Community Garden Meeting - April 1

Monday, April 1 at 6:30 PM there will be a meeting for all Franklin community garden members.

Director of Recreation; Ryan Jette will go over the community garden rules and regulations, bed renewals/membership, volunteering opportunities, be here to answer any questions you may have and much more. 

We will also have AGWAY owner Melanie Hamblen there to provide gardening insight and input.

The Meeting will be held at the Recreation Department (275 Beaver Street).

If you have any questions, please call our office (508) 613-1666.

Thanks,

Franklin Recreation

Community Garden Meeting - April 1

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group Kicks Off in Franklin

A new support group for grandparents raising grandchildren is launching in Franklin this April. A collaboration with the SAFE Coalition and the Hockomock Area YMCA, the group provides information, resources, and support for grandparents and kinship caregivers. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren begins on Wednesday, April 10 from 6:30 – 7:30 PM and the group will meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month moving forward.

The program is being offered at the Bernon Family Branch of the Hockomock Area YMCA at 45 Forge Hill Road in Franklin. It will be an ideal forum for a group of people with common experiences or concerns to provide support, compassion, comfort and understanding, encouragement, and advice to each other on issues affecting grandparents and all relatives raising grandchildren. All area residents from surrounding communities are welcome to participate in this free program.

“In meeting and talking with constituents throughout the district, I have encountered many grandparents who have taken on the role as the primary caregiver for their grandchildren and who are looking for additional support and encouragement,” noted Representative Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin). “This group will show them that they are not alone and that there are many families in our area that share their experience. It’s great to once again have the SAFE Coalition and the Hockomock Area YMCA as partners in dealing with the fallout from the disease of addiction, and we are grateful for the fact that they are providing a forum for help, compassion, and guidance.”

The group will be facilitated by Meredith Poulten, a school counselor, social worker and member of the SAFE Coalition Board of Directors. “I am proud that the SAFE Coalition is able to partner with the Hockomock Area YMCA in providing a new approach to aiding those effected by substance use disorder,” said Jennifer Knight, President of the SAFE Coalition. “Grandparents raising grandchildren has been an underserved population and this style of community collaboration only enhances options for healing and for families as a whole to gain support.”

Light refreshments will be provided and child care at the Y is available for the meeting. Please contact the Y in advance if child care is needed 508-528-8708. For more information on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, email Meredith Poulten at mpoulten@verizon.net.

About the Hockomock Area YMCA:

Where Cause Meets Community. At the Hockomock Area YMCA, strengthening community is our cause. The Hockomock Area YMCA is an organization of men, women, and children sharing a commitment to nurture the potential of kids, promote healthy living, and foster a sense of social responsibility.

The Hockomock Area YMCA is committed to partnering and collaborating with others to create and deliver lasting personal and social change in the 15 communities they are privileged to serve. The Hockomock Area YMCA is a not-for-profit charitable cause-driven organization with facilities in North Attleboro, Foxboro, Franklin, and Mansfield. For more information visit hockymca.org.

A collaboration with the SAFE Coalition and the Hockomock Area YMCA

Tri-County Regional Senior Wins First Ever Girls’ All State Wrestling Championship

What an amazing season it has been for the Tri-County wrestling team. One shining star is Ashley Barrett, a senior from Bellingham in the Legal and Protective Services program, who has won the first-ever Girls’ All State Wrestling Championship for all divisions in Massachusetts in the 120-pound weight class. 

Tri-County Regional Senior Wins First
Ever Girls’ All State Wrestling

An estimated 70 girls from Massachusetts participated in the inaugural tournament. Ashley won her title by defeating three girls; in fact, she won all of her matches by pin. Massachusetts is only the 10th state in the country to offer a girls’ state wrestling tournament.

Ashley is one of two girls on the roster of the Tri-County wrestling team. During the 2018-2019 wrestling season, Ashley wrestled in many mixed-sex tournaments. She earned second place at the State Vocational Tournament. She placed fifth at the Cohasset Tournament and she won first place at the Martin Luther King: All Girls Tournament in Mahar. For her stellar season, the Mayflower League has acknowledged Ashley as a League All-Star and both the Boston Herald and Boston Globe have appointed her an All-Scholastics All-Star.

Ashley started wrestling just two years ago. During her first year of wrestling, her combined varsity and junior varsity record was 13-3. This year, as a senior, Ashley has a combined varsity and junior varsity record of 34-6. Her career record, including all of her varsity and junior varsity matches, is an impressive 46-9.

Ashley Barrett

“Ashley’s hard work has made her extremely coachable and confident,” says Coach Steve LaPlante. “She knew she was going to be a state champion before her finals match even started. She has instilled this confidence in her teammates and coaches.” Not only did Ashley work hard on the mat every day during the wrestling season, she also put in the work during the offseason. After her junior year, Ashley began attending the Blackstone Wrestling Club in Cumberland, RI.

How does a girl get into wrestling in the first place? At six years old, Ashley went to a Taekwondo birthday party and instantly fell in love with mixed martial arts. Though she did not know what it was at the time, she began her training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Ashley currently trains six days a week at USMMA in Bellingham, MA, where she trains with professional fighter and Tri-County alumni, Hillary Rose. “My training in mixed martial arts has given me an edge over many who’ve never done it because it gives you fluid motion and flexibility,” explains Barrett.

Girls may feel apprehensive about joining a traditionally all-boys team. They can struggle to feel fully accepted. However, Ashley did not experience that with the Tri-County team. “Once I made the decision to become a part of the wrestling team at Tri-County, I wasn’t treated any differently because I was a girl,” said Barrett. “Coach LaPlante tells everyone who joins the team that they’re now a part of a wrestling family that will make sacrifices for, and rely on, each other. He tells us it’s larger than just being a member of a team. It’s about being part of something greater than yourself.”

