Best Bargain for Retirees? Waterbury Ranks 10th in the USA

Headed towards retirement?  Keep Waterbury in mind.  A new ranking of the best bargains for retirees has the Brass City holding down the final slot on the top ten list.  The list, developed by the website GO Banking Rates and running on the CBS Moneywatch website, ranks Waterbury as the 10^th best town in the country for retirees. The site said of Waterbury: “Waterbury is in New Haven County on the Naugatuck River, close to Hartford and New York City. Waterbury has a colonial history with historic houses, and the downtown is clean and has many trees. You will find art and cultural events, and great health care facilities.”

A 2015 report by the Government Accountability Office found that about half of households led by people ages 55 and older have no retirement savings at all. Among households with retirement savings, the median amount of those savings is just $104,000 for households ages 55-64, and $148,000 for households ages 65-74. Such modest savings make it difficult to keep up with expenses during retirement. Americans 65 years of age or older average nearly $44,686 in annual expenses, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And Waterbury, apparently, can make those dollars go further.  The GOBankingRates website ranking considered several local factors, including:

• Housing — rental prices for a one-bedroom apartment, rounded to nearest dollar.
• Percentage of retirees — in the local population as of April 1, 2010.
• Walkability — scores ranging from 25 for Montgomery, Ala., to 65 for Allentown, Pa.
• Safety factors — scores ranging from 6 for Rochester, N.Y., and Louisville, Ky., to 30 for Boise, Idaho.

Each city was given a weighting for each of the criterion and was ranked based on the overall score.  The top 20:

1. Boise, Idaho
2. El Paso, Texas
3. Allentown, PA
4. Grand Rapids, MI
5. Champaign, IL
6. Charlottesville, VA
7. Lincoln, NE
8. Bloomington, IN
9. Cedar Rapids, IA
10. Waterbury, CT
11. Colorado Springs, CO
12. Missoula, MT
13. Rochester, NY
14. Greensboro, NC
15. Fort Worth, TX
16. Billings, MT
17. Phoenix, AZ
18. Lexington, KY
19. Omaha, NB
20. Columbus, OH

The City of Waterbury’s website highlights “the sense of neighborhood identity and pride is so important that Waterbury has some of the most active neighborhood associations in the state.”  The site explains that “their efforts focus on protecting the small-town character and livability of their communities as they plan neighborhood block parties, concerts and beautification projects.  And with over twenty distinct and diverse neighborhoods-- many with their own commercial center, park, school, and sports associations-- there is truly a place for everyone in Waterbury.  These well-preserved and diverse neighborhoods are often recognized as one of the city's greatest assets.”

The original settlement of Waterbury – the 9^th largest city in New England - dates back to 1674 and the city's name is reference to its proximity to the Naugatuck River and its many tributaries which flow through the heart of the city.

https://youtu.be/4MZDO2vFPjA

New Haven to Host Regional Economic Development Conference for Northeast

Each year, the Northeastern Economic Developers Association convenes a conference of practitioners and thinkers from throughout the region who learn and do business together. For the organization’s 60^th annual conference this fall, the selected theme of “Transportation at the Crossroads” is designed “to help us bring a big idea to life - increasing economic self-sufficiency and vibrancy for citizens, businesses and communities.” The city selected to host the landmark event is New Haven. “We are broadly defining transportation to include moving people, cargo and data,” explain conference organizers of the event, expected to bring more than 250 professionals in a range of economic development areas to the September 11-13 conference.   

NEDA will offer sessions in New Haven in the priority topic areas related to the transportation theme - a broad array of program topics, professional tools and networking opportunities that will provide high value to conference attendees.

Who is expected to attend?  Organizers anticipate community planners; representatives of banks, specialty lenders and investors; Chambers of Commerce leaders; developers; economic development organizations and consultants; engineering service firms; entrepreneurs; municipal planners, place-makers; policy makers; transportation planners and implementers; and federal, state, regional and local government representatives.

