News-pourri

STREAM CLEAN-UP – Some of the items recovered during the annual John Clyde Stream Clean-Up of Mile Run on April 12. A number of environmental groups from the township and New Brunswick – including the Franklin Township Environmental Commission – gathered April 12 at the Mile Run entrance on Hamilton Street for their annual stream clean-up. As usual, volunteers carried …

FOR HIS APPROVAL – Face painting was just one of the activities offered during the annual Bunny Bonanza on April 12. Bunny ears were the fashion accompaniment of the day at the annual “Bunny Bonanza” celebration held April 12 at the Senior/Community Center on DeMott Lane. Children of all ages had the chance to get their face painted, do arts …

EXPLAINING THE PROGRAM – Schools Superintendent John Ravally explains why the school district needs to increase spending by $11 million at the April 10 Board of Education meeting. An additional $11 million in spending for Fiscal Year 2026 approved April 10 by the Board of Education will allow the reinstatement of many line items that had previously been cut from …

“GOLD STANDARD” – Township Attorney Lou Rainone said at the April 8 Township Council meeting that Franklin has become an example of how towns should plan for affordable housing. The Township will be obligated to provide for the construction of 659 more affordable housing units over the next 10 years, according to a settlement it reached with a builder industry …

HONORING ARAB AMERICANS – Township Councilman Alex Kharazi reads the Council’s Arab American Heritage Month proclamation. To his left is Mahmoud Azmi, who accepted the proclamation. The Township Council formally recognized Arab American Heritage Month at its April 8 meeting. Accepting the proclamation was Prof. Mahmoud Azmi, a township resident and president of The Egyptian American Council. “As values of …

BUDGET CAPTAIN – Township Manager Robert Vornlocker presented the proposed 2025 budget to the Township Council on April 8. A $73.2 million proposed budget that includes a 2.63 percent hike in the local portion of property taxes was introduced April 8 by the Township Council. The proposed spending plan is powered by a tax levy of $38,993,310 – not including …

Energy aggregation may finally come to the township in the next approximately six months, the Environmental Commission was told at its April 7 meeting. Township Councilmember Ed Potosnak, the Commission’s liaison to the Council, told commissioners that the Township’s energy consultant has said the summer will probably be a good time to start the long-delayed program. The consultant “thinks the …

Contracts totaling $5,147,041.58 for goods and services were recently awarded by the Township Council. At its March 25 meeting, the Council awarded: A contract worth $19,904 to Motorola Solutions of Woodcliff Lake for four UHF Omni antennas. A contract worth $400,000 to various vendors for recreation and enrichment programs in 2025. The vendors are: YMCA of Greater Somerset County, Basking …

CONVERSION PROPOSAL – Manjit Bajwa answers question posed by his attorney during the April 3 Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing on his application. An application to covert an auto repair garage at Elizabeth and Cedar avenues into a small convenience center raised more questions than it provided answers at the April 3 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. The triangular-shaped property …

PLAN DETAILS – Daniel Miola, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church engineer, explains the project to the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission on April 1. A plan to widen the driveway at the Ukrainian Reformed Church on Easton Avenue and add more parking spaces received a conditional Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission at its April 1 meeting. But that’s …