Reminder: 3 live broadcasts Thursday evening - Town Council Budget Hearing, Conservation Commission, FHS Senior Awards night

Quick reminder of three live Franklin TV broadcasts scheduled for this evening all beginning at 7 PM from different locations. Yes, assuming the gremlins are kept away, it will happen.

• Part 2 of the Town Council budget hearing is scheduled for Thursday evening at 7:00 PM. It’s a continuation of Part 1 which happened Wednesday evening (and is available for replay on YouTube). You can watch this meeting on Town Hall TV, Comcast 11, Verizon 29.
• The regularly scheduled Conservation Commission’s meeting, also 7:00 PM, will be on the Franklin TV All-Access channel, Comcast 8, Verizon 26.
• Last but not least, the FHS Senior Awards Night, live from the FHS Auditorium, also at 7:00 PM is scheduled for the Franklin Pride EDU channel, Comcast 96, Verizon 28.

Franklin TV has three channels so this evening maximizes the capacity for live video broadcast.

If you don't have cable, 

(1) the broadcast can also be viewed via Franklin TV live stream. Go to the Town of Franklin page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/live-meetings-stream  Choose "Live" and select the channel (Public TV, School TV, Townhall TV).

(2) or go to  Franklin TV's page -> https://franklin.tv/ 

and select the icon (image) for the channel you want to watch.

Reminder: 3 live broadcasts Thursday evening - Town Council Budget Hearing, Conservation Commission, FHS Senior Awards night

(3) or directly to one of these links

Public TV =   https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/franklintv/video/61d5c54e17292700083e39c1?page=LIVE&type=live

School TV =   https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/franklintv/video/61d5c56c98c2200008a35d58?page=HOME&type=live

Townhall TV =   https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/franklintv/video/61d5c594f3d5b900084c92ad?page=HOME&type=live

Franklin, MA: Town Council Budget Hearing 5-25-22 (video)

The Franklin TV broadcast of the first of two Town council budget hearings is available for viewing on YouTube. Video link -> https://youtu.be/VfOe0X2AMiM

The twitter thread of my notes, taken during the 4 hour session can be found here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iO1kizDh3Wy_Kz6TuC0VBrDyENJVwsN_/view?usp=sharing

My recap and the audio recording will be available in a couple of days

 

Economic Development Committee - Agenda - May 26, 2022 - 5:30 PM

Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting

Agenda & Meeting Packet

May 26, 2022 - 5:30 PM

Meeting will be held at the Municipal Building

2nd floor, Council Chambers

355 East Central Street

Agenda:

1. Expressions of Interest results for the Old South Church on Washington Street

a. Expressions of Interest submitted   

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/expressions_of_interest.pdf

b. Expression of Interest solicitation document  

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/news/2022_request_for_eoi_-_762_washington_street_-_03072022.pdf

c. 2020 Old South Church Existing Conditions report  

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/20-0930_sfmh_existing_conditions_report_issued_2.pdf

d. 2015 Old South Church Existing Conditions report  

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/old_south_meeting_house_on_washington_street_1.pdf

e. Old South Church document website  

https://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/special-projects

Agenda doc ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/2022-05-26_edc_agenda_.pdf

 

South Franklin Congregational Meeting House

FHS boys lacrosse and girls tennis teams lose on Wednesday

Via HockomockSports.com and Twitter, we share the results of the FHS spring sports action on Wednesday:

Boys Lacrosse = Franklin, 5 @ Medfield, 16 – Final

Consigli: 1G, 1A
Sacchetti: 2G
O'brien: 1A
#GoPanthers  https://twitter.com/FranklinHSLax/status/1529615122242715648

Girls tennis = King Philip, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final 

– King Philip won its second straight match over Franklin to finish the season, leapfrogging the Panthers in the standings to claim its fifth straight Kelley-Rex division title. After dropping a contest to OA in early May, the Warriors rattled off nine straight wins to finish the season to move into the top spot in the division. King Philip, which won by the same score on Monday, finished off a rain-delayed match from last week on Wednesday. Ahunna James picked up where she left off a week ago and earned a straight set (6-2, 6-0) win at first singles while Shea Mellman erased a 4-2 deficit in the first set to win 10 of the next 11 games to secure a 6-4, 6-1 win — the match that clinched the win and the division title for the Warriors. Resha Ajoy and Lauren Casper added a 6-4, 6-4 win at first doules while Priya Riar and Carlie Burns rallied in the third set, overcoming a three-game deficit to prevail 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5).