Keynote speakers include state and federal officials, including Governor Malloy; state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Catherine Smith; Transportation Commissioner James Redeker; Alissa DeJonge, Vice President of Research for the Connecticut Economic Resource Center; and New Haven Mayor Toni Harp.   In addition, former Gov. Parris N. Glendening of Maryland, President of Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute and the Governors’ Institute on Community Design, a technical assistance program run in partnership with the EPA-DOT Partnership for Sustainable Communities and Smart Growth America, will address the conference, as will Congressman Bill Shuster, Chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The conference will also recognize outstanding initiatives throughout the region, including the Project of the Year, Program of the Year, Educator of the Year, Member of the Year, and a series of marketing awards in categories including branding, marketing and promotion, and economic development content.  Nominations must be submitted (by NEDA members) by June 24.

Through NEDA membership, economic development practitioners, officials, and volunteer leaders develop and perfect their development tools, network with others in the field, and partner regionally to do the work of economic development, according to organization officials.

The NEDA “core philosophy” will be reflected in the conference sessions.  It reads “We believe economic development is inseparably intertwined with both community development and the leveraging of community assets to drive change. By forming collaborative partnerships with organizations pursuing goals similar to ours, local resources are maximized and the foundation for community sustainability is established from local stakeholders and small businesses committed to their common future.”

NEDA members “build stronger economies throughout the Northeastern United States,” including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia.

https://youtu.be/iphybn4GS8U

Most Valuable States in America: Connecticut Ranks #3

A recent study estimates that the combined value of all land in the contiguous United States is worth nearly $23 trillion. The most valuable state, according to the survey, is California, which accounted for 17 percent of the total value of the 48 bordering states. New Jersey, however, had the most valuable real estate relative to its size, estimated at $196,400 per acre, or 16 times the average value per acre across the contiguous U.S. Connecticut ranked third overall.  Although the third smallest state in the country, containing just over 3 million acres, Connecticut is also one of just four states where land is valued at over $100,000 per acre on average. By contrast, the estimated value of an average acre across the country is just over $12,000.

The study, authored by William Larson, senior economist at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and previously at the Bureau of Economic Analysis, estimated the value of different property types, including agricultural areas, federal land, and developed suburban and urban areas.  The study is featured on the website 24/7 Wall St.

States with generally larger rural areas tended to have a lower value relative to their size, while more densely populated states that contain large urban centers had the highest estimated worth per acre. The value of Connecticut’s land is reflected in the higher cost of a house in the state. The typical house is worth $267,200, compared to a national median home value of $181,200, according to the analysis.

Key data for Connecticut includes:

• Value of land per acre: $128,824
• Total value: $400 billion (18th highest)
• Total acres: 3.1 million (3rd lowest)
• Percent land mass rural: 62.3% (4th lowest)

The top 10 “most valuable” states:  New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware, New York, California, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.  Next are Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Indiana, Washington, North Carolina and Tennessee.

The analysis points out that the type of land in a given area has a significant impact on its worth. Agricultural and other largely undeveloped areas are generally worth significantly less than cities and suburbs land.  Developed land, or land where housing, roads, and other structures are located, is valued at an estimated $106,000 per acre, while undeveloped land was estimated at $6,500 per acre, and farmland at only $2,000 per acre, according to the analysis.

That said, the analysis notes that it is not surprising that most of the states with the highest per acre land values are predominantly urban, such as New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. These Northeastern states are smaller and have less rural acreage “to bring the average value down.”  The data reflects that the six most valuable states were also among the 10 smallest states by landmass. In New Jersey, for example, 39.7 percent of the area is considered urban, compared to a national urban share of just 3 percent.

The entirety of Delaware is worth just $72 billion, the second smallest total value compared to the other states in the lower 48, the analysis notes. On a per acre basis, however, the state is valued at $57,692 on average, the sixth highest in the country. Just behind Delaware is New York, with more than 30 million acres worth $41,314 each, on average. In total, the Empire State’s acreage is worth $1.25 trillion, based on the analysis. Because of the large rural areas in the state, the analysis explains, less than 10 percent of New York’s total area is considered developed. However, that developed property is so valuable it accounts for roughly two-thirds of the state’s total value.

All 10 of the states with the largest proportions of federally-owned land are west of Kansas, reflecting the way in large swaths of that land entered the United States at various junctures in U.S. history.   The Louisiana Purchase and the conclusion of the Mexican-American War left considerable areas across the western United States in the hands of the federal government.

While less than 25 percent of all land in the lower 48 states is owned by the federal government, in Nevada, as one prime example, the third least valuable state by acre, 86.8 percent is federal, the highest share in the country.  As a result, western states with a lot of federal land tend to have lower average values per acre. More than 30 percent of land in nine of the 15 “least valuable” states was federally-owned as of 2009.

