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Firefighters from East Franklin and Community fire departments converged on the Rutgers Plaza parking lot Oct. 7 for training in newly purchased gear designed to save their lives. Called bailout gear, the equipment consists of rope, a hook, a device to aid in descending the rope and a carabiner, which is a metal lop that can be opened on one …

Franklin High School tennis teams may have their real home court to play on come this spring. The Board of Education on Sept. 29 awarded an $847,917 contract to Halecon, Inc. of Bridgewater to reconstruct the school’s tennis courts, which haven’t been used in years.

Township parents with children in the district’s Pre-K program are getting an unexpected surprise: a refund of the nearly $6,000 tuition. District officials announced Sept. 28 that the state has approved a $1.1 million Preschool Education Expansion Aid grant for the 2017-18 school year.

The resurfacing of Bunker Hill Road from Canal Road to Route 27 is set to start during the evening of Sept. 29. The work will also encompass part of Canal Road and the Griggstown Causeway, according to an announcement from the township.

It looks as though issues with the state have been resolved, and the woes associated with a water main in Little Rocky Hill may finally be coming to an end. Township Councilman Ted Chase (D-Ward 1) made the announcement at the Sept. 26 council meeting. Chase has been working on getting the main replaced for at least the last five …

The long-awaited concession stand at Middlebush Park is ready for use. That was the word Sept. 19 from Township Manager Robert Vornlocker.

South Middlebush Road was reopened on Sept. 1, to the apparent delight of many township residents. A part of the road was closed June 28 for a complete bridge replacement over the Six Mile Run.

The Queens Bridge between South Bound Brook and Bound Brook is expected to be closed at 9 p.m. Sept. 8 for emergency repairs. The repairs should last about two months, said Stephen Schapiro, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

The Board of Education is set to vote Aug. 24 on a set of merit goals for schools Superintendent John Ravally that could be worth nearly $30,000. State law permits boards of education to approve merit bonuses for school superintendents, based on percentages of the superintendents’  salary.

Among the goods and services purchased were: $36,700 for shade trees for Middlebush Park from Northern Nurseries of Somerset. The cost is for the trees only, the township’s Department of Public Works will plant them. $73,742.58 for two 2017 10-foot Stainless Steel Dump Bodies, $36,871.29 each. The bodies will be installed on: Two 2018 Model SD 108 Freightliner Cab and …