TheFranklin NEWS RECORD 5J5PSS7MOC Thursday, January 28,1982 Vol. 30,No. 4 30 cents Harrison Towers rent hike decision reversed by Cathy Bagman 1980 thai court that the rental ordinance prevented apartment houses from in- Special Writer prevents them from accumulating a fair creasing rental charges more than 3'/i profit after paying the utility bills for the percent annually despite apartment ex- The Appellate Dmuon of Superior electrically-powered apartment building. penses. An amendment to the ordinance Court reserved a lo»cr court decision on Superior Court Judge Wilfred P. guaranteed (he landlord a "fair rate ot the Franklin Township's Harrison Diana upheld the township's rental con- Towers case declaring the township's trol ordinance, which at the time. See HARRISON, page 15A. rental ordinance unconstitutional The appellate court's decision. rendered last Thuredav. affirms the township's rent ordinance as a valid and comtituijotul document The appellate Fox bites youth court also ruled that the owners of the Harmon Towers apartment complex. located on Easton Avenue, receive a Rabies test negative "fair rate of return" despite allegations from the owners to the contrary. by Sandra Lowich Harmon Associates, the owners of the Managing Editor 305-umf hish-nse. argued in a Julv 3. A Franklin Township youth who resides on Montrose Road was bitten by a Red Fox that he found on New Brunswick Road early Saturday morning, according to Franklin Animal Control Officer Harry Weber. Mr. Weber would not release the name of the boy since he is a juvenile. 1-95 The 17-year-old boy saw the fox running down the road with its leg caught m a trap at about 4 a.m.. Mr. Weber said. He drove the seemingly docile fox This tank sits in front of the New Jersey National Guard building on Hamilton Street, pointed at passersby to a veterinarian clinic in Iselin where it was treated. It was on the way home and at the township high school, located across the street. from the vet that the fox bit the youth. | • (Rich Pipejing photo) is topic Mr. Weber picked up the fox from the basement of the boy's home later that afternoon and brought it to the animal shelter on DcMott Lane. When the fox died Sunday night for no apparent reason. Mr. Weber became concerned. Then, the following day. the boy became ill at school and was sent home. of forum "The possibility that the fox had rabies certainly was there." Mr. Weber said. The animal control officer and the boy's family anxiously awaited state The fanjc isn 't moving Board of Health rabies tests results on Tuesday, which proved negative. "Relieved" was how they felt afterwards. by Sandra Lowkh And as for the bov, it's back to school, with a lesson from a fox behind him. passing cars. was an excellent recruiting card and that Managing Editor by David Hill SUIT Writer "It started as a bit of light relief at a all the calls about it were positive. I was 1 the first one to question the direction the The contnnersiaJ issue of whether or long township council meeting," said not an unfinished stretch of Interstate 95 Transportation (DOT) indicated. Mr. Williams also believes that 1-95 "Hit the deck...it's in-coming," Ms. Napier, "and I suppose I took it all tank is pointed, Ms. Napier said. <l-95» should be constructed was the will attract more industry and generate sounded the words from Franklin High more serious than I should have." Besides, the tank is inert and is' topic during a Monday night forum RESIDENTS AND GOVERN- additional jobs in Somerset County. School. They were re-sounded by Hen- "Someone .suggested that we contact incapable of firing, according to Col. sponsored by FOCUS, a township civic MENT officials argued back and forth Franklin Mayor Philip Beachem rietta Napier, acting township manager. the armory and I did," she said. Singleton: group the pros and cons of the issue on agreed: "Completion of 1-95 will result The tank that sits in front of the 50th "Although I didn't want to start a war." Ms. Napier pointed out that she The ''mining link"' lies between Monday. in a substantial number of industries Armored Division at the New Jersey j Col. William Singleton answered the thought possibly a local woman's club' Route 295 tn Hoprwcll and Route 287 in Arthur Reuben, assistant planning di- moving here. This will result in in- National Guard on Hamilton Street sits manager's inquiry. "He was very nice could plant flowers and bushes around Franklin If completed. the highway rector for Somerset County. said growth creased employment opportunities, not directly on line with the high school and about it all. He explained that the tank the tank to brighten up the area. would enter Franklin abmc East Mill- in housing and additional automobiles only for Franklin, but for the entire szooc and