The Dec. 5 Franklin Town Council meeting included discussions on several topics including the old hospital property, campaign signs and skateboarding in town.
Town Manager Amie Owens gave an update on the feasibility study being conducted at the old Angel Medical Center on Riverview Street. The study will look at potential uses of the property, with senior housing being the main consideration at this time. The town has contracted with Givens Estates to serve as consultant on the study. Town officials and representatives from local organizations met with staff from Givens on Dec. 6 to talk about ideas for the spaces in the building that cannot be used for residential space. (See related story in today’s paper.) Owens said there will be a public meeting at a later date to get input from the community.
She said they hope to get several reports on the property by the end of the year and that there are bi-weekly meetings with the architect, SFCS Architects, engineers and the Givens staff. The feasibility study will determine the number and size of apartments that could be created by renovating the building, as well as amenity and support space.
The feasibility study presentation is set for the Feb. 6 Town Council meeting.
Related to the old hospital property, the Town Council will hold a public hearing during the Jan. 3 meeting to hear comments on the proposed rezoning of the property from MICR (Medical Institutional Cultural Residential) to C1 (commercial). The rezoning is needed in order for the property to be converted to other uses, such as the proposed apartments for seniors.
The area under consideration for rezoning is the main hospital building property (12.98 acres) and a small parcel (.55 acre) designated for parking. It does not include the other medical buildings on Riverview Street.
Sign ordinance amendment
Town Planner Justin Setser presented a proposal to amend sections 155.08 and 155.10 of the sign ordinance. He said the current ordinance does not follow the state statute as it relates to political campaign signs.
The town ordinance currently states signs must be removed three days after the election, however it does not address how long prior to the election the signs can be put up. The proposed update on Section 155.08 would allow the posting of campaign signs 30 days prior to one stop early voting, and signs must be removed 10 days after primary or general election days, which is in line with what the state allows.
The update would also outline the size of allowed signs and placement of the signs at intersections and on public right of way. The proposed amendment to Section 155.10 includes the following:
• No political sign shall be closer than 3 feet from the edge of the pavement of the road.
• No sign shall obscure motorist visibility at an intersection.
• No political sign shall be higher than 42 inches above the edge of the pavement of the road when in right of way.
• No political sign shall be larger than 864 square inches or 6 square feet when in the road right of way.
Setser said the proposed changes do not apply to signs on private property, only those on public property and on the right of way.
The council agreed to send the issue to the Planning Board for consideration and to make a recommendation to the Town Council. Following the Planning Board’s recommendation, the town will hold a public hearing on any proposed changes.
Chapter 72 proposed amendment
Council members also discussed a possible amendment to Chapter 72 of the town ordinances as it relates to skateboarding. Currently there are no references to skateboarding in the town ordinances and with the town potentially taking on operation of the skatepark at the First United Methodist Church and the future skatepark to be built at Whitmire Property, Town Manager Amie Owens had suggested a change to the language in the ordinance to include skateboards and inline skates. Chapter 72 currently only addresses the riding of bicycles on roads and sidewalks and safety considerations related to bicycle use.
Town Attorney John Henning Jr. said the language presented in proposed amendment 72.12 regarding “hazardous recreational activities” is used by multiple municipalities and can help limit the town’s liability.
That section states anyone skateboarding at a municipal skatepark facility should wear proper safety equipment such as helmet, elbow pads and knee pads. The section also states “Any person who participates in or assists in hazardous recreational activities assumes the known and unknown inherent risks in these activities, irrespective of age, and is legally responsible for all damages, injury or death to himself or other person or property that result from these activities.”
Code 72.10 prohibits the riding of bicycles on sidewalks. The amendment would add to that roller skates, inline skates, skateboard or similar recreational vehicles. An amendment to Code 72.05 would prohibit use of roller skates, inline skates, skateboard or similar recreational vehicles roadways, except when legally crossing a street at a designated cross walk.
Owens said the proposed amendment is not meant to penalize the skaters and recently met with them to talk about the proposed changes to the ordinance. The amendments would apply to the C-1 district, which is basically the downtown/Main Street area; it would not apply to other commercial or residential areas in town.
However, some council members expressed concerns and questioned why the town was considering the amendments.
Council member David Culpepper said the proposed amendment seemed unfair for those who use wheeled devices such as those listed for transportation. He said particularly in the evenings after the shops are closed, he would be glad to see kids out doing something healthy such as skating rather than doing something harmful or illegal.
Council member Rita Salain questioned if there had not been a problem, why was the town trying to come up with a solution. She suggested talking to the police department about what they are seeing and how they handle situations.
Council member Stacy Guffey lives and works downtown and says he likes looking outside and seeing kids having fun. He said kids on skateboards or bicycles does not seem to be a problem. He sees the bigger issue being cars driving too fast down Main Street, making it unsafe for people crossing the street.
No action was taken on the proposed amendments.
Other business
The council approved a $55,980 contract with McGill & Associates to develop a recreation plan for the Whitmire property. At a called meeting in August to discuss the future of the property, the council agreed to develop a recreational plan for about 6.5 acres of the 12.7-acre property.
The recreation portion was designated as the priority, and another 4.5 acres will be looked at later for housing or mixed use, with the remaining acreage left undeveloped for the town to possibly use in the future.
The contract with McGill states they will host two public meetings to gather input on ideas for the property.
The town received a second RFQ for the project from Stewart at a cost of $71,000.
Under old business, the council received copies of the survey of the road in Heritage Hollow connecting to Phillips Street. In August, Tom Harris, a member of the Heritage Hollow property owners board, requested that the town accept the street and assume maintenance. At that time, the council asked for a survey before making a decision. The survey presented shows the road meets the town’s requirements of being at least 18 feet wide with a 30-foot right of way. Culpepper asked that they revisit the idea presented at the earlier meeting that a pedestrian bridge be constructed where the vehicle bridge was that got washed away during flooding. At this time the two sections of Heritage Hollow are not connected. Thomas had said at the August meeting the property owners were interested in a foot bridge to bring more people into Heritage Hollow. Town Planner Justin Setser also pointed out that since the road is no longer connected that at some point one of the roads would need to be renamed to avoid confusion during emergency response situations.
Council member Joe Collins agreed with Culpepper that this would be the time to ask the property owners to study the possibility of building a pedestrian bridge. He said he would like to see a commitment from them to build the bridge or a good reason why they can’t.
2023 meetings and holidays
The council approved the 2023 meeting schedule. Meetings will be held at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of each month, except during January and September due to holidays. Those meetings will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 3 and Sept. 5.
They also adopted the 2023 holiday schedule, which follows the state holiday schedule.
This year, Town Hall will be closed Friday, Dec. 23; Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 27 and 28 for the Christmas holiday and Monday, Jan. 2 for New Year’s.
The next Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3 at Town Hall.