Post by shiloh on Jun 30, 2007 4:01:43 GMT 12.75
Just got this forwarded to me from the "Save the Franklin Battlefield" guys. Thank God Franklin has waken up and smelled the burnt powder on this issue.
State grants nearly $1M to battlefield park project
By KEVIN WALTERS
Staff Writer
FRANKLIN The state of Tennessee is now poised to become one the largest investors in Franklins Civil War battlefield park.
More than a year after Franklin officials bought the 110-acre Country Club of Franklin, the state's Heritage Conservation Trust Fund today approved a $900,000 grant for the project.
The groups executive committee approved 3-0 the grant request from Franklins Charge, the private coalition of local groups supporting the land purchase.
"We are excited about moving forward on this in the months and years to come," Robert Hicks, co-chairman of Franklins Charge, said. "Its not like Franklins Charge won anything today. I think all of Tennessee is a winner today."
This grant nearly equals the $1 million combined in grant money from both the Washington, D.C. based Civil War Preservation Trust and the American Battlefield Protection Program.
The land purchase cost $5 million, with half coming from city public funds and the rest provided by a loan secured by Franklin's Charge. That loan would be repaid by the group through pledges and donations.
Hicks credited the numerous, smaller donations of just a few dollars as being as important to the project as the large grants.
"You still could not have done it without th e literally hundreds and hundreds of individuals," Hicks said.
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State grants nearly $1M to battlefield park project
By KEVIN WALTERS
Staff Writer
FRANKLIN The state of Tennessee is now poised to become one the largest investors in Franklins Civil War battlefield park.
More than a year after Franklin officials bought the 110-acre Country Club of Franklin, the state's Heritage Conservation Trust Fund today approved a $900,000 grant for the project.
The groups executive committee approved 3-0 the grant request from Franklins Charge, the private coalition of local groups supporting the land purchase.
"We are excited about moving forward on this in the months and years to come," Robert Hicks, co-chairman of Franklins Charge, said. "Its not like Franklins Charge won anything today. I think all of Tennessee is a winner today."
This grant nearly equals the $1 million combined in grant money from both the Washington, D.C. based Civil War Preservation Trust and the American Battlefield Protection Program.
The land purchase cost $5 million, with half coming from city public funds and the rest provided by a loan secured by Franklin's Charge. That loan would be repaid by the group through pledges and donations.
Hicks credited the numerous, smaller donations of just a few dollars as being as important to the project as the large grants.
"You still could not have done it without th e literally hundreds and hundreds of individuals," Hicks said.
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