Franklin MAtters Weekly

Saturday, November 7, 2026

Veterans Day splits a busy meeting week

For a short work week with Veterans Day on Wednesday, there are 13 meetings so plenty of activity aside from the Town Council & School Committee.

The Town Administrators Ad-Hoc review committee seems set on wrapping up the 2025 review before getting to the 2026 review in their session on Monday.

The Housing Authority and the Budget Subcmte for the 250 Celebration are also scheduled to meet Monday

Tuesday has the Charter School Finance Committee and the Cultural Council are scheduled for regular meetings.

The Veterans Brunch is scheduled for Tuesday at the VFW.

Wednesday is Veterans Day. The schools are out and all Town buildings closed for the holiday. There is a Fallen Hero recognition on the Town Common at 9 AM to honor Danial McCahill who died on Nov 11, 1942 in the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Thursday starts with office hours for Town and State officials at the Senior Center at 8:30 AM followed by 8, yes 8 meetings. The agendas for each as provided below.

Of note, the Town Clerk has scheduled for 9 AM a post-election tabulation session for vote-by-mail ballots returned by mail for the November 3, 2026 State Election to be processed. This session will include ballots received by the Town Clerk's Office on or before 5:00 PM on November 6, 2026, provided that the ballots are postmarked on or before November 3, 2026.

Closing out the week, the Fire Dept open house is scheduled for Saturday November 14 from 10 AM to 2 PM. This had been washed out by the rain on Nov 7.

For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news/ where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.

Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1854-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-11-08-26/

*** Event & Meeting schedule (with agendas) as of Town pages 11/06/26 6:00 PM ***

Town Administrator Evaluation Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

Monday, November 9 Time: 4:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11092026-2594

Franklin Housing Authority Meeting

Monday, November 9 Time: 4:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11092026-2597

250th Anniversary Celebration Budget Subcommittee Meeting

Monday, November 9 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11092026-2606

Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School Finance Committee Meeting

Tuesday, November 10 Time: 12:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11102026-2611

Franklin Cultural Council Meeting

Tuesday, November 10 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11102026-2607

Town Council Monthly Office Hours

Thursday, November 12 Time: 8:30 AM

no agenda for this informal session

Town Clerk - NOTICE OF POST-ELECTION TABULATION SESSION

Thursday, November 12 Time: 9:00 AM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11122026-2610

Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Meeting

Thursday, November 12 Time: 2:00 PM

Agenda likely to be available Mon/Tues

Charles River Pollution Control District

Thursday, November 12 Time: 3:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11122026-2612

Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting

Thursday, November 12 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11122026-2613

Cultural District Committee Meeting

Thursday, November 12 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11122026-2596 (opens Word doc)

Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School-Board of Trustees Mtg

Thursday, November 12 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11122026-2604

Conservation Commission Meeting (remote only)

Thursday, November 12 Time: 7:00 PM

11/12 Meeting Scheduled due to the cancellation of the 11/5 and 11/19 meetings.

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11122026-2608

250th Anniversary Celebration Committee - Events Subcommittee

Thursday, November 12 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11122026-2602

Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Meeting

Thursday, November 12 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11122026-2603

Fire Department Open House

Saturday, November 14 Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (rescheduled from 11/7/26)

*** Looking back at the week that was ***

There were several video productions by Franklin TV during the past week both broadcast live and pre-recorded for publication via YouTube.

Town & School meetings

The Planning Board meeting on Monday, Nov 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaH_yNhlKAg

The School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Nov 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZY_c6F45fk&t=270s

The Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdruwO7IWew

FHS Sports

The FHS girls soccer game vs. Concord-Carlisle On Mon, Nov 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1hGXcdCk-0

The FHS football game vs. Andover on Thursday, Nov 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qkli0E7m4k

The FHS volleyball match vs Springfield Central on Friday, Nov 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8mBHHULtsI

All Access Channel

No Kings Rally 2026 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUZDWiQ1mJU

Franklin Votes - 2026 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJVc-q0SQQA

November's FM Journal set to premier at 5 PM on Monday, Nov 9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGmyCTD0IdM

Franklin Matters

The School Committee Policy subcmte meeting audio recording - https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/11/school-cmte-policy-subcmte-approves.html

Board of Health audio recording Nov 3 meeting - https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/11/board-of-health-reviews-emergency.html

Town Council Communications Subcmte audio recording - Nov 5 Meeting

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/11/you-can-listen-to-town-council.html

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Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

Subscribe for the daily dose of information -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html

Saturday, October 31, 2026

Clocks change, State Election Tuesday, and a full slate for meetings this week

The clocks should have fallen back an hour to give us more daylight as winter approaches. No further forecast on winter from here, it is hard enough reporting on what happens in Town, never mind trying to forecast what could happen on the ever changing weather front.

The Planning Board meeting on Monday continues the Depot Plaza proposal discussion. The developer has rendering for the building height relative to the others on Main St. The agenda doc also includes some citizen proposals for consideration by the Planning Board.

The State election is Tuesday, Nov 3. Polls open at 6 AM and close at 8 PM. There are 9 ballot questions so being prepared is a great thing to do to speed your way through the process. Be patient as others may not have been as prepared.

