HILLSBOROUGH: First workers from grant aid now on board

   The first two temporary employees are on the job for the township’s Public Works Department.
   Township Administrator Anthony Ferrera said Tuesday that two men, hired through a temporary federally funded program, started Monday. He hopes to bring others on board quickly, eventually hiring as many as 12 for the DPW and two for the recreation and open space department.
   ”They’re working out great,” Mr. Ferrera said. “They’re excited to work, energized and happy to have a job.”
   Mr. Ferrera has said the extra hands will help the township departments deal with storm damage and give a bit of a respite to township employees stretched by dealing with debris and the Superstorm Sandy’s impact.
   Under the program, the federal government will pay $12,000, or for up to six months, for salaries of people who had been unemployed due to Sandy or who had been unemployed and exhausted their benefits.
   The program is being coordinated for several Somerset County municipalities through the Greater Raritan Workforce Investment Board. It is interviewing candidates and putting applicants through required physical fitness tests, Mr. Ferrera said.