Thursday, September 10, 2015

Horace Mann Statue Funds Secured

The Horace Mann statue planned for the corner of Emmons and West Central Streets is now fully funded thanks to an allocation of trust funds approved by the Town Council Wednesday evening. The following story appeared in the Milford Daily News:


Franklin:  Council approves Mann statue funds

  • By Mike Gleason/Daily News Staff
    Posted Sep. 9, 2015 at 8:33 PM 

    FRANKLIN - The Town Council has voted to allocate $46,000 to a project 
    to build a statue of Horace Mann, securing the final piece of funding 
    needed to honor the man known as the father of public education.

    The council at its meeting Wednesday night opted to transfer $28,000 
    from the Adelbert Thayer Trust and $18,000 from the Austin Fletcher 
    Trust to the effort, which would place the statue at 150 Emmons St.

    Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting noted that State Rep. Jeffrey Roy, 
    D-Franklin, had secured $50,000 in state funding for the $96,000 project. 
    He said the $46,000 transferred Wednesday would come from trust funds 
    established to assist the town.

    "It wouldn't be taxpayers' money, and it would come from interest earned 
    on the trust funds," he said.

    Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri, who led the statue committee, said the 
    location was the site of the town's former municipal building and also the 
    former Horace Mann High School.

    "(Mann) was born here in Franklin, on Central Street - we have a stone 
    marker to designate where he was born," she said. "We're proud of our 
    native son, and we honor him by naming many areas in town after him."

    A letter from Roy was read into the record. In it, he said the statue could 
    become a "shining monument" not only for the town, but for public 
    education in the United States. He said the statue's location, at a notable 
    downtown area, would represent an excellent gateway to the community.

    Franklin Schools Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski said that it was just 
    about a year before that the council presided over the opening of the 
    town's new high school. She said the statue would further cement the 
    town's legacy in promoting public education.

    "It's an opportunity to create a public space that's easily accessible, not 
    just for school children, but college students and residents as well," 
    she said.

    The council unanimously approved the transfer of the funds.

    Mike Gleason can be reached at 508-634-7546 or mgleason@wickedlocal.com.
    For news throughout the day, follow him on Twitter @MGleason_MDN.