“Originally, I thought we were building surf waves. We are actually rebuilding our community’s sustainability, quality of life, and pride.”- Marty Parichand, Executive Director of Mill City Park.
An exciting new era has just begun in Franklin, New Hampshire on Friday afternoon. Mill City Park at Franklin Falls had its ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon after six years of planning and construction. While the new feature and amphitheater opened to the public a couple of months ago, its grand opening served as a celebration of all the hard work that was needed to get the project completed. According to the Concord Monitor, the Friday event featured music, food, and “comments from team members, elected officials and funding partners about this public-private partnership between the city of Franklin, non-profit Mill City Park, and many volunteers and residents.”
Franklin was a popular mill town throughout its early history, but the loss of manufacturing jobs, led Franklin towards tough times. The whitewater park has brought a boom to the town, as a microbrewery, outdoor gear store, and a coffee shop has recently opened. In the future, high-end apartments and condos, multiple restaurants, another microbrewery, and a crepe shop will open in Franklin.
In terms of the whitewater park, three additional features, “a standing wave and two holes”, will be built in the coming years. Other additions to the area will include viewing areas alongside the river, another amphitheater, a mountain biking pump track, a water play area, rental cabins, tent sites, a mill remnant climbing wall/natural play area, a historical mill area, two bridges for pedestrians and bikers, and a parkour area. As someone who’s kayaked down this portion of the Winnipesaukee River, it’s going to become a big hit among the outdoor community. Mill City Park at Franklin Falls is open daily from dusk till dawn.
Image/Video Credits: Mill City Park at Franklin Falls
