"Massachusetts is not alone in facing unprecedented circumstances"

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

"The Massachusetts unemployment rate surged above 15% in April, smashing four and a half decades of records as the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting public shutdowns caused massive job losses.

State labor officials announced Friday that Massachusetts shed 623,000 jobs in April, the first full month during which non-essential businesses were ordered to close their physical locations to employees and customers and most residents were urged to stay at home whenever possible.

From March to April, the unemployment rate increased 12.3 percentage points to 15.1%, the highest level since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking seasonally adjusted unemployment rates at the state level in 1976. The numbers reflect the waves of new jobless claims that have been filed in recent weeks, and show how far the state now has to go to both defeat the virus and return people to their old jobs or new ones.

Michael Goodman, executive director of the UMass Dartmouth Public Policy Center and a co-editor of MassBenchmarks, said joblessness in Massachusetts may not have reached such elevated levels since the recession immediately following World War II."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200522/states-jobless-rate-surges-past-15

https://www.mass.gov/topics/unemployment

"Crisis communications professionals told the Daily News that nursing homes would be wise to share the number of fatalities, even if that means communicating rising death tolls.

“You have to be credible in crisis communications, because if your community loses trust in you, you are dead in the water,” said Capt. Thomas Lennon, a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain and current chair of the emergency management department at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Administrators at North Hill and Briarwood Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Needham had already publicly announced 27 of the 33 reported deaths in the town before the town officially announced the first known COVID-19 related deaths.

Both skilled-nursing facilities hired Ball Consulting Group LLC - a crisis communications firm based in Newton - to help with external messaging during the pandemic."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200522/crisis-communications-experts-you-have-to-be-credible-in-reporting-effects-of-coronavirus

Town of Franklin FY 2021 Budget

Town of Franklin FY 21 Budget

The Town of Franklin FY21 Budget materials are now available on our website. 

Finance Committee Meetings begin next Wednesday, May 27th, and will continue on May 28, June 2, and June 4. 

All documents, agendas and meeting links can be found here https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/pages/fy2021-budget-materials


Town Administrator budget message and budget summary
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/files/fy21-town-administrator-budget-message
 
May 27 agenda
https://www.franklinma.gov/finance-committee/events/259774
 
May 28 agenda
https://www.franklinma.gov/finance-committee/events/259784

June 2 agenda
https://www.franklinma.gov/finance-committee/events/259794

June 4 agenda
https://www.franklinma.gov/finance-committee/events/259804

Library funding is one of many topics for the budget cycle in this pandemic period

Town Council - Recap of 5/20/20 meeting (and recording)

My notes were captured via Twitter and tagged #tc0520

• Real time reporting underway for Town Council meeting 5/20/20 #tc0520 Dellorco absent, other 8 Councilors present
• Motion to approve Apr 15 meeting minutes, passed via roll call. 8-0-1 (8 for, 1 absent) #tc0520
• Memorial Day parade and breakfast cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Film being edited for broadcast on Franklin TV. #tc0520
• Proclamation on "Purple Heart" community being read to acknowledge new designation. #tc0520 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/4a._proclamation_-_purple_heart_community_2.pdf
• Proclamation on American Legion Post Edward L Grant #75 #tc0520 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/4b._proclamation_-_american_legion.pdf
• Proclamation to recognize Larry Bedarian #tc0520 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/4c._proclamation_-_larry_bedarian.pdf

Animal Control

• Presentation by Tracey Taddeo on the Animal Control Dept, a quiet group that does good work. #tc0520
• Patrick Kelleher leads the Franklin side in the joint effort with Bellingham that Tracey covers

