SAVING THE OLD FARM
Town announces new plan for preservation of Franklin Farm
CUMBERLAND – The Town of Cumberland has released its first Franklin Farm conservation and management plan since the original one from 2006, a plan that focuses on restoration of the farm house and barn, servicing for wells that will be constructed, and continuation of programming on the historic farm.
The plan is for the years 2017 through 2022, with the idea that the town won’t wait another 11 years to do this again, Planning Director Jonathan Stevens explained. The plan will be presented to the Town Council for the body’s approval, but Stevens expects this won’t be until June or July, after budget season is over.
He is hopeful that the Town Council will see the plan as “a document that has a real purpose.”
“This Plan marks a milestone in Cumberland’s history,” Mayor Bill Murray said in a news release. “The partnership between the Town and the Franklin Farm Association is a model of cooperation. Working together, our community is restoring this historic farm and at the same time has produced over a quarter million pounds of food donated to Rhode Island food banks and soup kitchens.”
The town’s planning department drafted the plan over the course of a couple months, with input from the Historic Metcalf-Franklin Farm Preservation Association, the Cumberland Water Department, and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission.
“Once approved by the Town Council we will have a plan that will guide the way for the farms’ continued improvement,” said Preservation Association President Pamela Thurlow. “It has been a pleasure to collaborate with the town to insure the preservation of this local treasure.”
The Planning Department also received technical assistance from Cornelis de Boer, the architect for the farmhouse restoration. The phase one plan for the farmhouse – including exterior improvements, weatherproofing, and thermal and moisture protection – is scheduled for completion by next April.
According to the conservation and management plan, the first floor will be a museum of town and agricultural history, while an apartment for a historic curator will be created on the second floor.
“The concept would be that when the interior is restored that there be an apartment and that there be – at reduced rent, in order to return for in-kind services that the curator would provide – someone who’s on-site keeping an eye on things,” Stevens explained.
The plan also calls for restoration of the original barn, to support the Preservation Association’s “agricultural activities, storage of farm/maintenance equipment, a farm repair workshop, to display artifacts and exhibitions related to farming and local history, and to provide educational opportunities and meeting space for children and adults alike.”
The town will seek a grant from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission for a master plan on the barn’s preservation and ren- ovation.
The Franklin Farm plan asserts that the tractor barn, however, is less historically significant and should either be relocated or demolished, with the building of a new structure.
It could be relocated to a yet-to-beinstalled concrete pad adjacent to the 20-by-40-foot water treatment barn that will be constructed about 20 feet north of the original barn. The water treatment facility is necessary because two new wells will be installed on the field by next year, and the Rhode Island Department of Health requires the Water Department to treat the raw water with fluoride and chlorine.
The treatment facility will be designed to be an educational exhibit, the plan says. Additional parking areas will be provided, and the town will construct a new gravel entranceway and loop driveway. This will provide new access to Franklin Farm from Abbott Run Valley Road.
“Under no circumstances will asphalt pavement be allowed,” the plan states.
The town does not intend to install incompatible uses on the farm, such as cell towers or a composting facility.
The plan lays out land uses, allowing nonprofit gardening, farm animals, walking, hiking, jogging, shoe shoeing, cross-country skiing, meetings, social events, weddings and fundraisers. Prohibited uses include mountain bikes, snowmobiles, organized sports and horseback riding.
The plan states that the present garden area may be expanded to up to three acres and that community-supported agriculture (CSA) may be considered, subject to town approval.
The plan also gives instructions on future signage additions and on property maintenance.
It states, “The goal of the [Historic Metcalf-Franklin Farm Preservation] Association and the Town of Cumberland is to restore the property into a working farm and education center for both teachers and students to study agriculture, animal husbandry, environmental science, conservation and historic preservation.”
The Town of Cumberland purchased the fields and barns at Franklin Farm in 1994, to prevent the land from being developed as house lots. The property is 67.38 acres.
Franklin Farm is the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s largest volunteer organization contributor of vegetables, having donated 27,375 pounds of vegetables last year. The report details a lot of the Preservation Association’s stewardship.
“I think it was important to document their productivity, the funds raised, the visitations, the programming,” Stevens said. “They have Farm Fest, they have camps, they have barn tours.”