Mark your calendars -> Registration for the Franklin Recreation summer camp opens March 1

"Don't forget to mark your calendars. Summer Camp Registration Opens next Wednesday, March 1st"

Shared from Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/p/Co-Z-7prrWU/

Register online -> https://franklinma.myrec.com/info/default.aspx

Mark you calendars - Registration for the Franklin Recreation summer camp opens March 1

Town of Franklin: Focus group on Schmidt's Farm for the 2023 OSRP Update

Town of Franklin: Focus group on Schmidt's Farm for the  2023 OSRP Update

We're scheduled for another OSRP focus group meeting - this time about the recently purchased Schmidt's Farm!

As a brief recap, the FCC held the first OSRP public hearing last night, February 21, at Town Hall. Participating residents were able to learn about the OSRP, its process, benefits, and how to get involved. In case you missed the meeting, a recording can be found here. The FCC also held a focus group meeting held on February 9 - School Recreation Facilities and Parks (ADA Compliance Included) - which can be found here. Feel free to watch these recordings at your convenience and provide any comments or questions via this Google form.

I'll keep the rest of this email brief! The next focus group meeting is on Schmidt's Farm tomorrow February 23 from 6-7 PM  in Council Chambers at Town Hall. We know this is a big ticket item for the community so start brainstorming ideas now. In the interim, please feel free to utilize this OSRP map to become familiar with Schmidt's Farm digitally or review the below screenshot. Town property, including Schmidt's Farm, is shown in gray. 

Schmidt's Farm

Come learn about the history of Schmidt Farm, its potential, and provide input on what you would like to see - the sky's the limit for your ideas! 

Other information on the Open Space & Recreation Plan Update ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/pages/2023-open-space-and-recreation-plan-update

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday, Feb 23, 2023

• 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    Veterans' Call: PACT Act
9:00 am    Riffing with the President: Ep 1
10:30 am    SAFE Coalition: New Facility
11:30 am    Cooking Thyme: Lasagna
12:00 pm    Brook'n'Cookin: French Toast
12:30 pm    Sandhya: Cupcakes
1:00 pm    Physician Focus: Oral Health
1:30 pm    Pizzapalooza: Game Day Pizza
2:00 pm    New England Candlepins: Fall 2019 show 4
3:00 pm    Once Upon A Town: The Rome
4:30 pm    Frank Presents: Chris Woolf
6:30 pm    Winning Ways with the MIAA: Ep 1
7:00 pm    Extended Play Sessions: Roberto Morbioli
8:00 pm    FPAC: Broadway in Franklin 2022

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

 

7:00 am    Public School Event: Lifelong Music Pt. 1 01-28-19
8:30 am    Tri County Vaping Forum
10:30 am    Public School Concert: Sullivan Winter Music 2019
12:00 pm    Metrowest Symposium: Sharing Identity on Social Media
1:00 pm    Public School Event: FHS Winter Jazz Night '22
2:30 pm    Hockomock League Swimming Championship 2023 Day 2
7:00 pm    Hockomock League Swimming Championship 2023 Day 1 

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

8:00 am    Conservation Commission: 02-09-23
11:30 am    Open Space and Recreation Planning: 02-09-23
2:00 pm    Conservation Commission: 02-09-23
7:00 pm    Conservation Commission: LIVE, Chambers 841 7763 7295

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: Puppets, movie 4 teens, silent movie Saturday, concerts, drama, winter farmers market and more #artshappenhere

Wednesday, February 22

1:00pm - Mr. Vinny's Shadow Puppets (Franklin Public Library)

1:00pm - Senior Scribblers (writing group) (recording session at Franklin TV studio)

5:30pm - Teen Interactive Movie Screening (Franklin Public Library)

7:00pm - Harriet Tubman: She Came to Slay! –Virtual (Franklin Public Library)

Thursday, February 23

10:30am - Snowflake Sing-Along (Franklin Public Library)

6:00pm - Community Conversations (Franklin Public Library)

6:00pm - Creative Writing Workshop Informational Meeting (Escape Into Fiction) 6:00pm - HeartStopper Book Club (Middle-High School) (Escape Into Fiction)

7:30pm - Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play (ticketed event) (Dean College)

Friday, February 24

5:30pm - KJ's Con (live music) (67 Degrees Brewery)

