Without power: In Franklin, Northern Pass denial comes with a cost

The city of Franklin had its hopes set on Northern Pass.

It was a promising proposal for a community that has been struggling for years – Mayor Tony Giunta described the project as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity that could pay to refurbish Franklin’s neglected roadways, provide close to 500 local jobs and close the gap in school funding – about $1 million last year.

The power converter station in an abandoned campground was poised to almost double the value of all property in the city – currently about $550 million – in just two years. The new revenue in taxes was expected to be about $5 million to $7 million a year.

Then, unexpectedly, those hopes were dashed.

“I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me,” Giunta said of the moment he found out the state’s Site Evaluation Committee voted against Northern Pass. “I literally lost my breath.”

Read more: http://www.concordmonitor.com/Franklin-city-officials-disappointed-by-SEC-s-Northern-Pass-decision-15284850