Franklin Today

Good news for those who are tech gurus

OnMilwaukee.com and the Journal Sentinel are both reporting that Ultimate Electronics is looking for a location in the Milwaukee area. The JS article, backed up by the store's career page, is confident that the retailer has its eyes set on the former Circuit City location in Greenfield, across from Best Buy.

An update on the Fountains

The Journal Sentinel late Friday evening provided a more in-depth article on what is happening with the Fountains of Franklin parcel, which is now being hit with a foreclosure suit.

Fountains of Franklin faces foreclosure suit

News broke early this morning that the parcel that long promoted the site for the future Fountains of Franklin development is now under a foreclosure lawsuit from M&I Bank. You may recall that this site was proposed for upscale retail and dining several years ago, and the label of the Fountains extended all the way east to Andy's back in 2007.

Have you noticed the activity near Loomis & Rawson?

Over the past few months, dump trucks have been regularly seen going to and from a large parcel of land long rumored to have major development potential near the Loomis & Rawson area, directly behind Pick n Save. Many residents have been making remarks about the constant in and out flow of these trucks for quite some time, and were curious about what was going on with the site.

Dave & Buster's comes to Milwaukee March 1st

While not located in Franklin, I'm sure Dave & Buster's will be a hit with many Franklin families. The Journal Sentinel reports they will open their new Wauwatosa location, near Mayfair Mall, on March 1st.

As our senior population continues to grow, are we ready for them?

Last night, United Financial Group came before the Environmental Commission to request a special exception to fill in a small portion of wetland for two proposed apartment complexes for senior citizens. Forest Hill Highlands, as the entire project is called, is expanding in Franklin with these two new structures. There are already four structures that are part of this complex, and there could be almost a half-dozen more once the expansions are complete.

FPS thinks out of the box, helps local businesses

In FHS Principal Mike Cady's Podcast I reposted yesterday, he mentioned a new incentive for seniors - if you get good grades, good attendance, and are in good behavior, you have what he coins as a "free period". During this period, which is of the seniors' choosing, they may do whatever they feel like doing, including leaving the FHS campus. The period last 86 minutes, and would only be available every other day for seniors, but that still has an impact here in Franklin.

An update on Jump Zone

Below are scanned images from the packet members of the Economic Development Commission received relating to Jump Zone's first Wisconsin location, which is in Franklin. The first one is the layout of the facility, including what inflatables and moonwalks will be present at this site. The second one is where it will be located in the Garden Plaza strip mall.

As you can see, Jump Zone will not be occupying the entire space left vacant by Pick n Save, but rather approximately one-third of it. Hopefully the partition Jump Zone creates will open the eyes of other prospective tenants to locate in Garden Plaza.

Former Pick n Save to be alive once more?

Tonight's Economic Development Commission agenda has some pretty good topics being discussed. From the task force to updates on 27th Street and the Trails Committee to new businesses moving into Franklin, the EDC, hopefully, will have a productive meeting.

The issue to be discussed in this post is the new business that could be coming to Franklin. The EDC agenda has down that Jump Zone could be taking over the vacant Pick n Save across from Menard's on Hwy 100. What is Jump Zone, you ask? Well, upon reviewing its website Jump Zone is a business that specializes on parties for little children, with various inflatables and moonwalks strewn across the open space within their location. They have locations in 20 states, with Wisconsin being the 21st via their first location statewide here in Franklin.

The #1 Issue: The Great Recession hits Franklin

It doesn’t come to any surprise that the Great Recession would be the #1 Issue that was faced in 2009. There were many setbacks that residents faced during the past year, and everyone felt the pinch. The City of Franklin was impacted in the following areas: