I believe the Franklin Reservoir site represents something Sherrelwood has been missing for decades: a real opportunity to preserve land for the people who already live here. Our neighborhood is dense, park-poor, and has continued to absorb new housing without a corresponding investment in shared green space, recreation, or community gathering places. Franklin may not look like a traditional park today, but it is one of the last undeveloped pieces of land left in this part of Sherrelwood, with mature cottonwoods, wildlife, open sky, and the potential to become something our community can actually use and enjoy.

My vision is not simply to stop one development. It is to ask Adams County to look at this land differently and to consider what Sherrelwood needs before another opportunity disappears. I want Franklin evaluated as a possible public open-space or park acquisition, with independent consideration of the site, its environmental value, and the broader needs of the surrounding neighborhood. Saving Franklin would mean investing in the health, resilience, and quality of life of an existing community that has too often been asked to accommodate growth without receiving the same level of public amenities in return.

Sherrelwood deserves the same investment, beauty, and access to nature as any other community. Why not Sherrelwood? Nature belongs here.

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Lauren Lyga
Sherrelwood Neighbor, Community Organizer