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| rents in metro Denver declined year-over-year |
"For only the third time in records going back to 1990, rents in metro Denver declined year-over-year…
The region added nearly 20,000 new apartments last year, about double the typical pace seen in recent years." https://t.co/TOe4kXmYMwShared from -> https://x.com/berkie1/status/1883291581199098115?
In July 2020, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council released their Market Study for Franklin. At least one potential business read this study, determined that the numbers confirmed they had a market here in Franklin, and they are indeed open and operating here.
Maybe there is something in this report that could help your business or prospective business?
"The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) directed hundreds of billions of dollars to small businesses and other organizations adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis, providing resources to maintain payrolls, to hire back employees who may have been laid off and to cover important overhead.But was this money well spent? A recent study offers evidence that the cost of each job saved was very high and that most of the program’s benefits flowed to small-business owners, their creditors and their suppliers rather than to workers. Other crisis programs, including unemployment insurance and economic impact payments, were targeted much more successfully to wage earners."
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| "Only about one-quarter of PPP funds supported jobs that otherwise would have disappeared" |
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| Economic Development Subcommittee - Agenda - April 7, 2021 - 5:45 PM |
FM #436 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 436 in the series.
This shares the Economic Development Committee Business Listening Session #5 that was held on Wednesday, January 13, 2021.
The meeting was conducted in a hybrid mode; some of the key participants were in the Council Chambers, the Chair Melanie Hamblen led the meeting remotely along with many others via Zoom conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
Links to the meeting agenda and my notes are in the show notes. The recording runs just over two hour and thirteen minutes (~2:13) Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HXzHpwwS
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Meeting agenda
https://www.franklinma.gov/economic-development-subcommittee/agenda/edc-business-listening-session-5-revised
Housing Summary (not yet available - view the photos captured for some of the pages)
My notes captured via Twitter and shared here in summary form
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/01/edc-listening-session-jan-13-2021-recap.html
-------------
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The
music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the
group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c.
Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You
can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or
your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
FM #436 EDC Listening Session5 - 01/13/21 (audio)
For the time being photos of the slides shared during the meeting are all that is available. The doc is not part of the meeting agenda, nor if it has since been posted to the Town page, I have not found it. Once I do, I will share. Photos can be found in one folder: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KwjXyPtwuadMHsCF8
The audio of the meeting will be shared soon.
----
As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
The Twitter hashtag can be found online
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edc0113&src=typeahead_click
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| EDC 'Listening Session' - Jan 13, 2021 - Recap - Franklin's housing discussion starts |
Thank you for your interest in joining our upcoming Business Listening Session on Monday, November 16th at 6:30 PM. Our focus for the evening will be the Retail, Personal Services & Fitness Industries. We are looking forward to hearing from you and learning ways in which the Economic Development Committee and the Town of Franklin can help support your businesses during these difficult times. We are also looking to the future and hoping to hear feedback and ideas to plan for 2021 and beyond.
Our goal is truly to listen and learn from our businesses. We encourage you to come with questions, ideas, strategies, and feedback.
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| Business Listening Session - Nov 16 - 6:30 PM |
As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #edcls1019
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edcls1019&src=typeahead_click
Other photos taken during the meeting and shared via Twitter can be found in one folder https://photos.app.goo.gl/hgVYYxKJC6ShomA8A
 |
| Quick recap of the Business Listening Session 2 - Oct 19, 2020 |
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| Restaurants, Hotels & Hospitality Business Listening Session Meeting - Oct 19 |
FM #358 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 358 in the series.
This shares the Franklin, MA Economic Development SubCommittee "Listening session" that was held on Wednesday, September 30, 2020. The session was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
A quick recap:
The meeting runs just about 88 minutes, so let’s listen to the EDC ‘listening session’ of Sep 30, 2020. Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HDx4fRhK
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The agenda doc, including connection info
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/2020-09-30_edc_listening_session_1_agenda.pdf
Listening Session schedule
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/business_listening_flyer_-_final_2_1_1.pdf
My notes taken via Twitter during the meeting are summarized here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/economic-development-subcommittee.html
Photos used in the Twitter thread can be found in the Google photo album
https://photos.app.goo.gl/DKJbMzaqHNqfLs5KA
--------------
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
EDC Chair Melanie Hamblen
Recap:
----
As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #edcls0930
https://twitter.com/hashtag/edcls0930?src=hashtag_click
Photos (screen captures) shared via Twitter can be found in one folder
https://photos.app.goo.gl/DKJbMzaqHNqfLs5KA
 |
| EDC Chair Melanie Hamblen |
Agenda:
|
| The Market Study |
FM #354 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 354 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing and Communications Specialist Anne Marie Tracey. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
We talk about:
Temporary town clerk, election prep underway
Municipal aggregation, opt out of savings (waiting list for Nexamp)
Micro-enterprise grants – applications available
Business listening session Sep 30, first of series
ThinkBlue winners coming next week
Links to the key topics covered here are included in the show notes. The recording runs about 40 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Anne Marie.
Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/46e1958e-808b-4518-9ac5-6232e9fa129a
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Town Clerk page https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk
Municipal aggregation https://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/municipal-aggregation
Micro-enterprise grants https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/micro_enterprise_grants_3.pdf
Business listening sessions https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/business_listening_flyer_-_final_2_1_1.pdf
--------------
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
FM #353 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 353 in the series.
This session shares my conversation with Rich Frongillo. Rich is the owner of Tinetrix, founder of the Franklin Soccer School, Inc., and most recently Downtown Sports. Our conversation was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
Rich and I had a great winding conversation covering a bunch of topics including advice from his mother that he still lives by these days in the development and management of his technology services company, and that informed the founding of the Franklin Soccer School and the expansion of Downtown Sports.
As our conversation meandered, COVID-19 and life during the pandemic comes in frequently along the way; from dealing with uncertainty, to developing services to meet current requirements (like the Smart Hoops Program and the Monitored Virtual-Learning Program), and to the forthcoming Franklin business listening sessions.
The show notes contain links to the Rich’s businesses.
Our conversation runs just about 52 minutes, so let’s listen to Rich and I talk about business development and life here in Franklin, MA.
Audio file: https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-353-richfrongillo-fss-downtownsports-20200917
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Rich’s LinkedIn profile = https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-frongillo-4860a96/
Tinetrix, Inc. = https://www.tinetrix.com/
Franklin Soccer School, Inc. = https://www.franklinsoccerschool.com/
Downtown Sports = https://www.downtownsports.net/
MVP = https://www.downtownsports.net/mvp
Smart Hoops = https://www.downtownsports.net/programs/smart-hoops
--------------
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
 |
| FM #353 Rich Frongillo - Growing Businesses in Franklin - 9/17/20 (audio) |
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"FITCHBURG MAYOR Stephen DiNatale’s office bears all the markings of the workspace of a small-city Massachusetts leader working hard to pull up his community, a place that has struggled for years following the exodus of industries that once made mill towns like this hum with economic vigor.
There are sketches of planned development projects, a big photograph showing downtown Fitchburg back in its pre-World War II heyday, and in one corner a group of shiny ceremonial shovels standing against the wall, mementos from recent groundbreaking celebrations that DiNatale is anxious to replicate. The affable 68-year-old former state representative is laser-focused on economic development, and in a hurry for it to happen. “I’m not a patient guy,” said DiNatale.It’s easy to see why. Median household income is $55,000 in Fitchburg, $22,000 below the statewide average. Meanwhile, the pandemic has hit the city hard, with its 15.5 percent unemployment rate in August the eighth highest in the state."
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| Listening Sessions start on Weds, Sep 30 - How can we help Franklin determine its future? |
FM #341 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 341 in the series.
This session shares the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting held on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. The meeting was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
The Chair, Melanie Hamblen, opens the meeting. New member Brian Chandler joins the group to replace Eamon McCarthy Earls who is leaving the Council to go to Law School.
Brief update on re-opening provided at beginning of meeting. Grant application being readied for distribution, possible next week.
Conversation shifts to the market study and picking up on prior meeting discussion of advertising placements at restaurants, adding QR codes to help with finding things, also mention of a “Franklin First” campaign in the works to help foster buying local.
Complete streets and the details around it are reviewed, some of the impact was seen with the work on the Main St and downtown project that was completed a couple of years ago. This would be a policy (not a bylaw) to help address planning for the street to consider all modes of transit (rather than just the auto which is prevalent today).
The recording runs just about 50 minutes, so let’s listen to the discussion from the meeting of the Economic Development Subcommittee.
Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HZXrkRTK
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| FM #341 Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting - 9/02/20 (audio) |
