Work begins on READI-funded senior center in Franklin
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Officials in Franklin broke ground Friday on a nearly $5.8 million senior center in the city’s Payne Park, which is being supported by funding from the state’s READI 2.0 program.
The new Active Adult Center will replace the city’s existing senior center with expanded and modernized community space for residents of all ages to meet and socialize.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. said the project received $750,000 from the central Indiana region’s $45 million allocation through the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative.
The Active Adult Center project is the region’s first READI 2.0 investment. The new facility, according to the IEDC, will support support two new housing additions, a theater, an outdoor venue with a stage, large space for events, smaller spaces for various community groups to meet as well as increased parking.
Demolition of the former senior center was completed in the summer, and construction on the new building is slated for completion in August 2025.
‘We are thrilled to enhance our service to the senior population and the entire community with this new facility,” Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett said in a news release. “It represents a significant commitment to improving quality of life and creating a vibrant environment that attracts and retains talent in a place where you can truly live, work, and play for a lifetime.”
The central Indiana READI region is one of six to receive a $45 million allocation from READI 2.0. Led by the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority, or CIRDA, the region encompasses Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, and Putnam counties.
“Franklin is the type of thriving, energetic community that is the epitome of modern, small-town life,” said CIRDA Executive Director Jennifer Messer. “With the arts, hopping culinary scene and picturesque downtown village, the active adult center will provide residents yet another opportunity to build community and connect.”