framingham.com (*** TEST SITE ***)

Author: Deb Cleveland

  • Framingham Youth Basketball Sign-ups

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham Youth Basketball (formally St. Stephen’s CYO) is holding signups this Saturday, October 17,2009. The league is open to all boys and girls born between September 1, 1994 and August 31,2000. Signups will be at Marian High School on Union Ave from 1 to 3pm.

    The teams have one practice per week and play one game per week. The home games are on a high school court. The away games are in Wellesley, Weston and Framingham.

    LEVELS OF PLAY

    • Junior – Born between Sept. 1, 1998 and August 31,2000
    • Bantam – Born between Sept. 1, 1996 and August 31,1998
    • Cadet – Born between Sept. 1, 1994 and August 31, 1996

    COST: $100. per player, ($75. for a second child, $50. for every child after that)

      SIGN UP SESSION is at Marian High School, Saturday, October 17,2009, 1pm to 3pm.

      Sign up by mail to:

      Framingham Basketball
      965 Pleasant St.
      Framingham, Ma 01701

      Questions and forms available at erath@rcn.com or morganshields@rcn.com

    • October News from the Framingham Farmers Market

      NOTE: The following was contributed by Elizabeth Aurilio, the Framingham Farmer’s Market Manager.

      Framingham, MA –This week, expect to find a couple of new and interesting items at the market. Everyone is still coming to market with an awe-inspiring array of late summer and fall produce, baked goods, snacks, cheese and fall decorations, but now Matt Hanson has begun to bring jars of Framingham honey and Silvia’s is stocking an unusual purple cauliflower.
      Matt has been learning the art of beekeeping for a few years now – studying the specifics from his neighbor, a near-by farmer. He has both a light and a dark honey to choose from – and while both types of honey come from the same hive, the lighter, more delicate honey is the first to come off while the darker, more molasses flavored honey is scraped close to the comb. Many people swear that honey is the best cure for sore throats, dry skin and other ailments and that local honey, specifically, is above all the best naturopathic cure for seasonal allergies. While I’m in no position to offer evidence to any of those claims, I feel testimonial when it comes to taste. The honey is sublime and I recommend you snatch it up while you can. It will certainly dawn comfort in a warm cup of tea on a crackly, cold winter day.

      I picked up an odd head of broccoli at Silvia’s market stall yesterday and was marveling at the deep, jewel tones of emerald and amethyst in the florets. I know that sounds silly, but I garden and work in farmers’ markets and am therefore easily excited by colorful vibrancy in vegetables. I wanted to pay my compliments to the farmer, so I held it up and commented on the beautiful broccoli. “That’s not broccoli, it’s a purple cauiflower” said Ed. He said he thought it was broccoli too, but that his wife insists it is a purple cauliflower. “Look at the leaf”, he says, “that is the leaf of a cauliflower plant and even though I know it is biologically a cauliflower, it looks like broccoli and I think it tastes like broccoli – but not my wife, she thinks it looks like a cauliflower and tastes like a cauliflower” and with that he grabbed it from my hands and shoved it in my apron pocket to take home and help him settle the debate. Please come to the market and try the purple cauliflower – don’t leave me stranded here as the lone middleman to this debate. I can’t wait to hear what you think – and let you know where my verdict lies. See you Thursday!

    • The Pies Have It

      One of the highlights of being in Framingham in October is the annual Pies on the Common sponsored by the First Parish Church.

      Mid-month on a Saturday, the Framingham Centre Common is alive with booths of not only home-made pies, dozens and dozens and dozens of them, but also a huge yard sale and booths of handmade crafts.

      As you walk through the Common, most likely wearing a sweater, your feet crunching on the autumn leaves, you can inhale fresh crisp air and wander from booth to booth, cradling your pie, if they haven’t sold out before you get there.  Click here for a brief video overview of Framingham Pies on the Common

    • Peaceful Resting at Edgell Grove Cemetery

      We decided to combine a walking outing with paying our respects to friends at Edgell Grove.  We wandered the parklike cemetery and looked up Debby Blumer and some Masonic brothers laid to rest there.

      Many familiar names jumped out and us and we enjoyed the designs and sentiments of the memorials. 

      The chapel and masoleum are quite lovely and seem in good repair.  A gazebo on a hill lends itself to quiet reflection.

    • Sprucing up outside the Library Branch

      The McAuliffe Library now has two new signs.  The lawn sign includes some planets as a reference to Christa McAuliffe as teacher in space.

      The road and sidewalk in front of the main doors have been redesigned.  The crosswalk on either side has been  plagued by large puddles on rainy days and because of snow run-off.  Also, the speed of the cars going past the library has been an issue.  The road has been narrowed and the pavement redone to take care of the puddle problem and to subtly encourage motorists to slow down as they pass the library.

      Looking good!

