Town of Franklin Board Newsletter
VOLUME 8 ISSUE 3 - The Franklin Flyer Our Town News - JUNE 2017
Loose Ends
by Lauren LeFebvre
Loose Ends is what I'm going to permanently call
this column because that's what I always seem to
write about.
FREE Rabies Clinic - Tuesday, June 13, 6pm-8pm
at Kate Mountain Park. After that, give me a call and
we'll license your dog. I can't tell you how many
people say “My dog never leaves my property” and
then one day Fido takes off after someone on a bike,
gets lost, is picked up by Animal Control and Fido's
jaunt ends up costing you a hundred bucks to get him
out of the clink. It's only $3.50 a year to license a
spayed/neutered dog and $10.50 if it's not. (I hope
this newsletter gets to you before June 13!)
Summer Youth Program -Seriously? Is it that time
already? Yup, it is. Our six week(ish) program will
run July 5-August 11. The registration form in on
our website www.townoffranklin.com. Lunch will be
provided daily through the SLCSD Summer Feeding
Program. This helps keep costs down and allows the
Town to continue offering it for free. Our Summer
Youth Program is well-known as one of the best in
the area and we are very proud of that. Children can
attend every day, a few days, a few weeks or whatever
fits best in your schedule. (It's a great place for
“bored” visiting grandchildren). I had many people
ask how to donate to the program last year. Children
will be sent home with a wish list for donations of
craft supplies and the like. Unfortunately, due to the
Summer Feeding Program Guidelines, we cannot
accept food donations of any kind. If you'd like to
contribute to the program financially, stop by my
office or call me at 891-2189.
Founder's Day-July 29 at Kate Mountain Park
11-5. So far, we have pony rides, a live band,
“not-so-silent” auction, bounce castle, ice cream,
Franklin's Fabulous Food Wagon, Blue Line
Brewery's Beer Garden and a craft show. I
haven't even started trying hard yet! We have
plenty of space for vendors. I would love to see
our local cottage businesses come out for this.
Farmers, jewelry makers, soap makers, knitters,
artists of any kind….I know you're out there.
Space for residents is FREE. We REALLY,
REALLY, REALLY need volunteers. We are
maxed out for what we can do that day, not for
lack of imagination but for lack of people. If you
volunteer, I promise I will not ask you to do
something you hate!
Town of Franklin Golf Tournament -
September 24 at Saranac Inn. $300 per
foursome. There will be prizes for longest drive,
closest to the pin, etc. A fabulous Roast Pork
Lunch is included. Registration is now open. See
Jacques DeMars or me to register.
Pumpkin Heaves and Autumn Leaves
Festival -October 14 at Kate Mountain Park.
Right now, what I need most is for you to start
building! We can't have a pumpkin throwing
contest if no one is competing. Build a catapult
or build a trebuchet. This is a great summer
project so get started now! Info will be posted on
our website just click on “events”.
Community Building Timeline -As Supervisor
Willman addressed in the “All Art” edition of the
last newsletter . . .the time has come. My role in
this deal is making sure we cross all our T's and
dot our I's. There is a bonding process and dates count. Here's
the schedule:
June 14 - At the regular board meeting, the Town
Board will adopt a Bond Resolution stating the Town
Board wishes to bond for in order to construct a
Community Center. Normally, once adopted, there is
a 30 day window in which residents can petition for a
town wide vote—aka Permissive Referendum. The
Town Board has decided to skip that waiting period
to see whether or not a petition is submitted and go
right to the bond vote—aka Mandatory Referendum.
A vote to go right to a Mandatory Referendum will
be included in the resolution. From the date the
resolution is adopted, the election must take place
within at least 60 days but not more than 75 days.
(There is a chapter in the NYS Town Clerk’s Manual
that I thought I'd never need to read—this is it)
July 12 - Immediately following the regular monthly
board meeting, the board will hold an informational
session with the public. This is for you to ask
questions, state your opinion, etc. It's very much like
a Public Hearing but since we're not going the
Permissive Referendum route, a Public Hearing is not
required, so I'm not going to call it that. Please come.
August 15 - The day arrives! There will be a Special
Election at the Franklin Town Hall on Tuesday
August 15. Polls will be open 7am-7pm. Absentee
ballots will be available after June 14. All voters must
be residents of the Town of Franklin for at least 30
days prior to the election, at least 18 years of age and
ALL voters must provide valid identification. No ID,
no voting. Even I will have to show my ID. Also,
we need four poll workers. If you are interested,
please let me know.
