Amtico Park gets Green Acres support
The City of Trenton is slated to receive $1.2 million in Green Acres support to help fund the Amtico Square redesign project, which will turn a former dumping site into a soccer field, skatepark, and other recreational space.
The project will transform the vacant industrial properties and brownfields in the Amtico Square area into new recreational space that includes a skate park with lighting and a shade structure, several multipurpose athletics courts, a parking lot, drainage, sidewalk improvements and a restored bridge. The bridge will also be rehabilitated to provide beautiful views of the creek.
Police radio gets upgrade
The Trenton City Council recently approved a proposal to move Trenton radio operations to New Jersey State Police frequencies and provide $10.1 million to upgrade the city’s entire emergency radio system with state-of-the-art equipment,
The proposal gives Trenton police, fire, public works, and water utility personnel access to superior state radio frequencies and new equipment compatible with that system, including a complete retrofit of the TPD emergency radio room.
The city’s 911 phone system — which is outdated and at risk of malfunction — will also be replaced well in advance of related statewide public safety mandates in the next few years.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora noted in a statement that “Trentonians can rest easy knowing that we have an agreement in place that will keep a state-of-the-art radio system online into the foreseeable future.
“This year alone we’ve seen major water main breaks, terrifying storms, and criminal activity that required coordination with first responders from multiple jurisdictions. Thanks to these resolutions, one of Trenton’s greatest public safety weaknesses will become one of its biggest strengths.”
The proposal consisted of two resolutions, both of which were approved by a vote of 4-0. One approved the funding allocation and the use of the New Jersey State Police radio frequencies; the other approves a contract with Motorola Solutions to provide the new equipment.
Previously, the City of Trenton’s current radio service provider, MPS Communications, said that it would shut off service on October 31 after City Council indefinitely tabled a resolution to pay MPS for services rendered. The city and MPS have since consented to an injunction halting shutoff off the city’s radio system until December 31.
According to a release from the mayor’s office, the administration proposed “a long-term solution with American Rescue Plan funds, starting with the police department radio equipment and 911 phone system. However, the city still needed an alternative system for Trenton Water Works and the Department of Public Works.
“The resolutions, while substantially more expensive that the initial proposal, will still be covered by the ARP, and will be available to all city departments. Also, the added radio room equipment upgrades and statewide coverage will be a significant upgrade for a police department that constantly works with law enforcement partners throughout the region and a water utility that must respond to customers outside the greater Trenton area.
“The new system will take between 60-90 days to come online. As the plan will be covered the ARP, the City does not need to take on additional debt to fund this program.”
MCCC Foundation establishes endowed scholarship fund
The Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Foundation has launched a fundraising campaign to celebrate the legacies of three pioneering leaders at the college’s James Kerney Campus (JKC) in Trenton.
The endowed Frederick, Jones, Weaver Scholarship Fund is earmarked for JKC students in memory of Dean Edward Frederick, Assistant Dean Donald Jones Jr., and Provost and Dean Monica Weaver.
According to Dr. Beverly Richardson, who co-chairs the JKC Development Committee with Foundation board member Ty Robinson, friends and colleagues of Frederick, Jones, and Weaver have endowed the scholarship to ensure that the legacy of these visionary and dedicated leaders will live on and support students in perpetuity.
“Each year the scholarship committee plans to select three students who embody their values of leadership, loyalty, and service to the college and community,” Richardson said. The committee’s goal is to raise $50,000, which will allow for the awarding of three $1,000 annual scholarships.
Richardson observes that even with financial aid, students often struggle to cover unanticipated expenses. “A lack of funding can derail students’ plans to earn their degrees,” she said. “These scholarships will go a long way to covering costs for books and other essential materials.”
Richardson, who served as provost at JKC and as former vice president for college advancement until her retirement in 2009, notes that Frederick, Jones and Weaver were student-centered and selfless. “I was very close to all three. It was an honor to work with them. They supported me in my work at the college and helped ensure that students’ needs always came first,” she said.
To donate, visit JKC Scholarships at mccc.edu/JKCscholarship or send a check payable to the MCCC Foundation with “JKC Scholarship” in the memo line to 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, NJ 08550.
Artworks appoints new public project manager
Artworks recently appointed Jonathan “Lank” Conner as its public projects manager.
Artworks Executive Director Lauren Otis said in a statement that Connor, known by his street art name as Lank, “has been a committed participant in community art projects in Trenton for many years, many of those projects in collaboration with Artworks.”
Otis cited the artist’s “community commitment as a member of our staff, as well as contributing his public art expertise here at a time when Artworks is working with nationally recognized partners and funders like Bloomberg Philanthropies, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Mural Arts Philadelphia on public art projects and initiatives for the benefit of Trenton.”
Lank is a Trenton-based artist, designer and educator. A graduate of the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, he has created murals, installations, and educational content for public and private clients and is currently a graduate student in anthropology at Monmouth University, exploring how public art can be a means of generating social justice. He is a founding member of the city beautification non-profit S.A.G.E. Coalition and has been collaborating with Artworks on public projects and community events since 2008.
A rendering of plans for the Amtico Park redesign project.,
