By David Mayne
In a move that was symbolic, the statue of Ben Franklin was moved to a temporary location as modernization work continues at Franklin High School. Like the Franklin students and staff who start on August 27 in a new location (at the former Marshall High School campus), the several ton “Ben” statue will have to wait until 2017 to return his remodeled home overlooking the field. By that time, the bowl that had run east to west will be moved 90 degrees and a new athletics complex will have been constructed. The reason the statue had to be moved was to accommodate the change in the direction of the track & field. Construction work at the Franklin site is moving along quickly. The project remains on time and on budget with a scheduled reopening in the fall of 2017. Recent construction highlights include the demolition of the shop to make room for the new Performance Arts building on the corner of SE 52nd & Woodward, the demolition of the gym and the pouring of the foundation for the new gym and athletics facility. Visit the Franklin Bond website at FranklinBond.pps.net for more information