SAYREVILLE – While a study is performed on the area, an event is being held to celebrate the one-year anniversary of a group dedicated to improving the Morgan section of Sayreville.
The event will be held at the Ale House, 1899 Route 35, South Amboy, from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 3 and will follow the first anniversary of the Morgan Community Alliance, a group comprised of residents and business owners in Morgan, located alongside Route 35. Borough Councilman Steven Grillo, who helped formed the group, described the event as a get together for those in Morgan.
According to Grillo, the Morgan Community Alliance began last September with a town hall meeting to discuss what could be done to improve Morgan, which has many vacant buildings. He estimated that 65-70 people came to the meeting and quality of life issues were brought up.
The councilman described the Morgan Community Alliance as a community group looking for short-term quality of life improvements and long-term planning improvements. Much of the group’s focus, he explained, is on reducing vacancies in the area, and group members look at what is causing the vacancies and how the area can be improved.
Work on Morgan’s marketing and discussing what will attract more businesses to the area is one of the Morgan Community Alliance’s efforts to reduce vacancies, according to Grillo.
A study on Morgan is currently being conducted by Rutgers University, which Grillo said will analyze vacancies, zoning and potentially improving the area, as well as demonstrate what suggested improvements to Morgan are realistic. He credited the group with bringing Rutgers to the area.
“Rutgers would have never come in if it wasn’t for the Morgan Community Alliance,” he said.
The councilman noted that while his time with the group is finite due to being an elected official, and residents and business owners may leave, the Rutgers study will always exist to provide suggestions on improving Morgan.
“The Morgan Community Alliance is a great community-based group,” Grillo said. “These are residents and business owners who are concerned about the area. I think it’s great that they’re pushing for solutions.”