Franklin Town Council Chooses Whitmire Property for Public Skatepark

The Franklin Town Council met late Monday afternoon on September 13th, to consider the merits of three locations for a proposed public skatepark in the city limits. The council started their investigation at the Whitmire Property in East Franklin. They considered three locations at Whitmire, the first being in the middle of the upper field next to Van Raalte Street, then a section of the property near Van Raalte Street and Hill Street, then the corner nearest the intersection of Van Raalte Street and First Street. During the course of their discussions, the councilors dismissed the county-owned property in Frogtown next to the dog park on Phillips Street due to the perceived delay in getting approval from the county commissioners, the property surveyed, etc.

The council then voted to move to the Town Memorial Park (formerly known as the Jaycees Memorial Park) to consider the merits of that location. Included in the discussion were concerns about flooding, maintenance due to flooding, and the potential for worsening future flooding, and the coming water and sewer project that will involve installing underground pipes in the area where the skatepark would be placed. It was also noted that the availability of construction equipment was severely time-limited due to JE Dunn Construction having to move the equipment in use at the future Angel Medical Center to new projects. 

The town council, upon consideration of all these factors, voted unanimously to place the park in the northeast corner of the White Property closest to the intersection of Van Raalte Street and First Street, on the southwest side of a parking lot being used by Tricorn.

A video of the most pertinent portions of the conversations is posted below.

Franklin Town Council Skatepark Field Trip (09-13-2021)



Some of the photos taken during the field trip:

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Published at 3:20pm on Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Author: Bobby Coggins