The Franconia Supervisory District held its annual Open House on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Supervisor Rodney Lusk described the event as a great opportunity to see fellow Franconia District residents, and speak with him and his staff.

Other guests included the Springfield Art Guild, and Franconia Museum, which is colocated with the Franconia Government Center. Residents were invited to bring donations for local food pantries and participate in an art competition. 

About 60 people turned out to hear Lusk describe the status of district development projects, including Top Golf re-use, the Springfield Mall parking area traffic patterns, Rose Hill retail development, and the current district government building site when the facility will be replaced in early 2025 with new construction on a Beulah Road site. Several projects have been deferred for further input based objections raised by the nearby communities.

Open house participants voted for their favorite art piece in the art guild’s event lead by Chairs Claire Bentley and Sandy Olszowy, with assistance from Pat Hafkemeyer. Voters selected Cynthia Schoeppel’s “Autumn Mandela” from 40 entries; a second win for Schoeppel who won Best in Show for a Bright Path charity show event in 2022.

Local artist Cynthia Schoeppel was voted first place winner in the Springfield Art Guild’s contest for her acrylic work “Autumn Mandela“