Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Teresa Teresa M. Burr, CMC Franklin Town Clerk 355 East Central St. Franklin, MA 02038 (508)520-4900 tburr@franklinma.gov
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY - March 3, 2020 STATE PRIMARY - September 1, 2020 STATE ELECTION - November 3, 2020 VOTE and the choice is yours DON'T VOTE and the choice is theirs REGISTER or you have no choice www.registertovotema.com
Via HockomockSports.com and the Milford Daily News, we share the results of the FHS winter sports action on Friday
Girls Basketball = D1 Central #1 Franklin, 85 vs. #8 Framingham, 37 – Final – Franklin was ruthless in its opening round playoff game, opening its Central title defense with a 48-point victory. Ali Brigham scored a game-high 29 and passed Kelly Meredith (1,632 points) to become the program’s all-time leading scorer. Olivia Quinn added 18, Megan O’Connell had 12, and Stefany Padula scored 11. The Panthers will face Holy Name in the Central semifinal on Tuesday night at 7:45 at WPI. Franklin won both meetings with the Naps in the regular season.
"It had been eight days since the Franklin girls basketball team played its regular season finale. The Panthers won that game – barely – over Bishop Guertin to take an unbeaten record into the postseason. But any thoughts that top-seeded Franklin might look sluggish when it hosted No. 8 Framingham on Friday night were quickly abolished. Franklin won every quarter and got a trademark game from senior captain Ali Brigham, who made school history in the process, on its way to a convincing 85-37 Division 1 Central quarterfinal victory over the Flyers. With the win, Franklin (21-0) moves on to meet No. 4 Holy Name – a team it beat twice this season, albeit by just five and nine points – in the semifinals on Tuesday at WPI at 7:45 p.m. Framingham finished up its season 10-11."
The Franklin Newcomers & Friends will meet at 7:30 PM March 11 at “3” Restaurant, 461 W. Central St., Franklin.
The group will welcome local resident Steve Sherlock, who created Franklin Matters in 2007, a daily source of information about everything that matters in Franklin. In addition to attending local government meetings, school events and supporting local community organizations, and sharing newspaper articles of interest to Franklin, Sherlock provides photos as he reports on his weekly walks around the community.
The group will meet upstairs at “3″ Restaurant. There is no need to RSVP. Anyone from Franklin or local towns that don’t have newcomers organizations is welcome. This is a multi-generational club offering a wide range of activities for all ages with an emphasis on fun and camaraderie.
Complimentary hot appetizers and beverages are provided and a cash bar is available. Additionally, the Newcomers hold many events to stay connected throughout the year.
Good morning Franklin Families and Faculty/Staff, We are aware that many families and staff members have concerns and questions related to the news of the recent outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and how it may impact our local schools and community.
As a district, we are remaining informed of the health advisories being issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH), the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and other agencies.
"The Franklin Garden Club will feature a presentation on “Good Bugs and Bad Bugs” during its next meeting on Tuesday. The meeting will run from 7-9 p.m. at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill St. Social time starts at 6:30 PM. The event is free and open to all. Common beneficial and pest insects that gardeners encounter in New England will be highlighted. Their habits and life cycles will be discussed in terms of how their presence affects the success of a garden year."
The Franklin Rod & Gun Club slated its all-you-can-eat breakfast events through April. Breakfasts will be held from 8 to 11 AM March 8, and April 5 at the Franklin Rod & Gun Club, 53 Florence St. The menu includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, home fries, baked beans, coffee, tea, orange juice and hot cocoa. The cost is $6 per person and free for children ages 4 and younger. For information, visit https://franklinrodandgun.org or call 508-528-2573.
Franklin Rod & Gun Club: all-you-can-eat breakfast - Jan 12
The CDC is updating information related to the Coronavirus on their website athttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.htmlThis site is updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can sign up to receive e-mail alerts related to the Coronavirus on the same site.
