Tropical Storm Henri heads for New England, stay tuned for changes in the forecast

"Keep an eye on this one. The National Hurricane Center says the expected track of Tropical Storm Henri has shifted, meaning it’s more likely it will hit the Northeastern states at the end of the week.

“The forecast track of Henri has shifted toward the northeast coast of the U.S. this weekend and early next week, increasing the risk of direct storm surge, wind, and rain impacts in portions of the northeastern U.S. and Atlantic Canada during that time,” the forecasters said Wednesday , noting that Henri was on the verge of reaching hurricane strength. “Interests in these areas should closely follow the progress of Henri and check for updates to the forecast.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/18/metro/is-tropical-storm-henri-heading-our-way/

Since the Globe article was posted, NWS has further updated a shift more off the coast of New England.  For additional updates from the National Weather Service visit    https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#Henri

Tropical Storm Henri heads for New England

When will normal return?

"Around half a million Americans are now getting a coronavirus vaccine shot every day. But that pace must accelerate considerably if the United States has any hope of quashing the virus in 2021.

Public health experts differ on how quickly that might happen — and when things might start to feel “normal” again around the country."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/04/health-202-when-will-2021-feel-normal-again-here-what-eight-experts-predict/?itid=hp-more-top-stories


McKinsey has an outlook that has been updated once (Nov 2020) since it was first published (Sep 2020).  https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/when-will-the-covid-19-pandemic-end#

McKinsey has an outlook that has been updated

The projected budget deficits for Franklin FY 2021 and beyond

The one page spreadsheet depicts the projected budget deficits facing Franklin for fiscal year 2021 and beyond. This page was part of the handout for the Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting on June 19, 2019. 

Plans have started for an override to be put before the voters for the FY 2021 budget. The specific amount and details remain to be finalized. The timing of the override vote also remains to be determined.

Agenda doc
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/joint-budget-subcommittee-meeting-june.html 

As acknowledged in the meeting, these numbers are projections. The rationale and timing for 'finalizing' the numbers is outlined by Town Administrator Jamie Hellen is captured in the audio recording of the meeting:
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/fm-167-joint-budget-subcommittee.html

You can download a copy of the spreadsheet
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UMZFs6fJxSHB6gj_yKVCldt2oOjd8jPg/view?usp=sharing

Franklin FY 2021 and future projected budget deficits

In the News: Color run at FHS; 'cone of uncertainty' to be reduced

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The high school’s students are making color of a dark situation with year’s second annual Mr. K’s Color Run. 

Proceeds from the May 19 5-kilometer race will be put into a scholarship fund named after late physics teacher Keiichi Kitanosono. The recipient will be chosen by the science department. 

Born in Japan and educated in the United States, Kitanosono was early into his second year of teaching in 2016. William Bobrowsky, the head of the science department, said that on Nov. 9, 2016, the 25-year-old Kitanosono failed to show up for work. It was later announced that he had died unexpectedly."

Race Canceled - confirmed 5/17/18
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180417/franklin-high-color-run-to-honor-late-teacher

"The National Hurricane Center plans to shrink the dreaded “cone of uncertainty” during the upcoming season based on an improving forecast record. 

The Miami-based center made the announcement Monday, along with a series of other changes intended to improve how hurricane forecasters convey warnings to the public. Along with the shrinking cone, forecasters will extend advisories, which include warnings and watches, to 72 hours in advance of a storm, providing a full additional day to prepare. Experimental graphics used last year to depict arrival times for dangerous winds will also become a permanent addition to forecasts. 

“The changes are to improve information contained in the hurricane center products and to provide it in maybe easier to understand formats,” said Dan Brown, a senior hurricane specialist in charge of warning coordination. 

The forecast cone has long been a fixture of the hurricane forecasts but frequently debated because the public tends to focus on the center track, ignoring dangerous winds and other hazards that can extend for many more miles."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20180416/dreaded-cone-of-uncertainty-will-shrink-for-coming-hurricane-season

Additional details on the forecast changes for hurricane season can be found online
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/news/NHC_new_products_and_services_2018_FINAL.pdf

The National Hurricane Center can be found https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

The primary graphic displays the “earliest reasonable” arrival time

Franklin Public Schools: Inclement Weather Forecasted/Possible Early Dismissal Feb 7

February 6, 2018

Dear Franklin Public Schools Families and Staff,

The weather is predicted to become messy tomorrow, February 7, 2018 with snow by midday turning to ice and rain by evening.  We are keeping a close eye on this forecast and communicating closely with the town's DPW about expected road conditions.  We will continue to monitor the situation overnight into the morning, but are concerned about the timing of the weather.