AMA Policy, UConn Professor Raise Concerns About Municipal Conversions to LED Lighting

An article authored by UConn professor of Community Medicine and Health Care Richard G. Stevens, which highlights red flags being raised by the American Medical Association regarding the safety of LED lighting being installed in cities around the country, is gaining notice.  The article first appeared on an international website, theconversation.com, which features articles researched and written by college faculty from the U.S. and around the world.  The site’s tagline, “Academic rigor, journalistic flair,” reflects its approach.  The article has since been re-published on the CNN website, and it gaining traction on dozens of other internet sites. The article revolves around a policy statement issued by the AMA this month that suggests “conversions to improper LED technology can have adverse consequences.” Stevens, who has written about the health risks of electric lighting for more than two decades,  indicates that the policy statement comes "in response to the rise of new LED street lighting sweeping the country.” 

The new "white" LED street lighting which is rapidly being retrofitted in cities throughout the country has two problems, according to the AMA, Stevens highlights. “The first is discomfort and glare. Because LED light is so concentrated and has high blue content, it can cause severe glare, resulting in pupillary constriction in the eyes. Blue light scatters more in the human eye than the longer wavelengths of yellow and red, and sufficient levels can damage the retina. This can cause problems seeing clearly for safe driving or walking at night.” The AMA goes on to point out that blue-rich LED lighting can decrease visual acuity and safety, resulting in concerns and creating a road hazard.

In addition to its impact on drivers, the AMA notes that blue-rich LED streetlights operate at a wavelength that most adversely suppresses melatonin during night. It is estimated that white LED lamps have five times greater impact on circadian sleep rhythms than conventional street lamps, the AMA indicated. Recent large surveys, according to the AMA, found that brighter residential nighttime lighting is associated with reduced sleep times, dissatisfaction with sleep quality, excessive sleepiness, impaired daytime functioning and obesity.

The AMA points out that “converting conventional street light to energy efficient LED lighting leads to cost and energy savings, and a lower reliance on fossil-based fuels. Approximately 10 percent of existing U.S. street lighting has been converted to solid state LED technology, with efforts underway to accelerate this conversion.”

Although no comprehensive list is available, among the communities in Connecticut making the switch to LED lighting are Stamford, Plainville, East Hartford, Southington, and Berlin, according to published reports. Cheshire launched a streetlight replacement program earlier this year, indicating that “the new LED fixtures will provide the appropriate amount of lighting for locations across the town and will focus light directly downward on the sidewalks and roadway.  The fixtures have a ten-year product warranty, but are anticipated to have a much longer life. The project is expected to be completed in July 2016.”

"Despite the energy efficiency benefits, some LED lights are harmful when used as street lighting," AMA Board Member Maya A. Babu, M.D., M.B.A. "The new AMA guidance encourages proper attention to optimal design and engineering features when converting to LED lighting that minimize detrimental health and environmental effects."

The AMA encourages communities to minimize and control blue-rich environmental lighting by using the lowest emission of blue light possible to reduce glare. Stevens, however, says that “the AMA's recommendation for CCT below 3000K is not quite enough to be sure that blue light is minimized. The actual spectral irradiance of the LED -- the relative amounts of each of the colors produced -- should be considered, as well.”

Stevens concludes that “there is almost never a completely satisfactory solution to a complex problem. We must have lighting at night, not only in our homes and businesses, but also outdoors on our streets. The need for energy efficiency is serious, but so too is minimizing human risk from bad lighting, both due to glare and to circadian disruption. LED technology can optimize both when properly designed.”

The Hartford Courant reported last year that ESCO Energy Services is working with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities to implement its municipal Street Light LED Conversion Program to buy the current streetlights from utilities and replace them with more efficient LED fixtures.

Stevens proposed in 1987 what was then seen as a radical new theory that use of electric lighting, resulting in lighted nights, might produce "circadian disruption" causing changes in the hormones relevant to breast cancer risk, according to the UConn Health website. Accumulating evidence has generally supported the idea, the site indicates, and it has received wide scientific and public attention. For example, his work has been featured on the covers of the popular weekly Science News (October 17, 1998) and the scientific journal Cancer Research (July 15, 1996). His most recent paper, “Shift work as a harbinger of the toll taken by electric lighting,” was published in Chronobiology International, The Journal of Biological and Medical Rhythm Research, in January 2016.