Via HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the FHS winter sports action on Thursday
** Boys Basketball - D1 Central #6 Franklin, 66 @ #3 Natick, 63 – Final – After seeing its 12-point halftime lead disappear, and facing a 59-50 deficit on the road in the fourth quarter, Franklin pulled out an impressive win over the third-seeded RedHawks. A steal and layup from Natick’s Ryan Mela gave the hosts a 59-50 lead with 4:08 left, capping a wild 24-5 surge from Natick, which trailed 41-29 at half. But Franklin responded as senior Chris Edgehill (20 points) drained a pair of three-pointers and senior Brayden Sullivan (10 points) had a key steal and score that cut the deficit to just five. Edgehill hit one of his threes to make it 61-61 before Natick went back ahead. Junior Declan Walmsey hit a three with under a minute to play to give Franklin a 64-63 edge, and then sank two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to push it to 66-63. Natick’s last second shot was off the rim as the Panthers clinched the win. Steven Karayan added 10 points for Franklin, who advances to the D1 Central Semifinals on Sunday against #2 Worcester South, who prevailed 62-57 in overtime over #10 Wachusett. Franklin and South will tipoff from WPI at 5:00.
** Boys Hockey - D1 South #10 Franklin, 7 @ #7 King Philip, 1 – Final Josh Perry, Managing Editor of HockomockSports.com, provides the game recap
"One team looked like it was hitting its stride at the right time of the year and looked like it was as comfortable playing on the playoff stage as it was at any point during the regular season. The other team looked like it was making its first playoff appearance in five seasons.
Franklin scored twice in the opening four minutes of Thursday night’s Div. 1 South first round contest at the Canton Ice House, including one just 36 seconds in, and never looked back, rolling to a 7-1 victory over King Philip in a battle of the top two finishers in the Kelley-Rex division.
“I thought we would’ve had more,” said KP coach Paul Carlow, admitting that Franklin played like a playoff-tested team on Thursday. “We were on our heels from the get-go and we never got out of the starting blocks really. I was worried all week about the game being too big for them and it was.”
The Panthers wasted no time grabbing the lead. Tom Tasker fired a wrist shot from the point and through a screen in front that slipped past KP goalie Jesper Makudera, after just 46 seconds.
Franklin celebrates one its two second period goals in a dominating 7-1 win against King Philip in the playoff opener. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
"Voters will decide in May on a $1.5 million override requested by the School Department for its fiscal 2021 budget.
Selectmen last Saturday approved the override, meaning the proposal will appear as a ballot question at the annual town election on May 5. The measure requires approval from a simple majority of voters to pass.
Superintendent of Schools Peter Marano said the school district is seeking the override to help compensate for a lower reimbursement expected from the state on charter school funding, as well as to add positions in areas of increased need.
For the average homeowner, the $1.5 million override would result in property taxes being increased by about $160 in the next fiscal year, Marano said, based on a home value of about $325,000.
"The School Department anticipates “a budget gap to close” after reviewing its plans for fiscal 2021, requesting an increase of $3.9 million in funding from the town, according to Superintendent of Schools Sara Ahern.
Reviewed on Tuesday night before the School Committee, the proposed school budget of $68,767,873 represents an increase of $3,909,373 (6%) over the current budget, said Ahern. Fiscal 2021 begins on July 1.
The town’s total current budget is $129.6 million, with about half of it - $64.8 million - allocated to Franklin Public Schools.
Even though the school district is requesting a $3.9 million increase for the coming year, Ahern said she doesn’t anticipate the town paying that entire amount."
The Neponset Valley Sunrise Rotary is sponsoring a breakfast to assist veterans seeking employment to meet with potential employers. Wednesday, March 18, 2020 At 7:30 AM MIT Endicott House, 80 Haven Road, Dedham, MA Please RSVP to John Gorham at: (781) 292-3290 or email: jgorham@bulfinchgroup.com Veterans Please Bring Resumes/Business Cards. Be ready for an interview!
Franklin Veterans: Hire A Vet Breakfast - March 18
"You and your students are invited to take a virtual field trip to the U.S. Census Bureau on March 5 with a behind-the-scenes pass to hear from Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham and some of the agency’s top experts. Use this special event to teach students how census data is collected and used, and to boost their interest in the 2020 Census. The virtual field trip is an entertaining, fast-moving video that takes students on a mission to discover details about the Census Bureau’s work, featuring insights and demonstrations from geography and data visualization experts. At the close of the video, students will be challenged to test their knowledge with an interactive quiz show.
