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  • NOVEMBER HAPPENINGS AT CALLAHAN CENTER

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – What’s happening at the new Callahan Senior Center on Union Avenue in November:

    FLU SHOT CLINIC: For Framingham residents who are 65 years and older or are at medical high risk Wednesday, November 2nd and Wednesday, November 9th From 10:00 am until 2:00 pm Callahan Senior Center, 535 Union Avenue, Framingham. Proof of Framingham residence is required. (If you are 65 years of age or over, please have your Medicare B / HMO insurance information).

    Asian South Pacific Islanders Program – Coordinated by Maya, The Callahan Center is offering Medical Health Insurance Information on Friday, November 4th 2005 at 10:00 am for all Asian and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) Seniors. Counselor Wendy Wong, of SHINE (Serving the Health Information Needs of Elders) will present this information.

    HARVEST MOON SENIORS’ DANCE – Come with a partner or come alone! Something for everyone! Even at the old center when participants were polled, D.J. Bob Fisher, got exceptional reviews for his music and his variety of tunes for both couples and singles. Friday, November 4th from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Callahan Center, 535 Union Avenue,Light beverages & snacks – Coffee & Dessert – Door Prizes, $4.00 pp donation requested to cover expenses. Please call and let us know if you plan to attend – donation taken at the door. Participants thought they should pay a larger fee to cover our expenses for food and entertainment, and we appreciate your generosity, however we hope to continue to keep the dances affordable for all. Looking forward to our first dance at our new location – hope you are, too! Come and enjoy!

    The Framingham Garden Club and the Callahan Botannical Group – will meet on Monday, November 14th at 9:30 am at the Callahan Center 535 Union Avenue, Framingham. Please call to reserve your floral materials at 508-532-5980, extension 4977. A $3.00 donation is requested to cover the expenses. Come and join the Garden Club and make something festive for your Thanksgiving table!

    FRIENDS OF CALLAHAN, Ernie Hayes, President, The Friends general meeting will be on Monday, November 14th at 1:30 with entertainment by Dina Rancourt. Refreshments will be served. Come join us and bring a friend!

    ANNUAL HEALTH FAIR – Thursday, November 17th, 2005 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Callahan Center, 535 Union Avenue, Framingham, It’s that time of year again. The Callahan Center in partnership with the MetroWest Medical Center is pleased to sponsor our annual Health Fair. In the past, we have offered the following screenings: Blood Pressure, Total Cholesterol, Blood Glucose (blood sugar), Hearing and Bone Density. In addition to these, we will also offer Body Mass Index (BMI) and massage therapy. Remember that the results from a screening may mean that you need to see your Health Care Provider for further testing. Screenings do not diagnose disease.

    All the above screenings with the exception of BP will require an appointment, so please call the Center at 508-532-5980, extension 4977. If you sign up for the Bone Density (Osteoporosis) Screening, please remember to wear shoes and socks that are easily removed. You also will need to bring your list of prescription drugs and supplements. Bring your name and address of your physician, as your results will be mailed to him/her. Although the screenings are free, however a small donation to the Center is most appreciated.

    Saturday, November 19th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm – Senator Karen E. Spilka will be presenting the First Annual 2nd Middlesex & Norfolk SENIOR HEALTH FAIR! The Senior Health Fair will take place at the Joseph P. Keefe Technical School, located at 750 Winter Street in Framingham. This event will feature an in-depth discussion of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit with information provided to help you navigate the system. Lunch will be provided; more details to come. Questions? Please contact Pat Vinter at 617-722-1640.

    Support Groups at Callahan Senior Center:

    Bereavement Support Group: Mondays, November 7, 14, 21 & 28 at 10:00 am. Diabetic Support Group: Tuesday, November 8 at 1:30 pm. Low Vision Group: Friday, November 18 at 1:00 pm. Massage Therapy: Thursday, November 3 by appt. only. Parkinson’s Support Group: Tuesday, November 15 at 1:30 pm. Podiatry: Monday, November 14 from 12:30 pm to 3:15 pm, by appt. only. Stroke Survivors’ Support Group: Monday, November 7 at 1:00 pm.

    BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC FOR NOVEMBER – WEDNESDAYS –November 16, 23 & 30From 9:30 – 11:00 am & 12:00 – 1:00 pm (No blood pressure clinic on November 2 & 9 due to the flu shot clinic at the Center on these two days.)

