What's going to happen to the Franklin Coach RV company?

by Kirk Mason (mason@wsbt.com)

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Franklin Coach RV

(WSBT photo)

By Tiffany Griffin

(WSBT) It was almost two months ago that a tornado ripped through Nappanee. But the economy there faces an uncertain future.

Jeff from South Bend wants to know, "What's going to happen to the Franklin Coach RV company?"

Franklin was one of the hardest hit by the storm.

WSBT's Kirk Mason found out, the company doesn't know for sure about its future.

There are signs of progress in Nappanee. A local builder is hoping to get about a dozen Nappanee families in new homes for Christmas.

But there is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over one of the area's large employers.

The tornado destroyed Franklin Coach, an RV maker, leveling four buildings. The company's management is now operating out of a temporary trailer. As for plans to re-build or move, the company says they don't know as of now because they're still working through insurance.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is currently appealing FEMA's decision not to grant federal aid to Nappanee. WSBT has been told one factor in that appeal sent to the federal government is the number of Franklin employees now out of work.

A source close to the situation says one possible location for a new Franklin Coach building is in Bremen.

So far, the company hasn't presented anything to the Bremen planning commission.

If land for a project is already zoned properly, it wouldn't have to go before that commission.

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