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Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development examines ways to promote affordable housing and community revitalization across New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J.  — For nearly 50 years, New Jersey has been a national trailblazer in creating opportunities for residents to live in housing they can afford anywhere in the state.

This year’s Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development, taking place at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City from Thursday, Sept. 28 to Friday, Sept. 29, is an event held by practitioners for practitioners and will help developers, property owners and managers, planners, housing advocates and local officials continue down that trailblazing path by convening experts to facilitate engaging discussions about ways to provide affordable housing and stimulate economic development in their communities.

The conference is co-hosted by New Jersey’s pre-eminent housing and economic development agencies: The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), and the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority (NJRA).

“Governor Phil Murphy has made equitable growth and development one of the hallmarks of his administration,” said NJHMFA Executive Director Melanie Walter. “The Governor’s Conference is the annual showcase where administration officials and external stakeholders come together to discuss, educate, and inform each other about the changing conditions and new best practices for development of affordable housing and stimulating community growth in the Garden State.”

The conference will hold a variety of panel discussions and breakout sessions. Attendees will learn ways to engage with communities in planning more equitable futures, revitalizing business and residential districts, and ensuring that every New Jerseyan has the opportunity to benefit from the Garden State’s prosperity and livability.

Attendees at the breakout panels can receive continuing education credits from the National Affordable Housing Management Association, certification maintenance credits from the American Institute of City Planners and continuing legal education credits from the NJRA’s Redevelopment Training Institute for each session pertaining to their fields.

Breakout panels will explore a wide range of topics relating to the financing, siting, development, construction and management of affordable housing and supportive housing for seniors. Topics include the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program, eviction prevention programs, landlord-tenant laws, infill development, property management, funding opportunities through new state programs, access to new data sources, and policy and regulatory changes from NJHMFA, EDA, and DCA.

In addition to the informative panels, conference attendees will hear from nationally renowned industry professionals during the conference’s two keynote speeches:

Don Peebles, chairman and CEO of The Peebles Corporation, will be the keynote speaker on Sept. 28. As one of America’s most successful real estate entrepreneurs, he is a longtime backer of what his company calls “affirmative development” to empower women and minorities to close the wealth gap. Peebles’ multi-billion-dollar project portfolio spans the nation, exemplifying a commitment to sustainable construction, innovative design, and equitable community development.

Jerrod Delaine, CEO of Legacy Real Estate Development, a company that puts private capital to work building better communities for all, will be the keynote speaker on Sept. 29. Delaine is a renowned scholar and thought leader in urban housing policy, bringing to the conference more than a decade of real estate experience spanning financing, construction, asset management, and design. He also serves as an adjunct professor at New York University, educating the next generation in development, urban economics, and related issues.

Registration: To learn more and register for the 2023 Governor’s Conference, visit njhousingconference.com.

 

About Us: The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) advances the quality of life for residents of and communities throughout New Jersey by investing in, financing, and facilitating access to affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities for low and moderate-income families, older adults, and individuals with specialized housing needs. To learn more about NJHMFA, visit: https://NJHousing.gov/

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Culture Government Local News Politics Programs & Events Regulations & Security

County to give unserviceable flags a proper sendoff

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes and the Mercer County Office of Veteran Services invite the public to an official flag decommissioning ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. at Veterans Park (Klockner Road entrance) in Hamilton Township.

Each year, the Mercer County Office of Veteran Services holds the time-honored decommissioning, also known as “flag retirement.” American flags that have become tattered, soiled or are otherwise no longer fit for display will be burned in a dignified manner in a large pit during the ceremony and the flames will be doused by the Hamilton Township Fire Division.

Individuals and organizations that wish to have an American flag properly disposed of at this year’s ceremony should bring the flag to Mercer County Veteran Services, 1440 Parkside Ave., Ewing; Mercer County Connection, Route 33 at Paxson Avenue, Hamilton; or the County Administration Building, 640 South Broad St., Trenton, no later than Monday, Sept. 11.

The rain date for flag retirement is Sept. 20.

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Art & Life Culture Education Healthcare Lifestyle

Put a stop to self-sabotage: Trauma expert’s compassionate approach offers an antidote to tough love

NEW YORK — Growing up in a dysfunctional family conditioned Laura K. Connell to find more dysfunction in adulthood, perpetuating a cycle of self-sabotage that wouldn’t be broken until her marriage ended and she was forced to face her alcohol addiction head-on.

