Traffic change approved

On September 29 the Franklin Town Council voted 8-0 to approve the change in downtown roads from one-way to two-way traffic. In addition, the Council decided to hold an additional hearing on Wednesday, October 20, to discuss putting utilities underground on portions of East Central Street.

Read the full article from the Milford Daily News here: www.milforddailynews.com/topstories/x399785561/Franklin-to-make-downtown-roads-two-way

For more information about the Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project click here: franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Planning/dtimprovement

To see more on the project you can also go up to the Projects tab for more links.

Letter to Town Council: Downtown Improvement Project

There is a Public Hearing about the Downtown Improvement Project scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29, on the 2nd floor of the Municipal Building. The hearing will be part of the regular Town Council meeting.

The following is a letter written by the Franklin Downtown Partnership Board of Directors to the Town Council regarding the project. We invite you to either scroll through the attached or print it out for future reference.

FDP Town Council Letter

Letter to Town Council: Underground Utilities

The Franklin Downtown Partnership Board of Directors also sent a letter to the Town Council regarding the proposal to put utilities underground on East Central Street. Again we invite you to scroll through the letter or print it out for future reference.

FDP Council Letter Utilities

Harvest Festival - 2010

Yesterday's Harvest Festival drew thousands to downtown Franklin yesterday. Our generous sponsors and tireless volunteers made our 7th annual Festival a complete success.

The Milford Daily News covered the event and published this story overnight: www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1319753256/Franklin-celebrates-fall-festival.

Mark your calendars - Harvest Festival

The Harvest Festival is rapidly approaching. You can print out this flyer or copy and share it with your friends and neighbors.

2010 Harvest Festival Map

This is the layout of the booths for the Harvest Festival sponsored by the Franklin Downtown Partnership. The Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday, Sep 26 2010 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Harvest Festival press release can be found here

Downtown Partnership Harvest Fest 2010 Map


Note: the map is not to scale but is meant to provide a good idea of the layout of the booths and exhibits at the Harvest Festival. You can print a copy to take with you to the Festival.

Our Harvest Festival will be this Sunday, September 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Join us downtown for a day of music, food, crafts, classic cars, kids games and fun for the whole family. The seventh annual Harvest Festival is made possible through the generous contributions by our sponsors! 

2010 Harvest Festival Press Release

Franklin Harvest Festival Continues to Grow

Once again the Franklin Downtown Partnership expects this year’s seventh annual Harvest Festival to be even larger than in years past.  With more food vendors, more music and entertainment, a classic car show and more than 100 crafters, the Partnership predicts close to 3,500 visitors will attend this year’s event.

The festival will be Sunday, September 26, from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm.  There is no rain date scheduled.  The event will be held in downtown Franklin on Main Street, East Central Street, West Central Street and Summer Street.

“We plan to have something for everyone,” says Lisa Piana, the Partnership’s executive director. “We will have classic cars for the guys, games for the kids, and plenty of crafters for everyone.”

Three bands will entertain the crowds. Local favorites Random Play will perform on East Central Street at the Cafe Dolce patio, Knuf Said will appear on the center island in front of the Rome Restaurant, and Nothing to No One will take the stage on Main Street.

One new addition this year is the Historical Museum will be open for tours. Volunteers will hold a bake sale with apple cider served on the porch. Other highlights include the Farmers Market, painting demonstrations, and a children’s area filled with games, face painting and a moon walk.

More food vendors have been added to the mix this year. Along with the Partnership’s food stand selling hot dogs and slushies at Dean Bank, there will be booths set up at the Berry Insurance parking lot offering sausage sandwiches, fried dough, lemonade, chicken and hamburgers.  “The food vendors were a hit last year so we added even more for this weekend. Visitors should definitely come hungry,” says Mary Graff, festival coordinator.

Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation is this year’s Gold Sponsor, and Middlesex Savings Bank is the Silver Sponsor.  Bronze Sponsors include Chestnut Dental Associates, CVS Pharmacy, Dean Bank, Ferguson Enterprises, NHS Print, Ten Key, Inc., and Doherty, Ciechanowski, Dugan and Cannon, P.C.  According to Executive Director Lisa Piana, “We are able to have this festival each year due to the generosity of our sponsors and the support from the police department.” As a non-profit organization the FDP depends on sponsors to fund all events.

Visitors to the festival can find parking at the old municipal building on Emmons Street, Dean College on West Central Street, and at the library. Traffic will be detoured from East Central Street to Cottage Street. Visitors should plan accordingly since Main Street will be closed.

Anyone who would like to sponsor future events should contact the FDP at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com. Any business or resident who would like to become a member can call (774)571-3109, visit the office at 9 East Central, or go to http://franklindowntownparntership.blogspot.com.  The Partnership’s mission is to stimulate economic development in the downtown to create a positive impact throughout the area.

The layout or map of the Festival booths can be found here

Improvement Project - Traffic Changes - Executive Summary

The Executive Summary of the proposed traffic changes as part of the Downtown Improvement Project can be view in this document: Franklin,MA Proposed traffic circulation - executive summary 20100901

Additional documentation on the project can be found on the Dept of Planning and Community Development on the Franklin, MA website here:

http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Planning/dtimprovement

Downtown Improvement Project - Design Update - Sep 2010

The design document showing before and after views of how the Downtown Improvement Project will change Franklin's downtown area. Franklin Ma Downtown Design Update 20100901

Downtown Improvement Project - Survey

Updated: 9/28/10 midnight - this survey is now closed. Thank you for your contribution!

This brief survey will be open for your input through midnight Sep 28, 2010.

Franklin on Chronicle

Did you catch the segment on Franklin last Monday night on Chronicle? The show highlighted four town centers around Boston. Here is the Franklin segment -- enjoy!  Town Centers: Segment Four - Video - WCVB Boston

From the Milford Daily News

Dean College students greeted by new campus center - Milford, MA - The Milford Daily News

Story by Ashley Studley, Daily News staff.