Enjoy a day on the slopes - Mar 3 (round trip bus and lift tickets)

Enjoy a day on the slopes!

SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2018
Depart FHS Parking Lot on a Coach Bus – 5:30 AM 
Depart Bretton Woods to return home – 4:30 PM
Special Ticket Price: $109*

*Includes Transportation and Lift Tickets
*Individuals under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent / guardian

Interested? For more information and to REGISTER go to: www.FranklinLifelongLearning.com

Enjoy a day on the slopes - Mar 3 (round trip bus and lift tickets)

FPAC presents Noises Off - Jan 19, 20, 21

Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) presents the hysterical farce, Noises Off, at THE BLACK BOX, FPAC’s home and performance venue located at 15 West Central Street in downtown Franklin. 

Directed by Nick Paone, the comedy hit runs this weekend only, with performances on Friday, January 19 and Saturday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, January 21 at 2 p.m.

Michael Frayn’s Noises Off takes a fond look at the follies of theatre folk, whose susceptibility to out-of-control egos, memory loss, and passionate affairs turn every performance into a high-risk adventure. This play-within-a-play captures a touring theatre troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening show, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. 

Frayne gives us a window into the inner workings of theatre behind the scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance. Brimming with slapstick comedy, Noises Off is a delightful backstage farce, complete with slamming doors, falling trousers, and – of course – flying sardines.

Tickets are $26, with general seating. For tickets and more information, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com or call (508) 528-3370. Noises Off is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

FPAC presents Noises Off - Jan 19, 20, 21

FHS girls hockey and gymnastics teams both post wins on Monday

Via HockomockSports and Twitter we share the results of the FHS sports action on Monday, Jan 15, 2018.


Girls Hockey = Franklin, 1 @ Brookline/Newton South, 0 – Final
– Franklin senior Jackie Connelly scored the only goal of the game to help the Panthers earn a win on the road.

Gymnastics = Franklin, 130.65 @ Canton, 105.50 – Final
– Franklin senior Liz Traphagen won the All Around with a score of 34.7 while junior Sadie Rondeau was second, scoring an 8.5 on beam and 8.0 on floor. Mia Lizotte scored an 8.90 on vault and a 9.1 on floor, senior Molly Stanton’s score on beam, junior Rachel Cyr’s vault score, freshman Katelyn Guidi score on bars, and freshman Lexi Lupien’s scores on vault, beam and, floor all counted towards the Panthers’ win.


For the other Hockomock League results on Monday
https://hockomocksports.com/mondays-schedule-scoreboard-01-15-18/

FHS Panthers

Via the Twitterverse

[Girls Winter Varsity Ice Hockey] Franklin HS defeats Brookline HS, 1 to 0.

— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 16, 2018

Heres the recap! Great meet today girls I am so proud of you all! Keep working hard you are improving every meet! pic.twitter.com/Q7mGAkC6vL

— FHS Gymnastics (@fhs_gymnastics) January 15, 2018

Another successful meet by FHS Panthers. Full recap to follow stay tuned! Franklin 130.65 Canton 105.50 @FHSSports

— FHS Gymnastics (@fhs_gymnastics) January 15, 2018

Paul Davey Track Meet underway at Wheaton College. pic.twitter.com/AIFXMn9Swa

— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 15, 2018

If anyone knows where the results of the Davey meet can be found please let me know. I have looked in all the usual places and can't find any Franklin results for Monday.

"It's all about the money"

"How are drug trafficking organizations getting record amounts of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil into Manchester, New Hampshire, the epicenter of the opioid crisis in New England? Two journalists—equipped with two DSLR cameras, 8 GoPros and a laptop—embark on a 1,700-mile journey to find out.

"Beyond the Border: The Opioid Pipeline" takes you on an exclusive, eye-opening, front lines ride through the pipeline that runs from the shores of the Dominican Republic, through Puerto Rico, up the East Coast and into New Hampshire. With the United States focused on securing its southern border, more traffickers are going through America’s “back door” to get their drugs on the streets where demand is the highest. 

Celine McArthur and Freddy Wheeler find out why the Caribbean Corridor is appealing for traffickers. They also show you some of the methods traffickers use to pump their drugs through the pipeline without getting caught—at least, not often. 