    • $43 Million Birch Road Well Project Discussed on Local Cable TV

      FRAMINGHAM, MA — If you’d like to hear an in-depth discussion about Framingham’s $43M Birch Road Well Project to reduce the town’s dependence on MWRA water by 50%, tune in to hear the experts discuss the overall project on public access t.v. on:

      The Audrey Hall Show:

      • Monday 9/28/09, 7:00 p.m.
      • Tuesday 9/29/09, 9:00 a.m.
      • Wednesday 9/30/09 9:00 a.m.

      The well site has been referred to as the “highest yielding” aquifer in eastern Massachusetts and after years of discussing the potential of the well the town started to seriously consider the project in 2003, with aquifer testing beginning in spring 2006.

      In May, Town Meeting approved a $40.3 million water treatment facility project that would tap into the Birch Road Wells. The site is located in Saxonville adjacent to the PUD site (formerly NE Sand and Gravel) just off of Old Conn Path near the Wayland line. The aquifer tapped by the wells and treated by the facility could supply more than 4 million gallons daily, nearly half of the town’s water supply. This has the potential to save the town tens of millions of dollars in years to come.

      The town has to pay a fee to the MWRA annually and the rates keep escalating. In 2008 MWRA water cost Framingham $6.3 million. Projected 2014 costs for the town are estimated to be $9.3 million.

      In 2013, the Birch Road Wells water could potentially cost about 40 percent less than MWRA water. In addition to the savings on MWRA water, Framingham can benefit from some federal stimulus funding, which could amount to 14 percent of the project’s cost, or about $5.6 million.

      There are some concerns, including magnesium levels and the impact of a plume of PCE from a spill decades ago during experiments on the property to develop a quick means of patching damaged air fields.

      Wayland officials are concerned about the impact on their water supply. Richard Miller of the Cochituate State Park Advisory Committee has raised concerns about the impact to Lake Cochituate.

    • Fire at Recycling Company stops Train Traffic

      FRAMINGHAM, MA — On Monday, Sept. 21, 2009 in the early evening, a fire raged in u-shaped mound of trash behind Conigliaro Industries, a recycling business at 701 Waverly St., Framingham.The trash pile of wood, paper, mattresses, plastics and more was estimated at about 250 long and 20 feet high and 20 feet deep, providing plenty of fuel for the fire.

      Towering flames and dark smoke brought the commuter and freight trains on the nearby railroad tracks to a standstill and delayed rail traffic for about an hour and a half. Roads near the fire, including part of Fountain Street, were closed.

      People in the vicinity reported a terrible stench as well as their eyes and throat burning due to the smoke and fumes caused by the fire.

      Local residents are questioning the wisdom of allowing the company to have such a large accumulation of debris.

      ###

    • Respecting Neighborhoods

      Recently there have been some storm clouds over neighborhoods that fear the impact of businesses trying to get permission to do business among them. 

      Locating a kennel in a residential area  and a cement plant adjacent to conservation land and dense neighborhoods certainly sound like cause for speaking up in defense of keeping the neighborhood free of unsettling noise, smells, and dust.

      Some time ago, other neighborhoods put out signs with the message: “Respect the Integrity of the Neighborhood.”  Not a bad concept.

    • Keeping Up Appearances or Not

      Sometime ago a car ran into the front of a local pizza place, breaking the window and damaging the brickwork of the front wall.  The window was replaced as well as the bricks, but the bricks weren’t painted to blend in with the rest of the bricks of the front of the restaurant.

      Everytime we drove by, the unpainted bricks caught our eyes, like missing teeth, and we wondered if they would ever be painted.   It could be months, maybe a year or so since the accident and it seemed as though the restaurant owners just didn’t think about painting the bricks.  We had stopped going there, because we decided we liked another place’s pizza crust better.

      Finally, as we turned the corner by the place recently, we noticed that the bricks were at last painted. 

      Then there is the pizza place in the strip mall that has recently been attractively remodelled whose employees were just throwing their soda cases on the mulch to the side of their new front door.  Someone may have said something to them because on a recent visit, the cases are neatly stacked and tucked away around the corner.

    • Talk on Selecting the Right College on Oct. 5th

      FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Youth Commission of Temple Beth Am in Framingham will be hosting a free informational session about helping all parents and their college-bound student select the right college.

      The presentation will be given by Larry Dannenberg of College Solutions, Framingham.

      Among the topics he will address are:

      • How can you identify the “right” college for your child?
      • How can you guide your child to make “smart decisions” in
        preparation of the college application process?
      • What are the myths about admission, required tests and financial aid

      The event will be held on Monday, October 5th and begin promptly at 7:45 p.m. at Temple Beth Am, 300 Pleasant Street, Framingham. If you need further information, please call the Temple office at 508-872-8300 or visit the temple website at www.Tempbetham.org (and scroll down to the listing of October events).

      There is no charge for the event but families are asked to bring one non-perishable food item that will be donated to a local food bank. Everyone is welcome.