 

“I was just constantly trying to keep myself safe from harm, and when you’re in that state of mind, you’re just not on your side; you’re not doing things that are going to help you; you’re just keeping your head above water,” she said in a recent interview.

 

She would go on to spend 12 years studying the dynamics of dysfunctional families, and she learned that her habits of self-sabotage were her inner child’s way of keeping her safe — a misguided form of self-protection that prevents far too many people just like her from living their lives to the fullest potential.

 

In her new book, It’s Not Your Fault, Connell helps readers uncover the subconscious reasons they hold themselves back and explains that these blind spots were often created in childhood as coping mechanisms in response to trauma. But rather than teach tactics that ignore or give surface attention to adverse childhood events, Connell lovingly guides readers toward a deeper understanding of the ways in which these negative childhood experiences have impacted their lives and fed into the problem.

 

“Those who have been let down by traditional therapeutic techniques know that behavior modification doesn’t work for everyone,” she said. “Simply doing things differently while staying the same on the inside might help in the short term, but before long, old patterns emerge.”

 

Throughout her book, Connell walks alongside the reader as a trusted guide who has been where they are now. She provides the tools and anecdotal evidence to show readers how to overcome the pain of self-sabotage and create the lives they desire.

 

“We are sometimes our own worst enemies, sabotaging our success and with it our chance for lasting happiness,” she added. “Readers will be relieved to discover that it’s not a lack of willpower that has held them back, but a lack of self-knowledge instead.”

 

About the Author
Laura K. Connell is a trauma-informed author and coach who helps her clients uncover blind spots that lead to relationship struggles and self-sabotage. She writes about healing dysfunctional family dynamics at her website https://laurakconnell.com/.

 

Her guest articles have further reached millions through personal development websites Life Hack, Pick the Brain, Dumb Little Man, Thought Catalog, Highly Sensitive Refuge, the anthology Chicken Soup for the Soul, and national newspapers The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. She hosts popular multi-speaker online retreats that have helped thousands heal from dysfunctional family trauma. She has been featured on podcasts such as The Love Fix, Adult Child and A Date with Darkness.

 

To learn more, visit https://laurakconnell.com/, or follow the author on Instagram (@laurak.connell) or Twitter (@laurakconnell).

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Pedal Power: 2023 Full Moon Bike Ride set for Sept. 30 at Rosedale Park

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) and Mercer County Park Commission will host their eighth Full Moon Bike Ride on Saturday, Sept. 30, at Rosedale Lake in Mercer Meadows.

 

The six-mile loop ride on the LHT and other Mercer Meadow trails will offer a magical experience, with twinkling lights under a tree canopy, live music along the trail, glow-in-the-dark features, and a campfire with s’mores near Rosedale Lake. Enter the bike decorating contest for a chance to win fabulous prizes.

 

The Full Moon Bike Ride begins at 7:30 p.m. with a special sendoff near the Rosedale Lake parking area, though participants are welcome to arrive later. Registration will open at 7 p.m., as does the campfire and music. Participants are welcome to arrive early and bring a picnic dinner.

 

Adults and children of all ages are welcome at the activities around Rosedale Lake, with the expectation that adults supervise their children at all times. The Full Moon Bike Ride itself is open to adults and children aged 12 and above.

 

Registration for riders is $20 for adults (18 and over) and $15 for youth (12 to 17). Adult registration is $25 at the event. Details and registration at https://lhtrail.org/annual-fullmoonride/. The 2023 Full Moon Bike Ride T-shirt will be available for pre-purchase.

 

Non-profits can email the LHT (info@lhtrail.org) for group rates. There is no fee for non-riders, though donations are greatly appreciated. The event is a fundraiser for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, a 501(c)(3) corporation.

 

For riders under 18, helmets are required by law. The LHT encourages helmets for all riders for safety reasons, and also highly recommends the use of front and rear bike lights. Moonlight, even on a clear night, will not fully light the trail in the woods.

 

Participants should use the park entrance on Federal City Road between Blackwell Road and Old Mill Road in Hopewell Township. Please car pool if possible.

 

The rain date is Sunday, Oct. 1, but if rain forces the change, the program will be limited to the bike ride.

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Business Culture Digital - AI & Apps Economics Lifestyle Technology

Fifty percent of online stores collapse within 6 months: ‘Customer Commerce’ rescues SMBs

The struggles of small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) to sustain growth and longevity, with a shocking 50% of online stores shutting down within 6 months, prove that website speed and performance are critical factors that can make or break an SMB’s online success.