The Conversation website is a collaboration between editors and academics to provide "informed news analysis and commentary that’s free to read and republish." It launched as a pilot project in the U.S. in October 2014 after starting in Australia in March 2011 and​ the UK in May 2013. Boston University’s College of Communication is are hosting the operation in the U.S.

PHOTO:  Traditional street lighting (left) vs. LED lighting (right).

Enforcement Hold Lifted, FCC Will Now Consider License Renewal Application of WTIC-AM, Pending for Two Years

Just days after a federal appeals court upheld former Gov. John G. Rowland’s conviction for violating federal campaign laws, the Federal Communications Commission lifted an enforcement hold on WTIC-AM's license renewal. At the time that Rowland was accused of secretly accepting pay as a political consultant, he was also an afternoon radio host on WTIC-AM. His use of the airwaves in order to favor the candidate, Lisa Wilson-Foley, whose spouse was paying Rowland at the time, was raised during his trial.

The FCC is now “in a position to consider the objections that have been filed regarding the renewal application,”  an agency official told CT by the Numbers.  There is no timetable for that review, which is just beginning now that the agency’s enforcement hold has been “lifted,” or for a final decision on the station’s license renewal application.

The station’s broadcast license expired almost 27 months ago, on April 1, 2014.  In accordance with FCC procedures, the station filed a license renewal application on November 27, 2013.  By September 2014, the FCC’s enforcement division placed the renewal application on “enforcement hold,” which precluded any action by the agency on the renewal.

The station, owned by CBS Radio, could continue broadcasting while the FCC held the renewal application. Stations in such a status routinely continue to operate without any interruption until a decision on license renewal is made.

Even as the station remained on the air, the license renewal has been in limbo. As the agency’s Enforcement Bureau considered “an alleged violation of FCC rules,” the agency’s Media Bureau could not proceed with a decision on whether or not to renew the station’s broadcast license, typically an 8-year renewal.

The FCC has not provided the reason that the license application was put on hold.  FCC officials have indicated that most often enforcement holds are instituted due to a complaint being filed that requires investigation, but they would not confirm whether that was true in this instance.  That information is only made available to the licensee or their attorney, according to an FCC official.

Now that the license renewal application has reached the agency’s Media Bureau, they will consider “how the allegation of violation was resolved,” as well as a range of other factors in deciding whether or not to renew the station’s license.  The other, more routine, factors include whether any other objections have been raised about the station, whether the station has been adequately serving the public in their area of license, their history of compliance with FCC regulations, and their overall performance.

Hartford Attorney Ken Krayeske filed an informal objection on October 1, 2014 to WTIC’s broadcast license renewal, alleging that the station “demonstrated serious malfeasance” and “helped conceal violations of federal law.”  The FCC has confirmed the receipt of that objection.

Rowland resigned from his drive-time talk show on WTIC-AM in April 2014.  The station currently airs a locally-originated sports talk program in that time slot. The FCC had no comment on whether the now more than two-year delay in making a determination on the license renewal is among the longest in FCC history.

Bridgeport-Based Wholesome Wave Receives $500,000 USDA Grant to Increase Food Access in Hartford and Vermont

The announcement of the second round of funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Program, included the selection of national nonprofit Wholesome Wave to receive nearly $500,000 designated to increase affordable access to healthy food in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont (the northeast corner of the state, comprising Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties). The funds will flow through an innovative Farm-to-Grocery Nutrition Incentive model, which funds coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables that match the value of SNAP spent at participating grocery stores and increases locally-grown food those stores procure from nearby farmers.

Combined with an additional $500,000 from other funding sources, this project will amount to a $1 million investment in Connecticut and Vermont’s local food economies, according to Wholesome Wave.

Wholesome Wave plans to work with two community nonprofits, Hartford Food System and Green Mountain Farm to School, and eight local grocery stores, to help an estimated 5,000 people purchase more fresh produce. Participating stores will purchase approximately $122,000 worth of regional produce from nearby farmers in Connecticut and Vermont.