Ashley is now training for her MMA debut in May when she turns 18 years old. She hopes to become a professional mixed martial artist in the future.

When not working out at the gym, the busy senior works at the Holliston Police Department as a part of her cooperative education at Tri-County. After graduation, Ashley will attend Bridgewater State University to study Psychology.

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 Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham.

In the News: Franklin curbside pickup fees to rise; Fall construction alert - Rtes. 16 and 140 near Milford Regional Medical

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

Franklin curbside pickup fees to rise

"Trash and recycling fees are going up due to international struggles with plastic disposal. 

Town councilors approved a rate hike of $32 on March 20, raising the average annual cost for curbside trash and recycle pickup to $240. The council also voted to raise the price of stickers in 2020 from $25 to $35 for the transfer station on Beaver Street. 

Franklin recycles about 3,600 tons of waste a year. The cost will rise to $55 a ton in 2020, $20 more a ton than the town currently pays. The town sold around 240 stickers last year, but is considering either eliminating the option or increasing the 10-day fee to $25. 

In the last year, China has been sent massive amounts of plastic waste for recycling purposes. According to NPR, about 106 million metric tons, or roughly 45 percent of the world’s plastic ready for recycling, was exported to China. Inundated with the waste, the country decided at the start of last year to decline any more shipments."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190326/franklin-trash-recycling-fees-increasing

Note: The first of two votes to approve the rate increase was held on March 20. The second vote is scheduled for a future Town Council meeting before becoming effective July 1. While the fee is increasing, we are still below where the fee was in 2005.

Due to global market issues for recycling, proposal to increase curbside fee

Construction alert: Rtes. 16 and 140 near Milford Regional Medical Center

"The planned facelift for one of Milford’s most heavily traveled roads remains on track to begin this fall. 

The half-mile stretch of Rte. 16 from just past the Milford police headquarters to the Hopedale town border will receive a long-awaited upgrade. The project will focus on the intersection of Rtes. 16 and 140 near Milford Regional Medical Center. The intersection is a regular spot for traffic backups and will be widened to make way for dedicated turning lanes, which should ease the turning radius for large trucks and tractor-trailers. 

“You cannot get through that intersection if someone is taking a left turn,” said Highway Surveyor Scott Crisafulli. “It’s too small.” 

New modern traffic signals with preemptive control for emergency vehicles approaching the intersection are part of the project."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190325/milford-rte-16140-intersection-project-includes-new-signals-bike-lanes

Charles River Meadowlands Initiative Schedules Public Forums

As they come close to completing their efforts, working with BETA, the Charles River Meadowlands Initiative (www.charlesrivermeadowlands.org) is presenting a series of community forums in Bellingham, Franklin and Medway in April. Any interested parties in these communities are invited to learn about the Charles River Meadowlands Initiative and share your thoughts.

State Rep. Jeff Roy and two of his colleagues (now no longer on Beacon Hill) helped secure a line item budget allocation to hire a consultant capable of professionally evaluating the recreation potential of the Charles River Meadowlands. 

The town of Franklin, in particular the Planning Department and Bryan Taberner, provided immeasurable help by receiving the funding on behalf of the Initiative and using their professional skills to help select a skilled consulting organization – the BETA Group.

Since late last year, BETA has been making field visits, developing maps, talking to officials in Franklin, Bellingham, and Medway, and developing concepts for consideration. They have helped identify real obstacles, for example potential rare-species areas that will likely have to be avoided. But the last few months have seen real, exciting progress.

The scheduled meetings include:

Thursday, April 11, 2019 - King Street Fire Station, 600 King Street, Franklin (enter the parking lot 6:30 PM from Constitution Boulevard. The meeting room entrance is on the King Street side of the building). In cooperation with the Franklin Department of Planning and Community Development

Tuesday, April 16, 2019 - Bellingham Town Hall, Arcand Meeting Room, 10 Mechanic Street 6:30 PM. In cooperation with the Bellingham Planning and Zoning Department

Monday, April 29, 2019 - Thayer Homestead, 2B Oak Street, Medway, 6:30PM. In cooperation with the Medway Open Space Committee and the Medway Community and Economic Development Department.

For more information, please contact Alan Earls, alan.r.earls@gmail.com

Charles River Meadowlands Initiative Schedules Public Forums

How to Speak Wine - April 2

How to Speak Wine - April 2

The dreaded “wine speak!” If fancy wine words make you tune out, then listen up. In this class we’ll explain the most commonly used wine terms and get to know what they mean in your wine. 

We’ll taste through a selection of wines that illustrate the concepts we talk about, and you’ll leave better able to communicate your wine preferences.

Sign Up  = https://www.activityreg.com/NRFLKMA/43_Site1.PDF

Sit Down Educational Wine Tasting Events Held In The Franklin Liquors Wine Room, Partnering With Norfolk Recreation And Medway Community Education

How to Speak Wine - April 2

Good Friday ‘Cross Walk’ is scheduled on the Franklin Town Common

Friday, April 19- 12:00-1:00 pm

St Mary’s teens and families will host its annual ‘Cross Walk’ procession on the Franklin Town Common beginning at Noon on Good Friday. Christians of all denominations and ages are welcome. 

Participants will gather on the Church Square end of the common. Together, they will process through and around the Franklin Town Common and back to St Mary's lawn, pausing along the way to reflect on Jesus’ great love for us. 

Teens from St Mary’s parish will read reflections and prayers at each stop. Anyone who wishes to may help share the burden of carrying the heavy cross during the procession. 

All area residents and our families and friends from surrounding communities are encouraged to take part in this meaningful procession on Good Friday to remember Christ's Passion.

Good Friday ‘Cross Walk’ is scheduled on the Franklin Town Common