40 CITY OF FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE Once the Heritage Trail is established, travelers need information about the locations of attractions, operating hours, what to expect when they arrive, the availability of restrooms, and the distance and time it takes to get there. A coordinated set of informative, fun and concise print and web information, including a map, about Franklin’s history and heritage sites and events is required. Enhance the Visitor Center The current downtown visitor is quite modest, serving primarily as a place for visitors to ask directions and pick-up brochures. There is an opportunity to make much more of it as a place to orient visitors to Franklin’s rich history and heritage sites. Ideally, visitor center functions could be incorporated into the Community Heritage Center described earlier. Market the Heritage Tourism Experience While overall tourism has been impacted significantly by world events, industry experts predict that travel will recover, and that heritage tourism will be especially strong, especially where there are good ‘drive’ markets like middle Tennessee. Franklin is perfectly situated to take advantage of the region’s sizable tourist population. According to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, more than 10.5 million people visited Nashville in 2000, which resulted in over $2.7 billion in revenues for the city. Franklin could package its heritage tourism experience as an intriguing day trip or weekend getaway and market it through the Nashville CVB and high-end hoteliers who cater to leisure and business travelers. Goal 7: Enhance the Capacity of Franklin’s Preservation Community Implementing the Preservation Plan will take actions by both the City and Franklin’s preservation organizations. Strengthen City Capacity Among the recommendations for the City are: Strengthen the role of the City in setting preservation policies and administering the preservation review process. It is time for the City to have a professionally qualified preservation planner on staff. Among the preservation planner’s responsibilities will be to provide technical preservation information and support to citizens, businesses, architects, building contractors, and owners of historic properties. After an appropriate transition period, the City should no longer rely on the Heritage Foundation for pro bono services. Incorporate the preservation plan into the City’s Long Range Plan, and assure that other plans (open space, housing, public facilities, etc.) are compatible with preservation goals. Imbue a preservation ethic throughout the City. Provide training and other learning activities for City staff, planning commissioners, historic zoning commissioners and City Council members, to increase awareness of nation-wide best practices and encourage greater understanding of the important role historic buildings and preservation play in Franklin’s identity and economy
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