A vote on a resolution to rebrand the Main Street area as “uptown” was tabled Monday night following a recommendation from the Franklin Downtown Merchants Association.
The rebranding topic came up during the Franklin Town Council’s retreat in February and again at last month’s meeting. At that time, Vice Mayor Michael Lewis, who presented the resolution, said some business owners in other parts of town feel most of the focus is on the Main Street area.
In addition to renaming Main Street as “uptown,” the resolution included the designation of “Downtown East Franklin and “Downtown West Franklin.”
Nicole Vachon, chair of the Downtown Merchants Association and owner of Doodlebugs on Main Street, said the merchants voted at their March meeting to recommend “that any renaming or rebranding discussions should be postponed until the town completes both the Main Street redesign process and the economic development process.”
In March the Town Council approved starting the process for creating an economic development plan and approved the hiring of consultants to guide the Main Street redesign prior to DOT paving the street, set for 2028. The town has also started the process to rejoin the N.C. Main Street program.
“They consistently refer to terms ‘downtown,’ ‘Main Street’ and ‘historic commercial districts.’ We are currently aligned with the terminology used,” Vachon said during the April 6 Town Council meeting. She said a shift toward the use of “uptown” could create “unnecessary complications” especially when it comes to tourism and marketing.
“If we were to start using ‘uptown,’ visitors unfamiliar with Franklin may wonder if it refers to a different place entirely,” she said. “For a tourism-driven community like ours, clarity and consistency in our messaging is important. Renaming a place that residents and visitors already recognize can sometimes weaken clarity rather than strengthen it.”
She pointed out that rebranding also leads to more expenses related to signage, promotional materials, website updates, maps and printed guides. “The costs can add up quickly and they may not provide the same tangible benefit as investing directly into downtown improvement.”
Vachon concluded by saying the discussion could be revisited after the plans have been completed. “It allows us to ensure that decisions about Franklin’s identify are informed, coordinated and aligned with what our long-term goals are. Downtown Franklin carries local history and shared memory. It has sincere, emotional response for many in our community, and we have a great asset – we have an authentic historic downtown.”
In response, Vice Mayor Lewis said, “This is how representative governments are supposed to work. If that’s the majority of the way tenants and merchants on Main Street feel, I am certainly willing to listen to that. If we need to table this and talk some more or just leave it alone until this is done, that’s fine too.”
Lewis and Guffey both said they want to move ahead with branding for the East Franklin and West Franklin areas. “I want those people to know that we have them on our mind and they’re important as well,” Lewis said, adding that he wants to talk to the merchants and property owners in those areas of town to get their ideas.
Guffey said, “I think when we do further work with our economic development incentive packages and planning processes, it’s good to delineate where those areas of town are and recognize the businesses that are there. The other thing I would suggest is that we look at the terminology used in our comprehensive plan.”
The comprehensive plan identifies the River District in East Franklin and the Noquisiyi (Nikwasi) Cultural Arts District around the mound and the Women’s History Park.
Lewis noted that the consultants are now calling it “Main Street transformation” rather than redesign.
Lewis said there will be several opportunities for the public to give input on the plan. “This is a huge, huge, huge undertaking,” he said. “I encourage anybody, whether you live in town or not, come and give your input and your ideas.”
Litter task force
During the April 6 Town Council meeting, Guffey said the town gets calls about a variety of issues – speeding, homelessness, chickens. “One of the most common calls I get is about litter on our streets.”
To help address the problem he formed a Litter Task Force with the idea of the town coordinating with other organizations that do litter pick up, creating a schedule, and addressing the areas of town where they are getting reports of litter.
Council member Travis Higdon volunteered to head up the task force. “I’m sick and tired of seeing all that trash,” he said. Council members Joe Collins and Jeff Berry also offered to help.
Council member Rita Salain asked who is responsible for picking up trash. Town Manager Amie Owens said N.C. Department of Transportation does a litter cleanup twice a year in April and September.
The town also has an Adopt-A-Street program and some organizations volunteer as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. Owens said however, if someone throws out litter and it lands in someone’s yard, the town cannot pick it up if it is outside the right-of-way.
The mayor asked if the police department could put out signs or temporarily block a lane to protect people doing litter pick-up in dangerous traffic areas.
Later in the meeting, Police Chief Devin Holland said several years ago he got the police department approved for community service hours and people were usually assigned to picking up litter. However, they don’t get many people requesting community service hours.
“I carry bags and a stick in my patrol car all the time,” Holland said. “I’ve always said, if things look better, other people treat it better. We’ll be glad to jump in and help however we can.
Committee appointments
Guffey appointed Council Member Travis Higdon to serve as the alternate for the Regional Planning Organization, facilitated by the Southwestern Regional Commission and Regional Council of Governments. Guffey serves on the committee but can’t always make the meetings due to his work schedule. “That’s where a lot of the DOT road projects come out of that committee,” he said.
Rita Salain was appointed to lead the Main Street beautification committee.