 

Slow-loading websites lead to $2.6 billion in revenue losses annually.

  • The conversion rate for website visitors making online purchases is only 3.71%.

 

 

“Customer Commerce” is an affordable solution that is built on the foundation of establishing personalized customer relationships and providing tailored service.

 

It is a revolutionary, user-driven approach that empowers SMBs to forge connections with a brand-new range of customers that were previously out of reach.

 

“These alarming statistics highlight the uphill battle SMBs are currently facing,” explains Mikel Lindsaar, Founder and CEO of StoreConnect. “SMBs need a self-contained e-commerce solution called “Customer Commerce” without endless plug-in needs that slow down sites and lose customers.”

StoreConnect recently secured $9 million in funding in a seed round led by Bellini Capital to address the challenges faced by SMBs due to slow website speeds, stemming from unoptimized site content and excessive plugins through “Customer Commerce.”

  • Customer Commerce will liberate SMBs from the challenges of complex SaaS solutions and overwhelming plugin options.
  • SMBs do not need to collect data from different sources and can access consolidated customer data from one single platform.
  • They do not need to migrate across multiple applications and can save valuable time and money and build customer loyalty.

Having an optimized website is crucial for overall growth and success to enable a curated online customer experience, grow a brand, expand the reach, and increase profits.

  • 88% of online shoppers do not revisit a website after a bad experience.
  • 40% of online shoppers leave a site if takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Lindsaar states that SMBs’ fractured complexities can only be resolved through a fast and comprehensive all-in-one solution – “Customer Commerce.”

Mikel Lindsaar can further explain the features of Customer Commerce and how it can revolutionize SMBs. 

He can answers questions on the topics below:

  • What are the specific challenges that SMBs face when dealing with complex SaaS solutions, plugins, and slow website speed that adversely impact their growth?
  • In what ways does StoreConnect plan on utilizing the seed funding to develop “Customer Commerce” to help SMBs establish personalized customer relationships?
  • How does “Customer Commerce” aim to streamline the customer data collection and management process for SMBs?
  • How does “Customer Commerce” address the fragmented complexities that SMBs often encounter, and how does it provide a comprehensive solution?
  • In what ways does StoreConnect ensure that businesses can transition seamlessly to “Customer Commerce” without disrupting their existing operations?

About StoreConnect:

Mikel Lindsaar is the CEO and Founder of StoreConnect, a Salesforce Partner Innovation Award Recipient. Mikel is a serial technology entrepreneur having successfully built and sold four SaaS companies within the last decade. StoreConnect has one goal: to help small and medium-sized businesses become scalable Customer Companies powered by Salesforce. Clients achieve this daily by breaking free of the shackles of what Mikel calls “Plugin Purgatory and SaaS Hell.” StoreConnect clients don’t need multiple SaaS systems connected by plugins to manage their online, in-store POS and in-person Customer Commerce business systems. Many of today’s eCommerce solutions are designed to get up and running quickly and inevitably hit a brick wall of scalability and extensibility as companies grow. That’s why StoreConnect is built on the world’s #1 CRM, so its customers will never need to re-platform no matter how fast they grow in size, product offerings or regions. Global growth now has no barriers for any SMB. Being built on Salesforce allows StoreConnect customers to update their websites, funnels and content in real time, providing an unparalleled competitive advantage. StoreConnect is Time. Well Spent. Visit https://getstoreconnect.com/

 

References:

  1. Hannay. C, Durrani. T & Singh, M. Shopify has a growing problem with customer retention, Globe data study shows. October 22, 2022. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-shopify-customer-retention-problem/
  2. Haan, Kathy. Top Website Statistics For 2023. February 14, 2023. Forbes Advisor. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/website-statistics/
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Art & Life Culture Healthcare Lifestyle Perspectives

Timed for Suicide Prevention Month; Deaf Awareness Month in September, author reveals tools for healing from personal tragedy

DALLAS, Texas — In My Grief Is Not Like Yours: Learning to Live After Unimaginable Loss, A Daughter’s Journey, Theo Boyd writes with honesty and raw emotion about the day that started the contagion of devastating events that would leave her “without hope, without purpose, without direction.”

 

After the terrible shock and pain of losing her Momma, Boyd began writing.

“I had to record my thoughts, questions, feelings, and fears,” she shares.