FHS GT falls just short in their bid to win Hock with loss to KP today. Sarah Schiavo gets the win in singles.
Still a great season for the Panthers going 11-5 in the Hock while qualifying for playoffs.
https://twitter.com/fhs_gvtennis/status/1529628526453964801

For other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-05-25-22/

FHS Panthers

FHS Unified Track Team qualify for the Division 1 State Meet

" …and that’s a wrap! Our Unified Track Team made it to the Div 1 State Finals!  

Congratulations to Seekonk on their Div 1 Championship!  

And Congratulations Panthers on an OUTSTANDING season!!!

@fhs_unified

@FranklinUnified

@SpOlympicsMA"

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/FHSSports/status/1529550215337979912

FHS Unified Track Team qualify for the Division 1 State Meet

School Committee: Community Relations Subcommittee - Coffee Social scheduled for June 4

Franklin Public Schools - Franklin School Committee 

Community Relations Coffee

Saturday, June 4, 2022 = 1 - 3 PM

Where: Birchwood Bakery, 17 East Central St.; Franklin, MA 02038

Agenda

"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."

● Informal Social Meet & Greet 

School Committee: Community Relations Subcommittee - Coffee Social scheduled for June 4

Shared from Town of Franklin page ->

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/community_relations_sub_comm_agenda_6-4-22.pdf

CommonWealth Magazine: "House will vote on sexting, revenge porn bill"

"Experts say there has been a growing problem in recent years of teenagers “sexting,” sending explicit pictures of themselves and others via text. For example, a girl might send a naked picture of herself to a boy, who then distributes it to his friends.  

But criminal law was not written to address inappropriate behavior by teens. Current law considers this distribution of child pornography, a felony sex crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors have said they would like a way to address problematic behavior without forcing a teenager to register as a sex offender. 

Rep. Jeffrey Roy, a Franklin Democrat who sponsored in earlier version of the sexting bill, said this came up in Franklin when explicit images were circulated among around 60 high school students. “The police got involved, and under current law the police have only two options when teenagers are distributing these materials. The first option is to do nothing, and the second option is to charge them with felony possession of child pornography,” Roy said. In the end, nobody got charged. “There was frustration on the part of the police saying we want to do something, but we don’t want to charge them with a felony,” Roy said. "

Continue reading the CommonWealth Magazine online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/criminal-justice/house-will-vote-on-sexting-revenge-porn-bill/

The video for remote viewing of the House session today should be available at

https://malegislature.gov/Events/Sessions/Detail/4179

CommonWealth Magazine: "House will vote on sexting, revenge porn bill"

CommonWealth Magazine: "Pricing announced for latest offshore wind farms"

"BAKER ADMINISTRATION officials say the two latest offshore wind procurements are in compliance with the state’s price cap even though their electricity will probably end up costing more.

Under the cap, the price of electricity with each successive procurement must come in lower than the previous one. The cap has become somewhat controversial of late, with those wanting offshore wind companies to spend more on economic development initiatives advocating for elimination of the cap.  Gov. Charlie Baker and House leaders are in favor of eliminating the cap, but Senate leaders have expressed reservations about doing that."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/pricing-announced-for-latest-offshore-wind-farms/ 

CommonWealth Magazine: "Pricing announced for latest offshore wind farms"

Atlantic #HurricaneSeason Outlook 2022 - above average active season forecast

Atlantic #HurricaneSeason Outlook 2022: 70% likelihood of 14-21 named storms of which 6-10 could become hurricanes, including 3-6 major hurricanes: http://bit.ly/2022AtlanticHurricaneSeasonOutlook… #HurricaneOutlook

