Post by admin on Jun 18, 2008 5:33:05 GMT -5
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2008/0618/front_page/008.html
Center Street area eyed for improvement effort
Neighborhood Pride volunteers begin suggesting ideas
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
FREEHOLD - Living in Freehold Borough offers a view of historic homes, a cozy small-town ambiance and tree-lined streets. The creation of a new committee is expected to focus on another desirable characteristic - neighborhood pride.
The Neighborhood Pride Committee is modeled after a Neighborhood Pride Program that is working well in Columbus, Ohio, according to borough officials. In April, Mayor Michael Wilson suggested that Freehold give it a try. He said his goal is to make the town a better place to live, "block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood."
The committee will focus its attention on everything from streetlights to potholes, from repairing trash receptacles to beautifying streets, in addition to code enforcement issues and public safety.
Co-chairing the committee are Debbie Keelan andAnthony Di Flumeri. They are joined by Lynn Cannon, Maureen Haley, Sheryl Mott, Danielle Sims, Joanne Sive, Casey Surgent, Billy Anderson, Kathy Blum, Annette Jordan, Dan Xavier and Donna Koloski.
The panel's mission statement says that "By working closely with community members and utilizing all available financial, human and in-kind resources, we intend to identify both potential and pre-existing areas in need of enrichment, repairing or beautification in Freehold Borough neighborhoods."
The committee will offer practical solutions and improvements by means of thoughtful community activism, positive social discourse and neighborhood empowerment strategies, resulting in a strengthening of community spirit, enhancing public safety and upgrading of property values, according to the mission statement.
The committee met on June 9 to discuss several upcoming projects. To kick off the neighborhood pride campaign, the panel members will work with borough officials as improvements are made in the neighborhood along Center Street.
Maureen Haley, the panel's secretary, drafted a letter which will go out to Center Street residents and bring them up to speed on the panel's plans and goals. Residents of Center Street have been invited to attend a meeting on July 1 at Borough Hall to discuss their ideas and needs.
"The Neighborhood Pride Committee is all about neighbors helping neighbors," Borough Councilman Marc Le Vine said.
He said the committee members will ask Center Street residents to help with the improvements to their neighborhood.
"We'll focus on the area for a number of days and when we leave we'll come away having left a sparkle. It's about making neighborhoods more attractive and having residents enjoy their neighborhoods more," he said.
Road upgrades on Center Street are expected to complement whatever improvement projects are put into place by the Neighborhood Pride Committee.
BoroughAdministrator Joseph Bellina said all residents in the Center Street neighborhood will be notified by mail that the improvements will be done, likely in late August or early September.
Bellina said residents of that neighborhood need to be aware that if any utility services are needed, the work must be done soon because a five-year moratorium will be in effect once the new road is laid down and it cannot be ripped up.
The Neighborhood Pride Committee meeting also included remarks from Dave Loring, who chairs the borough's Historic Preservation Commission.
Loring presented a plan to clean up an area on Jackson Street that runs toward Center Street in order to extend a bicycle path which has already been put in place by Monmouth County.
Calling the area a "dumping ground" and citing the presence of old washing machines, debris and other garbage, Loring said he envisions the trail as a beautiful walking and biking path. He said the area contains many trees.
Loring, who teaches Naval Science at Colts Neck High School, said he has 180 cadets from the school's ROTC program who are willing to help clean up the area. He said he is hoping Freehold Borough will offer the use of its equipment and streets and roads employees to help to clear the impacted area.
There are possible glitches in the proposed plan which, according to Bellina and Le Vine, is in a very preliminary stage. There are railroad tracks in the area Loring was speaking about and that rail line could be under consideration for reactivation at some point in the future.
Loring suggested that the railroad tracks could be covered with mulch or tar to make "an awesome trail." He said the tracks could also be left as they are, as part of the history of the town.
Loring told the committee he did not think the railroad tracks would be an issue right now and said that should not halt a plan to clean up the area, making it into something beautiful and usable.
In a subsequent conversation, Le Vine said he thinks a Center Street cleanup is a good idea.
"It shows the depth and breadth of what this committee can accomplish," the councilman said. "Some things the committee attempts may be easy to achieve, others may take more effort.We're hopeful that these projects will bear fruit."
Another idea brought to the meeting was for an urban community garden. The idea, mentioned by committee member Donna Koloski, was well received by the others.
The property Koloski has in mind is a strip of land behind the RugMill Plaza retail center at Center and Jackson streets.
"The idea is that the property owner allows a group of people to use the land, year to year, until the owner can develop it," Koloski said.
She said some community garden programs charge each person who plants a section of the garden a $5 fee for the planting season.
Concerns for this project include legal issues and a source of water to be used in the garden.
According to material provided by Koloski, there area 10,000 community gardens in United States cities.
Committee members said residents of the Rug Mill Towers apartment complex across the street from the Rug Mill Plaza might welcome the opportunity to have a piece of a community garden.
It was stated that the owner of the Rug Mill Plaza may be contacted to pursue the idea of a community garden.
