by Ken Moore, MD
Alderman at Large
Franklin, Tennessee

The City of Franklin, Tennessee has long been recognized as a desirable place to live because of its respect for history, its vibrant economy, and its educational excellence.

Just this year it was recognized by the National Historic Trust as a “top twelve” destination in America; Southern Living Magazine also rated Franklin one of the top ten in the nation for best small town, and Business Week Online named our city the best in Tennessee to start a small business.

However, with the associated rapid growth, issues of a lag in infrastructure and congestion have become more of an issue.

In 2006 when former Mayor Tom Miller signed the Mayor’s Climate Project Agreement, it went almost unnoticed until companies relocating in the area began to bring in green practices from other areas of the country and the question was raised why Franklin was not on the “top twenty-five” green cities list. Current Mayor John Schroer responded to this question by appointing Alderman Ken Moore to lead the effort for the City.

In the fall of 2008, a group of almost 250 citizens attended a series of workshops facilitated by Johnson Controls, Inc. The workshops focused on Franklin’s sustainability needs and practices for the City. Over two thousand comments came from these sessions to guide Franklin’s vision and a task force was created to develop a sustainability plan for the City that matched its vision for the future.

The Sustainability Task Force was convened early in 2009 and nine committees were established to write Franklin’s Sustainability Plan. The committees are made up of interested citizens and residents, many of whom are experts in their field. Each committee has enthusiastically accepted the challenge to develop three actionable items in their category, determine a metric to measure progress, a plan of implementation and timeline. Their energy and ideas have been inspirational to all involved. These nine committees are: Energy; Alternative Fuels and Energy; Environmental Health; Solid Waste; Transportation; Water; Urban Design; Urban Nature; and Public Education.

The City’s Sustainability Plan is now in its first draft and is being vetted by participants and experts across the country. This plan is a tool for the community of Franklin and its citizens, not just for city programs and policies. The City already has demonstrated leadership by the use of “gray water,” LED traffic signals; office recycling efforts, a soon to be completed LEED certified Police Headquarters and establishing its own Alternative Fuel and Energy Action Plan.

Since the inception of this effort, we have recognized that the City would need to create a sustainability coordinator position but were hesitant to proceed given the current economic times. Then officials read the CitiesGoGreen article “What’s a Sustainability Coordinator?” in the October 2008 issue. The fact that the position is funded by savings to the City made it a much easier sell. The article was used as supporting evidence and created momentum for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to approve the position recently.

This article and others in the CitiesGoGreen have helped us understand the process and keeps us from having to reinvent the wheel while still being able to craft a plan and strategy unique to our City.

The position has now been posted and we are looking forward to the new hire and continuing the momentum to become a top 25 sustainable community and an example for others to follow as we implement our plan. The plan is currently in draft form and can be viewed on the City’s web site at www.franklintn.gov.

Photo courtesy VisitFranklin.com