Atlantic #HurricaneSeason Outlook 2022

hurricane name listing for 2022

Read the full outlook ->  https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-predicts-above-normal-2022-atlantic-hurricane-season

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/NOAAComms/status/1529120603273408513

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday, May 26, 2022 (3 live broadcasts scheduled at 7 PM)

• wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Thursday

9:00a/12:00p/6:00p   A Priest, A Minister and a Rabbi

10:00a/1:00p/7:00p   Frank’s Music – Frank Falvey and Jim Derick

11:00a/2:00p/8:00pm   Frank Presents – Frank Falvey Presents 

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26) = Thursday

7:30 am Cooking Thyme: Grillin'
8:00 am Veterans' Call: Social Security
9:00 am Cultural District: Brent Selby
10:30 am SAFE Coalition: Michelle Palladini
12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Scones
12:30 pm Sandya: Pasta
1:00 pm Physician Focus: Common and Emerging Diseases
1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: White Pizza
2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Fall 2019 Show 2
3:00 pm Battleship Cove: Preserving the Fleet
3:30 pm Cooking Thyme: Grillin'
4:00 pm Once Upon A Town: Franklin 500
4:30 pm Frank's Musings: Return To Ukraine
5:30 pm Franklin Downtown Partnership: Strawberry Stroll 2019
7:00:pm Conservation Commission, LIVE, Fl3 Training Rm, 858 7965 0751
9:00 pm Extended Play Sessions: Season 10 Show 2 - Paul Kelly

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28) = Thursday

7:00 am Public School Event: FHS Summer Music 2021

9:00 am ArtWeek: FHS Jazz & Kenny Hadley Band

11:00 am FHS Boys Varsity Tennis: v Mansfield 05-18-22

12:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Tennis: v Hopkinton 05-20-22

1:00 pm Community Arts Advocacy Day: A Discussion

2:00 pm Public School Event: Concert Hour Day 1

3:30 pm FHS Varsity Baseball: v Taunton 05-11-22

7:00pm FHS Senior Awards night, LIVE

9:30 pm FHS Track and Field v Milford 05-10-22

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29) = Thursday

8:00 am Conservation Commission: 05-12-22

11:00 am Finance Committee 05-12-22: 05-12-22

2:00 pm Conservation Commission: 05-12-22

7:00 pm Town Council: LIVE, Chambers, 868 8494 8996

7:00 pm Conservation Commission: See our Access TV schedule

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf   

Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm)

Franklin Cultural District - Arts happening Here (through May 31)

Concerts, trivia, and yoga lead to the Memorial Day parade and ceremony on Monday. Oh, and the FAA art exhibit (7 artists) continues at 67 Degrees. 

Yes, #arts happening here!

Wednesday, May 25
7:30pm - OSKEY (FHS seniors variety show)

Thursday, May 26
5:00pm - Ayla Brown & Rob Bellamy (LaCantina Winery)

https://lacantinawinery.com/events/4-21-ayla-brown-rob-bellamy-819/

6:30pm - Trivia Thursday (67 Degrees)

https://67degreesbrewing.com/event-calendar/trivia-thursday-3/

7:00pm - FSPA performs Excerpts from Great Opera and Operetta (THE BLACK BOX)

https://www.fspaonline.com/events.php?id=1568

Friday, May 27
6:00pm - Hit the Bus with Laura May (67 Degrees)

https://67degreesbrewing.com/event-calendar/hit-the-bus-with-laura-may-2/

Saturday, May 28
10:00am - Historical Museum (always free)

11:00am - Yoga in the Taproom (67 Degrees)

https://67degreesbrewing.com/event-calendar/yoga-in-the-taproom-2/

11:00am - Goat Yoga is back! (Fairmount Fruit Farm)

https://www.fairmountfruit.com/what-s-happening

Sunday, May 29
1:00pm - Historical Museum (always free)

Monday, May 30 = Memorial Day
10:30am - Memorial Day Parade & Ceremonies

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/05/memorial-day-parade-starts-at-1030.html

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 calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

Franklin Cultural District: Arts are happening here!

