Franklin Community Council, Inc.
Newsletter
March, 2006

Upcoming Events
FCCI Board Meeting -April 2  (2 pm)
Water Board Meeting - April 9 (6 pm)
Yoga Classes - April 3 (4:30 pm)
Lifelong Friends - April 20 (1 pm)
Community Picnic - May 28
Centennial - June 23-24, “2007”		 FCCI DIRECTORS:
Robert Craig Stokes, 620-347-8519
Henry Ashbacher, 620-347-4070
Margaret Kennedy, 620-347-4358
Norine Laird, 620-347-4453
Frances OBlak, 620-347-4312
Ray Hamblin, 620-347-4228
Ted Wynn, 620-347-4040
Mary Ann Hamblin,  620-347-8411
Marilyn Smardo, 620-347-4118

WATER BOARD DIRECTORS:
Craig Stokes, 620-347-8519
Jim Rhuems, 620-347-3498
Kathy McDaniels, 620-347-4748
Ray Hamblin,  620-347-4228
Jerry Wayman,  620-347-4829
If you would like to receive the newsletter via e-mail please send your e-mail address to memrylane@yahoo.com

We would like to extend our sympathies to the families of the following people who were residents of Franklin at some point in their lives and passed away this past month.   We value the importance of all our residents (past and present).   In memory of:  Mary (Ales) Belmonte, Dorothy M. (Karlinger) Smardo, John Henry Losik, Barbara Ann (Montanye) Holloway, David Albert Stephens, Mary Ellen (LaBenne) Ede.

Funeral Dinners:  Please remember that the community center is available for funeral dinners at no charge to the family.  Contact Marion Kobak (347-8444) or call the center (347-4220) to make arrangements. 

Planning and Land Use: (Ray Hamblin 620-347-4228)  
Grants:  We received a grant from the Pritchett Foundation which is managed by Gold Bank Pittsburg.  The grant is in the amount of $15,000.  This will help greatly towards our goal of completing the park.   With these funds we plan to complete the bathroom and  the walking path.    We are very appreciative of this help from the Pritchett Foundation and Gold Bank.  This grant is to be used strictly for the park and does not affect the balance still owing on the Community Center.     
Park:  If anyone has photos of the early school located at the site of the park or memories of the interior design  please contact one of the board members.  We plan to construct a miniature replica school house at the park.  Hope everyone has noticed the flowers coming up in the garden area.   The trees are all in bud and the park is a show place for the community.   
 Pavers:   The first order has been sent and within the next month we hope to have them in the park.   We are now taking orders for the second batch. If enough orders are received we plan to have those also in place before the annual picnic May 28.  Don’t forget to order yours.  This is an on-going project.  They are a nice way to leave a permanent marker for your family, school class, business, organization, memorial or whatever you choose    Blank paver forms and endowment forms (with instructions) are located in the mailbox on the message board at the site of the old post office for your convenience or can be obtained by called 347-8387 or 249-9333 or at the website (www.franklinkansas.com).
Message Board:  Please make note of the new location of the message board.   It is at the site of the old post office.  Thanks to Orlanda Bazin for giving us permission to place the sign there along with the flower boxes.   The mailbox on the sign contains forms for pavers and the endowment fund.
Storm Siren:   March 8 was a memorable day in Franklin.  The storm siren installation was completed.    Testing will be every other Wednesday  at  noon.  The Crawford County Sheriff’s Department will be  in charge of setting off the siren
Volunteer List:  We have received a few offers for help with the volunteer list but need more community support.   Please review the list at the end of this newsletter and consider helping in some way.   Some jobs are small and will only take an hour a month and some will require more time.  This is just a small list of items that need to be taken care of.  There are many jobs done by many volunteers that make Franklin a great place to live.    Help support YOUR community.  Call any board member to volunteer or leave your name & number at 620-347-4220.  

