The City of Franklin Parks department has kicked off a new Master Plan study for the future of Franklin’s park space. In the ten years since the previous study was conducted, the City of Franklin has added 314 acres of parks, and its population has increased by nearly 18,000 people.
“It is essential for the City of Franklin to re-evaluate the use of our current park space and plan for future park space now,” said Lisa Clayton, Director of City of Franklin Parks. “This community now stands as the ninth largest, and one of the fastest growing, municipalities in Tennessee.”
Over the next several weeks, meetings will be hosted with groups and individuals who have been identified as stakeholders. A “Community Attitude and Interest” survey will be mailed to randomly-selected Franklin residents. The simple survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete; completion of the survey is strongly encouraged to assist the City in its resident-driven approach to the new Parks Master Plan.
A community meeting will be scheduled for November 12, from 5-7 p.m. in the City Hall Community Room; all interested citizens are encouraged to attend this meeting. Input received from stakeholders, survey responses, the public meeting, and other available sources, will be compiled into a draft plan that will establish priorities for the future improvement of parks and recreation facilities, programs, and services within the City of Franklin.
“The Parks Department is interested in learning what citizens, businesses and community leaders think their city parks should focus on and provide,” Clayton explained. “Do we need more walking trails? Do we need more options for sporting events? Do residents want to see more connectivity between park spaces, or does the current park system provide everything they need?”
Follow-up community and stakeholder meetings will be hosted in early 2015 after initial feedback is gathered.
The City of Franklin Facebook (www.facebook.com/CityOfFranklin) and Twitter (@CityOfFranklin) will share information about the study as it moves forward. Interested citizens can also sign up for email updates from City of Franklin Parks at www.franklin-gov.com/i-want-to/sign-up-for-city-newsletters.
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