SPOTSWOOD — The borough is hoping Facebook users rally behind its effort to become one of 40 towns to receive the State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant.
The $25,000 grant will be awarded to 40 out of 200 towns that receive the most votes via Facebook from May 14 through June 3. State Farm Neighborhood Assist is a crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative that lets communities determine where grant funding is awarded, exclusively through Facebook.
If selected as one of the grantees, the borough would use the money to install a retaining wall at Reider Road Park and elevate the property to protect against repeated floods, Business Administrator Dawn McDonald said.
“One of the biggest problems with this park is that it floods from Manalapan Brook when we get a heavy rain,” McDonald said. “As a result, the borough hasn’t really done much with the park because any improvements we make would be damaged by the water.”
If the flood mitigation project becomes a reality, the borough would then seek to upgrade the park’s basketball courts and playground equipment, McDonald added.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “Everything for us has been put into restructuring the EMS building and our water treatment plant, because those were the key two infrastructures that were damaged by Hurricane Irene,” McDonald said. “The borough doesn’t have many parks, either, so this would be a great opportunity to provide that service.”
Any and all Facebook users are able to vote for the borough, and McDonald said borough officials have even reached out to state legislators for help.
Residents and supporters can assist Spotswood in their bid for the grant by visiting the State Farm Neighborhood Assist application on Facebook.
Users can vote up to ten times per day for the three weeks that the contest is open. The top 40 contestants out of the 200 selected municipalities will receive a $25,000 grant for the project they submitted.
“Get out there and vote!” McDonald urged residents and supporters. The effort could pay off with a flood-protected park and subsequently refurbished amenities.