7:30pm - Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play (ticketed event) (Dean College)

Saturday, February 25

10:00am - Winter Farmers Market (Fairmount Fruit Farm)

10:00am - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

10:30am - Winter Beach Party  (Franklin Public Library)

11:00am - Silent Saturday: The Freshman (free silent movie)  (Franklin Public Library)

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

2:00pm - Highwaymen Concert with Matt York  (Franklin Public Library)

2:00pm - Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play (ticketed event) (Dean College)

5:30pm - Wicked West (live music) (67 Degrees Brewery)

7:30pm - Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play (ticketed event) (Dean College)

8:00pm - Tracy Grammer (with Jim Henry) Concert (ticketed event) (Circle of Friends Coffeehouse)

Sunday, February 26

1:00pm - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

2:00pm - Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play (ticketed event) (Dean College)

Tuesday, February 28

6:00pm - Poetry for the People (open to all) (Escape Into Fiction)

7:00pm - Book Club - Kindred (open discussion) Franklin Public Library)

-----------------

The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open for viewing (and purchasing the art displayed) during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Franklin Art Association Art Gallery

Visit the Cultural District page ->  https://www.franklinculture.org/

Find the full Community event 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!

"Winning Ways" - an MIAA TV Program Produced by Franklin.TV (video)

High School sporting events are without doubt among the most popular programs covered by your local community TV channel. Now, we at the MIAA are reaching out across Massachusetts with our own TV program, "Winning Ways", to highlight the great schools, coaches and players that make high school sports - and students - all that they can be.

Each episode will delve into aspects of the MIAA's mission. As we continue to Grow Courageous Leaders, we'll also visit (via Zoom and in-person) with schools, athletic directors, coaches, teams and notable players. Every school has a great story to tell, and we want to highlight those journeys to excellence.

Our episodes will be released by Franklin.TV regularly for download and rebroadcast on your local PEG channel(s) via MMX, the Mass Media Exchange Server. There is absolutely no cost, and we encourage you to contact your local PEG studio to include our program in their broadcast schedule. It can be an informative and inspiring addition, especially before or after school games.

Our first episode of "Winning Ways" is slated for release in Mid-February. We invite you to be featured in a future episode.

For information about downloading episodes for local broadcast or participating in an upcoming episode, please contact:

• Jim Clark - jclark@miaa.net
• Steve Dubzinski - sdubzinski@miaa.net

 Video link -> https://youtu.be/38j4W1qRzLU

2023 OSRP Focus Group Meeting - Schmidt Farm - Thursday February 23

2023 OSRP Focus Group Meeting - Schmidt Farm - Thursday February 23

The Conservation Commission will hold its fourth Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) focus group meeting this Thursday, February 23 from 6-7p in Town Hall Council Chambers. 

This meeting will also be available via Zoom. Zoom login information can be found here. 

In case you'll miss the Thursday meeting or would like further discussion, you are also invited to attend OSRP Office Hours Friday, February 24 between 10 and 11am in the third floor training room (Room 326A) at Town Hall or via Zoom. 

Bring your ideas and see you there! 

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/news/2023-osrp-focus-group-meeting-schmidt-farm-thursday-february-23

2023 OSRP Focus Group Meeting - Schmidt Farm - Thursday February 23

MIAA: Winter Tournament Seeding Process Updates

Winter Tournament Seeding Process  

Winter Tournament Seeds Released February 25

WINTER TOURNAMENT SEEDING PROCESS

During the Fall 2022 season the MIAA launched an effort to streamline the production of the final power rankings, and create a smoother process of building and releasing the tournament brackets. These new guidelines once again will be used by sport tournament directors, seeding committees, and MIAA staff for the Winter 2023 postseason in Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Boys Ice Hockey and Girls Ice Hockey.

CUTOFF DATE – Thursday, February 23: All regular-season games in Basketball and Hockey must be completed by the end of the night in order to be included in the power rankings, postseason records and qualification requirements.  Scores must be recorded into Arbiter before the end of the night.

WORKING DAY – Friday, February, 24: The season data from Arbiter will be collected by MIAA staff as of the 4 AM report.

By 9 AM, staff will produce and publish a report on MIAA.net with each team's record (broken down by division, listed alphabetically by school), and all schedules and score data as reported to Arbiter throughout the season. No power rankings data will be published at this time.

If there are any changes that need to be made from that point, they must be communicated BY EMAIL to either the MIAA sport-specific liaison or tournament liaison.

BOYS, GIRLS BASKETBALL - Peter Smith - psmith@miaa.net

BOYS, GIRLS HOCKEY - Richard Pearson - rpearson@miaa.net

TOURNAMENT LIAISON - Jim Clark - jclark@miaa.net

Information entered directly into Arbiter will not be valid after 4 AM on the Working Day.

Schools will have 24 hours to report any corrections, and tournament officials/MIAA staff will also have the same 24 hours to track down any missing scores, and make any corrections to the data. Any changes or corrections to existing score data must be verified IN WRITING by both schools.

BRACKET/SEEDING DAY – Saturday, February 25: At 9 AM, the data will be considered FINAL and no more changes will be made. The final data will be used to create the final power rankings, which will be published along with the brackets on the following scheduled release times:

BOYS, GIRLS HOCKEY: 10 AM   &  BOYS, GIRLS BASKETBALL:  1 PM

The initial bracket release will include only matchup information, and brackets subsequently will be updated by tournament directors and MIAA staff with dates, times and sites for individual matchups.

 

jclark@miaa.net

MIAA: Winter Tournament Seeding Process Updates

LiveARTS Young Artists Showcase - Sunday, March 12, 2023 - 3 PM

Mar. 12th at 3:00pm at the First Universalist Society in Franklin

Come and join us on March 12th for our Young Artists Showcase and meet the artists of tomorrow! Come and see the future of classical music, and support these fabulous young talents! Presenting the music of C.P.E. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Amy Beach, Donizetti, and more! Sunday, March 12 - Time: 3:00 PM Location: First Universalist Society of Franklin, 262 Chestnut St., Franklin MA Presenting students from the studios of master teachers and performers: Victor Rosenbaum Tanya Schwartzman (Sharon Academy of Music) Sandra Evans (Chaminade Club of Attleboro) Sooyun Kim (Longy School of Music) Sheila Falls and Joanne Mouradjian (Wheaton College) Tickets     Adults- $25.00 Students (18 and under)- by donation   Tickets available at the door   Accessible Parking and Building  Visit our website liveartsma.org to purchase tickets on-line and for more information. Copyright © 2022 LiveARTS, Franklin, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: LiveARTS, P.O. Box 678, Franklin, MA 02038

Watch or listen to the Open Space & Recreation Plan - Public Hearing #1 - 02/21/23 (audio & video)

The Open Space Recreation Plan Public Hearing #1 Agenda was updated on Tuesday to more clearly outline the discussion for the session Feb 21, 2023.

There was public participation in person at the Council Chambers and online in the Zoom session.

Quick recap:

• Member of a mountain biking group looking to help in ways they can
• Bleachers have wide spaces at the top that could allow a small child to slip through
• Suggestion on signage to remind folks (i.e. drivers) to share the road with bikers
• Discussion on kayak access for the Charles, there is access at Beaver Pond, may also eventually be at DelCarte, also evaluation of a kiosk to help with rental of kayaks
• Comment on citizen awareness of open space, AgCom (Agriculture Commission) also working on that awareness,; the amount of salt in the water supply is increasing, we need to look at that...
• from Mark (last name?), thanks for whomever did successfully make the open space purchases
• A question to be addressed is how to balance maintaining the forest area at Maple Hill and yet provide access to the trail network there in a minimalist manner
• ADA self assessment being planned for all Town and School facilities
• Rec Dept had reached out to scouting groups pre-COVID to see if some trail maintenance could be organized, would like to bring that back to the forefront!
• Remember to respond to the survey, approx. 250+ so far
• Next public hearing scheduled for Apr 25 will review objectives for the plan draft

The presentation copy shared during the meeting ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/osrp_public_hearing_1_-_presentation_pdf.pdf

The video of the public hearing can be found ->  https://youtu.be/nTt6r_Ix0yM

The audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-948-osrp-public-hearing-1-02-21-23

My notes captured via Twitter and found in one PDF ->

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Z-VKfzLXdjXSeYp5OQUJhhv6eQZtMhR/view?usp=share_link

Watch or listen to the Open Space & Recreation Plan - Public Hearing #1 - 02/21/23 (audio & video)

HockomockSports.Com selects Sean O’Leary, FHS Basketball as Player of the Week

"Franklin junior Sean O’Leary has been selected as the HockomockSports.com Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, for Feb. 12 through Feb. 18. O’Leary is the 21st player chosen as Player of the Week for the 2022-23 school year and ninth in the winter season.

