Franklin council snubs historical society

FRANKLIN — Franklin’s Historical Society will be holding their annual train show fundraiser at the Littell Center on May 5, with or without help from their borough council.

The historical society will be charged a $200 fee to use the building for the fundraiser, $100 of which goes to Hardyston and $100 of which goes to Franklin. Hardyston was willing to waive their $100 fee if Franklin agreed to do the same, but Franklin won’t give in to the request.

Since Franklin won’t waive the fee, the historical society will be responsible for the entire $200 bill, a complaint that was made loud and clear by historical society member Emily Basilwitch during the public portion of the April 23 borough council meeting.

“Why can’t you give us a measly $100,” she asked Mayor Paul Crowley. What makes the sting especially hard to bear, she said, is that the funds raised will be put towards the borough’s 100th anniversary celebration and historical marker — projects that are near and dear to both mayor and council.

Councilman Nick Giordano was the only member to vocally side with the historical society. Calling the issue his “white whale,” he claims the snub “speaks volumes about how our council as a whole feels about our historical society.”

If Hardyston is willing to waive a fee for us, he added, why can’t we waive the other half? “We choose to continuously snub our noses at the historical society,” he said.

The Littell Center is a shared service between municipalities, which is why the fee is split. Giordano pointed out that Franklin pays nearly $30,000 per year for their share and barely uses the facility, which is why he believes waiving the $100 fee “isn’t too much to ask for.”

The issue was dropped by the mayor and council without a discussion or vote.