Town seeks to safeguard files in event of disaster EAST BRUNSWICK - The township is trying to make sure that, in case of a disaster, municipal and other types of important records kept on file would be safe. The unlikely event of a fire or natural disaster at the municipal offices could destroy the thousands of records stored there. To prevent such a loss, the township is applying for a Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support (PARIS) grant from the state to make sure the township has other copies of records in regular or electronic forms, according to Township Clerk Nennette Perry. The Township Council passed a resolution earlier this month to apply for the grant, and Perry told the Sentinel the township should know by June 5 if the request will be granted. The grant funding is necessary for the township to create a disaster preparedness and business continuity plan. Perry said the point is to develop an up-to-date plan that would cover the township in case a building with records burns down, for example, and enable to return to business more quickly. The goal is to have other copies of important records such as budgets and e-mails, and to have access to them. The PARIS grant program, which is under the state Division of Archives and Records Management, received its original funding from the surcharges paid to the state to keep copies of deeds. "When they got enough money, they started giving grants out," Perry said, adding that this is the second time the township has sought the funds. The first grant award was for about $37,000 and was used to conduct a records inventory, a prerequisite to get further PARIS funds, she said. "It tells you everything you have," she said of the inventory. Some records, such as budgets, need to be stored permanently, while others, such as e-mails, need only be kept for a certain period. All towns are supposed to keep up with the guidelines so that records do not continue to sit around for no reason. If the grant is awarded, the township would use an outside firm to create the plan, and Perry said East Brunswick has already asked three companies about their interest.