    CARDIOVASCULAR CLINIC IN NOVEMBER – The Cardiovascular Clinic will be on Tuesday, November 1 at 10:00 am. A doctor from the MetroWest Medical Center and the public health nurses from the Framingham Board of Health will be at the Callahan Senior Center to check your blood pressure as well as to address your individual concerns. For further information, please call Charlotte, at the Board of Health, at 508-620-4828.

    SHINE (Serving the Health Information Needs of Elders) – Get help selecting the “Part D” plan that meets your needs – Sign up for a help session in the Computer Learning Center at Callahan Center. Please call 508-532-5983 to reserve a space. Please bring:

    -a list of your prescription drugs from your pharmacy

    – your Medicare card

    – any letter (s) from your current insurer, Prescription Advantage or Social Security.

    FREE Bridge Lessons – Weekly contract bridge lessons starting Friday, November 18th from 1:00-3:00 pm. Beginner and refresher instructions by Ed Carr. Please call the Callahan Center and leave our name and telephone number, and someone will get back to you.

    A New Learning Opportunity with Framingham State College, The Center for Lifelong Learners, and The Callahan Center at 535 Union Avenue in Framingham

    Attend one or all sessions at The Callahan Center

    Principles of World Religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism – Tuesdays, November 1, 8, 15, 2005 from 6:30-7:45pm – Instructor: Jason Giannetti, Professor of Philosophy. In this 3-part seminar, we will examine the foundations and major tenets of some of the world’s predominant religious faiths. Through lecture, examination of passages from religious texts, and discussion, we will deepen our understanding of some of the similarities and differences in the faith traditions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt and The Social Security Act – Tuesdays, November 29, December 6, and 13, 2005 from 10:00am- 11:15am – Instructor: Dr. Gloria Barron, Professor of History Emerita, Cost: $18.00 per person for each mini-series. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980, extension 4977 to reserve a seat. Please make your check payable to the Friends of Callahan. Advance payment is recommended. Come participate in this learning opportunity!

    HERITAGE GALLERY OPENS ITS DOORS ! Heritage Gallery is a unique consignment shop and an ongoing Friends of Callahan fundraising project for the Callahan Center. The Gallery has served the senior citizens and others as a market place for articles that they wish to sell or purchase. All monies accrued are used to benefit the Callahan Center. The Gallery has been serving the community for thirty years. It’s a great place to visit – bring your Birthday, Wedding and any special occasion gift list and find beautiful gifts and make someone happy. It is manned solely by a volunteer staff. The Gallery is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 am – 2:15 pm.

    When you stop by the Gallery take a chance on our raffle of two original Cabbage Patch Dolls, a boy and girl, dressed in red velvet, ready for the coming holiday! Donation is $1.00 or 6 chances for $5.00. Profit will be given to the Friends of Callahan Building Fund. Drawing will be held at the Friends Holiday Party—December 12th, 2005. All are welcome-bring a friend and browse!

    Ongoing Community Service Projects – Items Needed!!!

    – Pennies for the homeless and less fortunate, provided with the help of the students of McCarthy School.

    – Baby Afghans for the H.I.V. Babies.

    – Lap robes for the veterans. To date, we have about 40.

    – Small articles for the bags for the Foster Childrens’ Program. Some examples are small packages of toothpaste, toothbrushes, small pads of paper, combs and brushes, etc.

    – Knitted or crocheted squares for afghans for the Foster Childrens’ Program.

    – Knitted or crocheted hats for our Framingham School students.

    – Calendars for the Resident Care Home, as well as button-down sweaters and jackets, etc., and birthday, valentines and holiday greeting cards.

    – Canned foods, etc. for the various Food Pantries. Items collected during October and November will be for the McCarthy School holiday baskets.

    Please contact Evelyn Langley for any of the above items at 508-532-4105. Thanks for your help!

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  • George King Resigns

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Framingham’s Town Manager, George King resigned from his position to accept a job as Assistant Superintendent of Schools for the Nashoba Regional School District, which provides K-12 education for the Towns of Lancaster, Bolton and Stow. Below is his letter of resignation that he posted online:

    From: George P. King, Jr.

