News-pourri

Township Planning Director Mark Healey described the proposed zoning changes that would effectively ban new warehouses in the township. Planning Board members didn’t have a lot to say about proposed ordinance amendments that would effectively ban new warehouses in every zoning in the township. The Board considered the amendments during a special Master Plan review meeting on January 11. The …

FTPD officers stand with the remaining boxes of produce at the January 4 food distribution. A food distribution program that is estimated to have given out about 12,000 pounds of produce a month for more than a year is still going strong, police say. The program is run by the Franklin Township Police Department’s Community Relations Bureau at 935 Hamilton …

PSE&G and contractors are working on power lines and utility poles throughout the township. This crew was on Franklin Boulevard on January 4. Utility work being carried out throughout the township by PSE&G crews over the past several weeks will continue for some weeks to come, a company spokesman said. The work entails upgrading power lines and the utility poles …

Concerned residents packed the School District office community room at the January 4 Planning Board meeting to hear testimony on the proposed B9 Schoolhouse warehouse project. A proposal to construct two warehouses totaling nearly 250,000 square feet at Mettlers and Schoolhouse roads was given a chilly reception by the Planning Board at its January 4 meeting. With about 200 people …

Township Councilman Carl Wright objecting to an appointment to the Zoning Board of Adjustment at the January 2 Council meeting. A one-year appointment to the Zoning Board of Adjustment of a vocal warehouse critic caused a brief dust-up at the January 2 Township Council reorganization meeting. The disagreement between Mayor Phil Kramer and Township Councilman Carl Wright (D-Ward 4) had …

Christmas tree pickups will be conducted by the township Department of Public Works on January 9 and January 17. All tree should be on curbs by 7 a.m. January 9. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented by the Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Period. We are the only truly independent …

The Franklin Township Animal Shelter was one of 200 animal welfare organizations receiving donations from Ocean State Job Lot. (Photo: OSJL.) The Franklin Township Animal Shelter was one of more than 200 animal shelters welfare organizations receiving donations from Ocean State Job Lot’s “To The Rescue” program. The shelter received a $1,500 “Crazy Deal” gift card to purchase necessary supplies …

Ordinances increasing the amount some developers must pay into the township’s Tree Fund, and creating a flat late fee for dog licenses were introduced at the December 13 Township Council meeting. Developers who cannot meet township requirements for tree replacement when a development results in tree clearing must pay $300 per tree that they cannot replace to the Tree Fund, …

Township Recreation Director Beau Byrtus said that the department’s programs were very well-attended during 2022. The township’s recreation programs are “doing gangbusters,” the Director of Recreation said at the December 14 meeting of the Advisory Recreation Council. Director Beau Byrtus gave Council members an end-of-year update on program participation, and a look into what is planned for 2023. Don’t Miss …

Mark Healey, the township’s Principal Planner, talks about the Master Plan during a special Town Hall meeting December 12 in the Council Chamber. Dozens of township residents showed up to a sometimes contentious December 12 town hall meeting on the process behind creating a Master Plan. The residents came armed with questions, most of them about the meeting’s topic. But …