Bellina said the members of the Borough Council may discuss the ideas that have been suggested by the Neighborhood Pride Committee.
Center Street area eyed for improvement effort
Neighborhood Pride volunteers begin suggesting ideas
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
FREEHOLD - Living in Freehold Borough offers a view of historic homes, a cozy small-town ambiance and tree-lined streets. The creation of a new committee is expected to focus on another desirable characteristic - neighborhood pride.
The Neighborhood Pride Committee is modeled after a Neighborhood Pride Program that is working well in Columbus, Ohio, according to borough officials. In April, Mayor Michael Wilson suggested that Freehold give it a try. He said his goal is to make the town a better place to live, "block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood."
The committee will focus its attention on everything from streetlights to potholes, from repairing trash receptacles to beautifying streets, in addition to code enforcement issues and public safety.
Co-chairing the committee are Debbie Keelan andAnthony Di Flumeri. They are joined by Lynn Cannon, Maureen Haley, Sheryl Mott, Danielle Sims, Joanne Sive, Casey Surgent, Billy Anderson, Kathy Blum, Annette Jordan, Dan Xavier and Donna Koloski.
The panel's mission statement says that "By working closely with community members and utilizing all available financial, human and in-kind resources, we intend to identify both potential and pre-existing areas in need of enrichment, repairing or beautification in Freehold Borough neighborhoods."
The committee will offer practical solutions and improvements by means of thoughtful community activism, positive social discourse and neighborhood empowerment strategies, resulting in a strengthening of community spirit, enhancing public safety and upgrading of property values, according to the mission statement.
The committee met on June 9 to discuss several upcoming projects. To kick off the neighborhood pride campaign, the panel members will work with borough officials as improvements are made in the neighborhood along Center Street.
Maureen Haley, the panel's secretary, drafted a letter which will go out to Center Street residents and bring them up to speed on the panel's plans and goals. Residents of Center Street have been invited to attend a meeting on July 1 at Borough Hall to discuss their ideas and needs.
"The Neighborhood Pride Committee is all about neighbors helping neighbors," Borough Councilman Marc Le Vine said.
He said the committee members will ask Center Street residents to help with the improvements to their neighborhood.
"We'll focus on the area for a number of days and when we leave we'll come away having left a sparkle. It's about making neighborhoods more attractive and having residents enjoy their neighborhoods more," he said.
Road upgrades on Center Street are expected to complement whatever improvement projects are put into place by the Neighborhood Pride Committee.
BoroughAdministrator Joseph Bellina said all residents in the Center Street neighborhood will be notified by mail that the improvements will be done, likely in late August or early September.
Bellina said residents of that neighborhood need to be aware that if any utility services are needed, the work must be done soon because a five-year moratorium will be in effect once the new road is laid down and it cannot be ripped up.
The Neighborhood Pride Committee meeting also included remarks from Dave Loring, who chairs the borough's Historic Preservation Commission.
Loring presented a plan to clean up an area on Jackson Street that runs toward Center Street in order to extend a bicycle path which has already been put in place by Monmouth County.
Calling the area a "dumping ground" and citing the presence of old washing machines, debris and other garbage, Loring said he envisions the trail as a beautiful walking and biking path. He said the area contains many trees.
Loring, who teaches Naval Science at Colts Neck High School, said he has 180 cadets from the school's ROTC program who are willing to help clean up the area. He said he is hoping Freehold Borough will offer the use of its equipment and streets and roads employees to help to clear the impacted area.
There are possible glitches in the proposed plan which, according to Bellina and Le Vine, is in a very preliminary stage. There are railroad tracks in the area Loring was speaking about and that rail line could be under consideration for reactivation at some point in the future.
Loring suggested that the railroad tracks could be covered with mulch or tar to make "an awesome trail." He said the tracks could also be left as they are, as part of the history of the town.
Loring told the committee he did not think the railroad tracks would be an issue right now and said that should not halt a plan to clean up the area, making it into something beautiful and usable.
In a subsequent conversation, Le Vine said he thinks a Center Street cleanup is a good idea.
"It shows the depth and breadth of what this committee can accomplish," the councilman said. "Some things the committee attempts may be easy to achieve, others may take more effort.We're hopeful that these projects will bear fruit."
Another idea brought to the meeting was for an urban community garden. The idea, mentioned by committee member Donna Koloski, was well received by the others.
The property Koloski has in mind is a strip of land behind the RugMill Plaza retail center at Center and Jackson streets.
"The idea is that the property owner allows a group of people to use the land, year to year, until the owner can develop it," Koloski said.
She said some community garden programs charge each person who plants a section of the garden a $5 fee for the planting season.
Concerns for this project include legal issues and a source of water to be used in the garden.
According to material provided by Koloski, there area 10,000 community gardens in United States cities.
Committee members said residents of the Rug Mill Towers apartment complex across the street from the Rug Mill Plaza might welcome the opportunity to have a piece of a community garden.
It was stated that the owner of the Rug Mill Plaza may be contacted to pursue the idea of a community garden.
Bellina said the members of the Borough Council may discuss the ideas that have been suggested by the Neighborhood Pride Committee.