Franklin Newsletter
August, 2005
September 11 , 2005 2 pm. Franklin Community
Council, Inc. Board Meeting, at Dianna & Bill Morrison‘s garage,
301 S. Vine (behind old Catholic Church). All welcome to
attend. Anyone who would like to help in any of the projects are
invited. There are still many projects to complete and all
are welcome to become a part of the rebuilding and future of
Franklin. Please try to spare a little time each month to
help. If you are unable to attend the meetings contact a board
member to let us know how you would like to help.
For those of you have heard about the book titled “Southeastern Kansas
Coal Mining Towns” that was sold at the Arma homecoming we have those
available for purchase. They are $20. There was a nice
article in the Morning Sun about the book. It is a photo book
with lots of great old photos including Franklin. We are planning
to put a book together for the Centennial (2007) about Franklin
but if you are interested in buying this book call Phyllis at
347-8387.
A big “thank you" to Henry Lee & Agnes Goodman for the beautiful
job they did cleaning up the sidewalk in front of their home.
If you have trees in front of your property that were
planted by the State Arborist on Arbor Day could you please water them
periodically especially during dry conditions. The first few
years trees are planted they should be watered until they are
established.
STORM SIREN: Final stages
of paperwork is being compiled so storm siren can be ordered. The
storm siren is entirely funded by donations from Paul Newman,
Frank & Frances Ales, Arma, Ks, Ray & Sandy Hamblin, Franklin,
Ks., Royal Neighbors of America, Rock Island, Il. and Dorothy Smardo,
Franklin, Ks.
COMMUNITY HALL:
(Ted Wynn, Chairman, 347-4040) Hall committee is working on
several exciting possibilities for the new hall. Brochures
are being designed as well as a mass mailing. Kathryn
Richard from PSU is helping the committee with marketing.
Projected completion date of the hall is mid November although we are
anticipating an earlier completion. The hall committee will
soon be taking reservations for the new hall. Watch the
newsletter and the newspaper for details and contact
numbers.
COMMUNITY HALL BUILDING COMMITTEE:
(Joe Cukjati, Chairman, 347-4311)
ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
(Dianna Morrision, Chairman, 347-8807) Next meeting September 8
at 7 pm. Several fund raising projects have been discussed.
If you’d like to help out on any projects please contact any of the
board members.
Don’t forget about the endowment fund which has been established which
will allow an opportunity to leave a lasting tribute to the community.
Please keep FCCI in mind when leaving a memorial in lieu of flowers for
a deceased loved one. Tell your friends and relatives who no longer
live in Franklin about the endowment fund. This money will remain in a
managed fund and the interest will be used to maintain the properties
owned by FCCI (Hall, Park, Welcome Sign). Keep the spirit of Franklin
alive for years to come.
Plans are underway for an open house for the new hall. This
will give everyone an opportunity to see the completed project.
Watch the newsletter for date and time.
CENTENNIAL: The
centennial is scheduled for the weekend of June 23-24, 2007. Make
plans now to plan your family reunion at the same time. Any local
residents are welcome to submit a design for a logo for the
centennial. We will need people to help with
making plans and organizing. Ideas are welcome and we would love
to see new people on the committee.
PLANNING AND LAND USE COMMITTEE
(Ray Hamblin, Chairman, 347-4228) Ray would like to thank all the
workers who came out to help with pouring the floor for the shelter at
the park and the barbeque pit. It was greatly
appreciated.
Dirt from the hall site has been distributed through an error. A
list had been made for distribution of that soil. It was intended
to be for residents on a first come, first served basis. A
resident incorrectly had 20 loads delivered to someone not on the
list. If you have an interest in obtaining a load of dirt
please contact Ray Hamblin at 347-4228 to put your name on the
list. We are making no profit from the dirt. The
money goes to Vilela Wrecking Company as he has been contracted to
remove the dirt. We are sorry for this inconvenience but we were
unaware this had happened until the dirt had already been
removed.
Everyone needs to be aware that the properties are owned by FCCI and
you MUST contact a board member who can assist you. The
non-profit organization was put into place for the good of the
community. They have been instrumental in seeing the
projects through along with the help of many, many
volunteers. Please respect that the
property is owned by them and they must be involved in any decisions
regarding any of the properties (hall, park and welcome sign
area).
WELCOME SIGN: A
dedication was held August 12 for the new sign. The sign is a
beautiful addition to Franklin and everyone should be very proud of the
hard work in making this a reality. Remember to thank those
who have helped in any way.
Correction. The building blocks were donated by Joplin Building
Material Company,15th & Illinois, Joplin, Mo.
PARK: The park is
another very nice addition to the community. It will be a
great place for families to gather, children to play, seniors to safely
walk, bocce games, horse shoe contests and much more. We
are very grateful for the hard work and dedication in seeing this
project come together. Residents can be very proud of this
beautiful park. We are also very thankful for all the support of
our friends who have made the park possible.
The first order for the pavers was sent June 15. We have received a
proof of those bricks and they will be in place after the walking path
is laid. Additional pavers can be ordered at any
time. This will be an on-going project.
HERITAGE COMMITTEE: (Phyllis
Bitner, Chairman, 347-8387) Still looking for information on the
sidewalk and new members. Many exciting projects coming up so
please join the group if you have an interest.
Oral history projects has many wonderful stories. If you haven’t been
contacted to be a part of this please contact Phyllis at 347-8387,
Norine at 347-4453 or Margaret at 347-4358.
The heritage committee is working with the hall committee on decorating
the interior of the hall. The theme will be historical. If anyone
has old photos of Franklin they would like to share please let us
know. We can copy them and return the originals to
you. You will be amazed at some of the photos we already
have.
The church bell from St. Philip Neri is safe and in storage. It
was donated by the Toschi/Pitts family and is being used according to
their wishes. The bell was not “purchased” but “donated” along
with the other artifacts from the church. The bell will be atop
the sign in front of the community center. Please keep watching
as the community is rebuilt and you will begin seeing many items which
should make the community very proud of all the hard work and
dedication by all the volunteers.
Funding: All funding for the projects has been through
volunteer efforts and donations. FEMA and Rural Development have
been instrumental in funding a major portion of the hall.
Private donations will be responsible for the remainder. The park
and welcome sign area are completely funded by donations and
volunteers.
If you have any questions please contact one of the directors or a
chairman of a committee.
DIRECTORS:
Robert Craig Stokes, 620-347-8519; Henry Ashbacher,620-347-4070; Veda
Maxwell, 620-347-4747; Tammy Wayman, 620-347-4829; Margaret Kennedy,
620-347-4358; Joe Cukjati, 620-347-4311; Norine Laird, 620-347-4453;
Frances O'Blak, 620-347-4312; Ray Hamblin, 620-347-4228