Wiltz previews new event; McGuire on crosswalks
Franklin’s City Council heard about a new downtown initiative Tuesday, and the police chief explained the new crosswalks along Main Street.
Diane Wiltz, Franklin’s Merchant’s Association, announced an upcoming endeavor of the Merchants Association, in an ongoing effort to “revitalize” downtown Franklin.
Wiltz declared May 3, the first Thursday in May, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. as a new beginning, of sorts. That is when the Lamp Post Art Stroll will take place, downtown.
Wiltz recommended the art stroll as a “particular opportunity to see art by local artists, shopping, music and refreshments and of course, there will be specials and door prizes.”
She went on to confirm the re-establishment, by participating downtown merchants, of the first Thursday of the month, as an opportunity for working people to shop after their workdays, with shops staying open on those days until 6 p.m. instead of closing at their normal hour of 5 p.m.
She said the proposition for such extended hours had been tried in the past by FMA, though suspended too soon thereafter.
The initiative, according to Wiltz, has been decided will iterate again, “to see if we can encourage, and help our locals and anybody else, to come and shop.”
“We invite all of you,” Wiltz said, “to please come out and support, as we try to do, what? Revitalize downtown Franklin. That’s what the Franklin Merchants Association is trying to do… bring back the days of yore, if you will.”
In other business, Franklin Police Chief Sabria McGuire addressed the council concerning the new Main Street pedestrian crossings, and what the public can expect.
According to McGuire, the Department of Transportation and Development, which erected Main Street’s new traffic lights and pedestrian crossing lights, did so after conducting traffic surveys.
The lights are purported to operate in conjunction with the traffic patterns recorded by the surveys, and any changes made to lane flow and light timing at affected intersections, will operate in conjunction with survey results, as well.
McGuire referred citizens with questions concerning state ordnances governing movement through Main Street’s new traffic conditions, to: Louisiana Revised Statute 32:232, or call Franklin Police Department with any questions.
She advised that when crossing at a crosswalk, the pedestrian has the right of way as long as they have “control” of the crosswalk; which is to say that once they’ve begun to cross, regardless of what the lights may indicate during the pedestrian crossing, the right of way remains with the pedestrian until they are safely across the road.
Finally, as the department reports portion of the meeting came to a close, Franklin’s Chief Financial Officer Edward Hay addressed the council.
Hay brought to the council’s attention suspected public tampering with water meters, and the legal repercussions of being caught tampering.
Hay said that in 2016, new water meters were installed throughout Franklin, at the cost of $1.6 million.
“We assumed that the citizens of Franklin would understand that that is an expensive proposition for us to be involved in, and that we need to take diligent care of those assets that we purchased,” Hay said.
“What’s happening in a couple of instances is extensive damage to some meters.”
Hay said he wants property owners and renters to understand that their responsibility for the meters on their property is set by city ordnance.
According to Hay, in Nov., 2016, the council passed ordnance that stated that city water meters are not to be tampered with, under penalty of fine.
“Section 82.5 of the code of ordnance of the city of Franklin indicates that all water meter devices and valves on the city’s side of the meter, if they’ve been altered or tampered with, you could be assessed a service charge,” Hay said. The charges range in sequence from a friendly warning, to $25 to $50 to $75, as service visits persist.
The second section of the ordnance states that if the meters have to be replaced due to tampering or damage due to negligence, the customer is to be charged the $500 replacement value of the new meter.