The playground at Youngs Creek Park is under construction and will be ready to use in the spring.
Leeann Doerflein | Daily Journal
A Franklin park is drawing interest from city residents and business owners who want to support it.
Franklin’s Youngs Creek Park is under construction, and two new donations bring the total for the new park to $650,000.
Youngs Creek Park, on Jackson Street beside the Franklin Farmers Market, will be home to the city’s first splash pad, an amphitheater that will seat 5,000, eight pickleball courts, walking trails, vendor space and the largest playground in the city.
The $9 million park is mostly funded with tax increment financing, or TIF, dollars, but also with the help of a $250,000 grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation for the splash pad, dubbed Spray Park. A $250,000 sponsorship for the DriveHubler.com Amphitheater, from Bradley Chevrolet and the Drive Hubler Automotive Group, was also announced last year.
Franklin Parks and Recreation recently received a $100,000 donation from the William E. Paris Estate to sponsor the new pedestrian bridge over Youngs Creek in Youngs Creek Park. The bridge, to be named the Paris Station Trailhead, will feature a plaque bearing Paris’s name, said Chip Orner, parks director.
The bridge, located near the pickleball courts, was built to connect the new trail at Youngs Creek Park to the existing Franklin Greenway Trail and to a new section of trail at Greenlawn Cemetery, across the creek, Orner said.
The donation was made in memory of Paris, a local Korean War veteran, businessman and philanthropist who founded long-time auto repair shop Paris Super Service and brought several housing developments to the city, including Paris Estates and Camelot Estates.
The parks department is also finalizing a $50,000 donation from a resident who wishes to remain anonymous, and more donations are pending. The department continues to receive inquiries about how to help as the park takes shape downtown, Orner said.
Donations can be made either for general maintenance expenses or for a specific project, such as the American Water grant. The amphitheater sponsorship will be used to fund future free concerts, he said.
The amphitheater and restroom facilities are nearly ready to open, and other details are taking shape around the park, Orner said.
The playground is under construction, and a base layer of asphalt is down for the pickleball courts and trails. Finishing touches will be made in the spring. Trees and rose bushes have arrived at the park and are ready to be planted.
A schedule of concerts and festivals to be held at the park, including a grand opening celebration, will be announced in January, Orner said. New free concerts and outdoor movies will be held at the park and many downtown festivals that were previously held on the courthouse square will relocate there.
