Community meeting to focus on borough’s future.
By: Matthew Rick
JAMESBURG The Jamesburg Revitalization Coalition wants your input on ways to improve the downtown.
The group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Grace M. Breckwedel School with students from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University to discuss a visual preference survey, which will require residents in attendance to rate images of possible improvements, such as building styles and locations, according to coalition president Elliott Stroul.
"We want to make Jamesburg a destination town where people will come and shop, like other small villages in the area," said Mr. Stroul.
Residents will be asked to rate 75 images of possible additions to the downtown, including meeting facilities or entertainment venues, as well as arrangements of properties within the downtown area. The JRC also will listen to suggestions on ways to improve the area, said Mr. Stroul.
Mr. Stroul said the JRC held a similar meeting on Feb. 17 at which it invited about 30 residents to gauge public reaction to the proposed plans. At that meeting, preliminary locations for demolition and maintenance were discussed, said Mr. Stroul. Specific improvements such as added lighting around the borough also were examined.
The Revitalization Coalition is an independent organization made up of borough business and property owners, political figures and residents. Mr. Stroul said the group’s purpose is to turn the borough’s downtown into a thriving business district while maintaining the area’s historic character.
Graduate students from Rutgers have been working for several months to research the possibilities for Jamesburg’s revitalization and have created visuals of possible improvements that can be made to the downtown area. Many of the ideas have come from other New Jersey communities.
To help promote the meeting, members of the JRC have been distributing and posting flyers around town.
In addition, Brian Blatz, co-owner of Fiddleheads restaurant, has started a "yard sign campaign" to generate interest in the meeting. The signs can be purchased for $27 and will be delivered within two to 3 days after being ordered. They are 18 inches by 24 inches and promote community involvement at the March 15 meeting. The sign and metal stake are included in the price, as is a minimal contribution to the JRC.
Mr. Blatz said in a press release that he hopes the signs will inform more members of the community about the importance of their input into the revitalization process.
"The more signs seen around town, the more buzz they will generate," Mr. Blatz wrote in an e-mail.
Residents interested in purchasing a sign can contact Mr. Blatz at (732) 521-0878.

