Township Council

The Township Council on Aug. 14 approved the idea of placing a “Peace and Nonviolence” monument park on township open space, but not before some testy exchanges and surprises, not the least of which was that council members would be voting on it at all. While it OK’d the idea of a monument park there, the council balked at approving …

Township Councilman Rajiv Prasad knew that construction of the four statues planned for a proposed “Peace and Nonviolence” monument park began months ago, even though the idea of placing the project on township open space has not yet received Township Council approval. Work on the statues was underway at least by early March, according to a review of Prasad’s and …

Update: The resolution the council will discuss would allow for the placement of so-called “Alternative Treatment Centers” to grow, cultivate and dispense medical marijuana in the township’s light manufacturing zones. Those zones, M-1 and M-2, allow for light manufacturing and industrial uses on minimum 5-acre and 2-acre lots, respectively. M-2 Zones are located roughly in the Veronica Avenue/Clyde Road area, …

The topic of placing a “Peace and Nonviolence” memorial on township open space was once again the topic at a Township Council meeting, with residents telling the council on June 26 that they do not support the proposal. The idea of placing statues and busts of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nelson Mandella and Martin Luther King, Jr. on …

Township residents who have problems with their security systems sending out false burglar alarms will not have to report to court until the eighth instance in a given calendar year, thanks to an ordinance approved June 26 by the Township Council. But once that threshold is reached, a court appearance is mandatory, and the property owner faces a fine of …

Township officials are considering banning parking on Franklin streets when they are snow covered. The idea – still in its infancy – was discussed at a recent meeting of the Township Council’s public works subcommittee, Councilman Ted Chase (D-Ward 1) said at the April 24 council meeting. One major sticking point: how to handle residents who live in areas with …

The bulk of the township’s limb pickup program should be done by May 7, with the northern section of Franklin completed first. Streets south of the Claremont Road area will be done after that for logistical reasons, Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said at the April 24 Township Council meeting. Vornlocker said after the meeting that pickups are being done using …

An ordinance that would prohibit the takeoff and landing of drones on township-owned property is being readied for the Township Council. The ordinance is being written by township attorney Louis Rainone at the behest of the council’s land use subcommittee, acting on a suggestion by the Open Space Advisory Committee. Township Manager Robert Vornlocker told the Open Space Advisory Committee …

A total of 17 applications for more than $330,000 in Community Development Block Grants were received by the township for 2018. Representatives of several of the applicants showed up to the March 27 Township Council meeting to make their case for funding. Not all of those requests will be filled. Deborah Mitchell, the township’s CDBG administrator, said that while this …

Franklin Township Chief of Police Richard Grammar was formally sworn in to the position on Jan. 9 before an audience comprised of fellow officers, his family and visiting la enforcement dignitaries. Grammar, a 30-year FTPD veteran, is the township’s seventh police chief. In his remarks after being sworn in, Grammar said he would work as hard as he said Township …