Township splits youth center into separate budget; $750,000 DCA grant underwrites new programs and shuttle pilot

At the March 10 Franklin Township Council budget hearing the township presented separate budgets for recreation ($68,730) and the youth center ($96,007), a change officials said reflects the creation of distinct department heads and separate accounting for the facilities.

Wendy White, youth center director, told the council the youth center is spending a $750,000 Department of Community Affairs (DCA) grant this year and has used it to expand programming and buy durable equipment. “The DCA grant was $750,000,” White said. She explained the total DCA award included a $1.5 million allocation with a Somerset Community Action Program (SCAP) match and that Franklin’s share is $750,000. White said the grant is one-time for 2025: “No. It’s it’s just for this year... I don’t believe it’s something that's automatically renewed.”

Why it matters: Council members said the grant has allowed a dramatic expansion of free or subsidized programming — with offerings such as SAT/ACT preparation, drone programming, chess-with-cops and arts classes — and has enabled purchases of equipment that should carry value beyond the grant year. White told council the youth center has about a half-million dollars of the grant remaining as the center spends down the award.

Staff and council also discussed transportation: the youth center piloted a summer shuttle that used a recreation van to collect students from key township locations, and White said the center plans to buy its own van to increase flexibility. “We piloted, successfully this past summer a shuttle program,” she said, and staff noted the van does not require a commercial driver’s license so part-time youth-center employees can operate it.

Senior transportation was presented as a one-line contract item. Administration staff said the township pays Somerset County Transportation under a shared-services agreement that includes a 2% annual contract increase; the administration displayed the updated contract figure in the budget spreadsheet. Council members asked whether the township had conducted a comprehensive review of senior transportation needs. Recreation Director Steven Dahl said usage is steady and that, for regular daytime social-club routes, the county contract meets current needs. He added that Somerset County does not provide evening drivers for its transportation service, which limits any evening expansion without a different vendor or arrangement: “Somerset County does not have evening bus drivers for the transportation department in Somerset County.”

Council members asked several operational questions about the youth center, including program mix and tutoring demand. White said tutoring is available but draws fewer students than recreational offerings. She also described community partners and donors who have supported the center’s programming, including Amazon and local civic groups.

White and staff said the township can request an extension from the state if the grant funds cannot be spent by year-end; White said she had discussed extensions with the state contact. The council did not adopt any budgets at the hearing; the recreation and youth-center figures are to be folded into the overall municipal budget process.

The council requested follow-up detail on projected program costs if the DCA grant is not renewed, on the planned van purchase and on usage numbers from the county contract so the township can reassess senior transportation needs if demand grows.