We want to alert families and staff to the possibility of a half-day/early release tomorrow, February 7, 2018.  The decision to have an early dismissal will be made no later than 9 AM tomorrow morning.  We would follow a half-day schedule with the following release times:

• Middle Schools: 10:40 AM
• High School: 10:50 AM
• Elementary Schools: 11:40 AM

 Please make alternative arrangements in the event that an early dismissal is called.

In the event of an early dismissal, the Solutions Program will open at the time of the early dismissal and will remain open for 2 hours. You should make arrangements for an authorized person to pick up your child(ren) during that 2 hour window.

As always, please exercise your judgement and keep your child(ren) home if you feel conditions are unsafe.

Sincerely,

Franklin Public Schools

Franklin Public Schools: Inclement Weather Forecasted/Possible Early Dismissal Feb 7

In the News: contractor chosen for Senior Center project, Franklin's fiscal prospects good

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

"After a process that drew lower-than-expected bids, a local committee voted Friday to award a contract for a renovation of the Franklin Senior Center. 

The Senior Center Building Committee opted to hire general contractor GTC Construction Management of Haverhill. The company bid just more than $1 million on a project that had been estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $1.6 million. 

Committee chairman and Town Council member Tom Mercer said the project had garnered nine bidders - a higher total than expected. 

Fellow committee members noted that there was not much variance among the bids, which was another surprise."

Franklin Senior Center in the rain

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160111/franklin-senior-center-contractor-chosen

"The town should be in good financial shape for the next couple of years, but may face challenges in the future, according to a recently-released fiscal forecast. 

Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting put forward his five-year forecast during the most recent Town Council meeting. During a brief oral summary, he spoke about its basic conclusions. 

"It hasn't changed dramatically from last year," he said. "The town is in good shape in the short run, but there continue to be concerns about the future, as fixed costs continue to rise."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160110/franklin-short-term-fiscal-forecast-positive

You can find the five year fiscal forecast referred to here
http://franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/022E2532-000F8513

Live reporting: to closing

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
– Fiscal Forecast
to be posted to webpage this week (is as part of agenda doc now)
state aid is always an unknown, there are variations within the components
the charter school is looking to expand the school with a new facility, this could affect the reimbursement

when we saw the 17 and 18 numbers, it makes 19 look a little better
do have collective bargaining agreement with all the locals
teachers union remains to be worked by Schools

will be used by the Finance Committee as part of the budget process

change in harassment policy - for review by Council

L. OLD BUSINESS
Bissanti - alcohol awareness
Cerel - looking into this, no litigation to provide guidance
can provide before license is issued or if there is a problem

Jeff - survey sent to all the license holder, if they require training of their staff
Kelly - waiting for them to get their info together so we can put it on the agenda

draft report on DelCarte in couple of weeks (an update on an old item for Padula)

M. NEW BUSINESS
none

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Jones - happy new year, looking forward to goal setting session next Tuesday

Dellorco - Coalition, next meeting Feb 2, begins at 7 at FHS auditorium

Bissanti - happy new year, EDc has a lot of things going on

Pfeffer - happy new year

Vallee - rumors about the FHS football team with nasty remarks about
can someone enlighten me on how come we can't produce a winning team?

Mercer - open bids on Senior Center project last week, all 9 bids came in under budget, vetting low bidder; taking extra step to go to DECAM and vet the bidder their, looking to vote to award the contract. Beaver St possible entrance still under discussion

Padula - I had the privilige to be coached by Leone, it is a serious issue, the kids are affected by it, we are watching it and will weigh in on it

Pellegri - congrats to Alexis for MA Teen
can we keep the lights on through January?
Betty Noble, election worker and teacher for many years passed away this past week

Kelly - happy new year

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION
- Pending or threatened litigation

Proposed Excelon expansion of Medway electric generating facility pending before Energy Facilities Siting Board.
Proposed Spectra gas transmission line through Franklin.

motion to go to executive session, seconded, passed 9-0

"property taxes will continue to be a solid source of revenue"

The Milford Daily News reports on the five year financial forecast that is in the current set of documents for Wednesday's Town Council meeting. The forecast says FY 2016 should be ok but FY 2017 is another budget year where balancing the budget will present some problems. 

This financial reason is the driving factor behind the moves to sell both the Pond St and Emmons St properties. The town needs to expand its taxable base to bring in additional revenue.

Nutting said that beginning next year, revenue increases may start to lag behind town expenses, forcing the town to stretch itself thinner in order to balance the budget. 

"By FY 2017, the forecast strongly suggests we could be in a position to use some reserves, reduce the current level of services, and consider a tax increase or some combination of the above to balance the budget," he explained. 

