crawl Fund Raiser - April 29

We have neighbors that are homeless and hungry and we want to help them now!

Come to the pub crawl for a fun night out while raising funds for those in need in MA.

Tickets are selling fast! Get your tickets now, they must be purchased in advance! There are 4 ways to pay:

1. Go to PayPal and send money to Courtney@makechangeforchange.org
2. Call Amy Gilman 857-363-8935 and make a payment over the phone.
3. Go to: https://www.gofundme.com/makechange4change and purchase online
4. Head over to The Sugar Shoppe and pay for tickets there

Can't wait to see you there!

PUB CRAWL Fundraiser - April 29