Franklin Today

Aldermen and Mayor attend celebration for future church

Yesterday aldermen and Mayor Taylor attended a ceremony and mass to celebrate the bright future of Southbrook Church. As you might be aware, Southbrook was able to get the land they were interested in along 76th Street rezoned to institutional to continue forward in its fundraising plans. Speaking at a Plan Commission meeting last month, Southbrook's pastor, Jonathan Misirian, mentioned that it could take several years for the church to become reality and remained very optimistic that with city approvals things will be able to move forward. Below is the site plan for Phase I of the new church, which will be located just south of the Hideaway Pub & Grill on 76th Street:

Southbrook Without Drainage-PHASE 1

Groundbreaking for St. Paul's new Church is Sunday

The title sort-of explains itself. Back in April, we looked at this new Church when it came before the Plan Commission for approvals. I took advantage of the opportunity and took a photo of the rendering of the new Church as presented to the Plan Commission and put it up on the site. Here, again, is what the new St. Paul's Lutheran Church will look like when completed:

 

For more information, read FranklinNOW's write-up.

New Church proposed in Franklin

At tonight's Common Council meeting, Southbrook Church will be presenting their concept plan for their new Church, which will be located just south of the Hideaway Pub & Eatery on 76th Street. Speaking with the pastor of the Church several months ago about this project, the largest hurdle for the Church will likely be the zoning of the land it will sit on.

Similar to what we're seeing with Hitters Baseball Academy's proposal, Southbrook Church will be located on land of which our city leaders for many years sought extensive commercial development on. It is close to the 76th & Ryan Road intersection, which currently has two large parcels for sale with the only issue being the lack of sewer and water halting the development. That's turning around rather fast these days, with MMSD giving signs that it will move forward with the Ryan Creek Interceptor sewer line. This line will bring sewer and water to southern and SW Franklin, paving the way for developers to fully develop the intersection and everything surrounding it.

With this in mind, it remains to be seen if aldermen are going to push strongly for a long-term plan for that area or if they will be flexible and welcome the Church with its members to a new location. Right now, Southbrook currently has mass at Forest Park Middle School on Sunday mornings. I feel that even if aldermen have a vision for whatever commercial project(s) for 76th & Ryan, it can easily accommodate a Church without much hassle.

St. Paul's Lutheran getting a facelift

Due to an expanding parish and a successful private school, St. Paul's Lutheran representatives came before the Plan Commission last week to present their plans for a new church. The current one, which is likely double the age of the City of Franklin itself, will be torn down to make way for it. After the jump is the rendering of the new church.

Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake is on all cylinders

For those who travel Hwy 100 north of Drexel, I'm sure you've seen all the construction going on around the Sacred Heart Monastery and the land across the street from it. The land across from the monastery is the site of the new Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake senior complex and retirement facility for priests. Since its approval back in October, site preparations have been moving along at a decent pace, and it looks like developer Mark Carstensen Construction & Development is on track for an opening of the first phase of the project sometime later this year.

The project's rendering is currently the banner for Franklin Today, which shows the view from the lake behind the complex.

Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake: A First Look

For those who have been with Franklin Today since my blogging started in 2007, you know how I am with the looks of a new building's exterior. I believe that quality developments should have quality architecture associated with them. Well, in the case of the Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake senior/retirement complex, some high quality architecture isn't needed to get the job accomplished.

In the renderings below, you'll notice that while the complex is all one structure, it is planned to be built in phases. Apparently the architect and the folks at Sacred Heart want that to be known, for every phase has a totally different feel in architecture.

The waters are a little murky between development and politics

As I wrote several days ago regarding the proposed priest retirement/senior complex for the Scared Heart Monastery,

"Oh, and as a final note I found it rather intriguing that State Senator Mary Lazich wrote a letter of support for Carstensen's project already. This was noted in Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm's comments at last night's council meeting when the project was discussed. Keep in mind that all of us, aka Lazich's constituents, weren't even able to submit any favorable or unfavorable remarks to her office prior to this recommendation."

I furthermore criticized our state senator for her overly-done focus on only issues in her hometown of New Berlin, rather than on other/similar matters happening within other communities she represents. Well, it looks like either Senator Lazich or someone on her staff reads Franklin Today, since her blog now carries the letter that Alderwoman Wilhelm referred to at last week's Common Council meeting.

Still keeping tabs on FPS via FranklinNOW.com?

If you are, then I'm sure you recently read our state senator's aide rip into newly elected School Board member Janet Evans once more. It's interesting that in the past I was chastised for criticizing certain community leaders too often. Yet when it comes to Ms. Evans, who has only been on the School Board for only three months, it must be a-OK. I guess one could argue that a double standard has emerged on that front.

Let's take your land, condemn it, build a road through the middle of it, and then charge you for a new survey map due to that road!

Complete nonsense is my feelings on the talk regarding St. James Parish to payback the city for a new certified survey map.

When this item came up on the agenda last night, the discussion went by just fine. Everything that needed to be noted was, and it was ready to be voted on. St. James is currently selling their property and needs a new certified survey map due to the fact that the city extended 31st Street and cut their property into two separate parts. They need the map done due to State law.

So naturally, when things are going good someone has to wreck the cooperative spirit. It what has become obvious, the alderman to do such wrecking happens to be Alderman Steve Olson. Olson decided that he'd like to know if the city can get their money back for this "good deed" done to the parish. He then suggested that a possibility of getting paid back would occur when the sale of the parish and its land happens.

Talk about totally out-of-line.

Good thing Kristen Wilhelm represents St. James parish and the land surrounding it. In my view, she went toe-to-toe with Olson and called out what was a bad suggestion and a bad move to make. She noted correctly that the parish was split not on its own, but because the city forced it to happen. It was extending 31st Street that caused this nonsense, and Wilhelm made sure to inform fellow aldermen and the several bloggers in attendance that the city voted to condemn that land in order to purchase the area they needed for 31st Street CHEAP.

St. James went through the ringer thanks to the City of Franklin, and now the very man in charge of the committee and is promising "2 billion with a capital B" in development along 27th Street now feels the urge to hit the parish one last time.

CCP Taylor did try to allude to the fact that perhaps St. James wouldn't be selling their land if it wasn't for the 31st Street extension. Taylor might be correct, and that assumption would support Olson's argument, but it still doesn't make a wrong automatically become a right.

If this was YOUR property, ladies and gentlemen, what would you say about the city obtaining your land cheaply by condemning it, building a 4-lane road through the middle of it, and then telling you that you can't sell it without an updated map...and oh yeah, then they want to charge you for that, too.

Outrageous.

Fee waivers given from 5/19/07 to 5/31/08

You can download the Word document by clicking the below link.

Download waiver_of_fees_may_07_to_08.doc

As you can see, there are various organizations and community groups who can take advantage of these fee waivers. It just isn't the Franklin Cultural Arts Center, but also our firefighters, police officers, Churches, and even our public schools.

In light of this, my support to keep the fee waivers in place has just deepened. These organizations provide a positive experience and its effects ripple across our community on a regular basis. There are thousands of Franklin residents that will be affected by any changes if the current plan overrides the Mayor's veto pen.

I thought a new day arrived in Franklin. Let's keep that day from getting old and stale.