Frankton takes steps to put comprehensive plan in motion

Real estate investor Jerry Alexander, a consultant for Elwood’s Redevelopment Commission, is a Frankton native, who said he reached out to the town because he thought he had some insights that would be helpful as Frankton leaders start the process of implementing the plan.

“If they accomplish half of what their comprehensive plan is, it will be a big deal. This is pretty forward thinking,” he said. 

Alexander said he realizes Frankton and Elwood are very different types of communities in terms of population size and industry but they do have some commonalities on which he can draw.

“I think that in the years ahead, that may change. I think there probably will be a lot of interest in Frankton, when you consider the decisions of people that decide to move into communities,” he said.

Madison County should be positioning itself to provide housing for people deciding to move outside of Marion and Hamilton counties as population pressure pushes residents northward, Alexander said. In addition, he said, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio have tax structures that make Indiana a more attractive place to live and work.

“Since they are doing this long-term comprehensive plan, it only makes sense that they should consider themselves a place for people to move,” he said.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to attracting residents, Alexander said: move where businesses are and businesses move where people are. However, he said he believes it’s easier to build the population then attract the businesses.

“Small businesses will move where there are people,” he said.

Either way, Alexander said, the important thing is that Frankton is taking steps toward planning for expansion, even if it doesn’t happen right away.

“They happen because we plan for them to happen. You can force things to happen when you have a plan and working toward it,” he said. “People will go where a community is ready. A lot of communities need to be developing a comprehensive plan to attract businesses.”

Among the attributes that make Frankton attractive to new residents are the high quality of its schools and that the town owns its own utilities.

“In the smaller community it’s important that they own the utilities because that’s a solid stream of revenues,” he said.

The Rev. Nathan Whybrew of Frankton First United Methodist Church on Monday led a small-group discussion with town leaders, residents and parishioners from the other two churches to discuss their role in making the comprehensive plan come to life. 

“I’m all about progress and development for a lot of reasons,” he said.

Though the plan addresses physical infrastructure issues thoroughly, Whybrew said, it’s not quite as comprehensive as it could be.

“Understandably, what it doesn’t talk about is the people of the town,” he said. This, he said, is where the churches can help.

As he’s talked about what Frankton residents want to see come to fruition, Whybrew said certain themes were recurring, such as helping the needy. But in many ways, he added, the things they would like to see already are taking place but perhaps not communicated efficiently.

“The churches in town, we think about this all the time,” he said.

Whybrew, who has lived in Frankton since moving from Fort Wayne about two years ago, said he experienced four power outages in his first month in town.

“I was noticing those things right away,” the father of four said. “It’s important to me to be able to be mobile with the kids in town.”