run across the township into have resulted in traffic capacity prob- region." the cornice between Davuon and Eliza- lems on every county roadway. Comple- Sam Hamill. executive director of the beth avenue* tion of the interested will help alleviate Middlesex-Somersct-Mercer Regional In Rubin case Officials from Middle*:*. Cousin. the congestion, he said. Study Council, drew a different con- Hopewell. Montgomery and Princeton clusion. On the other hand. Mr. Keck said that Township arc denundntf dc-dcugrution He said that construction of 1-95 rcuilu of detailed studies conducted by of the 1-95 stretch, .maintaining it would severely train the local road DOT show a marginal need for 1-95. The Traffic expert to be heard wouldn't relieve traffic congestion cm system and would add to traffic rather completion of the road won't solve the foeti roads than reduce it. problem of an overburdened Route 1 and SomersertTocwy. along with Frank- would compound traffic problems on Planning Board Chairman Bruce Ham- by Lois Cody controversial Rubins' proposal on Feb. lay in the Artale report's traffic gap lin. HiUsborough. Nlanville and Lau- Rouic 206. be asserted. • ilton said he opposes completion of the Special Writer | 10. study — an analysis of whether left turns rence 0fp«e dc-designation. rruun- highway for environmental reasons. Mr. Artale's study is the second traffic from the Rubins' complex onto JFK taixaof abandonment would disrupt zon- "The conclusions become in- "We should take growth at a much more escapabk." he said. A traffic consultant hired by Franklin analysis to be carried out at the Rubins' Boulevard would pose a hazard. ing. measured pace," he said. residents is expected to present to town- site. Somerville engineer John Silo per- Mrs. Finucane said the citizen-funded Former Gos Brendan T. Byrne before Mr. Keck indicated that the DOT is Patricia Cherry, representing the Dcla- ship planners his traffic safety study of formed the first study at the request of Artale study also attempted to anticipate warc-Raritan Girl Scout Council which leaving office made a recommendation compiling a list of substitute projects to the John F. Kennedy Soulevard-Eastonj the Planning Board. traffic generated from the Bonner and to the Federal Highway Administration be funded if the highway is not com- has a facility in the township, and Avenue intersection where Rubin and Then, residents living near the site Hickory Knolls properties that border the to scrap the estimated $300 million pleted. resident Bob Clark also opposed the Rubins' site. Those properties are ex- project for environmental reasons. Sons hope to build a two-story com- hired their own consultant to investigate project. But according to Richard Williams, pected to be multi-family housing de- However, Franklin Industrial mercial complex. ! safety questions they felt were not ad- Hcrwever. Go\ Thomas H. Kcan has Somerset County director of economic velopments one day. Mrs. Finucane development and president of the I-9S Coordinator Julius Varga and The center will house the Rubins' dressed in the Silo study. indicated that he's willing to reconsider would not discuss the results of the the issue. Action Committee. "A meager S215 Schoolbouse Road resident Dave Lon- home and garden center along with; In an interview, Mrs. Finucane com- second report, but said that they would If de-designated, about S33 rroUioQ in million (in substitute funds) has been don took stands in favor of completing several other shops. , . : pared the two studies. They both ex- funds would become available for appropriated for highway funding for all the highway. JFK area resident Joan Finucane asked amined the sight distance (visibility be made public at the February hearine. subsurate road projects this year. Dennis 50 states." "It (1-95) is one way to look for (tax) the Franklin Township Planning Board when entering and exiting the property) SOME MEMBERS of the large au- Keck, tutsan* to the deputy com- There is a project backlog of about $6 relief to offset the large residential to hear Clifton-based consultant Jack and counted the traffic flow at peak mis.ijot>er of the state Deportment of billion, he slid. development that's planned," he said. Artale's testimony before; voting on the; hours. The difference, she maintained, See RUBIN, page ISA. Inside this week SCHOOL BUS routes and business guide 15A some parents' desires to classified 1-16B <Tin£ Off • McCarter Theatre's Stage Two, In this week's issue: which offers more experimental A FUTURE FRANKLIN have their children picked learning 5-6A • The Rubik's cube continues to plays than its mainstage, opened a. resident plans to construct up at their babysitters' letters J5A grip puzzle addicts and amateurs new production last weekend.