Franklin Cultural Districts completes grant announcements for Fiscal Year 2022 awards

The Franklin Cultural District Committee closed out its round of grant awards for Fiscal Year 2022 with the announcement of three recipients. The award amounts complete the utilization of the Cultural District Initiative grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for Fiscal Year 2022.

• Franklin Veterans Services = a $1,350.00 grant. The grant will pay for the reconditioning and restoration of the Persian-Gulf war monument located on the Town Common.

• Franklin Performing Arts Company = a $1,000 grant. The grant will assist FPAC with the production of the musical Sweeny Todd at THE BLACK BOX scheduled for June 2022.

• Escape Into Fiction = a $400 grant. The grant will enable the purchase of 20 folding event chairs that will allow the bookstore to be utilized as a small venue to hold a variety of arts and culture events, including local author events, art classes, and opening nights

The Franklin Cultural District Committee endeavors to support arts and culture in the Cultural District and beyond through partnerships with the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), the Franklin Cultural Council, and the Town of Franklin.

The Franklin Cultural District Committee thanks the individual businesses and organizations for working collaboratively with them to utilize the MCC grant money and to further enhance arts and culture in the Town of Franklin.

Franklin Cultural Districts completes grant announcements for Fiscal Year 2022 awards

State Representative Jeffrey Roy Endorsed for 10th Norfolk District by Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund

The Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund has endorsed Jeffrey Roy  in the election for State Representative of the 10^th Norfolk District, a credit to his commitment to the environment and climate action. With issues of public health, environmental justice, transportation, and energy policy inextricably linked, we need leaders at every level of government who understand the pressing issues of their community and will call for ambitious action. 

 

“Chair Roy was central to the passage of the 2021 Roadmap Bill, one of the strongest climate laws in the nation,” said Casey Bowers, Executive Director of the ELM Action Fund. “He also crafted the House’s offshore wind bill which will ensure the industry takes off in Massachusetts and provides the clean energy we need to reach our Roadmap targets. We’re grateful for his leadership in addressing the climate crisis.”

 

“I am honored and grateful to receive the endorsement from the ELM Action Fund, a group that has led efforts to fight global warming and has been a great partner at the State House in advancing climate policy,” said Rep. Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin). “Massachusetts has been a national leader in combating climate change and producing clean energy and I look forward to working with ELM to ensure that we continue to lead in this area.”

  

Chair Roy was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 10th Norfolk District in 2012 and represents the residents of Franklin and Medway. He serves as the House chair of the Telecommunications, Energy, and Utilities (TUE) Committee. In 2021, he led efforts to finalize the Roadmap Bill on climate change. He is a proven leader in his work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prioritize environmental justice (EJ) communities.

 

To learn more about Jeffrey Roy, visit his website at https://jeffreyroy.com/.

 

The Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) Action Fund is a nonpartisan organization that helps pass laws that protect our environmental legacy, holds our elected officials accountable, and works to build the political power of the environmental community. To learn more about our work and our recent electoral victories visit www.elmaction.org/elections.  

 https://twitter.com/EnviroLeagueMA/status/1526571203992989696

State Representative Jeffrey Roy Endorsed for 10th Norfolk District by Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund 

Tri-County RVTHS Students Present at NASA in Houston; 2 teams selected as semi-finalists

The Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School District is pleased to announce two of the six teams that participated in this year's NASA HUNCH Program were selected as semi-finalists. The NASA HUNCH Program allows vocational students to help develop important features and hardware for the International Space Station (ISS). Each year a set of approximately ten issues that could help astronauts live more functionally or aid in the scientific and engineering capabilities on the ISS are presented in September. Students select an issue, form teams, and work together on a solution. All juniors in the Engineering Program participate. (www.hunchdesign.com)

The students in the NASA HUNCH Program work with mentors, college professors, national companies, engineers from NASA, and other organizations to help hone their ideas. In addition, each student is encouraged to include their work with NASA on their resume. The students' fresh perspective, time, and energy assists the Research and Integration Office out of the Johnson Space Center. This year each student who presented in Houston received a personalized recommendation letter to assist their future endeavors.

