City of Franklin officials provided several municipal updates at the same town-hall meeting, announcing a $7 million upgrade to Liberty Park funded by developer parkland dedication fees, a temporary move of city offices while City Hall is demolished and rebuilt, and discussion of a possible annexation plan-of-services for land along U.S. 96.

Liberty Park
City staff said Liberty Park will receive about $7 million in improvements paid from parkland dedication fees developers paid into the city, not from the general tax levy. Planned upgrades include new courts, pavilions, utilities, and a larger farmers market pavilion; staff said construction should start in late spring or summer.

City Hall relocation and redevelopment
Officials said departments are temporarily relocating to space in the First Bank building on Columbia Avenue and adjacent buildings; the city intends to demolish the old City Hall and redevelop the site with a new City Hall building, a small park, and ground-floor retail and restaurants. Staff said demolition is planned for this spring and that departments have move deadlines at the end of the month.

Annexation and planning
City leaders discussed a potential annexation and a plan-of-services study for roughly “four or five hundred” acres near East U.S. 96 where state improvements have encouraged development. Staff emphasized that any initiation of annexation would only begin a study to determine sewer, utilities and long-term growth options and that any development beyond existing urban boundaries would be considered over a long time horizon.

Other infrastructure notes
Staff said Jordan Road (near Sam’s Club) had opened and that additional intersection work is planned at Liberty Pike and Malvern Lane. The city said staff will seek grant funding and coordinate long-range connections with neighboring municipalities when appropriate.

Ending: how to follow up
Officials said they will post project documents and schedules on the City of Franklin website and encouraged residents to watch the city’s recorded town-hall on the city’s Facebook page and the city’s YouTube channel for full remarks.