Public Relations/Marketing/Media: (Craig Stokes 620-347-8519 or 620-249-1326) 
Community Center Events:  The center continues to be used for a variety of activities and events.   The polka party on April 9, 2006 is nearing sell-out.  The dance will be held from 2-5 pm.   Please call to reserve your seats.  Seating is limited so everyone can enjoy the day and have room to move around.  Call 620-347-4220 and leave your name, phone # and the number of seats requested.  Admission is $5 per person.   You will pay at the door.    At present the polka parties are held the second Sunday of every other month. We are working on other types of dances as well as making the polka parties a monthly event.  Keep watching the newsletter for further information. 
 Lifelong Friends:  Margaret Kennedy  (347-4358) is the hostess for our Lifelong Friends program.   The first event held March 16 was a success.   The hall was decorated in a St. Patrick’s theme.   Green punch and cookies were served in keeping with the St. Pat’s theme.  The day was spent visiting, discussing future events and enjoying a program “Spring Is In The Air” presented by John Harrison of In The Garden, 719 S. Broadway, Pittsburg, Ks.   John gave a very informative program about spring planting.  Lifelong Friends will continue to meet on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 1-4.  Watch the newsletter and newspaper for future announcements.   Admission is free.   Refreshments will be available.
YOGA Classes:  Classes will be starting Monday, April 3 from 4:30 - 5:30 pm.  This will be a 6 week class.  Instructor is Becky Gariglietti.  The cost is $10 for the entire 6 week session.  Mats and equipment will be provided.  Wear comfortable clothing.  Call 347-4220 to reserve your place in the class.    Size of class is limited. 
Youth Programs:  We are currently working on setting up some programs for the youth of the community.  Some of these will be located at the park and some at the community center.  Keep watching the newsletter for further information.
Friends of Franklin:  Many former residents and other area residents have shown a great interest in our community.   We welcome them as our “friends” and are open to any ideas or suggestions from them.  We welcome them to all of our activities.  We feel  that our community extends far beyond it’s physical boundaries.   Many are receiving our monthly newsletter and if you know of anyone who would like to stay informed of our progress and our activities please let us know and we will add them to our mailing list (either by postal mail or e-mail). 

Heritage: (Phyllis Bitner 620-347-8387 or 620-249-9333)
New Members: Welcome to Gay Kranker and Marion Kobak as new members of the Heritage Committee.    
Picnic May 28:  In conjunction with National Historic Preservation Month the Heritage Committee is planning the annual Franklin Community Picnic.  It will be located at the park.  Many events are being planned and it promises to be a very special event with awards, recognitions, dedications, games, music and more. 
Oral Histories:  We are still looking for oral histories.  If you would prefer to have a questionnaire sent to you please call.  You can fill it out at your leisure and return it by mail.   These stories will preserve the history of Franklin for future generations.   We are also looking for artifacts for the hall display case.  Some examples are ink pens, envelopes addressed to Franklin, School diplomas, trophies, books,  church documents (baptism, vacation bible school certificates, etc.). If you have any items you would like to donate please call.  We’ll also be using the school house  replica at the park to house larger historic items.  Currently we have some tables from Karlinger’s Store, a school desk, large chalkboard and several other large items.  These will be on permanent display at the park.  
Veterans Display:  We will be making a display of photos of veterans who have lived in Franklin.  If you have a photo of you or a loved one we would like to copy it for display in the new community center.    Please contact Phyllis at 347-8387.  We are also looking for family photos and photos of businesses to use in our display throughout the hall.  