Franklin Food Pantry

• Next up, Franklin Food Pantry, Lynn Calling and Tina Powderly talking about the new building and updates due to the pandemic requirements #tc0520 intro by TA Jamie Hellen
• Presentation copy per agenda from Franklin Food Pantry https://franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/8b._franklin_food_pantry.pdf. #tc0520 in a normal BCE before coronavirus era there were about 9 new folks, last month 80. Changed from shopping experience to drive through pickup during this time
• Lynn Calling says seeing a familiar face (albeit masked) is important to the pantry clients, approx 60-80 per day drive through to get 5000 lbs/week. Hopefully to be in new building by summer of 2021 #tc0520 a capital campaign to be launched soon to help fund the building
• Empty Bowls would have celebrated the dinner May 7, they will go virtual during a week in June, approx 200 bowls made by students for this fund raising effort. #tc0520 listen to the students talk about empty bowls https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/05/fm-263-fhs-empty-bowl-club-stars-50420.html
• The father daughter group mentioned during the meeting building garden beds, VFJ renovations was interviewed recently and you can listen to their story https://franklinmatters.org/2020/05/fm-261-vfj-renovations-empowering.html?m=1. #tc0520
• The Food Pantry current needs list can be found online at https://franklinfoodpantry.org/give-help/donate-food/current-needs-list/. #tc0520
• Tina Powderly takes time to recognize Amy Cataldo as one of the 3 keys to the operation (Lynn, and Sue Kilcoyne) #tc0520

SAFE Coalition

• Next up, SAFE Coalition with Jen Levine and Jim Derick to present, copy of deck to be shared later #tc0520
• SAFE is busy, one contact leads to approx 8 others ( to confirm details, explore options, etc.) #tc0520
• 40 people/week reach out for support from SAFE Coalition, while they cover 9 communities, it is still a need that is rather large and being met #tc0520
• SAFE currently funded by grants and donations #tc0520

Metacomet Emergency Communications Center

• Next up, the Metacomet Emergency Communications Center (MECC) the regional dispatch center #tc0520 last week was first anniversary of operations so timely albeit delayed due to COVID-19
• Mendon/Millville regional dispatch will actually merge with the MECC final planning underway
• Collaboration with depts beyond Fire/Police in Franklin help to make the work that much easier; DPW, technology, Assessors, GIS, facilities, etc. #tc0520
• Regionalization of dispatch is a success and could be a guide for others to follow. MA had 300plus dispatch centers, CA has 4. With the MECC online and expanding (Millville , Mendon) a source of pride and savings #tc0520

Legislation for Action

• Moving to Legislation for action, first up https://franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/10a._20-27_cell_tower_easement.pdf. #tc0520 more of a house cleaning item, "this is an exercise for lawyers" moved, seconded, passed 8-0-1 (8 for, 1 absent)
• Next legislation, 2nd reading on plot line changes for Pleasant, Chestnut, Brook Sts. #tc0520 https://franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/10b._20-853_cestnut_pleasnt_brooke_streets.pdf moved, 2nd, passed 7-0-2 (7 for, 1 absent, 1 recused (Bissanti))
• Next legislation, Water resource district adjustment. Up for 2nd and final approval, https://franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/10c._20-854_water_resource_district.pdf #tc0520 map needed to be updated, moved, 2nd, approved 8-0-1 (8 for, 1 absent)

Town Administrator Update

• Senior Center coffee hour on Thursday at 8:30 AM with virtual meeting #tc0520 bring your coffee! Announcement of curbside cafe coming at the meeting but due to start June 1
• FY2021 budget coming out Thursday, Finance Committee meetings over the next two weeks spread over 4 nights, agendas to show which dept which night, etc. #tc0520 . Need Community engaged as these discussions will be challenging
• Parks and parking lots to open on Monday, playgrounds will remain closed, masks and social distance requirements still in place #tc0520
• Board of Health special session on 5/21/20 at 5 PM details on Town of Franklin page effectively #tc0520

Closing

• Council comments wrapped up, motion to adjourn, passed 8-0-1 via roll call. Real time reporting ends for this meeting with this tweet. #tc0520

The Twitter treads can be found online  https://twitter.com/hashtag/tc0520?src=hashtag_click

FM #273 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 273 in the series.

This session shares the Franklin, MA Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. The meeting was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

The Chair, Tom Mercer opens the meetings, all votes are via roll call, each person speaking is acknowledged by the Chair before speaking. Aside from an occasional bit of background from someone not muted properly, the meeting runs well.

The recording runs about 2 hours and 50 minutes, so let’s listen to the Town Council meeting of May 20, 2020.


https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/Hc9XZ1P7

screen capture during the SAFE Coalition presentation

Leaping into Kindergarten - May 20

Leaping into Kindergarten, the annual program for parents of incoming kindergarteners, was held via virtual meeting and recorded for replay via YouTube.

The video link:  https://youtu.be/jPh1jJVhr-8



The presentation copy:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P-1IADJFm4kN3kl_kU8RtcHulZsAOVSs/view





Shared via Twitter  https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/1263516493330944002?s=09

Panther News Special Edition: "Senior Sign-Off" May 22, 2020

The 'Senior Sign-Off' Panthers News   https://youtu.be/YuHlTQT-rp4

Why You Need Your Chamber Now More Than Ever

What Does a Chamber of Commerce Do?

No other organization represents the local business community like a Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce brand is recognized across the globe as an organization fighting for the rights of employers. No other group balances the needs of the business community with the needs of the general community like the Chamber of Commerce.

Chambers are your businesses' life raft in the troubled waters of COVID-19. They were the life raft for you during the great recession and they'll be again the next time a crisis rolls around.

How Can Joining the United Regional Chamber Help Me?

Right now, the United Regional Chamber of Commerce (URCC) is learning to navigate complicated government processes while protecting your rights so you can stay focused on keeping your business afloat. We're talking to governors, state legislators, members of Congress, and any other person with a .gov email address, to convince them that the economy isn't the antithesis of public health. Both can coexist safely and prosperously together.

Our members get value through member discounts on office supplies and other tangible goods, but you can't put a price on the value they're receiving from the URCC's advocacy efforts aimed at the federal, state, and local government. Over many years, URCC leaders have built relationships with a myriad of public officials, always trying to find the right opportunity and opening to showcase a public official's comments while subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) educating them to the realities of providing jobs.

We hope you'll take advantage of all the webinars, Zoom meetings, and educational programming that we're providing (mostly free of charge) to keep you engaged with government and business leaders. We still have our monthly Executive Express-O hosted by URCC Board Member Charlie Miller of Business Advisory Solutions and our Extreme Networking Group that meets every other week. Same people, same timely topics, same great ideas. 

www.unitedregionalchamber.org

The only difference is that we're now conducting these meetings virtually via Zoom. We had one virtual Alive After Five facilitated by Rob Peters of Rob Peters Entertainment and we're going to have more. We have our on-line Job Board and we encourage you to send in your job listings.

We're doing it for YOU in hopes it'll help YOU survive. Visit our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/UnitedRegional/) and read our weekly enews to learn about the programs that we are offering.

If you have any ideas about the programs and groups you would like to see facilitated by the URCC, please contact me.

#URCC #Chamberstrong


Jack Lank, IOM
President & CEO
The United Regional Chamber of Commerce
310 South Street
Plainville, MA 02762
Phone: 508-316-0861
www.unitedregionalchamber.org
"People Do Business With People They Know"

In the News: "Franklin named Purple Heart Community"

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

The town is now recognized as a Purple Heart Community, joining more than 90 other Massachusetts communities in honoring local veterans.

The designation was approved by the Town Council on Wednesday night, and honors recipients of the Purple Heart medal, which is presented to U.S. military service members who have been wounded or killed by enemy forces.

The medal - the nation’s oldest military award - was created by George Washington in 1782 and was originally called the “Badge for Military Merit.” Part of the designation entails celebrating Purple Heart Day, which is held on Aug. 8.

The designation also adds Franklin as a stop along the Purple Heart Trail, a national network of roads, bridges, highways and other monuments honoring soldiers who have been awarded a Purple Heart medal. There are currently designated sections in 45 states, including Guam.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200521/franklin-named-purple-heart-community

The Proclamation making Franklin a Purple Heart Community did not need a Town Council vote on Wednesday. It was one of three proclamations made during the Wednesday session held via virtual meeting.

• Proclamation on "Purple Heart" community being read to acknowledge new designation. #tc0520 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/4a._proclamation_-_purple_heart_community_2.pdf
• Proclamation on American Legion Post Edward L Grant #75 #tc0520https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/4b._proclamation_-_american_legion.pdf
• Proclamation to recognize Larry Bedarian #tc0520 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/mai/files/4c._proclamation_-_larry_bedarian.pdf

 
 

 The Edward L Grant granite marker along the Veterans Walkway photo taken in Nov 2018