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The Franconia Township annual meeting, held Tuesday, March 10 at the Franconia Town Hall on Highway 95, was once again lightly attended.   The most popular topic on the agenda was the future town hall. After discussion, the town residents voted to move forward with all three phases of the town hall project – the site plan, the maintenance building, and the town hall itself.  Potential funding sources were also discussed. The new town hall and maintenance building will be built on the corner of Pleasant Valley Road and Redwing Avenue, north from Pleasant Valley Orchard.

The township board recommended no increase in the township levy.  The citizens agreed with the board’s recommendation and voted to keep the township levy at $946,100 for 2027.

Two Highway 95 projects will take place in Franconia Township in 2026. A roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of Highway 95 and Highway 243/260th Street. And at the intersection of Highway 95 and Pleasant Valley Road, the outlet from Pleasant Valley Road onto the highway will be moved several hundred yards north in order to improve safety at the intersection. Both projects will be completed by the fall of 2026. In 2027, the deteriorating Highway 243 bridge connecting Franconia Township and Osceola will be closed for a year and replaced. Also in 2027, a stretch of 240th Street, the county line road at the southern end of the township, will be torn up and replaced.

Last year’s first annual town picnic was a success, and township residents agreed to spend up to $2,000 for another picnic this summer. The picnic will take place again at Pleasant Valley Orchard, on August 20.

Sonny Sparby was re-elected to another three-year term as a Franconia Township Supervisor. He received 31 of the 32 votes cast. The other vote was a write-in vote for Barney the Dog.

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