Franklin Food Pantry: Time for a nibble!

What's new at The Pantry?

Hello, Happy Summer Days! As a much-appreciated donor, we want you to see how contribution has supported some particular programs for our neighbors in the recent months.  JULY 4th DISTRIBUTION This first ever distribution was a huge hit with our neighbors, their families and our staff. We distributed over 175 bags of items for a summer feast, including hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, chips, condiments and cotton candy. Fun Bags of chalk, bubbles, footballs, American flags and more brought smiles to many faces. It was a brutally hot day but so worth it. Given the immense success, we hope to secure funding to permanently add July 4th Bags to our Holiday Distributions for Thanksgiving and Winter. FARMER'S MARKET at THE PANTRY We have incredible volunteers led by Jen Kuse who care for our 11 beds at the Community Garden on King Street. We also are lucky enough to receive fresh produce from local churches who grow fresh produce on their own premises. Your funding supports the costs for this vital program, including purchasing seeds, plants and equipment; renting and maintaining the beds; packaging the produce, and more. Below you will catch a glimpse of the amazing fresh herbs and vegetables - and wild flowers - that are grown, harvested and distributed to neighbors each week! . Thank you for your continued support of the Franklin Food Pantry! We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and we will see you in the fall as we kick off two our largest fundraising events of the year: the annual Turkey Trot and our popular food elves program! Franklin Food Pantry View this email as a webpage.

Franklin Food Pantry | 43 WEST CENTRAL STREET, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by loften@franklinfoodpantry.org powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Franklin Annual Report - 2020: Fire Department

The Department
The Franklin Fire Department administration is led by a Fire Chief who is assisted by an Executive Assistant. The department is divided into two divisions, operations and administration, which are each under the direction of the two Deputy Chiefs. The operations division is responsible for dispatch, emergency medical services, fire suppression and hazardous materials response. The administration division is responsible for personnel, budget, training, code compliance and coordinating the Town’s emergency preparedness.

Our Mission
The Franklin Fire Department is committed to providing the highest level of public safety services for our community. We safely protect lives and property through fire suppression, training, emergency medical and transportation services, disaster and crisis management, fire prevention and public education.

Operational Objectives
▪ Initiating advanced life support to patients within 10 minutes of receiving the telephone call at our communications center.
▪ To access, extricate, treat and transport trauma patients to a level one trauma medical facility within one hour of the occurrence of the injury.
▪ Interrupt the progression of fires in structures within 10 minutes of open flame ignition.
▪ To insure response readiness remains greater than 70%.
▪ Provide safety and survival skills for all school students in grade K through 5 consistent with the Student Awareness Fire Education (SAFE) initiative of the Commonwealth.
▪ Provide continued valuable services to the senior population with home safety inspections and smoke/carbon monoxide battery replacement.
▪ Develop a partnership with the Franklin Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC).
▪ Provide educational opportunities for department members to insure optimal performance and safety.
▪ To develop and maintain “best practice” to insure personnel and citizen safety.
▪ Insure fire safety through timely, consistent code compliance services to all external customers.
▪ Provide all department services in a manner that satisfies the needs of our customers.

Message from the Fire Chief

The creation of the rank of Battalion Chief, on each group, will provide a supervisory position responsible for all operations of on-duty personnel, in addition to administrative duties and individually assigned collateral duties. Operationally, the Battalion Chief will allow us to achieve a proper span of control on each group, meeting industry-wide consensus standards and ensuring for the safety of all on-scene personnel.

We have also implemented an EMS Captain position that is responsible for the emergency medical services and transportation mission. A critical role for this position is to provide efficient and consistent QA/QI of EMS incident reports, in order to maximize our transport reimbursements back to the Town. For fiscal year 2020, the Department received its largest reimbursement from rescue billing, which was over $1.5 million.

In January 2021, the Department will be adding four additional Firefighters/Paramedics to the organization to provide greater safety to the community as well as the members of the department. This additional staffing will also create more company cohesiveness and efficiency in daily operations.

Overall, the Department responded to 4,466 calls for service this past fiscal year. Emergency medical service calls accounted for 64% of those calls. While during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for calls for service decreased by approximately 15-20%, the overall annual call volume only decreased by 20 calls total.

