Adirondack Town Of Franklin
Adirondack Town Of Franklin

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

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Town of Franklin
P.O. Box 209, Route 3, Vermontville, NY 12989  ·  Tel: 518-891-2189  ·  Fax: 518-891-6389  ·  info@townoffranklin.com
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