Extend the experience with a live Twitter chat at 1 p.m. ET on March 5. Experts from the Census Bureau (@uscensusbureau) will be on hand to answer questions about the 2020 Census and the many uses of census data. Just follow with the hashtag #StatsinSchools to participate.
The field trip and Twitter chat are part of SIS Week: Everyone Counts! — Statistics in Schools’ weeklong series of daily activities to educate and excite students about the 2020 Census. The full virtual field trip video will be available March 5 through the online daily activity guide, but in the meantime you can catch a glimpse of what it will include.
Rep. Maria Robinson and I decided it was time to update the beloved Schoolhouse Rock video and shed some light on how a bill really becomes a law in Massachusetts.
Have you ever wondered why there’s such a rush of legislative activity at certain times of the year? Or why the same exact bill gets filed in both the House and the Senate? Or how that bill ends up looking so differently when it comes out of the House and the Senate, and how those differences between the chambers get resolved? Lawmaking in Massachusetts is a complex but crucially important process, so we knew we had to cover it in our informational video series, Low-Budget Beacon Hill, explaining the nuts and bolts of how the State Legislature works. Check out Low-Budget Beacon Hill, Episode 2: How a Bill *Really* Becomes a Law, to learn all this and more. (Unfortunately, there’s no singing in our version.) Please click below to watch and let us know if you have any suggestions for future episodes! Yours in service, Senator Becca Rausch
The Town Clerk's office is seeking election workers for the March 3rd Primary at Franklin High School. Time slots available from 6 AM until 8 PM. $12/hour, must be 18+ years old and a registered voter. Contact the Town Clerk's office for more information at 508-520-4900.
Attention Franklin: Election Workers needed for March 3rd Primary.
Join us at THE BLACK BOX when the culinary and performing arts unite for an inspired evening of fabulous food, wine and entertainment!
The 9th annual Culinary Cabaret spotlights this region's outstanding culinary talent, showcasing fine wines, craft beer, flavorful dishes and delectable desserts! Featuring entertainment by Electric Youth and special guest artists of the Franklin Performing Arts Company. Culinary Cabaret supports Electric Youth! When: April 3, 2020 - 7:00 to 10:00 PM
Where: THE BLACK BOX, 15 West Central Street, Franklin, MA Your all-inclusive ticket delivers a delicious, entertaining evening! Check out our website for more information and updates. https://www.theblackboxonline.com/events.php?id=1353 Only until March 1st - save $20 on a pair of tickets, so get your tickets today!
This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 212 in the series. We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm). The expected demographics study was presented during the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb 25, 2020. Expected? Yes, This is ONE key piece of the information that needs to be gathered and digested to enable the School Committee and community to make a decision on what needs to be done to prepare for enrollment and facilities. The potential for closing the Davis Thayer school has been talked of off and on for several years. The work is now underway to look at that and what it would mean for the district and community as a whole. The demographics study presented is ONE key piece of the information needed for such a decision. As outlined by Superintendent Sara Ahern at the end of the presentation segment, the SECOND key piece is expected in or around April as the facility analysis arrives from that consultant. For our existing school facilities, what capacity do we have for students in each building based upon current or anticipated requirements? The capacity report should provide the answer to that question. One could go back to when each building was built and look at what it was designed for but the educational requirements have changed considerably since then. Davis Thayer for example, since it is the key item driving the question, was built as a high school and is now being used as an elementary school. Along the course of the discussion you’ll hear James McKibben comment on space requirements. Note - this was not part of his charter, his was only to focus on the demographics - however, from his experience in working with other districts, he can say that due to special education requirements the space (that is, square foot requirements) per student will increase. Pay attention to the assumptions, there are 19 of them. Mr McKibben counts a couple as more critical than others. The mortgage interest rate most would acknowledge as important. The lower it is, the more willing buyers will be. Of interest is the amount of existing home sales required to maintain our population. Per his calculations, 275 homes per year. The presentation doc is linked in the show note so you can follow along. https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/demographic-presentation
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can always use your help. How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like this, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening. For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission. I hope you enjoy!
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James McKibben presenting the demographics study to the School Committee