Three people spoke in support of a downtown social district during the public comment period of the Franklin Town Council meeting on Monday night.
In 2021, the General Assembly passed legislation that allows the establishment of social districts where people can consume alcohol off-premises but within the defined social district. For instance, someone dining at one of the Main Street restaurants could take their drink with them once they leave the restaurant. A social district can be in effect during special events such as festivals, or it can be ongoing, such as the one in Sylva, which operates seven days a week with limited hours on Sunday.
Graham Norris, who is head brewer for Lazy Hiker Brewing Company, was the first to address the council at the April 3 meeting and asked that the council consider implementing a district in Franklin.
Norris said he understands people’s safety concerns, but they have not encountered problems at their taproom that is in the social district in Sylva.
“We have seen nothing but positive from it thus far,” Norris said. “We have not seen alcohol-related incidents increase. If anything, what we see is a positive vibe and culture come through that downtown.”
He said the social district helps bring more people into town, creates opportunities during downtown festivals, and it keeps people in town longer so they might visit shops they normally would not go into.
Dave Linn, who organizes the 80s Flashback Weekend said the social district would be a positive addition and echoed Norris’ comment about people staying in town longer as they walk around. “It would benefit everybody – from businesses to the breweries. The economy would be booming,” he said. “I would love to see people coming downtown and staying there.”
Cory McCall, co-owner of Outdoor 76, was the third person to speak and began by thanking the council members.
“It has been a pleasure to watch this board work together,” he said adding that it seems the council members are working toward a common goal. “You guys have really done a great job working together, and I think a lot of positive benefit will come of that.”
McCall said when they opened the taproom inside the outfitter store on Main Street, they saw a lot of interest from people wanting to be able to have an adult beverage and socialize.
“We’ve seen that grow and continue to be positive over the years,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate here to be part of a kind of revamping of Main Street. We’ve seen two breweries open up. We’ve seen a large group of people take an interest in what is going on downtown.”
McCall said they too have been watching Sylva and it is an opportunity for the town to learn the pros and cons of what has worked there and not have to start from scratch.
“I really do believe there are a lot of positives that are for the social district,” he said. “I really feel like that from the folks that we’ve talked to that there is a significant amount of interest in this, I think that it would benefit the community.”
Town Manager Amie Owens presented information from Sylva at the council retreat in February. At Monday’s meeting, she said a representative from Sylva will be at the May 1 Town Council meeting to share more about the process that they went through in establishing their social district.
Before closing his remarks McCall also asked the board to consider putting security cameras on Main Street, noting that this past weekend a business’s window was broken. He said while it is the business owners’ responsibility for what happens inside their stores, they can’t control what happens outside. He said additional cameras keeping an eye on Main Street would be helpful and might serve as a deterrent.
Clyde Street waterline improvement
Owens reported they received four bid proposals for the Clyde Street waterline improvement project. She recommended awarding the project to Buckeye Bridge, LLC, of Canton, which had the low bid of $730,357. Other bids received included Cooper Construction, $841,192; T.P. Howard’s Plumbing Co., $990,000; and Buchanan and Sons, $2,009,810.
She said the bids came in a little higher than expected but were close to what they had estimated. The council approved the bid for Buckeye Bridge.
Owens said the town had received an $820,000 grant from the state to help pay for the project. “This will allow us to get this project off and running,” she said. Owens said they will complete the contract for signatures; once the contract is signed, the company will have 240 days to complete the project.
The consent agenda also included two budget amendments related to the Clyde Street waterline improvements: $5,250 for the final pre-construction bill and $97,902 for ductile iron pipe that will be used in construction of the line. Both amounts will be appropriated from the Water/Sewer retained earnings to the capital outlay budget.
Naming/sponsorship policy
The council approved a naming/sponsorship policy that would allow the town to recognize those giving honorary, monetary or in-kind support to town buildings, facilities programs or services.
Owens said the council would have the final decision-making authority for approving naming/sponsorship applications and has the right to deny any application. The town will not deny sponsorship opportunities on the basis of the potential sponsor’s race, creed, religious affiliation or political viewpoint. The policy also states that the establishment of a naming or sponsorship agreement does not constitute the town’s endorsement of the sponsor’s organization, products and/or services.
The town manager and town attorney will review applications before presenting them to the council for approval.
Council member Rita Salain asked if there was a time limit or if the naming would be for perpetuity. Attorney John Henning Jr. said the council could set the terms for each naming/sponsorship.
To be considered for naming/sponsorship, the minimum for consideration is at least 51% monetary support, not including in-kind services.
The town will maintain the right to “exercise full editorial control over placement, content, appearance and wording of naming/sponsorship affiliations and messages.”
The full policy and application will be available at Town Hall or on the town website, franklinnc.com.
In other business, the council:
•Approved a street closure request from students Gracie Parker and Kennedy Carriou for the Bullying and Youth Mental Health Rally to be held from 2-4 p.m. April 30 at the gazebo on Main Street. Iotla Street will be closed from 1-5 p.m. There will be a short police-led parade from Town Hall to the gazebo as part of the event.
•Approved the $32,499.20 purchase of new equipment that provides remote monitoring of the town’s eight sewer pump stations. Public Works Director Bill Deal said the old equipment needed several updates that were not cost effective, and they had not been satisfied with the service. Deal said the wireless system sends warnings and codes to the staff when there is a problem at the pump stations. “If anything goes wrong, we’ll be able to get there and get it fixed.”
Council member Adam Kimsey joined the meeting remotely but could not vote on any agenda items.
The Town Council will hold a budget work session at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 17.
The next regular council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, May 1 in the board room on the lower level of Town Hall.