“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Every seven (or so) years, the Town of Franklin reexamines and updates its Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP). Required by Massachusetts, the OSRP is a comprehensive plan for the Town’s many Conservation and Recreation Areas and other public and publicly accessible Open Spaces, and serves as a framework to guide policy decisions by the Town around the management, maintenance and enhancement of existing Open Spaces and Recreational Areas, as well as potential investments in and development of new Open Spaces and Recreational Areas.
Each update of the OSRP is intended to memorialize past achievements, to highlight efforts that are ongoing, and to provide a roadmap for the implementation of the Town’s Open Space and Recreation goals and priorities over the succeeding seven-year period – in other words, “where are you, where you would like to go, and how might you get there.”1
Franklin’s initial OSRP, from 2001, encompassed Franklin and two other communities, Bellingham and Blackstone, and addressed the region as well as each community. That plan was subsequently updated in 2008 and, most recently, in 2016. That most recent OSRP update, from 2016, laid the groundwork for the Town’s adoption of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in November of 2020, and the subsequent acquisitions by the Town of the Maple Hill Conservation Area and Schmidt’s Farm, totaling approximately 200 acres, using CPA funding.
The 2016 OSRP update had the foresight to prioritize the health of the Town’s surface and groundwater resource areas, while protecting priority habitats and enhancing biodiversity amidst the rapidly accelerating effects of climate change. It called for investing in updates to the Town’s playgrounds, fields and athletics facilities with a particular focus on promoting greater accessibility.
However, for all of its virtue and vision, Franklin’s 2016 OSRP update could not have predicted the onset of a global pandemic. In the dark days of the coronavirus pandemic, the Town’s Open Space resources were a vital tonic, and lifeline, for those looking to escape the isolation of their homes. It is fitting, then, that as the federal state of emergency was lifted in May of 2023, and amidst a renewed appreciation for the outdoors, the Town was well into the process of reviewing and updating its OSRP – assessing where we are since the 2016 update, where we would like to steer the Town’s Open Space and Recreation priorities over the next seven years, and how to accomplish those new and renewed goals.
The Franklin Conservation Department and Franklin Conservation Commission set out to address those questions over the course of two dozen public hearings and information sessions held from January through June of 2023, including bi-weekly stakeholder meetings, bi-weekly office hours, and three public hearings. More than 100 stakeholder groups were invited to participate in the OSRP update, and many were active participants throughout. The Franklin Recreation Department was a key partner in the preparation of this 2023 OSRP update, and the Conservation Department and Commission were also assisted by Franklin’s Department of Planning and Community Development, Building and Inspectional Services, the GIS Department, Public Works Department, Franklin Public Schools, and the Franklin Senior Center, among others who were instrumental in the OSRP process.
Representatives of Franklin’s Agricultural Commission, Commission on Persons with Disabilities, and Town Council were also actively engaged throughout the public process and have helped to shape the 2023 OSRP update. Lastly, state and nonprofit organizations, including representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Metacomet Land Trust graciously lent their expertise and input. More than 700 residents provided detailed feedback via a citizen participation questionnaire that was initially distributed in February of 2023. The 2023 OSRP update is truly the product of community-wide input and the community’s vision for the future of Franklin’s Open and Recreational spaces.
Based on that collective feedback, the Conservation Department and Commission have developed the 2023 OSRP update, including updated goals, objectives, and an action plan for the succeeding seven-year period. In addition, a re-evaluation of the accessibility of the Town's Open Space and Recreation facilities was conducted (see Appendix D), an inventory of the Town's Open Space, Recreation, and Conservation properties (see Appendix C) was updated, and descriptions of the Town's substantial resources were compiled, updated and included in the 2023 OSRP update.