    Sent: Friday, October 07, 2005 10:08 AM

    To: ALL

    Subject:

    Last evening I accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Schools for the Nashoba Regional School District, which provides K-12 education for the Towns of Lancaster, Bolton and Stow. Consequently, pending the successful resolution of contract issues with Nashoba and

    Framingham, I will be leaving my position of Town Manager after nearly seven years.

    Clearly this is a bittersweet moment for me. The new opportunity represents a significant career track shift that allows me to pursue a path that has always interested me. The Nashoba District is a progressive and dynamic school system, one that I am fortune to join.

    Leaving Framingham, the Town that I was born and educated in, is of course very difficult. The people who work for this community and the services they provide so capably and professionally to the residents are second to none and I will greatly miss that interaction. I offer my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for your efforts on behalf of the Town.

    I am proud of the successes achieved during the last six and one half years. Our financial foundation has been stabilized despite the economic hardships that have been faced. We continue to provide first rate services despite budget constraints. I will miss the collaboration on continuing those efforts but I am very confident they will continue and prosper.

    As the details of this transition emerge I will keep you informed.

    Again thank you for your ongoing support.

    George

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  • Oaks Neighborhood Association (ONA) Opposes Proposed Concrete Batch Plant

    FRAMINGHAM, MA-The Oaks Neighborhood Association (ONA) of Framingham, MA has issued a strong resolution to the Town’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZB A) stating overwhelming opposition to a Concrete Batch Plant proposed for 597 Old Connecticut Path, which is in close proximity to their neighborhood.

    ONA is an active non-profit group organized by residents years ago with the mission of protecting the local environment and providing increased opportunities for families to enjoy the park and other natural resources in the neighborhood.

    The resolution calls on the Board to deny the Special Permit applied for by D & D Mulch & Landscape for this site. Boston Sand and Gravel would operate the proposed Concrete Batch Plant. ONA members consider that this plant would be a major detriment to the community.

    The resolution cites numerous reasons to defeat this Special Permit. Among them is the fact that the Building Commissioner of Framingham denied Boston Sand and Gravel a building permit based on its violation of the provisions of the Use and Dimensional Regulations that apply to General Manufacturing Districts as defined in the Framingham Zoning By-law. Further, a portion of the site contains wetlands, which are protected under special provisions of state legislation. The ONA claims that these environmental issues have not been adequately addressed.

    Close nearby the site is Reardon Park, which over the years has been improved dramatically largely through the diligent volunteer efforts of ONA members and others. The improvements – a spruced-up and fully-equipped playground for young children, a basketball court, a ball field, benches – have resulted in a park that has become the center for local events, such as neighborhood holiday picnics on the Fourth of July, baseball games, and other social activities. The Park is within earshot and eyeshot of the proposed plant, which will inevitably generate offensive noise as well as feature a towering unsightly silo.

    Also nearby, between the park and the proposed plant, is the Cochituate Rail Trail, which has enjoyed exceptional local and regional support. In fact, recently there was a clean-up day, one of several scheduled on a regular basis, in which many from the neighborhood and other areas volunteered to improve the trail for walkers and bikers. The trail moves through some lovely conservation land in that environment, close by Lake Cochituate.

    ONA has initiated a vigorous literature, email, and phone campaign to encourage others in the local area and in the Town to join this opposition, including citizens of neighboring precincts, local businesses, organizations concerned with potentially dangerous environmental impacts, as well as town agencies such as the Board of Health and the Conservation Commission.

    The ONA plans to present its opposition at the October 11 meeting of the ZBA, and encourages all who support this opposition to be present at that time. The meeting is at 7:00 PM and will be held in the Town Hall Public Hearing Room on the lower level.

    For additional information regarding this Press Release, the Resolution, or the OAKS Neighborhood Association (ONA), please contact Greg Rotatori, the ONA spokesperson, via telephone at 617-828-2188 (cell) or 508-788-6047 (home) or via email at Rotatori@aol.com

    The ONA Resolution regarding Old Connecticut Path Concrete Plant:


    To the Town of Framingham Massachusetts Zoning Board of Appeals, care of the Honorable Phillip R. Ottaviani, Jr., Chairman:

    From The Oaks Neighborhood Association (ONA) of Framingham Massachusetts, it’s members and officers.

