Franklin approves new officers

FRANKLIN — The Franklin Borough Council on Tuesday swore in the borough's two new police officers and approved the introduction of a $475,665 bond ordinance to fund improvements in the borough.
The officers, Daniel Flora and David MacQuesten, took their Oath of Allegiance before the council and an audience of fellow officers and the public. The ceremony followed the council's approval of the new hires at its May 24 meeting. Flora and MacQuesten started work with the Franklin Police Department on June 1 and June 16, respectively.
Flora, a Byram native, spent the last three years working at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark and said he applied in Franklin to find work closer to home. MacQuesten, originally from Green Pond, said he came to the department after putting himself through the Police Academy. After graduation, MacQuesten said he was looking for work locally and had heard good things about the Franklin police department, so he decided to apply. He called his hire a “win, win” situation.
The addition of Flora and MacQuesten to the force raised the total number of officers in the Franklin police department to 15. Mayor Nicholas Giordano said at the May meeting the hires were intended to help curb excessive overtime payments the police force has been paying out to meet staffing needs.
The council on Tuesday also approved the introduction of an ordinance appropriating $475,665 for various improvements around town. According to the text of the ordinance, which would authorize the issuance of $453,000 in bonds, the funds would be used for the purchase of a loader, tractor and excavator for the Department of Public Works, improvements to the Evans Street retaining wall, security cameras for Borough Hall and the construction or reconstruction of sidewalks along County Route 631.
The ordinance allots the majority of the requested funds — or $315,000 — for the sidewalk project. The borough expects to recoup that sum through a grant from the Safe Routes to School Program.

Regional EMS update

Councilman Michael Rathbun said Tuesday two meetings have already been held with Hardyston officials about the prospective regional first aid squad discussed at Franklin's June 14 meeting.
Rathbun said three people each from Franklin and Hardyston have been appointed to the six-person committee tasked with developing and reviewing the regional squad's bylaws. Rathbun said the municipalities also are looking at grants and pool insurance for the regional squad. Also under consideration is a provision that would allow the regional squad to sponsor training for new, uncertified members in exchange for a commitment to serve on the squad for a given number of years.
Rathbun said 38 individuals have already expressed interest in participating at various levels on a regional squad, including 15 people from Hardyston, 12 from Franklin, seven from Sparta and four from Ogdensburg.
The goal, Rathbun said, is to bring a fleshed-out proposal before the Franklin and Hardyston councils for approval next month and have the Wallkill Valley regional squad up and running by August 1, when Hardyston's mutual aid agreement with Milton is scheduled to end. The current Wallkill Valley First Aid Squad in Franklin would not be dissolved before it is clear that the new regional squad is a success, Rathbun said.
The current Wallkill Valley First Aid Squad provides coverage for Franklin and mutual aid to surrounding areas, Rathbun said. The proposed regional squad would provide coverage to both Franklin and Hardyston and mutual aid to adjacent towns, he said.