Summertime, the living is easy as we ease into the 4th of July weekend

We can put “Summertime, and the living is easy”  on repeat as we ease into the long 4th of July weekend.

Less than a handful of meetings this week. The Agricultural Committee and Planning Board meets on Monday. The Municipal Affordable Housing Trust meets on Tuesday. 

While the Board of Health has a meeting scheduled for their normal first Wednesday of the month, there is no agenda posted and it may not occur. Prior meeting discussion was around whether there was a need to meet during the summer. Nothing was pressing at the time.

The 4th of July Celebration opens on Wednesday and runs through Sunday on the Town Common. Carnival rides open daily with a wrist band or ride package available. Live music is scheduled each day with the 5th Annual Mike Crandall Blues Festival on Saturday. Fireworks close out Saturday night at 10 PM from Franklin High School.

The Franklin Democratic Committee, the Rod and Gun Club, and the 4th Coalition will operate food booths during the event. Supporting these organizations are a win-win; food or refreshments for you and the family, and you help the group.

You can check out the 4th of July Coalition page for their full schedule. The Coalition is community supported so your donation can help support this event.

Each day's schedule will also be shared via the Franklin.news daily newsletter. 

*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town page 6/27/25, 8:00 PM

Franklin Agricultural Committee

Monday, June 30 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/Agricultural-Commission-13/?#_06302025-1797 

Planning Board Meeting

Monday, June 30 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06302025-1798 

Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Meeting

Tuesday, July 1 Time: 2:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/437?fileID=5188 

BOARD OF HEALTH MEETINGS

Wednesday, July 2 Time: 5:00 PM

no agenda at this time (not likely meeting)

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

A short week of meetings this past week.

The School Committee policy subcommittee met virtually on Tuesday at 6 PM to preview the fee discussion and decision before the full meeting at 7 PM. 

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/06/franklin-school-cmte-policy-subcmte-mtg.html

The full School Committee meeting met at 7 PM with 5 members participating for this virtual session. Franklin TV did not broadcast this session as it was virtual only. The audio for both the Policy subcommittee and full meeting is available at Franklin.news. 

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/06/school-committee-meets-virtually.html 

The Conservation Commission met on Thursday. Franklin TV video is available for replay on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glunYy20aWs 

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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

Summertime, “Summertime, and the living is easy”

Summertime,  “Summertime, and the living is easy” 

The Fiscal Year 2025 comes to a close on June 30. Town business starts to shift gears from one fiscal year to the next as the cycles continue. FY 2026 opens July 1 and we’ll start seeing confirmation of the budget cuts due to the failed override to fund the level service budget. No level service? Correct, town delivery of services will decline in various aspects. Some will be more noticeable than others.

With schools closed, the Recreation dept has temporarily moved to use Parmenter while construction on the Beaver St interceptor continues to work in their yard as well as disrupt traffic on Beaver St. They take this week off fortunately but are likely to be back as steel plates in the road remain.

The Design Review, School Committee and SchCmte Policy subcommittee all meet virtually on Tuesday. The Conservation Commission meets on Thursday.

For updates and reporting on the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar and information 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 6/20/25, 6:30 PM

Franklin Public Library Board of Directors Meeting

Monday, June 23 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/Library-Board-of-Directors-20/?#_06232025-1776 

Franklin School Committee Policy Subcommittee Meeting (virtual only)

Tuesday, June 24 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06242025-1792 

Design Review Meeting (virtual only)

Tuesday, June 24 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/429?fileID=5164 

Franklin School Committee (Virtual only)

Tuesday, June 24 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/School-Committee-35/?#_06242025-1793 

Arts and Culture Symposium Subcommittee Meeting

Wednesday, June 25` Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5979/Arts-and-Culture-Symposium_-SubCommittee-Meeting--1?bidId= 

Tri-County Regional Vocational School Committee Appointment Meeting

Thursday, June 26 Time: 2:30 PM

no agenda available at this time

Conservation Commission Meeting

Thursday, June 26 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/430?fileID=5169 

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

The groundbreaking for Habitat for Humanity to formally take title to the Old South Meeting House took place on Wednesday, June 18. The exterior will be preserved while the interior will be renovated to become a single family affordable residence.

The most significant meeting of the week was the Town Council session on Wednesday, June 18. The agenda was a typical variety of business appointments, recognitions, survey results, and a surprise. Fire Chief James McLaughlin announced his retirement effective on or before Oct 1, 2025. The video replay of the full meeting is available.

Chair Tom Mercer and I met virtually to record our Council “quarterbacking” session. We recap the meeting and condense it answering 2 key questions: 

• ok, what just happened? 

• What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

You can also find the audio at Franklin.News

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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

Wet weekend weather continues ahead of the Town Council meeting and informal Q&A sessions

Another wet weekend to dampen the spirits of the area residents. Wet enough that the Applause Gelato shop has rescheduled their re-opening until April 26 to be timed with the Ladybug Trail Walk which hopefully will bring more Spring-like weather. In the meantime, the moisture is gradually refilling the aquifers so that the State is gradually coming out of drought status so that is good. 

On the Town meeting front, the Town Council meets on Wednesday with a zoning bylaw to permit shared use kitchens, authorization for early voting for the special election June 3, and presentations on the Police Dept Mental Health Clinician work as well as the Town’s Crisis Advocacy Team.

Town and State officials hold their office hours at the Senior Center Thursday morning. Franklin Q&A has 2 sessions this week; at the Library Monday night at 6:30 PM and Wednesday at the Senior Center at 11 AM. All three sessions designated for informal question and answers on Town business.

*** Meeting schedule for the week of April 14 - April 19 

From the Town of Franklin calendar - as of 04/11/25 8 PM

Norfolk County Advisory Board Meeting Notice

Wednesday, April 16  Time: 6:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04162025-1657 

Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, April 16  Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04162025-1682 

Town Council Office Hours

Thursday, April 17  Time: 8:30 AM

No agenda expected for this informal business hour 

Franklin Housing Authority Meeting

Thursday, April 17  Time: 4:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04172025-1681 

Conservation Commission Meeting

Thursday, April 17  Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/372?fileID=4420 

Council On Aging (COA) Meeting

Friday, April 18  Time: 1:30 PM

no posted agenda at this time

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

The School Committee Policy Subcommittee met on Tuesday to confirm that while Horace was never going away, due to some folks impatience with the process, there may be a Horace Mann Campus proposal for the full School Committee to vote on at their April 29 session. The audio for the meeting is available exclusively from Franklin Matters/Franklin Public Radio  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/04/school-committee-policy-subcommittee.html 

The full School Committee met also on Tuesday to get detailed updates on the redistricting efforts for the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) expansion as well as the elementary schools. The video is available for replay from Franklin TV.  https://www.youtube.com/live/3rgXaYFUtNA?&t=100

The Chalkboard Chat session with School Committee Chair Dave Callaghan recaps both the Policy Subcommittee meeting and the full School Committee session to condense the four hour combined meetings to about 40 minutes

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/04/this-chalkboard-chat-condenses-both.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 on posted on the top of the page

• 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