THE TENNESSEAN • December 31, 2008
FRANKLIN — The iconic red logo over Interstate 65 says it all: Nissan has a home in Franklin.
Back in 2005, the global automaker announced plans to uproot from its longtime home in suburban Los Angeles and move to Franklin.
The move stunned rivals and was heralded by state and local leaders as a sign that once sleepy, history-laden Franklin was ready for the national stage.
The opening in July of the gleaming S-shaped Nissan Americas Building — and the attendant pomp and circumstance — put Nissan at the top of the biggest stories in Franklin and the state in 2008.
The $100 million project is a showpiece of modern, environmentally friendly architecture and proof for state and local leaders that Franklin can attract Fortune 500 brands.
But Nissan wasn't alone. Here's a look at the top stories in Franklin that drew the most attention this year.
New city projects launched
Plans for a new City Hall moved forward this year, and construction continued on the Columbia Avenue police headquarters as well.
Initial public meetings have been held about the designs of a new City Hall, which would be funded through a possible public-private partnership that could eventually reshape downtown with new homes, shops, a restaurant and a hotel.
Meantime, crews continue work on the city's new police headquarters, which has a $26 million construction cost along Columbia Avenue, while the project's total cost is a little more than $36 million.
Finally, crews broke ground — after 16 years of waiting — on $4.3 million in road improvements for Third and Fifth avenues north that will bring new sidewalks as well as underground utilities improvements.
City Hall sees shakeups
The year began with longtime city administrator Jay Johnson and assistant deputy administrator Randy Wetmore leaving the city in the wake of the firing of former solid waste director Joe Williams. Williams later sued the city, alleging his former bosses conspired against him.
The year ended with the appointment of Hamilton County, Ohio, official Eric Stuckey as the city's new city administrator while Schroer reorganized the city's internal structure to combine the city's engineering and planning departments into one division.
FRANKLIN — The iconic red logo over Interstate 65 says it all: Nissan has a home in Franklin.
Back in 2005, the global automaker announced plans to uproot from its longtime home in suburban Los Angeles and move to Franklin.
The move stunned rivals and was heralded by state and local leaders as a sign that once sleepy, history-laden Franklin was ready for the national stage.
The opening in July of the gleaming S-shaped Nissan Americas Building — and the attendant pomp and circumstance — put Nissan at the top of the biggest stories in Franklin and the state in 2008.
The $100 million project is a showpiece of modern, environmentally friendly architecture and proof for state and local leaders that Franklin can attract Fortune 500 brands.
But Nissan wasn't alone. Here's a look at the top stories in Franklin that drew the most attention this year.
New city projects launched
Plans for a new City Hall moved forward this year, and construction continued on the Columbia Avenue police headquarters as well.
Initial public meetings have been held about the designs of a new City Hall, which would be funded through a possible public-private partnership that could eventually reshape downtown with new homes, shops, a restaurant and a hotel.
Meantime, crews continue work on the city's new police headquarters, which has a $26 million construction cost along Columbia Avenue, while the project's total cost is a little more than $36 million.
Finally, crews broke ground — after 16 years of waiting — on $4.3 million in road improvements for Third and Fifth avenues north that will bring new sidewalks as well as underground utilities improvements.
City Hall sees shakeups
The year began with longtime city administrator Jay Johnson and assistant deputy administrator Randy Wetmore leaving the city in the wake of the firing of former solid waste director Joe Williams. Williams later sued the city, alleging his former bosses conspired against him.
The year ended with the appointment of Hamilton County, Ohio, official Eric Stuckey as the city's new city administrator while Schroer reorganized the city's internal structure to combine the city's engineering and planning departments into one division.
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