The USDA award to Wholesome Wave was one of only 15 community-based initiatives across the country to be selected to receive multi-year grants.  The project is expected to trigger $920,000 in SNAP and incentive purchases in its first three years, officials project.  Overall, the initiative is aimed at  increasing food access for low-income residents, supporting grocery stores as healthy food providers, strengthening local economies, and driving revenue to nearby farms.

“Wholesome Wave is thrilled by the innovations that USDA is supporting through the new FINI grants, which are taking the work of increasing affordable access to healthy food to even greater levels of impact,” said Michel Nischan, CEO & Founder of Wholesome Wave. “So many SNAP shoppers are working parents with limited time to source healthier food choices. Through the new Farm-to-Grocery model, our partners in Connecticut and Vermont will be able to expand affordable access to SNAP consumers in a way that allows them to find and purchase more healthy food from a variety of retailers.”

The areas selected both face high levels of poverty and are home to farmers seeking new markets for their healthful crops, according to Wholesome Wave.  They point out that 40 percent of Hartford’s children live in poverty and 42 percent of the city’s residents use SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

In the first iterations of healthy food incentives – which also match the value of SNAP spent – Wholesome Wave worked with local partners to offer them at farmers markets. By expanding healthy food incentives to grocery stores where many families already shop, this project is designed to offer a promising solution to each community’s food access challenges.

Wholesome Wave’s expertise in facilitating and scaling successful food access projects, combined with the local nonprofits’ experience within the communities, represents an ideal partnership to move this work forward, according to the organization.

This project builds on Wholesome Wave’s existing work across 40 states, including expansion through the large-scale FINI grant received last year, a $3.77 million grant from the USDA through the new Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grant program.   Wholesome Wave began in Bridgeport in 2008; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that strives to create a vibrant, just and sustainable food system. By making fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables affordable and available, it enables underserved consumers to make healthier food choices.

In particular, this year’s FINI grant expands on the successes of Wholesome Wave’s and partners’ efforts to pilot nutrition incentives in grocery stores in Connecticut and Vermont.

In the first few months of 2016, Wholesome Wave invested in the Hartford food system by providing SNAP consumers with $23,000 in nutrition incentives to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at two locally-owned grocery stores. During the program period, attributable at least in part to this project, SNAP sales at the local C-Town supermarket increased 7 percent and produce sales increased by 19 percent over the same period in 2015.

Executive Director of Hartford Food System, Martha Page, said: “As demonstrated in the pilot program, the SNAP Up! nutrition incentives are an excellent way to get more fresh fruits and vegetables on Hartford dinner tables. The enthusiastic response to the incentives by Hartford SNAP participants clearly shows that there is a demand for affordable, high quality produce.  For our local farmers, this will represent a new customer base that they have not been able to easily access. We are so excited at the opportunity to bring Hartford area farmers and Hartford consumers together; we believe that we will prove that good food is good business!”

National leaders emphasize how this new model will benefit their state’s economies, while increasing access to produce for low-income residents and improving the bottom line for regional farmers.

“Increasing access to fresh, healthy food for the low-income residents of food deserts will help move our communities one step closer to ending food insecurity. The federal funding awarded to Bridgeport’s Wholesome Wave to help provide fresh produce to Hartford’s local grocers is an investment in an incredible partnership that will help ensure the well-being and health of Hartford’s residents,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

“Just a few days ago, I was at Hartford Regional Market talking to local farmers and Hartford community leaders about better connecting local food to city grocery stores,” recalled U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy. “This grant for Wholesome Wave is a great opportunity to make that happen. It just makes sense—we should help families afford locally-grown, fresh food at the grocery stores they already shop at. We worked so hard to get North Hartford its Promise Zone designation so that the city can hop to the front of the line when it comes to getting federal grants. This shows why that’s so important.”

“Food deserts correlate very highly with areas of poverty across our country, and a lack of healthy and affordable food options can have a very detrimental effect, especially on children,” said U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, who represents the Congressional District that includes Bridgeport. “With this grant, we will be able to help more families eat nutritiously in Hartford and also support the excellent work that Wholesome Wave is doing right here in Bridgeport, creating innovative ways to bring healthy, local produce into more stores and kitchens.”

In the initiative, neighborhood grocery stores will become access points for fresh local produce, and experience increased revenues. Beyond direct impact to the community, Wholesome Wave expects to use this project in the two states to develop a replicable Farm-to-Grocery Nutrition Incentive model that the organization hopes can spread nationally through their national network of over 110 organizations in 40 states – including 12 in Connecticut - with the promise of impact on a national scale.