Ok, ok, I wasn't going to give an opinion on the
Community Center and I'm really trying very hard not
to. I will leave you with this. I've been a part of the
Town of Franklin since 1998, first as Tax Collector,
then Town Clerk, then Town Clerk/Tax Collector,
then Deputy Town Clerk/Tax Collector and in 2013
back to Town Clerk/Tax Collector. I've worked with
Supervisor Frank Karl, Mary Fredenburgh, Mary
Ellen Keith and Art Willman. The need for a
Community Center has been discussed, researched,
studied, surveyed to death for (dare I say it?) 20
YEARS. Whether you're Team Karl, Team
Fredenburgh, Team Keith or Team Willman the need
for a Community Center didn't change with the
administration. I am proud member of all of those
teams. If you know me at all you'll know I cannot
stand meeting and discussing for the sake of meeting
and discussing. In the words of The King, Elvis
Presley--- “A Little Less Conversation, A Lot More
Action”
LET'S GET OUT AND VOTE!!!
News From the Town of Franklin
55+ Club
By Mary Ellen Keith and Phyllis King
The Town of Franklin 55+ Club is a fun and active
group of Seniors. We are responsible for the portion
of the Town of Franklin's budget allocated to
programs for Seniors of $1500 to be used for cultural
activities for every Senior of said Town. There is no
requirement of the club membership to participate.
We welcome suggestions from any Senior of an
outing or activity for our group to arrange for them.
1. The Town of Franklin 55+ Club is a member of
the Franklin County Office of the Aging. Two
delegates represent our town. One delegate is a
member of the Club and one delegate is appointed for
the Town of Franklin Town Board. Delegates attend
county meeting offering input and voting on activities
presented by the Association of the Aging regarding
senior activities.
2. Our local club meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays
each month at the Franklin Town Hall. We meet at
noon during the winter months and 5:30pm in the
summertime.
3. As a supplement to our budget, members
contribute $3.00 per meeting to help meet expenses
which include Franklin County Association dues,
quarterly newsletter, stamps, greeting cards outings, a
“special dinner out”, etc.
4. 2017 Activities So Far:
February-Pendragon Theater “Guys on Ice” a musical
of local talent about ice fishing - lots of humor and
music relevant to the Adirondacks. Following the
performance our club and invited guests enjoyed
dinner at Asian Buffet.
May - Enjoyed a “night out” at Pizza Hut, Ala-carte.
5. Suggested Events for the Upcoming Months:
North Country Underground Railroad Museum
Echo Leahy Center in Vermont
John Brown Farm in Lake Placid
Adirondack History Museum to see the Arto Monaco
artifacts and Marjorie Lansing Porter Collection, as
well as displays of the history of Trudeau Institute and
the Trudeau Era.
A Day of History is planned for Founder's Day on July
29 which will include antique displays, historical items
of the town, storytelling, etc.
Bake Sale and Clutter Cleaning Sale on June 10 at the
Franklin Town Hall to benefit St. Paul's Food
Pantry
SENIORS ARE ACTIVE AND ALIVE! Join the
fun, food and fellowship with us!
Questions? Contact Phyllis King President 891-
1995 or Mary Ellen Keith
Ticked Off
In the early 1970s an unusual outbreak of arthritis in
children occurred in a rural community near Lyme,
Connecticut. The medical community and researches
were puzzled as to what was causing these symptoms,
typically after a characteristic localized rash appeared.
The cause was later discovered to be a bacterial
infection (Borrelia burgdorferi) transmitted by the deer
tick (Ixodes scapularis); and the condition was named
Lyme disease. Lyme disease may cause symptoms
affecting the skin, nervous system, heart and/or joints
of an individual. Over 95,000 cases have been reported
to the New York State Department of Health since
Lyme disease became reportable in 1986
According to the Franklin County Health Department,
these ticks are widely distributed throughout our area.
They are active in late spring through early fall and
reside in woody and bushy areas with high grass and
leaf litter.
Keep ticks off your skin
Cover up. Wear light colored long pants, long sleeves,
and long socks, making ticks easier to spot.
Check your body for ticks and remove them with finetipped
tweezers, avoiding tick fluids by wearing gloves or
using tissue. Grasp the tick near the mouth parts as close
to the skin as possible. Gently pull the tick in a steady,
upward motion. Disinfect the bite site with soap and water,
rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
Record the date and location of the tick bite and
inform your health care provider and watch for early
symptoms of disease over the next few weeks . The early
stage of Lyme disease is usually marked by one or more of
the following symptoms: “Bull’s Eye” rash, chills and
fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, muscle and/or joint
pain, and swollen glands Early treatment of Lyme disease
involves antibiotics and almost always results in a full cure.
However, the chances of a complete cure decrease if
treatment is delayed.
Please note that the sources of the information above were
publications provided by the CDC and the New York Heath
Department; and this article is only intended as a guideline for
dealing with the tick problem. It is recommended that you get complete
information from the following captioned sources: CDC: 1-800-232-
4636, www.cdc.gov/lyme ; NYS Health Department:
www.nyhealth.gov
Town Board Meetings
5:30 p.m. (Winter), 2nd Wednesdays of the Month at the Town Hall, Vermontville