News-pourri

PURCHASE EXPLAINED – Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said the money for the surveillance system is coming from a grant. The Township Council voted to spend nearly $340,000 on a multi-faceted surveillance system at its October 14 meeting. The Council will pay the total over four years, with the first year’s payment being $87,225. Money for the system comes from a grant, …

COUNCIL BUYS LAND – The Township Council on October 14 approved nearly $4 million in open space purchases. The Township Council approved the purchase of nearly $4 million for two open space parcels at its October 14 meeting. The Council approved spending $3,067,000 from the Franklin Open Space Trust Fund to buy a roughly 50-acre parcel at 3995 Route 27, also …

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES – School board candidates who attended the October 8 candidate forum. Clockwise from upper left: Jennifer Welch, Clara Wilson, Martin Czebotar, and Meher Rafiq. Charter schools, the school district’s goals, and the expanding District budget were some of the topics covered October 8 in a Board of Education candidate forum, held at Franklin Middle School – Sampson …

BUDGET EXPLANATION – Sewerage Authority Executive Director Joe Danielsen takes Authority members through the proposed 2025-26 Authority budget at its October 7 meeting. Franklin Township Sewerage Authority customers will pay 2.9 percent more in their annual fees, and sewer connection fees will rise nearly $300 under the $17.5 million Fiscal Year 2025-26 Authority budget introduced at its October 7 meeting. …

PROHIBITED MURAL? – This mural on the side of the Green Knight Dispensary on Hamilton Street needs approval from both the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. A mural on the side of a Hamilton Street cannabis dispensary is not the type of wall art the Hamilton Street Advisory Board wants to see. The issue was …

Explaining Proposed Ordinance – Mayor Phil Kramer describes the proposed ordinance that would restrict the use of on-site generators. Hoping to preclude any thought of a developer creating a data center powered by generators burning combustible materials, the Township Council on September 30 took the first step in restricting the use of on-site generators. The ordinance would prohibit the routine …

BRIDGE REPAIR DELAYED – A deeper-than-expected water main is the reason the bridge replacement project on New Brunswick Road will now not be completed for another month. Work replacing a bridge on New Brunswick Road will probably not be completed until the end of October, according to the Somerset County web site. The work was supposed to have been completed …

NEW CENTER OPENING – Somerset County Commissioners Director Shanel Robinson, CIC Director of Recovery Support Ken Musgrove, and Andi Williams, CIC Executive Director, left to right, speak with the FR&A’s PJ Parker at the center’s grand opening on September 18. People struggling with substance abuse who need help connecting with services, or who just need to talk, have a new …

Here is the latest on the Township’s 2025-26 road resurfacing program. Sebring Rd Area Resurfacing – Contractor to begin milling operations on or about Oct 2 2025.  Sebring Rd Annapolis St – THIS STREET HAS BEEN PULLED FROM THE PROJECT. WILL BE ON FOR NEXT YEAR.  Lexington Rd Phillips Rd – PAVED Francis St – PAVED Link Rd School Ave …

The 19th annual running of the Renaissance Cyclists Defeating Cancer United bicycle fundraiser was held September 20 at the Township Senior/Community Center. More than 100 riders participated in the event, which offered ride lengths of three, 10, 30 and 50 miles, as well as a 3-mile walk. The event raises money for prostate cancer awareness and screening. Shirley Spruill, the …