Temporary Employees to be Hired for Sandy Relief

Bridgewater is receiving about four or five temporary employees as part of a countywide program to provide jobs while assisting in clean-up following Superstorm Sandy.

The agreement was approved at a special township council meeting Friday, in which a resolution was voted on to enter into a Greater Raritan One Stop Career Training Services Center Hurricane Sandy National Emergency Grant Worksite Contract between Somerset County and Bridgewater Township.

Basically, the program will allow for residents—hired and paid for by the county—to do work related to Superstorm Sandy in Bridgewater for a temporary amount of time. It will be at no cost to the township.

At this point, the plan is for one employee to work inside the municipal building to assist with FEMA applications, while the remaining employees will assist with township debris clean-up efforts.

“This grant will provide jobs to local residents seeking employment, while assisting Bridgewater in the clean-up efforts from Hurricane Sandy,” said councilman Matthew Moench. “And the program does this at no cost to Bridgewater taxpayers.”

The temporary employees will assist on work such as clean-up, demolition, repair, renovation of destroyed public structures, reconstruction of those same structures and humanitarian projects for victims of the storm in the community.

It will also allow those employees to work on homes of economically disadvantaged individuals for areas eligible for the federally funded Weatherization program.

“I commend our freeholders for making this service available,” Moench said. “It will provide an immediate and meaningful impact on Bridgewater Township and our quality of life, and provide income to those individuals hurt by the economy who seek employment but cannot find it, and do so in a financially responsible way without costing the taxpayers a dollar.”