Thankfully, the community did not suffer any fire related deaths this year. Department members suffered five loss time work related injuries during the fiscal year which is reduced from last year.

Continue reading the report on page 93 of the printed version or page 99 of the PDF version

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/files/town-franklin-annual-report-2020

Prior Annual Reports can be found online

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/pages/annual-reports

Franklin Annual Report - 2020: Fire Department

The Guardian: "COVID-19 discoveries: what we know now that we didn’t know before"

"How COVID spreads

When COVID first hit the UK, so too did sales of hand sanitiser. On 28 February, Boris Johnson said: “The best thing people can do to prevent the spread of coronavirus is wash your hands.”

The emphasis was, in part, because it was thought one of the key routes by which COVID was spread was by people touching contaminated surfaces and then touching their own face – so called “fomite transmission”. Websites even appeared designed to alert you should you reach for your features, while many people became concerned about whether to disinfect groceries and parcels.

But experts now argue that the role of tiny virus-containing particles called aerosols, emitted along with larger droplets when infected people breathe, speak or cough, were overlooked – and that ventilation in indoor settings is crucial to reduce the spread of COVID."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/06/four-areas-where-what-is-known-about-the-covid-virus-has-evolved

The Guardian: "COVID-19 discoveries: what we know now that we didn’t know before"

Reinvention Boot Camp - Thursday, Aug 26

REINVENTION BOOT CAMP:  TALK TO THE PROS  

You've set a course to reinvent yourself and made some progress.  Maybe as a freelancer, a consultant, or a business startup.  

But you could use some advice, ideas, connections or encouragement. 

That's what the Reinvention Bootcamp is all about.  

Join our panel of highly experienced Business Advisors for guidance & insight.  Then break into small groups with fellow "ReInventors" and one of our Advisors  to get specific and practical input tailored to your questions.  

You'll leave this workshop inspired and ready to jumpstart the next  phase of your reinvention journey!  

Thursday, August 26, 10-11:30 am 

REGISTER: https://bit.ly/3i0btxq 

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Presented by the 50+ Job Seekers Networking Program and The Encore Boston Network

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Reinvention Boot Camp - Thursday, Aug 26

Statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka on Masks in Schools

Statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka on Masks in Schools 

 

Next month, almost a million children will return to Massachusetts K-12 public schools. Of these kids, nearly half will be under 12 years old and therefore ineligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to the classroom. 

 

Throughout the spring and summer, I joined parents and teachers in the hope that our children could return to school with a sense of normalcy. With the rise of the highly contagious Delta variant, however, the situation is clear: COVID-19 case counts are rising. The number of deaths is once again rising, including among those who have been vaccinated. This means that we are not quite ready to return to our pre-pandemic 'normal.' 

 

Public health experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that universal masking in schools is an effective way to keep our vulnerable children and residents safe as we continue to fight this global pandemic. Parents, school staff and students seek clear, consistent direction as the school year starts, and they deserve to get it from the state. That's why I am calling on the Baker Administration to require masks in school this fall. 

 

No one wants to go back to the dark early days of this public health crisis, and so we must do everything possible to keep people safe and our economy stable. Wearing a mask around vulnerable populations, including unvaccinated children and others, is a small and simple action we can take to do this.  

 

Our children deserve to learn, grow and thrive in a safe and healthy environment, free from the disruption, anxiety and fear of a COVID-19 outbreak in their school. Massachusetts residents have shown such amazing compassion, caring and resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to keep going until our youngest and most vulnerable can be vaccinated.  

wfpr.fm: More Perfect Union - 020 - Climate Change

"In this episode, Frank and the group discuss the current climate crisis, projections, and what efforts the U.S. and the rest of the world need to make to keep things under control."

Direct link -> https://player.captivate.fm/episode/86371bcf-3816-42af-8a72-b1baf3fa8c25

wfpr.fm: More Perfect Union - 020 - Climate Change

 

Cake Bar update - closing Aug 14 to re-open (TBD) with new owners

"Hi everyone! It is with sadness we inform you that The Cake Bar is closing its doors. We want to thank the town of Franklin, surrounding towns, and all our customers for your loyalty and friendship throughout the years. Our last day will be Saturday, August 14th, so come in to get your treats and smoothie bowls while they last.