 

“I needed to read something that hit me as hard as I had been hit.” Boyd shares the details of her family’s unimaginable tragedies, underscoring how quickly life can turn into grief, while also giving readers hope that “with God’s help, and with time and guidance, we will move forward and, once again, bring happiness and hope back into our lives.”

 

While deeply personal, the book offers a wealth of insights and tools to help anyone grappling with grief feel what they need to feel and then begin to heal. Drawing on her own experience and wisdom from mental health professionals, self-care specialists and spiritual teachers, Boyd encourages and guides readers to:

  • Celebrate and remember everything that made their departed loved ones extraordinary. Start by writing a list of 100 of their defining qualities, talents and quirks.
  • Be gentle with themselves and take care of themselves — which includes giving themselves permission to eat, to sleep, to cry, to yell and curse, to ask for help, and to laugh.
  • Find ways to support others as they grieve, whether by offering to pray together or simply listening, and recognize the caring acts of friends, neighbors and even funeral directors.
  • By talking openly about the emotional and mental aftershocks of loss, survivor’s guilt, fear of death and suicide in My Grief Is Not Like Yours, Boyd offers her readers comfort in knowing that in grief they are not alone, and, like her, they will find joy again.

 

Tip Sheet

About the author

Theo Boyd, whose given name is Thelizabeth after her two grandmothers, Thelma and Elizabeth, is a farmgirl at heart. For most of her adult life, she lived in Waxahachie, Texas, about 30 minutes south of Dallas, where she taught high school English, raised her daughter and was an active volunteer in various organizations, her community and her church. After 30 years, she moved back to her hometown of Whitney, Texas, to come to terms with the death of her mother in a tragic farming accident, followed three years later by her father’s suicide. She now devotes her time to writing and speaking about loss, grief and faith with the mission of helping others find comfort and hope.

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Heat advisory issued; cooling sites open

TRENTON, N.J. — The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for Mercer County and the surrounding area for today, Sept. 6, until 8 p.m. County Executive Brian M. Hughes reminds residents that many cooling sites will be open.

Temperatures today are expected to reach the mid 90s with a heat index (a measure of the combination of heat and humidity) of up to 103 degrees, and Thursday’s forecast is calling for mid-90s temperatures with a heat index of up to 101 degrees. Children, older adults, people with disabilities and pets are most at risk during excessive temperatures.

The New Jersey Department of Health and the Federal Emergency Management Agency offer the following recommendations for staying safe during hot weather:

  • Never leave people or pets in a closed car on a warm day.
  • People without air conditioning should reach out to NJ 2-1-1 for information regarding Cooling Centers: nj211.org/nj-cooling-centers
  • Take cool showers or baths.
  • Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
  • Use your oven less to help reduce the temperature in your home.
  • If you’re outside, find shade. Wear a hat wide enough to protect your face.
  • Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
  • Avoid high-energy activities or working outdoors if possible.
  • Check on family members, older adults and neighbors.
  • Watch for heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
  • Consider pet safety. If pets are outdoors, make sure they have plenty of cool water and access to comfortable shade. Asphalt and dark pavement can be very hot to your pet’s feet.
  • If using a mask, use one that is made of breathable fabric, such as cotton instead of polyester. Don’t wear a mask if you feel yourself overheating or have trouble breathing.

Mercer County Library System branches and municipal senior centers serve as cooling sites, although daily hours of operation vary. These locations are open to all residents. The Ewing, Hickory Corner, Hightstown, Hopewell, Lawrence, Robbinsville, Twin Rivers, and West Windsor library branches are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Hollowbrook Branch is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. The Ewing, Hickory Corner, Lawrence and West Windsor branches are open from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Sundays during the school year.

Call individual senior centers for hours of operation, restrictions and accommodations. Call your local senior center if you don’t see it on the list of confirmed cooling sites below.

Mercer County library branch locations

  • Ewing, 61 Scotch Road
  • Hickory Corner, 138 Hickory Corner Road, East Windsor
  • Hightstown Memorial, 114 Franklin St.
  • Hollowbrook, 320 Hollowbrook Drive, Ewing
  • Hopewell, 245 Pennington-Titusville Road, Pennington
  • Lawrence Headquarters Branch, 2751 Brunswick Pike
  • Robbinsville, 42 Allentown-Robbinsville Road
  • Twin Rivers, 276 Abbington Drive, East Windsor
  • West Windsor, 333 North Post Road

