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| Franklin Public Schools, MA Updated the Reopening Site |
Ballot Question #3 on the Franklin ballot will be to decide on the Community Preservation Act. This was voted on in the November 2007 election and failed at that time (Yes - 1528; No - 2174) . Additional info on how the Community Preservation Act can help Franklin will be available as the election approaches.
On weekends Sept 12 - Oct 11, buses replace service on the Franklin Line at Forge Park through Walpole to allow for double-track extension work. They will operate on a weekend train schedule. However, trains will operate between Walpole and South Station.
The shuttle buses will operate on the normal weekend train schedule and will be ADA accessible, though bikes will not be allowed on board. Trains may experience delays of up to 20 minutes due to the shuttle busing, please allow for additional travel time.
Visit mbta.com/FRKwork and mbta.com/FRKdoubletrack for more details.
For more information: https://mbta.com/FRKwork
Last Updated: Sep 19 2020 07:16 AM
From Poynter, we share the following article of interest for Franklin:
"President Donald Trump said Tuesday we will have a vaccine in three to four weeks.
Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday that even when we get a vaccine, it will not likely be available to the general public until next summer. Redfield also rolled out a playbook for how a national vaccine program might look.
The playbook is loaded with details you have not seen or heard before and it is really important for journalists to start to learn how a vaccination program might unfold. You will be vitally important to its success.
“Early in (the) COVID-19 vaccination program there may be a limited supply of vaccine and vaccine efforts may focus on those critical to the response, providing direct care and maintaining societal functions, as well as those at highest risk for developing severe illness,” Redfield told the Senate Appropriations Committee."
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| CDC: COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook |
September 18, 2020
Dear Chairman Mercer:
Due to the resignation of Teresa M . Burr as the Town Clerk effective today, I have been advised by the Town Attorney that I am the appointing authority for any temporary appointment to the position of Town Clerk. Town Charter Article 3 Section 3-2 defaults to general law regarding the replacement of the Town Clerk position. Thus, state law governs both the temporary and permanent replacement of this position.
Therefore, pursuant to MGL chapter 44 section 14, MGL chapter 4 section 7, and MGL chapter 41 section 19E, I hereby appoint Nancy Danello to the position of "Temporary Town Clerk" until the next regularly scheduled town election, which falls on November 2, 2021. Additionally, pursuant to general law, an election to fill the position of Town Clerk must be held at a regularly scheduled election. There is no statutory provision to allow for a special election to fill the position.
Ms. Danello has my full confidence to lead the Town Clerk's Office through the upcoming elections. At this critical juncture, it is essential to have someone lead the upcoming elections who is familiar with the Town and has the local experience of our elections system, staff and town geography. In meetings with her this week to debrief and evaluate the most recent state primary, I am confident the appropriate measures will be taken to ensure there will not be a repeat of that event and that every ballot will be processed and counted on time and within the parameters set out by state statute governing elections.
Warm regards
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| Teresa Burr and newly appointed Temporary Town Clerk Nancy Danello as they provided an update to the Town Council Mtg, Aug 12, 2020 |
Friday, Sep 18
Farmers Market - noon to 6:00 PM
Sunday, September 20
LiveArts virtual concert at at 3 PM
WILLIAM RILEY, classical guitar = Music of Granados, de Falla, and more
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/09/join-us-for-our-2020-2021-donation.html
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| Franklin's weekend - Sep 18-19-20 |
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As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #bsc0916
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Bsc0916&src=typed_query
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| Town Adminisatrator Jamie Hellen explaining at the Budget Subcommittee meeting |
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
“Like father, like son” is a familiar phrase that in the Earls family these days is more accurately expressed the other way around: “Like son, like father.”
It is equally as valid to turn around another familiar phrase -- the one about the apple not falling far from the tree -- and say that the tree, in this case, doesn’t stand far from the apple.
On Tuesday, Alan Earls officially announced he is seeking election to the Franklin Town Council, hoping to fill the seat vacated by his son, Eamon McCarthy Earls. The declaration comes a month after the younger Earls, 26, announced his exit from the town’s top governing board in order to pursue a law degree at Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in Virginia. Eamon Earls’ resignation was effective on Sept. 6. He was on the Council for nearly three years.
A special town election has been scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, to fill the newly empty seat."
The Board of Health met on Wednesday to review and revise the penalty order they had approved at their Sep 2 meeting. Feedback from Town Attorney Mark Cerel led to the revision. The revision was approved by a 3-0. As soon as the order is available, the link will be shared.
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As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #boh0916
https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoH0916?src=hashtag_click
Sep 2, 2020 - recap = https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/09/board-of-health-recap-sep-2-2020.html
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| Board of Health Meeting Recap - Sep 16, 2020 |
Fall 2020
Click HERE for FHS schedule for online learning
FHS Chromebook Insurance will be available for purchase soon. An email will be sent to all families when the Chromebook Insurance payment portal has opened.
