Franklin Today

Hwy 100 bridge work begins today

Beginning today, Hwy 100 at the Rawson Avenue bridge will likely have some traffic issues, as the state begins its replacement of the bridges over Rawson. This year will be southbound bridge, with next year being the northbound bridge. As the bridges get replaced, the other bridge will be utilized to handle both directions, one lane apiece. Due to this, I wouldn't be surprised if there was traffic backups during rush hour.

The southbound bridge is expected to be completed by mid-November.

Alderwoman Wilhelm updates residents on city matters

KW Update Late 2/2011

February City Updates from Alderwoman Wilhelm

KW e-Newsletter 2/2011

Oakwood Road resurfacing on the Council agenda

This Tuesday the Common Council will be voting on a couple major items. Two of those involve Oakwood Road, on the city's south side. Two separate items are on the agenda, one for the resurfacing of the road and one to include the installation of a water main along the road. These two items are very significant to the future of the southern portion of our community.

Resurfacing the road at the same time as installing the water main, I'm assuming, will save taxpayer dollars by not doing the projects at separate times. The water main has been argued as very important for two things - the future of the Franklin Business Park and the continued growth and development of lands surrounding it. It is no secret that the city has thought about and planned for a southern entrance into the business park; I saw some plans myself posted up on a wall in City Hall's Hearing Room where the Trails Committee meets. A southern entrance provides better access to business park properties located at the southernmost points and along with 27th Street's growth, Oakwood Road will likely be a busier road between 27th and 60th Streets.

The only significant downside I'm seeing to this is that Oakwood Road is only maintained and funded by the City of Franklin and no other taxing authorities like the county or state. Therefore, any work done on the road now or in the future comes directly from Franklin taxpayers. This concerns me not today, but several years down the road when the economy truly bounces back. It also troubles me that the city still seems to be bent on NEW development instead of REdevelopment. Many areas in the city are currently served by sewer and water and are in need of REdevelopment, but there doesn't seem to be much interest by city officials in helping get that done. Instead, taxpayers are footing bills for projects that will aid in more growth and more development while not addressing the present conditions of many commercial sites in our community that are vacant or need tenants.

Some updates from Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm

Ald. Wilhelm Nov. End Updates

51st Street sidewalk in place!

Blogger and member of the Trails Committee, John Michlig, notes today that the sidewalk along 51st Street in front of FHS is now complete. He also posted a series of photos of this positive achievement for the community, and is accessible by going to his Flickr account.

With regards to the road portion of 51st Street, I believe they still need to pour another layer of asphalt and truly put in the lines and road markers. I still believe the road is extremely wide, but perhaps that'll change when the lines are put in.

A friendly reminder about the Puetz Road sidewalk

Tomorrow night the Trails Committee will be discussing a sidewalk for Puetz Road and could recommend two policies to the Common Council - one for the inclusion of costs for sidewalks within the road program's budget and another for the consideration of trees and/or natural resources when installing sidewalks. Instead of simply following a straight path that could eliminate mature trees, which could provide shade and better the experience for the pedestrian, there should be options available where those are preserved and the sidewalk goes around them.

It's all about doing the best we can in maintaining something residents have desired - keeping a touch of country so close to the city.

The committee will have a citizen comment period for those interested in attending, and the meeting begins at 6pm.

Trails Committee Agenda & Packet for September

For those interested in pedestrian improvements and a future Puetz Road sidewalk, consider attending next Thursday's Trails Committee meeting. There will be a citizen comment period. Below is the agenda and the packet that I, as a committee member, received this morning via e-mail. For those interested in seeing the final report of the Walking Workshop the committee worked on for several months, which covered an area from Pleasant View Elementary School to FHS, start at page 18.

September Trails Committee Agenda and Packet

The "new" 51st Street

All I can say is dang, that road is definitely WIDE, as is the new sidewalk in front of it. Dropping off my sister this morning at FHS, I had the opportunity to drive down the "newer" part that just opened from the FHS south entrance to Drexel. Doing so, I couldn't help but notice a lot of cars, thanks to the wide berth provided, decided to make 51st a 4-lane road right around the new bridge. Hopefully this ceases once the lines are painted and that becomes a bike lane, but I can't help but think it won't. People just can't wait for the line to go through the whole "stop and go, stop and go" process thanks to the 51st & Drexel stop sign.

What occurred this morning is likely why Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm is always concerned about new road projects in our community, and why she does her best to remind the council and city staff about strong resident opposition to wide road projects on roads that serve only subdivisions. It promotes speed and, in the case of this morning, people doing whatever they want so they can get to work 30 seconds faster.

Puetz Road sidewalk to be discussed

It's a tad late in reporting this, and I apologize. At the last Trails Committee meeting, we discussed current and future bike & pedestrian "circulation facilities" - paths, trails, sidewalks, etc. Since the committee submitted its Safe Routes to School application to the state, the committee cannot do much relative to that initiative until we hear a response back on whether or not we got the grant. So that's when Chairman Dave Fowler opened the discussion for other potential areas where the Trails Committee should talk about in terms of enhancing or creating new pedestrian access.

I mentioned Puetz Road.

As noted several times in the past on this website, the desire for a sidewalk along Puetz has been in the minds of some residents for many years. Families in particular would appreciate one for their children attending Forest Park Middle School. As of right now, if a child wants to get to the school by foot or bike and lives south of Puetz, they'd have to walk or ride along a shoulderless Puetz to 81st Street, take 81st north to where it curves into Lake Pointe Drive, and take a sidewalk which morphs into a manmade path to the school. Needless to say, it's not a very appealing option for either parents or students. In fact, I'd argue that it is extremely dangerous - more-so than what was present along 51st Street prior to its reconstruction.

When I campaigned in the subdivisions along Puetz, many residents expressed that whoever wins, the alderman should work on getting a sidewalk on at least one side of the street, for safety's sake. While I'm not an alderman, being on the Trails Committee I saw an opportunity to bring these concerns to a greater light and took it. This matter became much more serious when some aldermen, such as CCP Steve Taylor, took the position that sidewalks are not constructed unless a road is budgeted for new or reconstruction. These aldermen observe that there are no funds set aside for sidewalks, and some don't feel the need to be willing to make motions to approve funds for independent sidewalk projects with no specific budget for them.

Therefore, all of this will now be discussed by the Trails Committee, which could include several possible recommendations to the Common Council. We're meeting on Thursday, September 9th at 6pm for those who are interested.