O’Leary came through in the clutch in both games last week, helping the Panthers overcome a pair of upset bids and finish the league campaign with just one loss. The junior forward scored 17 points in each game, but the bulk of his production came down the stretch of each contest, coming through with big buckets in the fourth quarter for the Kelley-Rex division champs. O’Leary is the league’s leading scorer and has the Panthers at 17-1 on the season.

“Sean has been amazing this entire season and this past week was no different,” said Franklin head coach CJ Neely. “In both of our games he made huge plays down that stretch to score or set up his teammates and take over the final minutes in two big wins. He is such a great player and teammate.”

Continue reading about Sean's selection as Player of the Week

https://hockomocksports.com/player-of-the-week-sean-oleary-franklin-basketball/

 

HockomockSports.Com selects Sean O’Leary, FHS Basketball as Player of the Week

Planning Board & Town Council public hearings scheduled for Inclusionary Zoning bylaw changes

In accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 40A, Section 5, notice is hereby given that the Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, March 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM and the Town Council will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 12 at 7:00 PM to consider amending Chapter 185, Attachment 7, Part VI of the Code of the Town of Franklin.

• https://www.franklinma.gov/legal-notices/agenda/zoning-bylaw-amendment-23-889-multifamily-density-planning-board

In accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 40A, Section 5, notice is hereby given that the Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, March 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM and the Town Council will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 12 at 7:00 PM to to consider amending Chapter 185 of the Code of the Town of Franklin.

• https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/public_hearing_notice_23-890.pdf

Planning Board & Town Council public hearings scheduled for Inclusionary Zoning bylaw changes

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023

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

9:00 AM 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio/FPS Voice – Steve Sherlock
Franklin and its local government, services and events  (repeats Saturday at 9 AM)

• This slot features my conversation with Fire Chief James McLaughlin -   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/02/with-time-to-reflect-chief-mclaughlin.html

10:00 AM 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM  The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone    All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points

11:00 AM 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock

Franklin and its local government, services and events (repeats Saturday at 3 PM)

• This hour features my Town Council Quarterbacking session with Council Chair Tom Mercer as we condense the meeting of 2/15/23 -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/02/town-council-quarterbacking-with-tom.html

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

7:30 am    It Takes A Village: D'Angela Alberty
8:30 am    Pack 92 Pinewood Derby 2022
10:00 am    Riffing with the President: Ep 1
11:30 am    Cooking Thyme: Lasagna
12:00 pm    Brook'n'Cookin: French Toast
12:30 pm    Sandhya: Cupcakes
1:00 pm    Norfolk County Prevention Coalition: Good Decision Making
1:30 pm    Pizzapalooza: Game Day Pizza
2:00 pm    New England Candlepins: Fall 2019 show 4
3:00 pm    Candlepin New Generation: Spring 2019 Show 2
3:30 pm    FPAC: Broadway in Franklin 2022
5:00 pm    Veterans' Call: PACT Act
6:10 pm    The Black Box: Electric Youth 2023
9:00 pm    FHS Theater Company: Cinderella

 

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

 

7:00 am    Public School Concert: Elementary Winter Music Pt. 3 01-15-19
8:30 am    Public School Concert: Sullivan Winter Music 2019
10:00 am    SAFE Coalition: New Facility
11:00 am    Public School Concert: Sullivan Winter Music 2019
12:30 pm    FHS Girls Varsity Basketball: v Attleboro 02-14-23
2:30 pm    FHS Girls Varsity Hockey: v Leominster 02-07-23
8:30 pm    FHS Boys Varsity Hockey: v Attleboro 02-01-23

 

 

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

8:00 am    Town Council: 02-15-23
11:30 am    Finance Committee: 02-08-23
2:00 pm    Town Council: 02-15-23
6:00 pm    Economic Development Committee: LIVE, Chambers 833 0873 1233

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)