Franklin’s neighborhoods will soon be filled with activity, as city officials are planning 31 different projects.
Earlier this month Mayor Steve Barnett released the list of city projects for 2024 and their estimated costs. He began doing this when he became the mayor so the city council and residents would be apprised of upcoming projects and how they are being funded.
Of the 31 projects, 17 are ongoing or were continued from last year.
Though every project is important to the city, a few initiatives are highly anticipated, Barnett said.
He is particularly excited about the sidewalk project on East Jefferson Street which will connect Jefferson Meadows to the city’s existing sidewalk and trail system. The project was expected to be completed last year, but it was pushed back because bids came in higher than the engineer’s estimate twice. Because the project is partially funded with the federal Safe Routes to School grant, the project couldn’t go forward with the prices presented on the previous bids.
Barnett is also proud of the two roundabouts that will be built on Graham Road.
“We spent a lot of money creating the truck route to move traffic,” he said. “One thing that I like about our truck route that feeds our industrial area is that once these two roundabouts are done, you can actually take the truck route from the Franklin exit all the way up to the Whiteland exit and never have to stop at a stoplight. It is going to help the traffic flow for the whole town.”
The $5 million new Active Adult Center will be start construction this year at 160 E. Adams St. The project will include tearing down the existing building and building a new one in its place. The new center will be paid for with cash on hand in the city’s budget, with no bond financing necessary.
It is a project that Barnett and Franklin Parks and Recreation have been working on for years. The project will add much-needed space for Franklin-area seniors to gather for activities, luncheons and more. The center is also the home of Our Town Players, a community theater group.
“We are making it so that if there is another pandemic, the seniors will hopefully have a place to go,” Barnett said. “We’re going to tear the old one down and put a new one down on its footprint.”
Here’s a complete list of 2024 projects:
- Street paving — $3 million. The city will apply for a $1.5 million community crossing grant to help cover the price tag.
- Additional alleys will be revitalized including those supporting Newkirk Square and 150 South Main Street — $300,000.
- Asphalt rejuvenation and crack seal improvements — $240,000.
- Concrete street repair projects — $100,000.
- Street striping — $50,000.
- East Jefferson Street sidewalks — $110,000, plus a $1.1 million federal grant.
- The South Main Street monuments — $32,000.
- The wall at Main Street and Jefferson Street — $9,570. The project is 95% complete.
- Crowell Street parking project to add 28 parking spots — $280,000.
- Cemetery road paving — $50,000.
- Columbarium will be installed in Greenlawn Cemetery in June — $72,000.
- Headstone repairs in Greenlawn Cemetery — $50,000.
- A new fire ladder truck — $950,000.
- The remodeled Main Street fire station will be completed in 2024 — $2.4 million.
- The Brookhaven passing blister project — $150,000.
- Paul Hand Road paving — $50,000.
- A roundabout at Paul Hand Road and Graham Road — $2.2 million. The cost of this roundabout is being shared by Franklin, Whiteland and Johnson County.
- A roundabout at Earlywood Drive and Graham Road — $2 million, with a Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative grant for $213,000.
- Community Park project including six pickleball courts and a paved parking lot — $312,452.
- The Boys and Girls Club parking lot repaving — $98,000.
- Beeson Hall sound system improvements — $47,000.
- Franklin’s Active Adult Center — $5 million. The project will begin this year and be complete in 2025.
- The Department of Public Works conveyor — $474,000.
- A new comprehensive plan — $40,000.
Projects for 2025 and beyond
- DPW’s anticipated $40 million expansion will begin construction in 2025 with the engineering costs estimated at $1.75 million.
- Engineering for the upcoming Forsythe Street culvert replacement project — $300,000. The city is working with Johnson County on a cost-share agreement.
- US 31 project — city contribution of $4.4 million for engineering, sidewalks and multi-use paths along the 5-mile corridor project.