Home Schooling is an available option for some families who wish to provide every aspect of their child's education. To begin a home schooling, you must notify the Office of Teaching and Learning (annually) of your intent to homeschool, prior to the start of the school year. The requirements involve preparing an educational plan for approval by the Franklin Public Schools. Assessment/progress results will also need to be submitted and approved at the end of the school year. Upon approval of a homeschool plan, your child will be withdrawn from the Franklin Public Schools and the resources associated with the Franklin Public Schools will no longer be available to you. This includes, but is not limited to, curriculum materials, books, and Chromebooks.
It is important to note that home schooling is different from remote learning. The remote learning model is being provided to all students enrolled in the Franklin Public Schools during the pandemic. This encompasses curriculum, instruction, assessment, and materials provided by the Franklin Public Schools for all students. Teachers are assigned to teach classes as they typically would in person. Students will complete a full day of education at home that is a blend of online learning, class facetime with peers and teacher(s), and independent work. When schools are able to transition back to either a hybrid or fully in-person model of instruction, all students engaged in remote learning will be a part of that transition back to school.
If you decide to homeschool your child, you will need to provide a letter of intent, along with an educational plan for the 2020 - 2021 school year to Franklin Public Schools by September 4, 2020.. You can email this information to Dr. Joyce Edwards, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning, at: edwardsj@franklinps.net Once Dr. Edwards reviews your plan and approves it, we will send you a confirmation via email.
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| Franklin Public Schools: Important Information and Dates |
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"Think of the doctors and nurses dealing with COVID-19 on a daily basis.
That was Gov. Charlie Baker’s message Thursday after he got a flu shot at a Roslindale CVS and pressed Massachusetts residents to get vaccinated against the flu this fall, which he said will be critical to prevent overburdening the state’s health care system with the flu and COVID-19, which share many symptoms.
Baker has mandated that students in Massachusetts, from pre-school to college, and kids who participate in child care programs, must get their flu vaccine by the end of 2020 but said Thursday that it’s important that others elect to get a flu shot too. The governor said health care workers began talking with his team about a month ago about what it would mean to have flu activity peak at the same time as a second surge of COVID-19 cases. April’s surge in COVID-19 cases came after the bulk of activity associated with the last flu season.
“The point they made to us at that time was from a diagnostic point of view, from a care delivery point of view, from a capacity point of view, having the flu and COVID-19 surge in the commonwealth at exactly the same time would be an incredibly difficult situation for them to manage their way through and they urged us to step up our game — which is already pretty good relative to most of the states around the country — on flu vaccines,” Baker said."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200918/baker-flu-shot-push-based-on-health-care-feedback?rssfeed=true
"FOR MONTHS, a quarantine-weary, virus-ridden nation has been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine. It’s become the endgame, the antidote to all the death and economic destruction the virus has caused. Massachusetts’s final reopening stage, referred to as the “new normal,” is predicated on having an effective treatment or vaccine.
But experts are beginning to rein in the sky-high expectations, warning that a vaccine will not be the silver bullet that allows us to suddenly remove our masks and once again hug our friends.
“I don’t think we’re going back to normal any time soon, vaccine or no vaccine,” said Shira Doron, hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center. “It’s not going to be like everyone gets vaccinated on Monday, nobody has to wear masks Tuesday.”
Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, echoes that caution. “Many experts don’t think that the vaccine alone is going to get us out of the pandemic,” he said. "
Gov Baker's press conference on Thursday: https://youtu.be/kUOGMYLhVYs
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| Community Preservation Coalition - Happy birthday CPA! |
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"DESPITE SIGNS that the state’s finances have not completely cratered during the pandemic, the Senate’s top budget official said this week he anticipates tax collections in fiscal 2021 to be down $5 billion from last year, and said lawmakers will need to dip “deeply” into the state’s $3.5 billion “rainy day” fund unless new federal aid arrives from Washington.
The state’s uncertain financial picture could start to come into clearer focus in the coming weeks as House and Senate leaders, as well as Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration, prepare to outline a plan to introduce and pass a long-term budget that would carry the state through July of next year.
Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Michael Rodrigues told business leaders that “some major announcements” would be made in the next couple weeks about how Beacon Hill leadership wants to proceed with a fiscal 2021 budget, as well as how to close the books on the fiscal year that ended June 30.
“It’s going to be a tough year, but we’ll get through this,” Rodrigues said."
Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/senate-leader-sees-5b-revenue-downturn/
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"Much of Greater Milford is currently dealing with a “severe drought,” while all of MetroWest is dealing with a “moderate drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Parts of Bristol and Plymouth counties are dealing with an “extreme” drought and persistent dry conditions span most of the state, threatening crops, diminishing air quality and forcing water conservation measures.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reported Thursday that 6.8% of the state — most of Bristol County and a sliver of western Plymouth County — is under an “extreme” drought while 30.4% of the state is facing a “severe” drought and another 49.9% of the state contends with a “moderate” drought.” Only the northwestern corner of the state is properly hydrated, the Monitor said.
“The meteorological summer (June-August) of 2020 was one of the hottest and driest on record in parts of the Northeast,” Brad Rippey, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wrote in the monitor’s weekly summary. “Given the protracted period of heat and dryness, drought continues to expand and intensify in many areas.”
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| https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/jpg/current/current_ma_trd.jpg |
| The best way to protect against the flu is to get the flu shot. |
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THE BLACK BOX, the region’s premier theater, music, and event venue, will present a concert celebrating the music of the fifth longest running show in Broadway history: WICKED. THE BLACK BOX Sings...WICKED will star Broadway Elphaba Emily Koch with Jim Hogan singing Fiyero. Pianist Austin Davy from the Wicked tour accompanies an FPAC all-star cast featuring Ali Funkhouser, Nick Paone, Katie Gray, Hallie Wetzell, and Tim Ayres-Kerr. Socially distanced on THE BLACK BOX Outdoor Stage, join this cast of FPAC favorites for a celebration of the music of WICKED and the story of the Witches of Oz.
THE BLACK BOX Sings...Wicked will be performed September 26 at 2:00 and 7:30 pm and September 27 at 2:00 pm.
Modeled after the popular cabaret series “54 Sings” at Feinstein’s/54 Below in NYC, THE BLACK BOX continues THE BLACK BOX Sings… Series with the songs of Wicked. The series celebrates the music of musicals, composers, and artists sung by Franklin Performing Arts Company favorites.
THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 W. Central St. in Downtown Franklin, MA. For tickets and more information, call (508) 528-3370 or visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com.
Broadway Elphaba Emily Koch
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| Morini Gallery - In the Zone Online Juried Exhibit |
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"THE NUMBER of communities considered high risk for COVID-19 increased from 13 to 17, while people younger than 39 led the way in infections, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all cases over the last two weeks.
The weekly data released by the Baker administration on Wednesday showed those in the 20-29 age category had 1,207 cases over the last two weeks, or 25 percent of the total. They were also highest on a per capita basis, with 16.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Those in the 0-19 category had 864 cases, or 18 percent of the total (53.9 cases per 100,000 people), while the 30-39 age category had 843 cases, nearly 18 percent of the total (92.9 cases per 100,000)."
Continue reading the article online https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/number-of-high-risk-communities-jumps/
Franklin's case count has increased slightly each of the recent weeks. Per the Board of Health meeting on Wednesday, there is a business that was identified as a 'hot spot' with a number of employee cases. The business was not identified.
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| Franklin data on COVID-19 community map |
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"On a day when many students re-entered classrooms for the first time in six months, Senate President Karen Spilka said she’s closely monitoring the return to school, as well as efforts to control COVID-19 in local hot spots as legislators contemplate what the next three months will bring.
Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo successfully pushed to extend formal legislative sessions past July until the end of the year, but immediately went on an extended recess and the agenda remains unclear. Leaders have said they wanted to preserve their ability to respond to any pandemic needs.
The Senate president took part in a “Women in Leadership” event hosted by the One SouthCoast Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, but after several weeks out of the spotlight gave away very little about what the fall might look and sound like on Beacon Hill. She instead focused on her biography and what the Legislature had accomplished since March, and asked for the chamber’s input.
“With a global pandemic, it’s more important than ever to be bold and creative with our policy ideas,” she said."
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"Beacon Hill has been nearly silent for more than six weeks since the House and Senate extended formal sessions beyond their traditional July 31 end, and Gov. Charlie Baker made a call Tuesday for legislators to wrap up their work on his State Police reforms and a $1 billion climate resiliency proposal.
Baker highlighted those two issues as priorities he hopes to see lawmakers advance, adding emphasis to those matters more than a month after wide-reaching law enforcement and climate bills were steered into conference committees for private negotiations.
When the topic of State Police came up at a Tuesday press conference, Baker said his administration referred about 40 individuals to state and federal attorneys for criminal review, then touted a bill he filed in January.
That legislation would make it easier to suspend troopers without pay following misconduct and create a “fraudulent pay statute” allowing the state or municipalities to seek triple the amount of damages from police who falsify timesheets, among other changes."
Please watch. It's the story of Tabitha. It's the story of us.
— Glennon Doyle (@GlennonDoyle) September 15, 2020
We can do hard things. And we will. Because we are goddamn cheetahs. #GetUntamed pic.twitter.com/n24gE5g0rv
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| "The story of Tabitha. It's the story of us" |