Students worked to provide a preliminary design review in February. After this review, teams refine their ideas and have a critical design review which typically takes place in New Jersey. The finalists are invited to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, to present to NASA and anyone interested. This year sixty teams from around the country were invited to Houston to present.

Thomas Ford (Millis), Timothy Harrington (North Attleboro), Joshua Shockley (Wrentham), and Cory George (Seekonk) were finalists with the mockup of a Destiny module built for transport they created. The Destiny module is the primary research laboratory on the ISS. Destiny's research allows scientists to understand our world better and prepare for future space missions. The students were tasked with researching materials within budgeting constraints and creating a mockup to show how the traveling module would assemble and disassemble for easy transport. The team considered structural elements that would be safe for the public to view, interact with, and fit on a flatbed truck.

Nicholas Aguiar (Seekonk), Zachary Blenkhorn (Medway), Joseph Cady (Plainville), and Aidan Juhl (Millis) worked together to create Magnetic Boots for Space X Human Landing System. These boots would allow the astronauts to walk on the outside of the ship instead of floating, which would enable them to maneuver themselves with their feet and carry items with their hands, similar to how they would work on Earth. "We learned you won't get anything done on the first try- it won't be perfect," commented Nicholas Aguiar of Seekonk when asked about the design process.

The teams traveled to Houston to present their projects to NASA in April. The students agreed that having the opportunity to pitch their idea to NASA and "pick the brains of such a knowledgeable group" were highlights of their trip. The students will now wait to hear from NASA to see if their idea will move forward in the design process.

 

L-R: Kristen Magas (teacher-North Attleboro), Timothy Harrington (North Attleboro), Joshua Shockley (Wrentham), Thomas Ford (Millis), Aidan Juhl (Millis),  Joseph Cady (Plainville), Zachary Blenkhorn (Medway), Nicholas Aguiar (Seekonk), Jeffrey McCall (Teacher-Rehoboth)

FHS girls lacrosse and boys tennis teams post wins on Tuesday

Via HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the FHS spring sports action on Tuesday:

Softball = Franklin @ Foxboro, (no score reported)

Girls Lacrosse = Franklin, 14 vs. Moses Brown (RI), 7 – Final 

– Franklin capped its regular season by doubling up on Moses Brown the top team in Rhode Island, with a 14-7 decision. Jackie O’Neil filled in admirably in a midfield role, scoring five goals with two assists and three draw controls to lead the charge. Kate O’Rourke (two goals, two assists) surpassed 100 career goals in the win, Katie Peterson added a hat trick and one assist, and Stella Regan (one goal, two assists) had a strong game in the midfield with five draw controls. Katie Ryan and Lindsay Atkinson each added a goal in the win. Jamie Tanner and Anna Grasso both played well defensively in front of Brigid Earley (10 saves).

Boys Tennis = Franklin, 3 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final 

– Franklin swept both doubles matches and added another win in singles action to edge out host Foxboro. Vayshnav Malhotra won in straight sets for the Panthers’ lone singles win while senior Thomas Broyles and Tim O’Keefe didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 first singles verdict, and sophomores Ahan Shetty and Jay Gorgas dropped just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 second doubles win. Foxboro’s Bo Canfield and Raj Jetty won at second and third singles, respectively.

Girls Tennis = Foxboro, 3 @ Franklin, 2 - Final 

FHS GT loses tight one to Foxboro 3-2. Both dubs teams get wins.
Vedika Vinayak & Brooke Daniels won in straight sets including 2nd set tie breaker.  
Allison Bagley & Sydney Tolonen also won in straight sets.
Franklin is now 11-6.
https://twitter.com/fhs_gvtennis/status/1529394901535924224

For other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/tuesdays-schedule-scoreboard-05-24-22/

FHS Panthers