Let's Make Waves!!! (again)
- Mill City Park at Franklin Falls
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
After a decade of persistence, planning, and partnership — construction crews from Coleman Construction are back on the Winnipesaukee River to complete what we started. Construction of the whitewater park will take about 5.5 months (this assumes normal precipitation rates).
This next and final phase of Mill City Park’s whitewater features includes:
Feature 1: A green wave designed for river surfing, opening the door to a new generation of recreation.
Feature 2: A Salida-style competition hole built for freestyle kayaking and community events.
A Slalom Course: Connecting the features for skill-building, races, and safety training.
It’s a moment that many of us have dreamed about since the very first volunteer workday.
Years of Perseverance
When we started in 2015, Franklin was a community with heart but without momentum. Our mills sat quiet. The river that once powered our economy had been walled off, inaccessible, and ignored for generations.
Mill City Park began as an idea — that by reconnecting our community to this river, we could rebuild pride, purpose, and economic vitality.
Since then, the effort has spanned ten years and countless volunteers, partners, engineers, and advocates.
Each step — from early feasibility studies to concept design, fundraising to groundbreaking, — has been powered by one simple belief: Our river is a cornerstone of our future.
Recreation as Regeneration
This project was never about just whitewater. It’s about what whitewater represents — community, courage, and creativity.
When people visit Franklin now, they don’t just see a city that used to manufacture things; they see a city that builds experiences. They see a downtown coming back to life, businesses reopening, and families walking the riverfront.
And soon, they’ll see surfers carving waves, kayakers playing in features, and slalom paddlers training for competition — right in the heart of New Hampshire’s smallest city.
The Power of Collective Vision
None of this happened overnight. It happened because people believed — and kept believing — through every delay, every setback, every flood, and every rumor that it couldn’t be done.
Today, as Coleman’s crews shape the riverbed and install the final features, we’re seeing more than construction. We’re seeing Franklin’s transformation — from post-industrial decline to outdoor recreation destination.
This isn’t just a park. It’s proof of what can happen when a community decides to bet on itself and shows up to do the work.
What Comes Next
As the features take shape in the upcoming months, we’ll continue working with our partners to ensure safe, sustainable, and community-driven recreation on the river.
Soon, you’ll be able to stand near the Sanborn Bridge, on the Winnipesaukee River, or within Mill City Park and hear the sound of water flowing through new surf waves, and know that it was built by and for Franklin — for everyone who ever believed this city was worth the effort.
Because it was. And it still is.
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