Grant to fund upgrades in North Middletown Twp. gets $125K in state funds for revitalization plan BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer Middletown received a grant Oct. 7 that will be used for revitalization projects around North Middletown. The $125,000 award from the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is part of the Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP), a program set up in 1975 as part of the Maintenance of Viable Neighborhoods Act. "Plans will be developed with input from the neighborhood to determine what kinds of functional improvements and aesthetic enhancements should be made over the next five years," township planner Anthony Mercantante said last week. According to Mercantante, such improvements include the revitalizing of the business district in North Middletown as well as adding to recreational facilities such as the Tonya Keller Bayshore Recreation Center. North Middletown's parameters are considered to be the areas east of Keansburg, south of Ideal Beach, across from Port Monmouth Road, down Cedar Avenue and east to William Street. During the first year of the planning process, Mercantante, along other town officials, will meet with North Middletown residents to discuss how to allocate the grant. The development of the implementation plan will take four to six months depending on the discussions involving residents and township officials, according to Middletown Public Information Officer Cindy Herrschaft. Some of the broader plans in the grant application submitted by Middletown include creating a parking lot, repairing the recreation center, building affordable housing and to help out local businesses. After hearing the township would be receiving the grant, Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger said he hopes it will add to the character of North Middletown and breathe new life into the area. "Grants like these help a lot with redevelopment in the community," Scharfenberger said. "It is really good for the town." Middletown previously applied for the NPP funding for North Middletown in 1990 when the township received a similar grant. The township could eventually receive $525,000 in grants through the program over a five-year period according to the preservation plan. The township is in the process of developing a preservation plan and, if put into place, the state could commit up to an additional $100,000 per year for five years for neighborhood preservation projects in North Middletown. County officials and residents would have input. According to the Department of Community Affairs' Web site, the Neighborhood Preservation Program "directly serves targeted neighborhoods throughout the state and provides money to revitalize areas in decline. An overall comprehensive cooperative approach that includes all sectors of the community and promotes unified effort has proven to be a successful strategy." Criteria for a neighborhood to receive the grant include that the municipality has demonstrated an understanding of local needs and how the NPP funding would enable those needs to be addressed. Criteria also include: the neighborhood income mix, especially the proportion of low- and moderate-income residents; the neighborhood size and extent of problems; whether the community demonstrates a commitment to neighborhood preservation by the public and private partnership fostered by the municipality. Each municipality must have received substantive certification from the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), be in the process of petitioning COAH for substantive certification, or be willing to do so. "We are looking forward to working with the community to find tangible ways to breathe new life into the neighborhood and its business district," Scharfenberger said.