Municipal senior center locations

  • Ewing – Hollowbrook Community Center, 320 Hollowbrook Drive; 609-883-1199
  • Hamilton Senior Center, 409 Cypress Lane; 609-890-3686;
  • Hopewell Valley Senior Center, 395 Reading St., Pennington; 609-537-0236;
  • John O. Wilson Center, 169 Wilfred Avenue, Hamilton; 609-393-6480;
  • Princeton Senior Resource Center, 101 Poor Farm Road, Building B; Suzanne Patterson Building, 45 Stockton St.; 609-751-9699
  • Robbinsville Township Senior Center, 1117 Route 130; 609-259-1567
  • Samuel Naples Senior Center (covering all of Trenton), 611 Chestnut Ave.; 609-989-3462
  • West Windsor Senior Center, 271 Clarksville Road; 609-799-9068

For assistance in coping with the heat or to contact your local cooling site, please call the Mercer County Office on Aging at (609) 989-6661 or toll-free at (877) 222-3737. During non-business hours, residents are encouraged to call 911 if they experience heat-related problems.

For more information regarding heat-related emergencies, please visit www.ready.nj.gov, the National Weather Service Heat Safety Tips and Resourcespage or the National Institute on Aging Hot Weather Safety page.

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Art & Life Culture Lifestyle Perspectives

Unforgettable first date began with a leap of faith

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Jack Current believed his plan was foolproof. The jump off the bridge would end his life — or at least it was supposed to. But it didn’t. In fact, the jump off the bridge didn’t kill either of them.

 

First Date, the darkly humorous, poignant new book from Mark E. Scott, follows Jack as he spends the next 8 hours of his life in a hospital, escaping a nosey deputy, avoiding a psyche exam and maybe falling in love with the bartender who saved his life.

 

It all began on a dark and snowy night, when Jack executed his plan to take his own life without knowing Aria was right behind him. Instead of dying, they find themselves shivering on a riverbank, having survived a fall from a suspension bridge into the currents and debris of the Ohio River. Lucky enough to slam into an anchored barge, they emerge from the water stunned, bruised and still somewhat drunk. Now, they must work their way through the muck of the riverside to solid ground. Fully intent on ending it all just minutes before, Jack finds himself clinging to Aria for dear life — a life he feels just might be worth living after all.

 

First Date is a story of individuals haunted by suicide, remorse and unanswered questions: questions whose answers are not to be found in the bottom of a bottle. Secrets are revealed and souls are bared, but answers are still elusive. For now, they only have each other, a dollar store notebook and a teddy bear.

First Date is the second installment in Scott’s three-part, Day in the Life series, in which the unexpected, twisted saga of Jack and Aria unfolds over a combined period of 24 hours. Book One, Drunk Log, was released in 2022 and traces the first eight hours of Jack’s unsteady march toward his intended demise.

 

About the Author
Born in the small manufacturing town of Galion, Ohio, author Mark E. Scott lived in various burgs in Ohio and Michigan before joining the Navy and spending four years traveling the world aboard the USS Mount Whitney. Upon returning home to southwest Ohio, he enrolled at Miami University and completed a degree in Education, only to become a banker soon thereafter. Scott now lives happily in a condo in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. In his free time, he enjoys writing, finding new and creative ways of tricking his children into answering their phones, and anything related to travel and outdoors, of late including tumbling down snow covered mountains while dragging otherwise perfectly good skis behind him.

 

For more information, please visit www.markescottauthor.com, or connect with him on Instagram (markescottauthor) and Facebook (Mark E. Scott, Author).

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Southwest Ohio Carpenters plan will restore benefits through receipt of Special Financial Assistance

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced Friday that it has approved the application submitted to the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) Program by the Southwest Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Pension Plan (Southwest Ohio Carpenters Plan).

The plan, based in Monroe, Ohio, covers 5,399 participants in the construction industry.

On April 1, 2019, the Southwest Ohio Carpenters Plan implemented a benefit suspension under the terms of the Multi-employer Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA) in order to address the plan’s troubled financial condition at that time and its projected insolvency. The plan reduced benefits of about 4,300 plan participants. On average, affected participants’ benefits were reduced by 18 percent.

PBGC’s approval of the SFA application enables the plan to restore benefits suspended under the terms of MPRA and to make payments to retirees to cover prior benefit suspensions. SFA will enable the plan to pay retirement benefits without reduction for many years into the future. The plan will receive $182.6 million in SFA, including interest to the expected date of payment to the plan.

“Millions of people work for years, looking forward to the day when the promise of a secure, dignified retirement is kept,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su.