Finance: (Paul Christman)
Debt Reduction:  You may have seen several flyers and newspaper articles about the fund raising campaign which was launched in February.   We hope that all residents will help with that fund as well as promoting it to their friends and neighbors.  We must all work together to see the projects through which are a benefit to the entire region.    Please help us with paying off the debt from the community center construction in any way you can.  Donations can be sent directly to: FCCI, P.O. Box 43, Franklin, Ks. 66735.   All donations are tax deductible.   If you are unable to volunteer perhaps you would consider sending a small donation monthly which would help with paying off the debt.   If everyone would send even a small amount each month it would be helpful and we could get the debt paid off.    
Contributions:  We hope all residents will be proud of the new facilities in Franklin and will be willing to donate to their community.  Donations can be in any amount.  We have received donations of a few coins and up to $1,000.  This month’s  contributors were:  Charles & Kaye Lynn Webb, Sam & Diane Umphenour, Jason & Carolyn Johnson, Red Hat Gals, Josephine Arabia , The Ales family in memory of Mary (Ales) Belmonte, The Smardo family in memory of Dorothy (Karlinger) Smardo and various miscellaneous donations. We are truly grateful for each and every donation and are blessed to have such wonderful residents and “friends”.
Endowment Fund:  Much interest has been shown in the endowment fund.  This will ensure that Franklin has the proper funding to continue it’s activities, etc. for years to come.    The money is placed in a secure account with Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas.   Families of several deceased Franklin residents have left donations in their memory to the endowment fund as well as individuals who currently have an interest in seeing to the future of the community have given donations to the fund.    Remember that anyone can make a donation to the endowment fund.  With an initial donation of $100 a fund is set up in your name or your family’s name.  When the fund reaches $500 the name is placed on a plaque in the community center.   The fund can be added to at any time and is an especially nice way to remember a family on special occasions such as date of birth, wedding anniversary, date of death, etc.  

Centennial Committee:  (Phyllis Bitner, 620-347-8387)    
Mark your calendars for June 23-24, 2007.   Remember to contact us if your family plans to schedule their family reunion at that time.  Continue to watch the newsletter for more information on all the activities and events that will take place.   Plans should be made early as hotel rooms are limited.  If you have relatives from out of town planning to attend you may want to call this to their attention.  Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau will be working with us on this event. 
One of the projects for the centennial is a cookbook.   Please send us your favorite family recipe. Perhaps you have an heirloom recipe from your ancestors that you would like to include in this book.  We have already received recipes from Governor Sebelius and Senator Barone.  Call Dianna (620-347-8807) for further information on the recipe book project.  Forms can be found on the website (www.franklinkansas.com) or call Dianna and she will see that you receive one.

Community Center:  (Dianna Morrison 620-347-8807 or 620-249-2059)
Call for rental information.   Dianna is doing a great job of  managing the hall.  It is rented frequently and people enjoy working with her. 

Website:  (Phyllis Bitner 620-347-8387 or 620-249-9333)
 Over 250 visitors to the website this month.   You can visit the website for all the current information, photos of the community (past and present), community center rental information, keep up with the latest events and programs and much more. www.franklinkansas.com

Sewer: (Craig Stokes 620-347-8519)
 Easement signing for the sewer project continues.  If you missed any of the signature sessions please contact Craig to set up a time to sign your easement.  This will help speed up the process.   

Water District: (Craig Stokes 620-347-8519) 
The month of February was very mild. The weather was great for winter and the new water lines posed no leaks. RWD #7 held their meeting on Sunday March 12th.   General business was discussed.  The Annual Election meeting will be held April 9th at 6 pm at the Community Center.   There are 2 seats to be filled.   Kathy McDaniels is stepping down and Ray Hamblin’s seat is up for re-election.  Water district members are encouraged to attend meetings,  run for vacant seats and vote.  New customers are coming on line monthly with many more anticipated in the future.

Council:  Meetings are very informative and everyone is invited to attend.    Bring your suggestions, ideas, etc. and take part in your community’s activities.   Meetings are held at the community center.   Everyone is welcome.  If you have any questions at any time please contact one of the members of the Board or a Committee Chairperson
Newsletter:  If you have any corrections or ideas for the newsletter please call 347-8387.

VOLUNTEER LIST
Water flowers, trees, shrubs

Mow grass

Pick up trash

Empty trash cans & replace liners

Clean inside center (monthly or bi-monthly)

Maintain bathrooms (restock w/supplies and clean) (Park & Community Center)

Put out holiday decorations

Change message board

 Paperwork:  Address envelopes, write letters, etc.

Community Activities & Fund Raising:  Bake desserts, set up & serve at events, cook,  shopping for events,  cleanup,  planning 

 Manual Labor:  Help on work days for the good of the community or an occasional day of maintenance

Electrician, Plumber, carpenter, etc. (Occasional jobs)
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