We know you need your smoothie fix, so look for upcoming news about Sippin’ Smoothies and bowls on Facebook or Instagram! @sippinsmoothies   

(https://www.instagram.com/sippinsmoothies/)

The new owners will continue to provide you with beautiful, delicious custom cakes and cupcakes, and will also turn it into a wonderful place for breakfast and lunch. They will be shutting down for renovations but make sure to look for the grand opening in the fall! We’ll see you there and we can all give them a big welcome!

Thank you all so much - The Cake Bar"

Shared from Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSMlzSILutP/?utm_medium=copy_link

Cake Bar update - closing Aug 14 to re-open (TBD) with new owners

Franklin's Event Outlook: Aug 6 - Aug 12, 2021

Another busy day at the Town Common with the Farmers Market; music, kids crafts, "Touch a Tractor", and then Concerts on the Common with two music sets and a movie!

Friday, August 6
2:00pm - Farmers Market
3:30pm - Kids craft activity by Library Youth Services
5:00pm - Concerts on the Common: "David Penza"
6:00pm - Concerts on the Common: "Backyard Swagger"
8:00pm - Movie Night: Frozen II

Saturday, August 7
10:00am - Historical Museum (always free)

Sunday, August 8
1:00pm - Historical Museum (always free)

Find the full calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

The School district meeting calendar is found   https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

 

Community Calendar

Franklin Election 2021: What does the Board of Health do?

From the Annual Report of 2020 is this brief section on the Board of Health:

"The three-member elected Board of Health is the policy making arm for the Health Department. The board members assist in the drafting of public health bylaws and regulations. The board also presides over administrative hearings concerning health department licensed and permitted activities. The board members are utilized for consultation on issues relative to public health as well."

One position is up for election on November 2 for a 4 year term. The other positions will be up for election in 2 years. This staggers the membership to maintain institutional knowledge. The Board of Health Chair, Bridget Sweet current holds the seat up for election this year.

What does the Health Department do?

"The Franklin Health Department is charged with protecting the public health and well-being of the community, in accordance with federal, state and local public health laws and regulations. 

The Franklin Health Department's responsibilities include inspecting and permitting new and repaired/upgraded individual septic systems, witnessing percolation testing, biannual inspections of all food service and retail food establishments, investigating complaints of public health nuisances, enforcement of the state sanitary code relative to housing, licensing of children's recreational camps, inspection of semi-public swimming pools and spas, tanning salon and manicure/pedicure establishment inspections. The Health Department also issues permits for individual private drinking water and irrigation wells."

State Required Duties of the Board of Health can be found here 
http://www.franklinma.gov/health-department/pages/state-required-duties-board-health

The Board of Health can be found on the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinma.gov/health-department


Find more information on the Franklin Election Nov 2, 2021 in the "election collection"  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/07/franklin-election-collection-2021.html

Franklin Election 2021: What does the Board of Health do?

Head's Up: MIAA has changed their high school scheduling system

Thanks to Medway Athletics (@MedwayAthletics) for tweeting earlier this week:

"Looking for Fall Schedules

The @MIAA033  has changed its scheduling system and the MIAA App is no longer being used.

Please visit the ArbiterLive link below (a work in progress)…
https://arbiterlive.com/   or directly for Franklin High School go to  https://arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=7918

More updates including iPhone/Android App coming soon. Please be patient."

Found via Twitter: https://twitter.com/MedwayAthletics/status/1422624455109533704?s=03   Note: I swapped out the Medway High link for the FHS link.

While we are on the MIAA webpage, what are the schedules for each of the seasons (as it stands now) for the 2021-2022 school year?   http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/MIAASportLimitations.pdf

Head's Up: MIAA has changed their high school scheduling system

Franklin Annual Report - 2020: Design Review Commission

The purpose of the Design Review Commission (DRC) is to promote safe, functional, and attractive development of business and commercial areas to unify commercial properties, both visually and physically, with surrounding land uses and to protect and preserve the unique and cultural features within the Town. The Commission uses the Town codes and bylaws to ensure new developments and sign installations enhance the New England character of the Town’s commercial centers and thoroughfares. The DRC has approval authority on signage and recommendation input to the Planning Board on Site Plans as to landscaping and lighting and Building Plans as to exterior design, colors, and materials.