As there is nothing Franklin specific on the ballot to be decided by the outcome of the vote, Franklin Matters will be covering the School Committee meetings. When the Town Clerk releases the unofficial totals, we will post those as soon as possible.

The School Committee Policy subcommittee meets on Tuesday. Up for consideration are a set of changes resulting from further review of the Freedom to Read legislation passed during the summer to bring other references inline with that change. Also a continuation of the fiscal policy work already underway.

The full School Committee also meets on Tuesday, on their agenda is an update from the SAFE Coalition, the Horace Mann Legacy, and Franklin 250 Anniversary Celebration.

The Board of Health is scheduled for their monthly meeting on Wednesday at 5 PM.

The Town Council meets at 6 PM with the key discussion item being a presentation by the Police Dept on their use of the Flock cameras. Legislation is prepared should the Council consider a vote to remove them. There is also an executive session on 2 police contracts with a return to open meeting for their app (assuming it works out that way).

The Commission on Disability is scheduled for their monthly meeting at 4 PM at the Senior Center.

The Conservation Commission has canceled their normal session this week. This continues the trend of meeting cancellations across the Planning Board, Design Review, and ZBA as proposals for new developments have dried up.

There is a meeting for the Finance Committee on the Town calendar but it is likely to be cleaned up. The published set of meetings for the year listed nothing for November, and their October session confirmed their next meeting as December 9.

The Franklin Fire Dept closes out the week with their annual Open House on Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM.

Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1848-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-11-01-26/

*** Event & Meeting schedule (with agendas) as of Town pages 10/30/26 5:00 PM ***

Planning Board Meeting

Monday, November 2 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11022026-2589

Franklin School Committee Policy Subcommittee Meeting

Tuesday, November 3 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11032026-2592

Franklin School Committee Meeting

Tuesday, November 3 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11032026-2591

Board of Health Meeting

Wednesday, November 4 Time: 5:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11042026-2588

Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, November 4 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11042026-2593

Town Council Communications Subcommittee Meeting

Thursday, November 5 Time: 12:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11052026-2590

Franklin Commission on Disability

Thursday, November 5 Time: 4:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11052026-2585

Cancelled Conservation Commission Meeting

Thursday, November 5 Time: 7:00 PM

No agenda needed for this canceled session

Fire Department Open House

Saturday, November 7 Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

*** Looking back at the week that was ***

There were several video productions by Franklin TV during the past week both broadcast live and pre-recorded for publication via YouTube.

Town & School meetings

Town Charter Ad hoc commission meeting on Monday, Oct 26 video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mwUliR6Ods

School Committee meeting Tuesday, Oct 27 meeting recap -

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/10/school-committee-gets-updates-on.html

Town Council meeting Wednesday Oct 28 - video link -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f09u6XBeJ0

Economic Development Subcmte meeting Thursday, Oct 29 - video link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAba-Yo3yxE&t=609s

Zoning Board of Appeals meeting Thursday, Oct 29 - video link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlE8To9Q2H8

FHS Sports

FHS field hockey vs Concard-Carlisle on Monday, Oct 26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqNIzLBVmOA

FHS Girls Soccer vs. Sharon on Tuesday, Oct 27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWUH0PMiBww

FHS football vs. Taunton on Friday, Oct 30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPF4fQxaaL8

All Access Channel

Town of Franklin Voter Information Session 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ktQgEuqS4

Frank Presents: Andrew Mikula https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3fO5KzGoqU

Frank Presents: Mike Maraglia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVuJ7t85Kqg

Frank Presents: Tamisha Civil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvPtsRbln3g

Franklin Matters

FM #1844 Direct Impact Checking & SAFE Coalition 10/27/26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlK8J9OiwSk

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Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

Subscribe for the daily dose of information -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Your couple of minutes view on what's coming or just happened in Franklin MA

From charter review to 250 event brainstorming to Administrator Evaluation to Tax Rate workshop and a bunch of other items in between are on tap this week.

The Ad-hoc charter review subcommittee is scheduled to meet early on Monday. Let’s hope nothing happens like the prior two causes for meeting cancellation.

The 250 Celebration Committee holds a session at the Senior Center Monday morning to outline plans for the events in 2028 to seek feedback, additional ideas and perhaps some volunteers to help with the effort.

The Town Administrator evaluation Subcommittee, the Agricultural Committee, the Library Board of Directors, and the 250 Subcommittee on historical significance are also scheduled to meet on Monday.

The School Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday to get an update on the October 1 enrollment, hear about a potential new international trip for FHS, and get an update from Liz Harkins, the new Executive Director at Franklin TV.

The Franklin High School Auditorium is the setting for the 2nd of three tax rate workshops being held by the Town Council. Hopefully many folks will come out for this session.

The Economic Development subcommittee and the Zoning Board of Appeals are scheduled to meet on Thursday to close out the week of meetings.

The last Farmers Market for the season comes around on Friday, Oct 30 at the Town Common. The Winter Farmers Market at Fairmount Fruit Farm has two dates each month from Nov to March scheduled.