Whether you’re looking for a cafe, for information about one of the many festivals or for updates on downtown road projects slated for the town, you can find it all and more on the Franklin Downtown Partnership’s new website, franklindowntownpartnership.org.
The non-profit organization, which runs events like the Harvest Festival and the Holiday Stroll to raise awareness of Franklin’s downtown, created the website as an information center for all things downtown Franklin, according to Executive Director Lisa Piana.
“We built a community website where we can share information about our events and highlight downtown businesses,” says Piana. “But just as important to us was the idea of creating a place where people from all over could learn more about Franklin and the exciting things happening here.”
Website co-creator Steve Sherlock used what he calls “The 3 Cs” to build the site. “Good content starts conversations and over time those conversations build community,” says Sherlock, a Downtown Partnership volunteer who also writes a blog called Franklin Matters. “We want to use this site as a central location for all of our internet activities. In the future we will expand to share information through other social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
The site currently has a wide variety of information, from membership details to meeting dates and agendas, and information about and registration forms for the various festivals. Visitors to the site can find links to many of the Partnership’s more than 140 members’ websites, including restaurants, personal trainers, Town Hall, the Historical Museum and Dean College. Information about projects that are moving through the Planning Board or Town Council approval process that directly affects the downtown will be easy to find as well.
The site will continue to expand, according to Terri Frank, website coordinator. “We aim to be another go-to site, in conjunction with the Town’s website, for information about the upcoming downtown improvement project. We will post timely information about hearings or road closures to try to help our businesses, residents and visitors navigate the downtown during the redesign.”
For more information please contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com, or stop by the Downtown Partnership office located at 9 East Central Street.