The DRC is comprised of 5 regular members and 2 associate members. Currently there are vacancies on the Commission: one full time regular member and two associate members. All members are resident volunteers who are appointed by the Town Council. Current Commission members are Mark Fitzgerald, Chair, Chris Baryluk, Vice Chair, Samuel Williams, and James Bartro.

During FY20 the DRC reviewed and addressed several Site Plans as to landscaping and lighting and exterior Building Plans as to elevations, design, colors, and materials. Reviews included projects such as the apartments at Dean Avenue Downtown. In addition, sign applications were received, hearings held, and decisions issued for over 50 signs during the past fiscal year.

Due to concerns regarding the Covid-19 virus, Design Review Commission Meetings are held remotely via Zoom. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting may do so by clicking on the Zoom link or by calling the phone number provided.

Meetings are held at 7:00 pm on two Tuesdays a month. Meeting times, dates, and agendas are posted on the Town’s website:  https://www.franklinma.gov/design-review-commission

Respectfully submitted, 

Mark Fitzgerald, Chair 

The full Annual Report for 2020 can be found online
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/files/town-franklin-annual-report-2020

Prior Annual Reports can be found online

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/pages/annual-reports

Franklin Annual Report - 2020: Design Review Commission

Hey Franklin, a COVID-19 vaccine clinic scheduled for Aug 25

COVID-19 vaccine clinic is scheduled for Aug 25, 2021 at Davis Thayer...

https://t.co/hgjnBleZTv

 

Schedule at this link ->  https://tinyurl.com/FranklinVAX

 

Schedule at this link ->  https://tinyurl.com/FranklinVAX

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/franklinpolice/status/1423320422423142407?s=03

Hey Franklin, a COVID-19 vaccine clinic scheduled for Aug 25

wfpr.fm: More Perfect Union - 019 - Public Health

"In this episode, Frank and the group discuss public health, what's a right and what needs to be enforced, and why the government needs to play a part in protecting the public."

Direct link -> https://player.captivate.fm/episode/c538de8f-70e4-4cc7-8682-14d75a0f6f1e

More Perfect Union - 019 - Public Health

COVID-19 Response Reporting for Franklin. | Mass.gov

The link should bring you to the data released on Thursday August 5, 2021.

Franklin doubled it's case count since last week's report. Jumping from 16 to 32

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid-19-interactive-data-dashboard-

Celebrate National Farmers Market Week

"National Farmers Market Week kicked off on Aug. 1. It’s an annual celebration launched in 1999 by the US Department of Agriculture to call attention to the benefits of farmers’ markets and their contribution to the community. 

From sweet corn to tomatoes and raspberries picked that day, the markets offer us a host of seasonal, local foods and generate revenue for family farmers by selling directly to shoppers. Food producers — cheese and pasta makers, bakers, condiment creators, and others — benefit, too, by the direct sales. 

“Farmers’ markets bring us access not only to nutritional foods, but also preserves farmland and puts money in the local economy,” says Hal Shubin, who helps run the Belmont Farmers’ Market. Customers may grumble that the foods are costlier than at supermarkets, and some are, although plenty are competitively priced. Everything is fresher, which contributes to a longer shelf life. 

And the markets are a place where you see your friends and neighbors. The celebratory week brings special events, music, games for kids, giveaways, lectures, and more. To find a farmers’ market near you, visit massfarmersmarkets.org/markets."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required) 
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/30/lifestyle/national-farmers-market-week-kicks-off-sunday/

For the events scheduled for the Franklin Farmers Market this Friday

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/08/come-celebrate-national-farmers-market.html

Farmer Nick will have his tractor on the Town Common Friday

More from the US Dept. of Agriculture on National Farmers Market Week

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2021/08/02/celebrating-national-farmers-market-week