In Other News

Tabulators Tested in Franklin

Ballot Tabulator Testing (above) for the Presidential election was held on the morning of October 23rd in the Municipal Building Council Chambers. All is well and ready for Nov. 5.

Diwali for All at Charter School Saturday

On Saturday, Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School (BFCCPS) will host its third annual Diwali Festival of Lights event where students, staff, families, and the greater Franklin community are invited to celebrate the holiday. This cultural festival will feature group dances, musical performances, crafts, stories, and more at the school’s commons and courtyard. Performances include a cultural show, kids show and tell, vocal rendition, Diwali talk, Sounds of the Tabla performance, and an Indian classical dance. Attendees can also visit a range of stalls which will offer henna tattoos, jewelry, sarees and kurtis, and spice booths. Food and beverages will also be available for purchase. The event is sponsored by BFCCPS English Learner Parent Advisory Council (ELPAC) & School Community. Who: Teachers and staff Students and families Members of the English Learner Parent Advisory Council When: Saturday, October 26, 2024 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School Commons and Courtyard 500 Financial Park Franklin, MA 02038

Franklin Commuter Rail Shuts Down Nov. 2-3

Franklin Commuter Rail Line service will be suspended between Forge Park/495 and Readville during the weekend of November 2 – 3.

◦ A dedicated diversion schedule will be available soon on mbta.com.

◦ Free and accessible shuttle buses will replace train service between Forge Park/495 and Readville.

◦ Regular Commuter Rail fares should be purchased for service beyond Readville.

◦ This service change allows the contractor of the East St. Bridge Replacement project (Dedham) to drill and install micropiles for the new bridge abutments.

When and HOW are Early and Mail-in Votes Counted?

According to the Mass. Secretary of State, ballots cast before Election Day are sealed in envelopes until they’re ready to be counted. This includes absentee ballots, early “Vote by Mail” ballots, and in-person early voting ballots.

If you voted early or absentee, election workers will open and count your ballot at either:

• Your polling place on Election Day, or

• A central tabulation facility run by your local election official

Early and absentee ballot tabulation occurs in public, and anyone can observe the process.

When processing absentee and early ballots, election officials will:

1. Read aloud the names and addresses on the ballot envelopes

2. Cross the names off the voting list, indicating the ballots were counted

3. Open the ballot envelopes

4. Remove ballots from envelopes in batches, shuffle them to preserve ballot secrecy, and unfold them

5. Insert the ballots into the ballot box

If the tabulator can’t read your early or absentee ballot, election officials will place it in a locked compartment to hand-count after polls close.

Grants Fund Franklin Pump Upgrades

In January 2023, the Baker-Polito Administration, though MassDEP’s Clean Energy Results Program, with support from the Department of Energy Resources and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, awarded $8.1 million in State Gap III Grants to 62 Organizations and Municipal Facilities for energy efficiency projects and renewable power generation in the Commonwealth. The Town of Franklin secured a $67,807 State Gap III Grant, which was combined with $7,534 in local funds and $1,905 in incentives from National Grid, to improve energy efficiency at the Town’s Grove 1 and Grove 2 sewer pump stations. The proposed project includes replacing the two pumps in-kind with updated controls to return them to manufacturer efficiency and the installation of VFDs to allow for operation at lower head and flow points. Both sewer stations were built in 1986 and have not been upgraded with newer technology since then. With this upgrade the Town expects to reduce its annual energy usage by approximately 2,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year with an estimated cost savings of $800 per year.

Bocce Balls Won

Paula Vozzella was the winner of the Bocce Ball set in the raffle offered by the Italian American Club of Walpole at the Franklin Historical Museum during Harvest Festival. Congratulations!

Cinema 80 to Feature Nosferatu Saturday at 6pm

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is a landmark 1922 silent German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife (Greta Schröder) of his estate agent (Gustav von Wangenheim) and brings the plague to their town. It is an unauthorized and unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. Various names and other details were changed from the novel, including Count Dracula being renamed Count Orlok. It is especially noteworthy for its bizarre camera angles and sets and is a great cinema classic. Free, 80 West Central Street, Franklin.