Following a closed session on Sept. 3 to discuss property and personnel matters, the Franklin Town Council unanimously voted to enter a contract to purchase a building for the ABC store.
The Town of Franklin has been renting space in Macon Plaza for the ABC store and for 2024-25 budgeted $112,520 a year in rent, in addition to maintenance, insurance and utility costs.
The town has been looking for property to buy for at least two years and had that as a priority on their list for 2024-25. Council member Joe Collins has long been a proponent of the town owning property for the store rather than paying rent. He listed that among the top three issues facing the town when he ran for reelection in 2023.
“The town has paid rent since inception around 1995, resulting in lost profits. We need to own the property,” Collins said.
The building under consideration is located off Highway 64 at 144 Carolina Dr. The former Ferguson HVAC building is now serving as the Macon County Democratic Party headquarters.
Council member Mike Lewis said buying the building is not a “done deal” as they still need to go through the due diligence on the property.
Once due diligence is completed, expected in mid-November, if all is in order, the town could close on the property by Dec. 12.
According to the contract, the town will pay $5,000 in earnest money toward the $799,000 purchase price of the property, including the 6,900-square-foot building and 1.6 acres of land. The current owners are Jeremy Vale and Carol Vale of Otto.
Annexation request approved
During the regular session of the Sept. 3 meeting, the Town Council approved a voluntary annexation request from Lora Lenders for her property at 2222 Georgia Road, the former Longview Steakhouse and now Lola’s Vape Shop. The business owners, who applauded the approval, said at a previous meeting they planned to put in a wine bar and food truck park and needed the annexation to get the permit to sell alcoholic beverages.
In discussing the request, Council member Rita Salain asked if the annexation was just for that property or if it was contiguous. Town Planner Justin Setser said it is not contiguous. The contiguous city limits ends at Belden Circle, but other property owners on Georgia Road have previously been approved for voluntary annexation.
Council member David Culpepper asked about previous discussions about putting in sidewalks along Georgia Road.
“This is going to keep happening down through there. It’s all going to be town eventually,” Culpepper said.
Council member Mike Lewis said he remembered there was a past question about lighting and who would pay to have it installed and maintained.
Attorney John Henning Jr. said the town would not have to put in lights, but there is a liability risk if someone falls and gets hurt. He also pointed out that the town only has authorization to put in sidewalks inside the contiguous city limits and that DOT would need to give approval to sidewalks outside the city limits.
Culpepper said he would like to revisit the issue. “Town is growing and there are people that walk through there – it’s pretty dangerous.”
Mayor Jack Horton asked the staff to look into the installation of sidewalks and/or lights.
Water quality
Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey asked that the town be included in discussions such as the one being held at the county level about changes to the watershed ordinance. He said those changes might or might not impact the water supply for the Town of Franklin and the Town of Highlands.
He said the town should be involved in the discussions to make sure there are no negative impacts on the watershed, the drinking water system, to the customers or the taxpayers.
“It’s important that especially our staff that deals with the water system and our manager be involved in those discussions at some level,” Guffey said.
Town Planner Justin Setser represents the town on the county Planning Board.
Horton said that the town should be involved from the beginning on any discussions that could affect the town’s watershed and water quality.
Lewis said it is an economic issue too and that the water may have to be treated more if it is impacted by a change in the watershed.
Salain said she had not heard anything about the proposed changes affecting water quality.
“That’s what I’m curious about,” Guffey said.
Social district
The council continued its discussion from last month’s meeting about whether to have the social district in operation during PumpkinFest and Winter Wonderland.
They voted to accept Town Manager Amie Owens’s recommendation to have the social district operate as normal during PumpkinFest. PumpkinFest will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Oct. 19. The social district hours are noon to 9 p.m.
The social district will be suspended during the first evening of Winter Wonderland (5-8 p.m. on Nov. 30) as Owens said with such a large crowd it would be hard to enforce the rules in the county-owned areas around Town Square where alcohol is not allowed.
The social district will be in operation for the second Winter Wonderland on Dec. 7, and vendors from outside the district who are permitted to sell alcohol can apply to participate as they did during the 80s Flashback Weekend. Those from outside the district must purchase the required social district cups for alcohol sales.
It was thought that opening the second evening to include food trucks and outside alcohol vendors might be a way to create a holiday party type atmosphere and increase attendance as fewer people usually attend the second night of Winter Wonderland.
Street closures
The following street closures were approved:
Iotla Street on Friday, Sept. 27 from 3-7 p.m. for Realty One Group Vibe ribbon cutting and open house.
Phillips Street on Saturday, Nov. 2 and 16 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and Dec. 7 and 21 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for the Artisan Alley craft show/market. The town manager said the Dec. 7 time may need to be changed as that is the same Saturday as the second Winter Wonderland.
Upcoming meetings
The Town Council will hold a strategic planning session beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19 at Town Hall.
The next regular Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7. The agenda will include a public hearing on rezoning request from John Brown for a 2.6-acre property located at 842 Harrison Avenue, at the intersection of Windy Gap Road. The original request was to rezone the property from R-1 (residential) to C-2 (commercial); however, the Franklin Planning Board recommended Neighborhood Mixed Use zoning. A representative for the owner attended the August Planning Board meeting and said they planned to open something similar to a produce stand on the property.