Press photo/Jake Browning - Councilman David Culpepper shares his thoughts on the Whitmire property during the Franklin Town Council’s annual strategic planning meeting.
The Franklin Town Council held their annual strategic planning meeting earlier this month, and just like in years past, the Whitmire Property was the star of the show.
The town purchased the Whitmire Property in 2004 for $1.575 million and it has gone unused ever since. Earlier this year, the Town Council approved a proposal to establish Sunnyside Disc Golf Course on the property, but even that was designed with eventual removal in mind in case a grander project comes along. The council members agree that the property needs to be utilized for a more critical need in the community.
“Although I think the disc golf is a great thing to do,” council member Jack Horton said. “If we settled on buying a piece of property for a million and a half dollars and use it for a disc golf course, they’d probably lock you up.”
What the “critical need” is, however, is still up in the air. A 2018 feasibility study from WR-Martin Consulting suggested that if the town was going to use the parcel at all, rather than banking it or selling it, that its optimal purpose would be as a cultural and recreational hub. Lots of ideas – a biking and skating park, a pump track, a walking trail – have popped up that lend themselves to that format. Council member Joe Collins discussed an idea for a portable soundstage at the meeting that could bring live performances to the spot.
“We’re rich in music [in Franklin],” Collins said. “If it turned out we didn’t use it enough times, then we’d sell it and get most of the money back.”
However, these would all be complex projects that would require input from the public and further evaluation closer to budget season. There are also competing concerns that could take precedence. The council members frequently remarked on the need for more housing in town during the meeting and the property is large enough for several homes. Mayor Bob Scott also argued for the merits of land banking, noting that developing land doesn’t necessarily make it more economically impactful.
“Look at the success of business that we’ve got dealing with the outdoors,” Scott said. “I think the public is beginning to note that our future is outdoors.”
There are more discussions left to be had about the Whitmire property and what its best use is for town residents. However, many of the council members believe it’s okay to continue waiting if it means being open to opportunities down the road.
“You’re not going to get 13 acres dead in the middle of town ever again,” council member David Culpepper said. “It’s not replaceable.”
Litter everywhere
The town government discussed another key issue that has plagued residents for years – litter. Last year, the town took one step towards eliminating trash with the Adopt-A-Street program, which town Planner Justin Setser says has been successful. In the first year, volunteers picked up 38 bags full of trash on eight adopted streets. Setser says that streets are still being adopted all the time and that the program may be able to expand this year to include state roads that don’t qualify for the NCDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program because they aren’t long enough.
“I actually came in from lunch and there were three applications in my box,” Setser said at the meeting. “I found out that the state Adopt-A-Highway has some criteria on road length. They might have some roads that are state roads that they’re a tenth of a mile long… we might want to expand the program to take on some state roads.”
Busier adopted streets would likely suffer from diminishing returns because of an increased volume of litter without increases in required pickups. While the town will continue to look for other solutions, the single most important strategy is to reduce the number of people who are littering in the first place. That may take the form of signage at high-litter areas like fast food restaurants, informational media campaigns or even collaborating with Macon County Schools to increase awareness of the problem among children.
“You want to know who the best cops are when it comes to litter?” council member Mike Lewis asked. “Kids, when they’re sitting in the car and mom or dad is about to throw something out the window, they’re the best cop you could ask for.”
Lighten up
The mayor made sure to have a talk about street lighting and the lack thereof in many residential areas of town. Some neighborhoods don’t want street lighting because of light pollution and potential distractions, but others think of it as a necessary safety precaution. At the council’s March meeting, a resident from Meadowbrook Drive came to the public comment period to discuss how difficult it was to see when navigating their street at night, leaving some pedestrians and unfamiliar drivers feeling unprotected. Town manager Summer Woodard says that evaluating where the need is greatest might be as simple as introducing an online tool for constituents to use, similar to the system for reserving street closings or the gazebo.
“I think that’s an actionable plan that staff can internally develop by looking at other municipalities,” Woodard said. “That’s an actionable item for staff to work on immediately.”
It may take a while to have a system fully implemented, but Scott says it’s an essential task to tackle, especially when the town is trying to figure out lighting plans for private developments like Scenic Ridge.
“We have no real regulation or plan of who gets street lighting,” Scott said. “I think we need to look at just who do we provide lighting to.”
Also touched on during the meeting were updates on the homelessness problem in Macon County, talks about revenue projections for the rest of the year and some early ideas for a downtown holiday event to celebrate the end of the COVID-19 pandemic this summer.
The Town Council will have their next meeting at 6 p.m., Monday, April 5, in the boardroom at Town hall.