The second-round USDA funding award to Wholesome Wave, announced this month, is for $499,720.  The programs in Hartford and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom are expected to launch in August.

https://youtu.be/BU0sOg9GhWA

67,000 CT Homes At Risk from Hurricane Storm Surges; State Ranks 14th Among States Under Threat

More than 6.8 million homes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at potential risk of damage from hurricane storm surge inundation with a total reconstruction cost value of more than $1.5 trillion, according to a new analysis by CoreLogic.  Connecticut, which has felt the brunt of major east coast storms in recent years, ranks 14^th among the states in the potential damage from future storms, with more than 67,000 homes at risk of flood exposure. According to the analysis, nearly 7,000 Connecticut homes are at extreme risk from future storms, another 21,600 homes are at very high risk, and nearly 18,000 are at high risk, depending upon the severity of the storm.  In addition, just over 21,000 homes are seen as being of moderate risk.  In the analysis, a category 1-5 storm would place a structure at extreme risk, a category 2-5 storm at very high risk, a category 3-5 storm at high risk, and a category 4-5 storm would put a home at moderate risk.

Among neighboring states, Connecticut ranked behind Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.

In addition to the number of homes at risk, the analysis also provides the reconstruction cost value (RCV), which is the cost to completely rebuild a property in case of damage, including labor and materials by geographic location, assuming a worst-case scenario at 100-percent destruction.  The analysis points out that the location of hurricanes that hit land is often a more important factor than the number of storms that may occur during the year.

At the state level, Texas and Florida, which have the longest coastal areas, consistently have more homes at risk than other states. Florida ranks first with 2.7 million at-risk homes across the five risk categories and Texas ranks third with 531,169 at-risk homes.  Since the number of homes at risk strongly correlates with the accompanying RCV, these two states rank first and fifth, respectively for having the largest RCV, according to the analysis.

The states with the most at-risk homes are Florida, Louisiana, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Delaware.

Rhode Island, Maine and New Hampshire ranked 17^th, 18^th and 19^th respectively.

The CoreLogic storm surge analysis, officials say, complements Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood zone information to provide a snapshot of potential damage exposure at the property level since many properties located outside designated FEMA flood zones are still at risk for storm surge damage.  The analysis examines risk from hurricane-driven storm surge for homes along the Atlantic and Gulf coastlines across 19 states and the District of Columbia, as well as for 88 metro areas.

“Using more granular-level data has given us an even clearer picture of which homes are at risk of storm surge damage,” said Dr. Tom Jeffery, senior hazard risk scientist for CoreLogic. “Despite the overall increases in risk, we were glad to see that the number and value of homes in the most extreme, and dangerous, category actually declined.”

At the regional level, the Atlantic Coast has just under 3.9 million homes at risk of storm surge with an RCV of $953 billion, and the Gulf Coast has just over 2.9 million homes at risk with $592 billion in potential exposure to total destruction damage.

When the states are ranked by the anticipated reconstruction cost value of the homes at risk, Connecticut ranks 12^th.

Among the nation’s major metropolitan areas, those with the most homes potentially affected by all categories of hurricane are Miami, New York Tampa, New Orleans, Virginia beach, Cape Coral, Houston, Bradenton, Naples, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Charleston, Boston, Myrtle Beach and Lafayette.

CoreLogic is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider. The company’s combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years.

The official hurricane season extends from June-November each year, but hurricanes are not limited to that timeframe.  The report indicates that most preseason forecasts to date have predicted an increase in both the total number of storms and the number of hurricanes in 2016, compared with the last three years. The storm predictions from Tropical Storm Risk, for example, show a 35 percent chance of this year being an above average season.

CT to Offer Digital Media Education to Create Employment Pathway

Connecticut’s push to strengthen its digital media workforce continues this summer, with the second year of the Digital Media CT (DMCT) summer training program, developed in partnership by the Connecticut Office of Film, Television & Digital Media and the University of Connecticut. The program is aimed at high school juniors and seniors, current college students, college graduates with majors in communications/film/television, veterans, and professionals who want to explore digital media. The four-week and two-week programs, which both begin on July 9, are designed for individuals with a demonstrated interest in digital media who want to develop the basic skills necessary to potentially seek work in the industry or augment their current skill set.

