Established in 1815
ABOUT
Designed in the likeness of a public building that stood in Hartford, Connecticut, the Franklin Township Hall was built in 1837. It was used as an office for the Franklin Silk Company; after the company failed, the Franklin Township Trustees completed the
Franklin Township Hall in 1840.
SERVICES
Franklin Township provides specific services to its residents. The Franklin Township road crew, managed by David Akerley, provides efficient and effective services in a timely manner.
Contact this department for right-of-way permits, road improvement schedules, chipping schedules and more.
ZONING
We provide contact information for all of our zoning boards, maps, and a detailed zoning resolution of our zoning codes.
LET'S TALK
If you have questions that have not been answered on the site, please feel free to contact us. Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 1:00 to 4:00 at Township Hall and Monday-Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm at the Township garage.
TRAILS:
The Franklin Connector provides a new link into Summit County. The asphalt trail stretches 1.25 miles from Spell Road to Hudson Road north of Kent.
"People discovered it as soon as the asphalt went down. It's getting tremendous use,'' said Christine Craycroft, director of the Portage Park District. The hike-and-bike trail, along the old Akron Bedford Cleveland interurban railway route, cost about $450,000, she said. Funding included $250,000 in Clean Ohio Trail money and $80,000 each from Franklin Township and the Ohio Department of Transportation, she said. That means a bicyclist at the nine-car parking lot and trailhead at Hudson and Judson roads in Franklin Township could pedal to the west and north on the Hike & Bike Trail and end up in Walton Hills in southern Cuyahoga County. That's an 18.3-mile one-way ride.
HUDSON/JUDSON HIKE & BIKE TRAIL:
In an effort to promote an environmentally friendly community, create recreational facilities for residents, and provide safe connecting pathways, the township has built four miles of asphalt paved bike/walk paths adjacent to existing roads.
PORTAGE HIKE & BIKE TRAIL:
Lake Rockwell Road / Beckwith Trail Head
The trail is 2.1 miles from Crain Ave. in Kent to Lake Rockwell Rd. in Franklin Township and then goes another 4 miles to Ravenna. The new trailhead (beside Beckwith Orchard) has 16 parking spaces for convenient and trouble-free parking. The trail is 10 feet wide, paved in asphalt and very flat for beginning riders and families looking for a fun, easy day.
The Towner's Woods Rail-Trail, now known as the Portage Hike & Bike Trail, has been extended in both directions towards Kent and Ravenna.
Vicinity: Kent (Lake Rockwell Rd.) to Ravenna (Cleveland Rd.)
Trail Length: 4.5 miles Surface: Smooth crushed gravel. This bike trail actually starts at the railroad tracks across from the Brady Lake School and heads east past Cleveland Ave. in Ravenna.
More complete information on all the bike paths and parks within Portage County can be found at the Portage Park District web site
View Google’s map for Portage Park District Parks and Trails.