By TOM SHORTELL
Residents of the Bradley Park section of Neptune will be eligible to apply for grant money to fix up their homes and neighborhood thanks to the Neighborhood Preservation Program.
The program, run by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, funds a wide array of rehabilitation work in neighborhoods in decline but that can still be made viable. The money can be spent on beautifying areas, refurbishing homes so they meet code enforcement, acquiring property and community planning, among other projects. Bradley Park has been awarded $125,000 this year, and the township can reapply for $100,000 for the next four years.
Its the most fun, flexible, easy government funding youre ever going to get, said Caroline Woodrow, the program manager.
One concern is the NPP was a victim of budget cuts made by the state this past year. The program is working to get back on next years budget and is behind the scenes gathering funds from other sources, Woodrow said.
The program is not in place for people to upgrade their homes if theyre simply outdated.
Look at it for housing rehabilitation. NPP is not a home improvement program, Woodrow said.
Any residents and businesses in the community may apply. People with bad credit or living in homes that do not meet code enforcement will not automatically be turned away or have their homes condemned, said Ollie Jordan, the project coordinator.
The main focus is to get these houses rehabbed, he said.
The Bradley Park NPP is still in its infancy; its volunteer steering committee was formed only Tuesday night. Dianne Fitzpatrick was appointed interim chairwoman until the duties of the job are spelled out at the next meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 18 in the Neptune Municipal Building.
Fitzpatrick said she remembers the neighborhood 45 years ago, when residents grew their own vegetable gardens and and made homemade wine from grape vines they grew. While she realizes much of the money needs to go toward getting homes up to code, shed like to see the neighborhood become more green.
I like the idea about beautification, she said.
The steering committees next steps are to form a work plan and to get word out to the neighborhood.
Woodrow recommended the group find five areas to focus its efforts on. She pointed to the work done by Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation, a group born out of an NPP grant awarded to the Midtown neighborhood of Neptune Township in 1998, as an example. On a leaflet published by the MURC, the group has five programs for rehabilitating homes and rental units, upkeeping homes exteriors and aiding commercial property owners improve their buildings facades. A sixth program also runs a life skills program for families.
The committee will set up a table at Neptune Day on September 6 to get word out to the Bradley Park section. The committee is looking for businesses to sponsor giveaways for the table.
The Bradley Park section of Neptune Township lies south from Highway 33/Corlies Avenue to 5th Avenue and extends east from Stanley Avenue to Main Street and the Bradley Beach border.
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