State Grant Will Help Offset Repairs To Cranford Town Hall

The township has received a $500,000 grant from the state.

Cranford Township has received a $500,000 grant from the State of New Jersey to help offset the costs to restore the Municipal Building and Police Headquarters damaged in 2011 during Hurricane Irene. In a press release, Mayor Tom Hannen thanked the Department of Community Affairs for the funds. "This provides some relief for Cranford's taxpayers, who have been working so hard after that devastating storm," said Hannen. “Also, this was a great catch for our Township Administrator Joe Hartnett, who worked to ensure that we received these funds after learning about the program in late February.” The funds came through the state's Community Development Block Grant program, run by the Department of Community Affairs, with assistance from Union …

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Officials Will Meet Tonight To Discuss Application For Funding

The Township Committee will meet to discuss a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to rebuild from damages suffered as a result of Hurricane Irene.

Mayor's Council To Refocus, Evaluate Damage Caused By Hurricane Irene

At its last meeting, the Mayors Council on Rahway River Watershed Flood Control refocused its effort to define the damage caused by Hurricane Irene.

  The following summary of the last meeting of the Mayor's Council on Rahway River Watershed Flood Control was provided by members of the organization. At its March meeting in Millburn, the Mayors Council on Rahway River Watershed Flood Control made it a top priority to better define the extent of the damages left by Hurricane Irene. The current estimate is more than $100 million of damages to schools, business districts and homes.   The mayors of the 11 communities participating in the Mayors Council have been working along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and New Jersey  Department of Environmental Protection to evaluate flood control alternatives that could protect residents and businesses from future storms. A major potential is …

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Local Mayors Take First Major Step Toward Flood Control

Cranford has joined several municipalities along the Rahway River in an interlocal agreement to develop a detention basin to reduce flooding.

A little more than one year after Hurricane Irene blew through the region, leaving Cranford and other towns along the Rahway River submerged in flood waters, the Mayors Council on Rahway River Watershed Flood Control signed an inter-local agreement to develop the South Mountain Regional Detention Basin. Just as Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Cuba On Wednesday and strengthened to a Category 2 storm that could threaten the Northeast, a group of mayors whose towns endured the aftermath of last year's storm met in Millburn Town to sign an interlocal agreement. The proposal will allow the towns to move forward with plans to construct a detention basin upstream, at the South Mountain Reservation. The detention basin is a "storage project" to …

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Irene: One Year Later

How has the 2011 storm impacted you? Send us your photos and feedback.

Sunday marks the first anniversary of the storm that pulled trees from their roots, flooded streets and cars, decimated homes and businesses and left thousands without power. After Irene blew through New Jersey in August 2011, Patch was there to cover the hurricane that had been downgraded to a tropical storm. The impact of the storm and subsequent flooding is still evident in some areas of Union County. In Cranford - one of the most severely impacted towns in the county - 18 houses that were heavily damaged are being elevated to prevent flood waters from future storms from submerging the structures. Some residents are still in the process of rebuilding parts of their homes that were destroyed. Behind the municipal building on Springfield …

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Letter to the Editor: Take Action To Support Flood Mitigation

As the anniversary of Hurricane Irene nears, Cranford residents are urged to reach out to legislators and urging them to approve funding for flood control projects.

  To the Editor: Cranford citizens now need to step up and become more active in their community's most significant concern. A year ago, Hurricane Irene brought significant damage to the communities in our area. More than 2,000 homes were impacted. The first floors of several hundred homes ruined. Over $75 million of property damage in the Rahway River Watershed. Some families are now just moving back into their homes in Cranford. Extreme weather patterns, overdevelopment, poor planning as it relates to management of stormwater has created a worsening situation. In Cranford, the senseless 360 unit Birchwood housing development litigation continues to occupy the township's focus with the court's failure to consider the ravages of the past …

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Cougar Headquarters Celebrates First Anniversary

The sporting apparel store has been in Cranford for one year.

Cougar Headquarters, located in the Centennial Village area of Cranford, is celebrating its first anniversary this month. One year ago, Cougar HQ had its grand opening and ribbon cutting as Hurricane Irene was approaching New Jersey. "It has been a tremendous year for us," said store owner Donna Marino. "When Hurricane Irene devastated so many of the residents in our community, we immediately implemented a fundraiser selling shirts to benefit the victims." After being open only a few weeks Cougar HQ was able to sell hundreds of shirts and presented a check for $3000 to Cranford Family Care. A few months later, the township of Cranford experienced another history-making event. The Cranford High School Varsity Football team won the State …

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Cranford Meteorologist, TV Crew To Broadcast Live Downtown

News 12 NJ Meteorologist Dave Curren, a Cranford resident, will join a crew from the cable station at Eastman Plaza, where they will broadcast the 5 p.m. news live from town.

Sitting at a table in Rockn' Joe Coffeehouse and Bistro, Cranford resident Dave Curren checks his phone intently. Every few minutes, his expression changes and his eyes widen as he stares at the screen. A meteorologist for News 12 NJ, Curren is monitoring a system of storms that's moving through parts of the state. Just minutes after a downpour soaked the Cranford area, Curren and a crew from the local television station began preparing to broadcast their weekly 5 p.m. show, "On the Road." "On The Road - now in its sixth year - allows us to showcase the communities we cover by uncovering what makes these towns and neighborhoods so remarkable. We're looking forward to being in Cranford, spreading our own brand of positive community spirit…

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Mayors Council Asks Legislators For Funding To Advance Flood Relief

The Mayors Council is asking the Legislature to build funding into this year's state budget to help move forward with a flood control project.

The mayors representing communities in the Rahway River Watershed met with area legislators at Union County College last week to seek support for the funding in the next state budget to begin a project that could alleviate flooding in Cranford, Rahway, Springfield, Union and Millburn. The proposed South Mountain stormwater project involves the construction of a dry detention basin in the South Mountain Reservation that is expected to significantly reduce water elevations during peak storm conditions in several towns. Several local engineers including Cranford Township Engineer Richard Marsden joined Cranford Mayor David Robinson, Commissioner Ed O'Malley, former Cranford Mayor Daniel Aschenbach, Rahway Mayor Rick Proctor and Millburn Mayor…

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Cranford Awarded $4.2 Million In Post-Irene FEMA Aid

The township will be able to complete nearly 30 projects with the help of federal funding.

The Christie Administration has announced that Cranford has been approved for nearly $4.1 million in FEMA Public Assistance Program funding, as a result of infrastructure and public property damage incurred from Hurricane Irene. “We continue to work with our federal partners to insure full recovery in New Jersey communities impacted by Hurricane Irene,” Gov. Chris Christie said in a press release. “Having the appropriate mechanisms in place to successfully secure these disaster grants allows us to more efficiently assist municipalities and ease the burden of recovery costs on local taxpayers.” Cranford is set to receive over $1.5 million for nearly 30 projects. The township is being reimbursed for the costs of debris clearance, emergency …

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