Since the 2016 OSRP update was approved, substantial progress has been made on the goals and objectives that were highlighted in that plan. Among them are:
a. Acquired the Riverbend Open Space Area, and converted other Town-owned parcels to the Conservation Commission for designation as Conservation lands.
b. Adopted the CPA in 2020, and utilized CPA funding to (1) acquire and preserve the Maple Hill Conservation Area as forest area and public Open Space; and (2) acquire and enable the continued agricultural use of Schmidt’s Farm, one of Franklin’s legacy farms, in addition to potential future community uses.
c. Partnered with DCR to improve and extend the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) to Grove Street in Franklin, and separately constructed a shared use path along portions of Grove Street, with an additional phase of the Grove Street shared use path currently underway.
d. Revitalized the DelCarte Conservation Area through the successful treatment of invasive species within DelCarte’s north and south ponds, the implementation of the Biodiversity and Buffer Zone Restoration Project in 2022-23, and through increased community engagement and improved signage throughout DelCarte.
e. Installed and updated signage and recycling receptacles at all public fields and Open Space areas.
f. Performed a parking analysis of Open Space areas.
g. Added sidewalks along portions of Chestnut Street, Pleasant Street, Beaver Street and Lincoln Street.
Additionally, the following projects and improvements to the Town’s Recreational facilities have been completed since the 2016 OSRP update:
a. Installation of new playground at DelCarte Conservation Area (2017).
b. Improvements made to King Street Memorial Playground (2019), with master plan for King Street Memorial Park currently underway.
c. Installation of new playground equipment (Vendetti Playground, 2021) and fitness course (2023) at Beaver Pond, along with resurfacing of Beaver Pond athletic fields.
d. Installation of new playground at Henry “Ski” Faenza Memorial Playground (formerly Nason Street Tot Lot)
e. Improvements to Fletcher Field Playground (anticipated in 2023).
The 2023 OSRP includes numerous goals, objectives and proposed actions that are the result of feedback and input received over the course of the above-referenced public stakeholder sessions, informal office hours, public hearings and other meetings with Town personnel; through letters, emails, and other outreach from residents and stakeholder groups; and through the responses to the citizen participation questionnaire.
The goals, objectives and proposed actions resulting from the Open Space and Recreation planning process are oriented around three principal themes: inclusivity and connectivity, growth, and sustainability. The Conservation Department and Commission believe these goals reflect the priorities of the Town’s residents:
(1) Inclusivity & Connectivity: As the Town looks to enhance its existing open and Recreational spaces and plan for future improvements to those spaces, the Town should do so with a particular emphasis on expanding access to and awareness of those spaces, especially for the elderly, persons with disabilities and families with young children. Along those same lines, the Town should develop strategies to promote walkable and bikeable connections between existing open and Recreational spaces, particularly with respect to spaces where there is little available parking, so as to facilitate the use of those spaces by individuals who don’t live in the immediate neighborhood.
(2) Growth: The Town should identify opportunities to grow participation and involvement in the Town’s open and Recreational spaces, including by providing space for individuals and activities that may be currently underserved. For example, this may include space for community agriculture and associated educational opportunities, as well as for up-and- coming sports such as pickleball and cricket, which are growing in popularity in the region but lack adequate space relative to regional demand for facilities.
(3) Sustainability: During periods of the summer and fall of 2020 and the summer of 2022, the Town was experiencing a “critical drought” as classified by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. As the effects of climate change continue to be felt more acutely, the Town should continue to promote sustainability and prioritize the protection of the Town’s natural resources, including conservation areas, wetland resource areas and forests, all of which serve as a bulwark against global warming.
The OSRP’s implementation, and achievement of the above goals, will require the commitment of a broad variety of organizations and individuals, including non-profit organizations, state agencies, resident volunteers, and Town departments, boards, commissions, and committees. Through the combined efforts of all parties mentioned above the Town feels confident that the OSRP can be implemented to meet the prescribed goals over the seven-year planning period.
Shared from the Open Space & Recreation Plan update for comment
Comments on the plan can be submitted ->
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| Open Space & Recreation Plan - Summary |
