The city of Franklin’s Sustainability Commission has begun updating the 2009 Community Action Plan and is seeking input from residents. Two community open houses are scheduled for this summer, with the first one set for Thursday, July 12, from 6-8 p.m. at City Hall.
The original 2009 Action Plan contained 26 action items and was the result of a community-wide effort to promote and encourage energy efficiency, water conservation, greenways and open space, transportation alternatives, and waste reduction. Since 2009, 9 actions have been completed and 12 are in the process of being completed.
“The original Action Plan was created with over 250 volunteers in our community giving their time, ideas, and opinions,” said Andrew Orr. “We’ve used that action plan as a guide to accomplish some great things. We’re asking for the public to assist us again as we look to update the plan and keep the program moving forward.”
Some accomplishments include: the creation of a curbside recycling program for residents; direct bus service to Nashville established by the TMA Group; bike racks and bollards placed in downtown Franklin; a Greenways and Open Space Master Plan for the City of Franklin; the Live Green Business Partnership; and the continued development of the Integrated Water Resources Plan.
Two open house meetings will be held to gather the opinions and ideas of Franklin residents. Stations will be setup in City Hall to highlight the goals that have been achieved and initiated. Residents will be able to offer their ideas of what should be addressed going forward through interactive activities and a survey. Kids are welcome and light refreshments will be provided.
Residents are asked to attend one of the two meetings. The first open house will take place on Thursday, July 12, from 6-8 p.m. at City Hall. The second one is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 21, at City Hall from 6-8 p.m. All residents are also encouraged to take an online survey. The survey was developed to gather the thoughts, opinions, and ideas of our residents. The brief survey, which takes five to 10 minutes to complete, can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/livegreen.
Information on the Community Action Plan can be found at www.FranklinTN.gov/livegreen. Questions, comments, or ideas can be forwarded before the meeting to andrew.orr@FranklinTN.gov.