The Franklin Town Council held its annual retreat last weekend to help identify priorities in the coming year. The weekend began Friday evening with a dinner at Cat Creek Lodge. Hanging around the room were five large sheets of paper labeled Operations, Policies, Infrastructure, Recreation/Culture, Economic Development/Business/Tourism. Each of those sheets included lists of potential discussion topics submitted by council members and staff. Each council member was given a sheet of sticker dots to place next to the topics they thought were the top pri-orities. The topics with the most dots would set the agenda for the meeting on Saturday.
Mayor Jack Horton said the purpose of the retreat was to help focus the council members and get everybody on the same page as they move forward. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” he said in closing Saturday’s session.
Town Manager Amie Owens provided background and updates on the topics that did not make the cut for Saturday’s meeting. The council agreed those topics weren’t being tossed aside and that there may need to be additional work sessions to address some of them.
The nine topics selected for Saturday’s four-hour session included beautification, the Nikwasi Initiative, the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) contract, boards and commissions, ABC regulations, the hospital, American Rescue Plan Act spending priorities, the Whitmire property, and the Main Street program.
With less than half an hour left in Saturday’s session, two topics remained on the table – Whitmire and Main Street Program. The council decided to set a time for a separate meeting about the Whitmire property because it would require lengthy discussion. The 2018 study conducted about possible uses of the property will be distributed to the council members for review. The Whitmire property, located along First Street, off Highlands Road, has been identified as the site for the new skatepark with construction expected to begin in April. Town Planner Justin Setser said the area selected for the skatepark would still allow other areas of the 12-acre property to be developed.
Beautification
The roundabouts topped the project list. Council Member Mike Lewis said the roundabouts, particularly the one at Womack Street, serve as a gateway to town. “We need to come up with something significant,” he said.
Water features have been suggested for the roundabouts, but Owens advised against them due to water line problems, freezing, and people putting soap or other objects in the fountains. She also said there would be some guidelines from DOT to ensure safety and visibility.
General landscaping, litter cleanup, public art and flower boxes along Main Street were other ideas along with better promotion of the town’s Adopt-A-Street program and checking on the availability of community service workers to help with cleanup.
Nikwasi Initiative
The Nikwasi Initiative requested the town’s support for a $5 million grant it is applying for. The grant requires a 20% match. The council has not agreed to offer any monetary support for the matching portion of the grant at this time due to concerns about the scope of the project and the level of commitment from the other partners. “There are a whole lot of questions. Each entity has the same questions,” said Council Member David Culpepper. “I’d like to see everybody get more comfortable with it.”
“We have no idea what we are signing on to,” said Council Member Stacy Guffey.
Council Member Rita Salain said she doesn’t think the general public is very aware of what Nikwasi Initiative is doing and doesn’t know if there is public support for it.
The council agreed to send a letter acknowledging the request and will invite someone from Nikwasi Initiative to present more information to the board. The council also wants to revisit the agreement that went along with the transfer of the mound property to ensure that each entity has two representatives on the board to include the town, the county, Mainspring, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
“We should try to find a way to make this work,” Council Member Joe Collins said.
ABC contract
The ABC Board was established when the sale of alcoholic beverages was approved in 1994. The council wants to set a joint meeting with the ABC Board to review the agreement, responsibilities, and the ABC Board’s budget. The profits from the sale of distilled spirits are designated to go to state and local government, law enforcement and alcohol education initiatives. According to the ABC Board website, the Macon County Board of Education and Macon County DARE share 7% for alcohol education. Franklin Police Department receives 5% for law enforcement, and the remaining 88% is distributed to the Town of Franklin. Since 2009-2010, the town has received $70,000 each year from the ABC Board.
Boards and Commissions
The town currently does not have a formal application or appointment process for people who want to serve on the three boards the town makes appointments to: Planning Board/Board of Adjustments, the ABC Board, and the Tourism Development Authority. Staff and council will work on developing a policy, application and manual. There was also discussion about council members serving as liaisons to the boards. Mayor Horton asked that each council member let him know if they are interested in specific boards or committees.
ABC regulations
Separate from the ABC Board, this discussion was about where sales are allowed in town and the new state legislation that allows for the establishment of social districts where open containers would be allowed outside within the district. The current ordinance allows for the sale of alcohol in hotels, motels, restaurants and private clubs. The state defines restaurants as eating establishments with a kitchen and indoor seating for at least 36 people, which prevents smaller businesses from selling. The council will invite an Alcohol Law Enforcement representative to provide more information, research the timeline and process for getting a new ordinance on the ballot and will look at the definition of “private club” as listed in the current or-dinance.
Collins said the establishment of a social district has some appeal especially as it relates to downtown events.
Hospital
When HCA moves into its new facility off Sylva Road this fall, that will leave the old Angel Medical Center sitting empty in downtown Franklin. Hospital CEO Clint Kendall has said the old hospital cannot be owned by anyone that would compete with services provided by the hospital, and that the property could be donated to the town. The mayor recently toured the hospital to get a better idea of the building’s condition. The oldest portion built in 1955 will have some issues and asbestos tile is in part of the building. Horton said he wants to get verification of the building’s value and the cost of keeping some or all of it. “The Town of Franklin needs to be a partner,” he said. “I want to make sure the Town of Franklin has a say.”
The council agreed to talk with a potential developer(s) for the property and to research what has been done at other hospitals that have been vacated. Within the next 90 days they also want to learn about the building, its upkeep or the cost of demolition. Salain said it is important to get public input on the future of the building and that site since it has been such a vital part of the community for so long.
ARPA priorities
The town will receive approximately $1.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The first $654,000 has been received, and the council voted in November to use $73,000 to give town employees a one-time bonus. For the remaining amount, the council discussed using the funds to make sidewalk improvements, water/sewer upgrades, or building a boardwalk in the marsh area near the Greenway. They have also asked the staff to compile a list of priorities if ARPA weren’t available.
Main Street Program
The council discussed the idea of reinstating the Main Street program. The town manager, who has experience working with Main Street programs, said the geographic area would need to be established (it cannot be the whole town) and define what services the Main Street office would provide. The council wants to get feedback from people who own and operate businesses downtown to see if there is interest in the program and encouraged cooperation between the existing Streets of Franklin Heritage Association and the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce.
The next regular Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7 at Town Hall.