DMCT students will explore the industry’s many facets learning about media production for web, film, television, games, communications and marketing, and receive specialized skills and hands-on experience needed to pursue careers in the digital media industry. Tracks include 3D Animation, Game Design, Motion Graphics Design, Social Media Management and Web Design.

All DMCT classes will be hosted at the University of Connecticut Stamford Campus and taught by UConn's Digital Media & Design faculty and complemented with lectures from local/regional professionals and industry experts. This approach is designed to “provide students with the valuable and unique opportunity to build relationships with accomplished practitioners in respective fields.”

The training will be presented in classroom format and will provide a comprehensive introductory overview of the digital media industry, disciplines, and processes. Each of the various sections of the program will feature daily introductory seminars focused on digital art and technology. Both day and evening programs are offered to accommodate current students and those with a flexible day schedule, as well as working professionals.

xpert guest lecturers from Connecticut companies will speak regarding subjects and crafts not included in the general curriculum.  Officials indicate that upon successful completion of the DMCT, trainees will have completed a portfolio worthy project consistent with their selected track and representative of their work and learning. They will also receive a certificate of completion from the Connecticut Office of Film, Television & Digital Media for their selected track.

The cost for the four-week session, 9:30 – 4:30 daily, is $500; the intensive two-week, Monday-Friday, evening session is $250.

The state’s Office of Film, Television and Digital Media supports and enhances Connecticut’s film, television and digital media industry. The film office is the statewide contact for motion picture, television and digital media production and serves as liaison between production companies, state agencies, municipalities, production facilities, local crew and vendors. The Office also administers the tax credit programs designed to incentivize the development of the industry here in Connecticut.

The Associated Press recently reported that Connecticut’s tax credit program provided $91.5 million in tax credits to 36 production companies that spent an estimated $348 million in fiscal year 2015 in the state on qualified digital and TV productions. The credit covers up to 30 percent of what's spent in Connecticut, ranging from salaries to rental equipment, according to the AP report.  The news story also indicated that the state’s job training emphasis in recent years has shifted from film-related jobs to television and digital media.

"We still have films that are shooting here, but really the lion's share of the production activity in the state is split between television and digital media. It's sort of our niche. That's sort of where we hunt," said George Norfleet, director of the Office of Film, Television and Digital Media, told the AP.

Blue Sky Studios, the digital animation studio in Greenwich, relocated to Connecticut from Westchester County, N.Y. in 2009, and Connecticut is home to ESPN, World Wrestling Entertainment, NBC Sports and NBCUniversal, which tapes Maury and the Jerry Springer Show at the Stamford Media Production Center in downtown Stamford.

More information is available from DMCT courses info@DigitalMediaCT.com or 860-270-8198.

NHL Considers Las Vegas and Quebec, Not Hartford

Apparently, it’s all about the lease.  Rumors continue to fly about the possible relocation or sale of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League, but Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, who moved the team formerly known as the Hartford Whalers there two decades ago, says they’re staying put. The Hockey News is reporting that no team in the league has had worse attendance this season than the Hurricanes, whose average attendance has been 12,203 this past season. That’s more than 1,000 fewer fans than Arizona’s attendance, and Carolina is the only team in the league consistently selling less than two-thirds of the maximum attendance at home. In fact, the Hurricanes’ average of 65.3 percent capacity is the lowest by more than 12 percent.

In Forbes’ annual franchise valuations, the Hurricanes were ranked 28th at a value of $225 million, the News reported. Only the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers were given a lower valuation by Forbes. In addition, Forbes said the Hurricanes had an operating income of -11.7 million, which ranked behind only the Panthers and New York Islanders.

“We have commitments that we value (in Carolina). We have an excellent lease, I love (PNC Arena) and I am deeply committed to this market,” Karmanos was quoted as saying in quashing rumors that the team was headed to Quebec, where an NHL-ready arena is waiting. 

A Las Vegas-based website, sinbin.vegas, reports that “their lease runs through 2024. He receives 100% of all parking and concessions for all non-North Carolina State events and a discount on utilities.”  Las Vegas has also been rumored for a franchise relocation or expansion team, and was one of two cities (Quebec was the other) to formally apply for an expansion franchise late last year.