“Today, the Biden-Harris administration is delivering on that promise for 5,399 construction workers across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana by providing Special Financial Assistance to the Southwest Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Pension Plan so that they can retire with the dignity they deserve.”

About the Special Financial Assistance Program

The SFA Program was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021. The program provides funding to severely underfunded multi-employer pension plans and will ensure that millions of America’s workers, retirees, and their families receive the pension benefits they earned.

The SFA Program requires plans to demonstrate eligibility for SFA and to calculate the amount of assistance pursuant to ARP and PBGC’s regulations. SFA and earnings thereon must be segregated from other plan assets and may be used only to pay plan benefits and administrative expenses. Plans are not obligated to repay SFA to PBGC. Plans receiving SFA are also subject to certain terms, conditions and reporting requirements, including an annual statement documenting compliance with the terms and conditions. PBGC is authorized to conduct periodic audits of multi-employer plans that receive SFA.

As of Aug. 15, 2023, PBGC has approved nearly $52.4 billion in SFA to plans that cover over 756,000 workers, retirees, and beneficiaries.

The SFA Program operates under a final rule, published in the Federal Register on July 8, 2022, which became effective Aug. 8, 2022, and was amended effective Jan. 26, 2023.

About PBGC

PBGC protects the retirement security of over 33 million American workers, retirees, and beneficiaries in both single-employer and multiemployer private sector pension plans. The agency’s two insurance programs are legally separate and operationally and financially independent. PBGC is directly responsible for the benefits of more than 1.5 million participants and beneficiaries in failed single-employer pension plans. The Single-Employer Program is financed by insurance premiums, investment income, and assets and recoveries from failed single-employer plans. The Multi-employer Program is financed by insurance premiums. Special financial assistance for financially troubled multi-employer plans is financed by general taxpayer monies.

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Park Commission takes ‘green’ approach to new parking lot

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

But rolling stormwater, called stormwater runoff, can gather much worse than moss, including trash, oil, sediment and other troublesome pollutants. And to make matters worse, without the proper infrastructure, the debris often goes straight into our lakes, streams and rivers.

With this in mind, the Mercer County Park Commission found an opportunity to do its part in mitigating the effects of stormwater runoff by designing “green infrastructure” into a parking lot repaving project at John A. Roebling Memorial Park in Hamilton. The park is home to the Tulpehaking Nature Center, which houses the Park Commission’s Environmental Education Department.

 

“As the Park Commission and Mercer County invest in improvements to our park system, we strive to do so in an environmentally conscious way,” said Park Commission Executive Director Aaron T. Watson.

 

“We know that as stewards of over 10,000 acres of open space in the county, our decisions should improve both the quality of life for residents and the environment as a whole.”

 

Roebling Park is located within the 3,000-acre Abbott Marshlands, the northernmost freshwater tidal marsh in the Delaware River watershed. The stormwater from its parking lot drains directly into Spring Lake and the park’s surrounding freshwater tidal marsh.

 

The Abbott Marshlands attracts rare wildlife such as river otter, American eel, and bald eagle. It is also an important stopover for migratory birds along the Atlantic flyway. Unmanaged stormwater runoff can negatively impact water quality and the local ecosystem, create harmful algal blooms, and increase the possibility of flooding.

 

The stormwater runoff has also eroded portions of the existing parking lot and has made Spring Lake less appealing for fishing and boating.

 

Improvements at the Spring Lake access area are scheduled to begin in early September. The plan includes several rain gardens, a green infrastructure option that is both beautiful and effective in form and function. Rain gardens not only absorb rainwater, but they also filter out pollutants and provide food and shelter for local wildlife. More importantly, the rain gardens at the Spring Lake parking lot will capture stormwater runoff before it flows into the lake.

 

Access to Roebling Park from Sewell Avenue in Hamilton will be temporarily closed to the public during construction, but will be reopened when the project is complete.

Various native shrubs, grasses and perennial wildflowers will be planted in the garden, including northern bayberry, swamp milkweed, and woodland phlox. The colorful blooms amongst the grasses will add to the visual appeal of the garden for both people and pollinators.

 

This is a pilot project, which is being funded through the Mercer County Open Space Trust Fund. The results will inform plans for future upgrades at other park facilities, as the Mercer County Park Commission continues to effectively steward its numerous parks and recreation facilities.

 

For more information on rain gardens and how you could make your own, go to http://water.rutgers.edu/Rain_Gardens/RGWebsite/rginfo.html.