The only short-term solution to reducing costs is cutting town employees, Nutting said, an option he views as a last resort. 

"This will directly affect the quality of education and public services currently provided by the town," he said.

Continue reading the article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150107/NEWS/150108229/1994/NEWS#sthash.0xUy51VN.dpuf

150 Emmons St - one of the topics on the agenda

Details on the five year fiscal plan can be found beginning on page 43 of the released set of documents for the agenda for the Town Council meeting, They can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-jan-7.html

"We don’t have any room to cut"

The Milford Daily News reports on the 5 year financial forecast shared at the Town Council meeting on Wednesday:

In his five-year budget forecast, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said on Wednesday that balancing the fiscal year 2015 and 2016 budgets will be manageable, but in the years after the town may have to consider increasing taxes or cutting staff. 

Speaking to the Town Council, Nutting emphasized that his message of doom and gloom was not new and could change. 

"The trend shows us going negative a few years out," he said, noting that expenses will begin outpacing revenues. "But there’s a lot of unknowns — no need to panic at this point."

Read the full article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140214/NEWS/140217568/1994/NEWS#sthash.cX4w7iH2.dpuf


My recap of the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/follow-money.html

Live reporting - 5 year Financial Forecast

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Financial Forecast – Jeffrey Nutting

draft provided earlier, not changed from draft
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/franklin-ma-five-year-fiscal-forecast.html

full report is online
(will provide link when available)

unfunded liability is almost as big as our annual budget ($86M vs $100M)
Franklin not alone in facing this issue

need to continue to lobby for change of outmoded and expensive laws

Franklin, MA: Five Year Fiscal Forecast - Draft

This was the draft copy sent to the Town Council on Jan 10, 2014. The 'final' copy is scheduled for discussion at the Town Council meeting on Wednesday evening.

For simplicity, this copy includes the text and not the tables of the forecast itself. The 'final' copy will be published in its entirety.




The full agenda for Wednesday's meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/02/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-feb-5.html

Franklin Municipal Building

Job outlook, slow recovery

Unlike prior recessions, where an upturn could occur quickly with a major company expanding to add thousands of jobs at a time, this will be much slower. The top levels companies are not in a position to make major expansions. In many cases, the top level companies are continuing to cut jobs.  HP announced cutting 25,000 over the next couple of years.


Where will the growth come from? The small and medium businesses. Hence, the slow growth. They will grow over time and add jobs here and there but it will be slow.

The New England Economic Partnership issued its latest forecast for the six-state region today, showing that jobs will grow by an average of 1.3 percent a year through the end of 2016. That means the region’s labor market won’t return to pre-recession levels until 2015. 

A weak housing market and a frequent mismatch between workers’ skills and available jobs will make it tougher for the region’s economy to bounce back from the Great Recession. In Massachusetts, where the economic recovery began in mid-2009, the impending retirement of many baby boomers is also cited as a concern because it could result in a massive shortage of skilled workers.

Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x1347549646/Slow-job-growth-seen-for-Mass-New-England-for-many-years#ixzz1wX5g1PAu


You can find the full report here

http://www.newenglandcouncil.com/assets/NEEP-Spring-2012-Forecasts.pdf

Planet Money confirms the past performance of slow growth with this report
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/06/01/154066379/three-years-of-an-awful-recovery?ft=1&f=93559255

Jimmy McCarthy - Hellen Keller School Forecast

(NECN: Matt Noyes) - Jimmy McCarthy of Helen Keller Elementary in Franklin, Massachusetts is given his own personal forecast by NECN meteorologist Matt Noyes.

Jimmy can expect to look out of his classroom window at sunshine, with temperatures reaching 47 degrees. A fall jacket is recommended for today.

As for the White Christmas track -- chances have been boosted in Western Massachusetts with a higher chance in Northern New England.






It may be a day late, but the forecast will remain forever via the internet.

Now, how does the school get to look like that?

Town Administrator Report

moved discussion on Peace & Good Order amendments to June 4th meeting

-------------

meeting in Boston, tip sheet the downtown funding should be okay

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new business

proposal to put together a group to come up with a five year projection, comprised of
2 School
2 Finance
3 Councilors

suggestion by myself to add two citizens to the panel

motion approved

-----------------

Zollo participated at Davis Thayer PCC today to answer questions on override

McGann condolences to Mrs Mullen on the loss of her husband

Feeley to address McGann on meeting moved to 6:00 PM
he will show the email with his name on it
he was not aware of the meeting at 6:00, he did show up early for the 7:00 PM meeting
Feeley will take the heat for it