Frankfort Mayor Chris McBarnes says Frankfort is changing for the better and that the old way of doing things are not the way things will be done in the future.
“Our home town, Frankfort, is going to transform,” said McBarnes. “The downtown is going to be the way it use to be. It’s going to be lively. You’re going to have storefronts, you’re going to have boutiques and you’re going to have a beautiful park called Prairie Creek Park.”
The reason for the mayor’s excitement was the fact that the Frankfort Redevelopment Commission unanimously passed a pair of ordinances which paved the way for the City Council to pass the first reading Monday night and move the Prairie Creek Park project forward with an ordinance approving the issuance of bonds for the project. The motion passed 6-1 with councilman Lewis Wheeler casting the lone ‘no’ vote.
“This is a monumental night for our city,” said McBarnes. “Our city is moving forward. We’re going to become better. .And, if you are out there thinking about moving to a city, you should come to Frankfort because we are on the move.”
During the council meeting, seven people spoke on the matter with six being in favor of it.
“The chamber is very much in favor of it,” said Clinton County Chamber of Commerce President Don Stock. “It’s going to be a great addition to our downtown and it’s going to revitalize the county seat.”
The lone individual to speak against the project was former United Way Executive Director Gena Carson, who said the current parks should become the focal point because they are need of repair.
Earlier in the day, the project got another huge financial boost as Encompass Credit Union pledged $100,000 to the project which now means that $500,000 has been given towards the project. McBarnes said one more donation will be announced later this week which will make a total of $650,000 from the private sector on donations.
The park will be along the creek on the north side of East Washington Street. Once completed, the park will have a dog park, playground equipment and an area for performances. The cost of the project is $4.5 million with about $3.85 million being financed with bonds.
Construction is expected to begin this summer with ribbon cutting expected for the 2019 Hot Dog Festival.