Watch and learn from the people who know what’s really going on: A Dominican drug smuggler, a Puerto Rican woman smoking crack on an inner-city street overrun by drugs, an addicted mother who deals out of her New Hampshire home, a 21-year-old Manchester dealer sitting behind bars for a fourth time, admitting he has no idea what he’s selling. 

"Beyond the Border: The Opioid Pipeline" also gives you an inside look at how first responders and local, state, federal and international law enforcement are taking action against the multibillion-dollar narco-industry on land, by sea and in the air. 

The story behind the story: Celine McArthur and Freddy Wheeler were mapping out the special when their television station in Boston unexpectedly shut down. Because the issue is so important to the region, they decided to produce the special on their own time, using their own equipment."

Beyond the Border: The Opioid Pipeline from Freddy Wheeler on Vimeo.

Hat tip to the SAFE Coalition and Patrick Casey for letting us know about this video  https://www.facebook.com/safecoalitionma/posts/1193272637469607

http://safecoalitionma.com/

Annual Report 2017: Human Resources Department

The Annual Report is compiled and published each year to be ready for voters to obtain at the November election. A PDF copy is also posted online and available for viewing our downloading. 

The following is a text representation of the printed pages 93-94 (actually 100-101 of 264)

Human Resources Department

The primary function of all departments of the Town of Franklin is Customer Service. To support this, we work to hire and retain the best employees possible. The Human Resources Department provides Customer Service primarily to applicants, active and former employees and retirees.

During this fiscal year turn-over of staff has been high as we continued to see a transition in staff. Baby boomers retired and some employees have moved on to new positions outside Franklin.

Three (3) Clerical staff, two (2) Custodians, four (4) Dispatchers, two (2) DPW workers, two Patrol Officers, four (4) Firefighters, and three (3) members of the professional staff resigned or retired. We were very sad to have one of our Full-Time Fire Dispatchers pass on unexpectedly.

We were fortunate to be able to hire well qualified individuals as clerks (2), custodians (3), DPW workers (2), Dispatchers (4), Firefighters (5), experienced Patrol Officers (3), professional and support staff for various departments (4) as well as a new Youth Services Librarian. Hiring includes a transition of management in the Human Resources Department. As the fiscal year ends we are also finalized the hiring over thirty (30) high school and college students to work in temporary jobs or the summer in DPW or Public Facilities, working with full time staff to cut grass, pick up trash, move furniture, and clean classrooms. They learn a bit about what it takes to care for the Town schools, public buildings, and grounds, and provide a valuable service.

There are many conversations about benefits with new hires, and questions continue throughout an employee’s time with the Town, as their lives change, and contact continues into retirement.

In addition to the mandatory participation in Norfolk Retirement System, the Town offers:

• Life Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Section 125 Flexible Spending Accounts
• Short and Long Term Disability plans
• Section 457 Savings Plans

Health Insurance continues to be a major focus of planning, budgeting and communication. Federal Health Care Reform, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had a significant impact on our health insurance program and premiums as it includes per capita fees for a national study commissions. Uncertainties about what will happen on the Federal level causes many to ask what they can expect for coverage in the future, but that is not something we can predict. Other than wages and salaries, it represents one of the largest single costs to the Town. The reporting requirements for this new mandate are extensive and complex. We work closely with the Comptroller’s Office to be sure records for each individual are correct, as they become a part of reporting to the IRS.

All employees, other than Police and Fire, are covered by Workers’ Compensation, a federally mandated program. Our goal is to prevent accidents and lost time from work, and to protect individuals from financial loss when there is an incident. This “no fault” insurance is designed to provide income security and medical coverage for individuals injured on the job. Since July 2011, the program has been insured with MIIA. Human Resources continues to ensure that incident reports are filed timely with Worker’s Compensation. We are now able to file claims “on line” to get them set up quickly so employees are treated and claims processed quickly. Employees who have needed to use the services report a strong and positive experience working with claims managers. We also work with managers and employees across the Town to support safe work practices, so that the frequency and length of workers’ compensation and 111F absences are held to a minimum. The number and severity of incidents has been reduced significantly and we appreciate the work of all employees who practice safe work habits. Our goal is to get each employee back to their job as quickly as they can perform their tasks safely. There is no benefit to anyone who needs to be out for a work related injury.

