Downtown Franklin on a rainy morning on Friday. Discover Downtown Franklin received a grant for nearly $25,000 to hire a new staff member to focus on economic vitality and supporting downtown businesses, in addition to other projects.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
Over the past 15 years, downtown Franklin has flourished.
New restaurants, boutiques and other businesses have opened up, historic spaces have been reenvisioned and special events have made it a vibrant place to visit.
With the help of a statewide grant, local officials hope to encourage even more growth and tourism.
Discover Downtown Franklin is receiving nearly $25,000 from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to support its mission of enhancing the city’s downtown experience. A majority of the grant will go toward hiring a new full-time position focused on economic vitality — supporting downtown businesses.
Other portions of the grant will establish an internship program in partnership with Franklin College, and to hire a formal farmers market manager to support expanding the Franklin Farmers Market.
“It’s become very apparent that our partners at the state level care about our local Main Streets, want to support that, and the economic development we offer,” said Jess Giles, executive director of Discover Downtown Franklin. “We’re ecstatic. This is a really big deal for us.”
The $24,567 grant is part of the state’s Taking Care of Main Street program. The initiative provides organizational support for the activities and administrative functions for accredited Indiana Main Street programs, such as Discover Downtown Franklin.
New accreditation standards are being implemented by Main Street America, a national organization dedicated to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns. The Taking Care of Main Street grants allow those groups to grow and meet those new requirements.
Eligible expenses include salaries, administrative or consultant fees, space or equipment rental, or staff development and training.
The program is overseen by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. This round, $149,250 were distributed to 10 Main Street organizations throughout the state.
“Our local Main Streets work hard to enhance their downtowns and fuel community pride, and are more than deserving of this grant,” said Denny Spinner, executive director of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, in a statement.
For Discover Downtown Franklin, the focus was adding a full-time employee to focus on economic vitality.
“They would be helping us maintain our national accreditation, because economic vitality is part of the four-point approach that we follow to support revitalization,” Giles said. “This person will facilitate that committee, and still be a marketing manager, since much of our marketing and social media should focus on economic vitality and local businesses.”
Applications for that role opened on Thursday, Giles said.
Smaller portions of the grant will go towards hiring a farmers market manager, to help streamline its growth. Discover Downtown Franklin also plans to partner with Franklin College on an internship program.
“It’s part of our strategic plan to strengthen our relationship with Franklin College,” Giles said. “We thought that was a need to connect their students into the downtown area.”
