Speak Out!

Submitted by the Franklin Township Task Force on CS206 & NESE. Have you felt things shake when Trap Rock blasts?  Do you remember the recent gas pipeline explosions and fires in Massachusetts? The final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project was published by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on January 25, 2019, and it’s …

Submitted by the Franklin Township Task Force on CS206 & NESE. The fishing and recreation industry by Raritan Bay, as well as the cleaned-up waters and marine life in the bay, would be in danger if the Williams/Transco NESE pipeline is constructed from Sayreville to an offshore point south of Rockaway, NY. Risks of adding a pipeline under Raritan Bay …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. It’s all fun and games ’till someone loses an eye. It’s time to get out the eye patches. Township Councilman Rajiv Prasad’s notion that this is political grandstanding is silly enough to generate snot bubbles during this cold and flu season. The latest Prasad drama started at least a year ago, outside the public eye, long …

Submitted by the Franklin Township Task Force on CS206 & NESE. The proposed Compressor Station 206 will pollute our air with toxic chemicals for decades if it is built.  That’s one reason why we are calling on Governor Murphy and the NJDEP to deny the water permit applications so that Compressor Station 206 and pipeline near and under Raritan Bay …

Submitted by the Franklin Township Task Force on CS206 & NESE. We’ve worked for years to stop the NESE Project, and now we are in the home stretch.  We are calling on Governor Murphy and the NJDEP to deny the water permit applications so that Compressor Station 206 and pipeline near and under Raritan Bay is not constructed. With the …

By Matthew Piccoli, Somerset. My response to the Speak Out titled, “Scouts Help With Problem-Solving” is that Scout parents are the best and I am living proof. My father is an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 113, Somerset, and my mother is involved with the Troop committee. They are committed to the Scout program and I have learned so much from …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. I once again led a parent group in set construction Footloose, at Franklin Middle School. It is a petri dish of problem solving. I must be honest though, we create the problems and then try to solve them. The journey makes January a lot shorter. After the show starts I get to reflect on all the …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. True or not, New Years are times to hit the reset button. I believe in this. It forces you to refocus. At the Township Council reorganization meeting I wasn’t unable to attain that goal. It was just another day. I did not get up and speak because I could not muster enthusiasm to say something positive …

The January 7 Township Council reorganization meeting is the perfect time for the governing body to follow-up its censure of Councilman Rajiv Prasad by adding some teeth to the measure. Prasad was censured by his fellow Democrats at the December 2018 meeting for the ethical lapses that have been well-documented in these pages. The censure resolution expresses the Council’s sense …

Dominador Mandapat passed away December 22 at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in Somerville. He was 69 years of age. Mr. Mandapat was born in the Philippines and came to the United States as a young man. He lived for a time in Seattle before relocating to the New Brunswick area. He has resided in the Somerset section of Franklin Township …