The Town of Franklin Safety Committee monitors practices and policies, with an eye to reducing hazards at the worksite. In the future, this committee will be under the arm of the Deputy Town Administrator.

We provide benefits that are competitive with the market to attract and keep the right workforce and provide those quality benefits at the lowest cost possible. We review all benefit programs on a regular basis to be sure they comply with Federal and State laws. We continue to work to comply with all new reports and regulations. Over the coming year this will continue to add complexity as we coordinate changes at the Federal level with state regulations, or locally negotiated agreements.

We provide benefits that are competitive with the market to attract and keep the right workforce and provide those quality benefits at the lowest cost possible. In addition to active employees we are responsible for over 550 retirees and spouses of retirees of the Town of Franklin and Franklin Public Schools who have health and/or life insurance as a result of their long-term employment with the Town.

All retirees from the Town and School Department are cared for in the Human Resources Department. Retirees contact our office with changes to their health insurance programs as they move around the country and become eligible for Medicare. We enjoy hearing about their activities after they have left employ with the town. As retirees are a very mobile population, it is our goal and mission to assist all retirees and their covered spouses with any questions they might have which includes the processing of all of their enrollment, coverage and address changes on a daily basis. They receive mailings each year as health insurance plans and rates changes.

As we begin the next year our goals include:

• Complete the successful transition for the new Human Resources Manager. A new perspective will bring new opportunities to deliver services.
• Seek opportunities to streamline processes and reduce paper processes while remaining in compliance with state and federal requirements.
• Work with all departments to maintain a safe work environment, to reduce lost time from on the job injuries.
• Review return to work options for employees who have been out on Workers’ Compensation or 111F.
• Review best practices in the public sector and find opportunities for skill development to offer to municipal employees.
• Continue to monitor changes arising from National Health Care Reform.
• Identify the various workload activities, and ensure proper documentation and training.
• Partner with School HR activities to find service improvements and cost-efficiencies.
• Deliver high quality customer service to employees, retirees, and citizens.
• Constantly monitor full range of benefit options.

Focus on the Health Insurance Program.

• Identify information which can be best communicated electronically and keep web site current.
• Provide excellent service to and resolve administrative issues arising from municipal health insurance program.
• Facilitate managers using job descriptions and performance evaluations to strengthen organizational and employee performance.
• Support managers and employees in employee relations activities.

We appreciate our employees and retirees and look forward to another year of providing timely and useful service to them.

It has been my pleasure to serve the Town as Human Resources Director, and wish all well in the coming years.

Respectfully submitted

Stephanie Lutz
Human Resources Director.

Annual Report 2017: Human Resources Department

This was the last report by Stephanie, Karen Bratt is now handling Human Resources  http://www.franklinma.gov/human-resources

You can find the online copy at the Town of Franklin webpage
http://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/pages/annual-reports

and specifically for 2017
http://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/files/town-annual-report-2017-revised

In the News: Franklin readathon at Library; Relay for Life planning underway

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

"For the first time, the library will host a public reading of the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, the town’s namesake. 

The reading will take place from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and features multiple guest readers from the area, including State Rep. Jeff Roy, D-Franklin, and local inventor and engineer John Berg. 

“I’m really excited about, I think it’s a really cool thing,” Berg said. 

Lured by Franklin’s work with electricity and engineering, Berg said he’s delighted to help in the reading."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180115/readathon-features-reading-of-ben-franklins-autobiography

public reading of the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

"For anyone looking to make a difference this year, and have a good time doing it, the Relay for Life is coming up fast. 

Merging with Medway this year, Franklin’s Relay for Life will hold its annual kickoff event at Cole’s Tavern in Franklin on Jan. 30. 

Volunteer Tamra Waslewski said that with so many other fundraisers available, the Relay for Life has lost some of the steam it has had in years past. 

“Relay for Life used to be so important to all of the communities, and very well-attended. It was a blast,” she said. “Over the years it’s sort of dwindled down, and I think it’s because everyone’s fundraising and it’s just saturated.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180114/franklin-relay-for-life-merges-with-medway

"And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true"

"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. (My Lord, No, no, no, no) [applause] We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. (My Lord) Again and again (No, no), we must rise to the majestic heights (Yes) of meeting physical force with soul force."

The full text of Dr Martin Luther King's speech can be found here
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/i-have-dream