The website reiterates that the Hurricanes are filling only 65% percent of the PNC Arena in Raleigh, which lists a capacity of 18,680. “The obvious reason is because the Hurricanes will once again not take part in the postseason…which doesn’t inspire the folks of Raleigh to attend… which sparks talk of relocation. To give this proper perspective the Columbus Blue Jackets are second from the bottom while filling only 77.7 percent of the Nationwide Arena.

NESN reported in March that, according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, “We have two applications, one from Quebec City and one from Las Vegas. That’s exactly what we expected when we began the process, that those would be the two applications we’d have.” Quebec City has a brand-new arena that opened last fall, but would be the smallest market in the league.  It would also add another Eastern city, in a league that currently has an imbalance in Eastern teams, but has promised not to move teams from the mid-west, including Detroit, into a Western conference under realignment.

Veteran hockey journalist Stan Fischler is reporting that the NHL “could very well put teams in tiny Quebec City and sprawling Las Vegas; and likely will make that decision in June.”

A return to Hartford is not on the NHL radar.  As Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs pointed out last summer, when the NHL expansion process began, “without anyone willing to pay a whopping $500 million expansion fee the league owners want, bid or not there is no way — zero, zero, zero way — the NHL would select Hartford in 2015.”  Or 2016, apparently.  And 2017 is not looking good either.

Fast Forward Past Fiscal Crisis: CT Developing Goals for the Year 2041

New goals approved in the waning hours of the state legislative session focus not on the impending deficit in the next two years, but what Connecticut should look like a quarter-century from now. Fast forwarding to the future, the newly approved legislation establishes a “Connecticut 500 Project” to develop a plan to, within 25 years:

• Increase private sector jobs by 500,000;
• Increase Connecticut’s population by 500,000;
• Increase by 500 the number of start-up companies organized around Connecticut-developed intellectual property;
• Increase by 500 the number of students graduating from each state college and university;
• Achieve a national ranking within the top five for economic growth, public education, quality of life, and private sector employee salary;
• Maintain Connecticut’s position within the top five for productivity, higher education, and income per capita.

“This is an effort to reassert Connecticut as one of the strongest economies in the nation and in the world,” State Representative William Tong recently told WNPR. He's co-chair of the state’s Commission on Economic Competitiveness, and said the Connecticut 500 Project comes directly out of the work of the commission.  The commission will continue to flesh out the Connecticut 500 Project, and look to hire a private consultant to take the plan forward, WNPR reported.

Tong added that the project is modeled after similar efforts in states like New York, Minnesota, and Ohio, and one of its centerpieces will likely be to move away from Connecticut’s traditional suburban strategy, focusing instead on building population and business vitality in its urban cores.

Some of the groundwork begins sooner, and comes with a price tag.

The state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is required to establish a Talent Advisory Committee to assess shortages in the software development and other technology workforces, and develop pilot programs to correct such shortages.  And the Committee would develop knowledge enterprise zones around colleges and universities with the same benefits accorded entities in enterprise zones.

Details are still to be worked out as to how such an initiative would unfold, and the precise role of the state’s public and private institutions.  The committee would design a pilot program to recruit developers and train state residents over the next 10 years, according to the legislation.

The department’s First Five financial assistance program to encourage business expansion and job creation, is also expanded, as a means of hitting the lofty goals within the next two-and-a-half decades. 

The initiative, which began just a few years ago with five companies and has expanded almost every year since, providing loans and grants to Connecticut businesses as an incentive to remain in the state either despite, or because of, the steadily increasing state deficit driven in part by declining tax revenues.  The First Five program is increased once again under the bill to 20 projects from 15.

When it began in 2012, the companies identified to receive state funds were CIGNA, ESPN, NBC Sports, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and CareCentrix.  Subsequent participating companies benefitting from the program include Deloitte, Bridgewater, Charter Communications, Sustainable Building Systems, Navigators, Synchrony Financial and PitneyBowes.

Earlier this spring, DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith told the legislature that over the last three years the program has provided $256 million to thirteen different companies. Smith stated that the companies have “committed to retain more than 13,500 jobs and to create between 2,600 and 5,264 jobs” and urged the program’s expansion and extended deadline (into 2019), which was ultimately granted.

Most recently, the state provided $22 million in loans and grants to the world’s biggest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, to stay in Connecticut – a decision that instantly received both praise and criticism, from Democrats and Republicans alike.