    Regarding: File # 05-41, 597 Old Connecticut Path, D & D Mulch & Landscape Inc. PO, RP, SC, CL, Special Permit to allow use of proposed concrete batch plant

    RESOLVED

    Whereas, 597 Old Connecticut Path is in close proximity to the Oaks Neighborhood of Framingham and its many families and residents, Reardon Park, the Cochituate Rail Trail, conservation land and water, and local businesses that would be negatively impacted by the location of the proposed concrete batch plant;

    Whereas, the proposal to develop the concrete batch plant at this site has been denied by the Building Commissioner of the Town of Framingham for its failure to satisfy the provisions of Section III.G.2 of the Framingham By-law, since the proposed use might be “offensive because of injurious obnoxious noise, vibration, smoke, gas, fumes, odors or other objectionable features;”

    And whereas 597 Old Connecticut Path, while zoned as manufacturing, abuts a residential zoned area as well as local businesses that will be negatively impacted by the installation of a concrete bath plant at this site;

    And whereas, the plant would inevitably introduce unacceptable risks to the safety and health of neighboring residents, as well as unacceptable consequences for the abutting businesses (dust, noise, trucks, and other offensive intrusions) and the natural environment surrounding and in some sections included within the proposed site;

    And whereas, Boston Sand & Gravel will be working primarily with concrete dust, which is extremely hazardous to human health since it damages lung tissue due to its microscopic and toxic characteristics, and whereas concrete dust particle exposure is associated with silicosis since there are carcinogenic silica particles in the concrete;

    And whereas, concrete batch plants produce tremendous amounts of dust, most notably crystalline silica, which has been designated a Level 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and which would travel by air unavoidably to nearby residences and businesses;

    And whereas, the intrusion on a permanent basis of a new fleet of very large and noisy trucks carrying exceptionally heavy industrial loads of construction material and emitting offensive, unhealthy, and unsafe fumes in a highly sensitive natural setting and neighborhood would significantly increase the environmental problems in an area already overburdened by commercial trucking;

    And whereas, sound-level tests produced by the applicant were taken in optimal conditions while all foliage was on the trees (which act as a natural sound buffer only when present), and still the noise registered at 57 decibels on Maymont (a street near the proposed plant and the location of Reardon Park), which is only 2 decibels below the restrictive level of 59, causing grave concerns regarding a potentially dramatic and unacceptable increase in noise pollution;

    And whereas, a concrete batch plant, with a proposed 75-foot tall silo, concrete block borders, sterile architecture, and heavy machinery, are not consistent with the aesthetics of the area and would stand-out as an “eye sore”;

    And whereas, a concrete batch plant in or near a residential community could severely reduce property values;

    And whereas, any success realized by this concrete batch plant enterprise would likely result in increased hours of business operations, with the consequent noise and air pollution extending into the early morning, evening, weekend, and holiday hours, many of which are times of high utilization of the park and trail;

    And whereas, current Framingham By-laws are simply inadequate and ineffectual for enforcing any restrictions that might result from the permitting process, which could result in violations that would endure despite their injurious impact on the local environment, neighborhood, and businesses;

    And whereas, Boston Sand & Gravel and it’s subsidiaries were fined $1.3 million in 2002 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for dumping hazardous waste into various waterways and rivers, violating the Clean Water act on multiple occasions, raising serious concerns about its commitment to protect the environment, particularly in the area proposed, which includes a protected watershed and nearby Lake Cochituate;

    And whereas, an abandoned trailer on the grounds of the Boston Sand & Gravel in Cambridge in 1997 was the site of a tragic murder involving a homeless woman, raising serious questions about how well BSG maintains their facilities and secures their sites;

    And whereas, the granting of this permit for a concrete batch plant at 597 Old Connecticut Path will not likely result in any significant new financial benefit for the town of Framingham;

    We, the Oaks Neighborhood Association (ONA) of Framingham hereby resolve that we strongly urge the Framingham Zoning Board of Appeals to DENY the Special Permit applied for by D & D Mulch & Landscape Inc. to build a proposed concrete batch plant at 597 Old Connecticut Path. The ONA hereby resolve that we support only those uses of 597 Old Connecticut Path that are endorsed by the ONA, and only those uses that do not present risk to the health and safety of our community and our environment, and only those uses that enhance our community and our respective property values.

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