Taxes at Work

The Grand Opening Celebration will be followed by a “Youth Fest.” (File photo.) U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) will be among the dignitaries attending the grand opening of the Franklin Youth Center, set for 1 p.m. on May 14. The Center is located at 429 Lewis Street. Watson Coleman will present a $1 million House Appropriations Committee Community Project …

The Magnolia Street bridge replacement work is now not expected to be completed until later this Spring. (File Photo.) The Magnolia Road bridge replacement project’s end date has been stretched from mid-February to sometime in April or May, the Somerset County engineer said on March 17. The delay is due to necessary preparatory utility work that has to be done …

Approval for the purchase of eight vehicles for the Franklin Township Police Department was approved at the February 22 Township Council meeting. Resolutions to purchase seven 2022 Ford Explorer SUVs, for a total price of $237,500, and one 2021 Ford Expedition SUV, for a cost of $39,358 were approved. The eight vehicles were purchased as part of the department’s fleet …

The Franklin Township Police Department’s more than 65 uniformed officers are among those scheduled to add body-worn cameras to their equipment list around February 1, a police department spokesman said. The cameras became mandatory thanks to a 2020 law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. Their use, and the storage and maintenance of videos recorded with them, are heavily regulated by …

Magnolia Road will be closed to through traffic into 2022, due to the replacement of the Magnolia Road bridge. The replacement of the Magnolia Road bridge will probably not be finished until mid-February. That’s the word from Somerset County engineer Matthew Loper, who sent an update letter to the township that was read at the November 22 Council meeting. Work …

A grant to the township from the state Department of Transportation will pay for a little more than half the cost of repaving part of DeMott Lane next year. The $348,000 grant was announced on October 26. It was part of more than $161 million in municipal aid grants given out to 541 towns. Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said the …

Contracts totaling nearly $2 million for goods and services were awarded at the July 13 Township Council meeting. Included in that amount was $678,572 for the purchase of vehicles and software: A contract worth $77,966 for two 2022 Ford F350 4×4 regular cab pick ups and plows was awarded to Winner Ford of Cherry Hill.A contract worth $16,998 for a …

Three township parks’ playgrounds will get new equipment and playground surfaces under a series of contracts awarded by the Township Council at its June 22 virtual meeting. The playgrounds are in the Rutgers Heights, Kingston School, and Dunham Lebed parks. Rutgers Heights playground is getting more than $184,000 in new playground equipment, as well as a $109,402 rubber playground surface. …

The Somerset County Engineering Department has announced updates to its road resurfacing schedule. Milling and paving along South Middlebush Road, from Amwell Road to Buffa Drive, is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 8 and 9. Similar work on South Middlebush, from Route 27 to 800 feet north of Blackwells Road, is set for 8 p.m. to …

Franklin Township is in line to receive more than $6.8 million in direct, flexible aid through the recently passed federal American Rescue Plan. Franklin’s $6,819,531.17 is the largest amount of the aid earmarked for any Somerset County town, according to a joint press release issued by U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez. Somerset County towns will receive a total …