Showing posts with label earlly voting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earlly voting. Show all posts

Saturday, October 11, 2025

A full week of meetings arrive this middle of October

A short work week for some with the holiday Monday (which doesn’t change the trash and recycling pick up schedule) is a week full of meetings.


The School Committee has a policy subcommittee meeting at 6 PM and their full committee session at 7 PM. Their full meeting gets an update on after school clubs (middle and high school) as well as a presentation by the Franklin Food Pantry.


The Town Council has an Economic Development Subcommittee (EDC) meeting at 5:45 and then the full Council meeting at 7 PM. The EDC meeting picks up the discussion on the possible adjustments to the “Friendly 40b” policy. Also up for discussion is the citizen prompted move to consider a separate and more accurate Town 40b calculation. The current State calculation under represents the actual 40b units in the housing inventory.


The full Town Council meeting has a chock full agenda so it will likely be a long session. Swearing in of the Fire Dept recent promotions, a new alcohol license for King St Brick Oven Pizza, appointments of the Franklin 250 Committee, state interest in purchase of the SNETT extension the Town is buying from CSX, and the zoning second readings for residential commercial kitchens, and creation of Crossing Neighborhood District to highlight just a few.

 

Election season is fully underway. 23 candidate interviews have been completed. The videos are publicly available. The last of the audio recordings will be completed on Saturday.  The candidate interviews can be found in the 2025 Election Collection. https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/08/election-collection-2025.html


Per the Town Clerk, the ballots have been received. Mail ballots sent to those who requested them. Ballot testing is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 15 at 9 AM. Early voting at the Town Clerk’s office begins Friday Oct 17 and runs through Friday, Oct 31. Biennial Election day is Tuesday, Nov 4 from 6 AM to 8 PM with all voting in the FHS gymnasium.


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.




*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town page 10/10/25, 7:00 PM   ***


Monday, October 13

Town & School buildings closed for Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day


Franklin School Committee Policy Subcommittee

Tuesday, October 14 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10142025-1949 


Design Review Meeting - Cancelled

Tuesday, October 14 Time: 7:00 PM


Franklin School Committee Meeting

Tuesday, October 14 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10142025-1948 


Friends of the Franklin Public Library Meeting

Tuesday, October 14 Time: 7:00 PM

No posted agenda for this session


Franklin Q&A

Wednesday, October 15 Time: 11:00 AM

No posted agenda for this information sharing session, to participate remotely contact the Senior Center or use the form -> https://forms.gle/Q3i9SUGXzsDHoBvy7 


Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting

Wednesday, October 15 Time: 5:45 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10152025-1954 


Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, October 15 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10152025-1953 


Town Council Office Hours

Thursday, October 16 Time: 8:30 AM

No posted agenda for this social gathering


Charles River Pollution Control District

Thursday, October 16 Time: 3:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10162025-1952 


Conservation Commission Meeting

Thursday, October 16 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/514?fileID=6655 


Council on Aging Meeting

Friday, October 17 Time: 1:30 PM

no posted agenda for this session



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


The Police Station open house and tour generated a disappointing amount of interest. In two of the 3 sessions that I participated in, only a dozen folk attended. All were informed on the lack of sufficient space in the current facility and appreciated the frank discussion by Chief TJ Lynch. Video tours of the individual rooms of the station have been posted to the Police Station Building Committee project page -> https://www.franklinmapoliceproject.com/existing-conditions 


The Planning Board meeting was broadcast by Franklin TV. The video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehDt5Ueh08Y 


Franklin TV live streamed 3 high school sporting events during the week


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.


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, May 24, 2025

Memorial Day weekend, a time for reflection

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kick off for summer time. Really a time of reflection to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. We have all the more reason to reflect given the current administration's challenge to our Constitutional freedoms that are working their way through the courts. 


There is a revised parade route for Franklin this year. The VFW, American Legion, and other veterans organizations have made these changes to hopefully enable more veterans to participate. 

  • The parade will start from the Horace Mann middle school complex. A more spacious gathering point for those marching. 

  • A slightly shorter route that also avoids the last hill up to the Common. 

  • The three stops for recognitions at Dean and the 2 cemeteries will be done before the parade to avoid the stop start and waiting during the parade of previous years.


The parade will begin at 11:00 AM, come out Oak St, to Union, to RT 140, to Emmons, to Main St, and back to the Town Common. You can watch the parade twice from the Common. 


At noon, the recognition ceremony for all veterans who passed during the prior year will be held among the veterans memorials on the Town Common.  Albert Johnson who passed during World War I will also be recognized. His ‘killed in action’ date during the war is not known so this day is fitting for his recognition. The other 44 individuals who have pillars along the Veterans Walkway have known dates and ceremonies are conducted throughout the year on those dates.


With the holiday on Monday, the shorter week contains less town and school meetings. In person voting for the special election for the FY 2026 budget override continues through Friday May 30. All other voting in person will be conducted at the high school on Tuesday June 3.


*** The agendas for the week ahead can be found here: 

from the Town page, as of 8:00 PM Friday, May 23 ***



Massachusetts Strategic Health Group Meeting

Tuesday, May 27 Time: 1:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05272025-1759 


Design Review Meeting (Virtual Mtg)

Tuesday, May 27 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/405?fileID=4909 


Franklin School Committee Meeting

Tuesday, May 27 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05272025-1761 


Franklin School Committee Community Relations Subcommittee Meeting

Thursday, May 29 Time: 4:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05292025-1760 


Conservation Commission Meeting

Thursday, May 29 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/407?fileID=4912 




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


The Town Council conducted their 2 public hearings on the FY 2026 budget on Wednesday and Thursday as scheduled. The first night went 4 hours as all the questions and comments raised were answered. The second night saw the brief hearing continued to June 4. The results of the vote June 3 will be known and that will enable the Council to make their votes on the budget either 


  • As proposed, if the override passes

  • Or with significant cuts, if the override fails


Thursday’s agenda also included some alcohol license approvals.

  • A modification to management and ownership of The Shed

  • A transfer of licenses between DeVitas and Big Y. After a somewhat contentious discussion, the Council did approve the transfers by a 5-1-3 vote (5 for, 1 against (Cormier-Leger) with 3 absent (Chandler, Pellegri, and Dellorco). Dellorco had been present, left during the public hearing and did not return to the meeting.


Additional info on these meetings can be found with the Franklin.News meeting recaps here

Weds -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/05/town-council-spends-4-hours-reviewing.html 

Thurs -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/05/town-council-expresses-frustration-with.html 



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For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendars 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.


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