North Jersey Together ? Workshops and partnerships for improving our North Jersey region

Last night I attended a workshop with others in the community. We provided feedback on what our main concerns for Jersey City/Hudson County as a place to live, work, and get around. We also provided feedback on where transportation funding should come from and where it should be spent.

This was the 6th workshop held in the North Jersey region and there will be more. The next one for Hudson County is in Union City on May 1st.

They provide a healthy meal, a children?s corner if you need to bring children, and they have a Spanish interpreter on hand if participants prefer the workshop be in Spanish.


PROJECT GOALS

1) Provide more transportation choices to increase safety, accessibility, and reliability while reducing household transportation costs

2) Promote equitable, affordable housing that expands location and energy efficient housing choices.

3) Improve economic competitiveness of neighborhoods by giving people reliable access to employment centers, educational opportunities, and other basic services.

4) Target Federal funding toward existing communities to increase community revitalization, maintain infrastructure & support local needs

5) Coordinate policies and leverage funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the effectiveness of existing programs.

6) Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities, whether rural, suburban or urban.


More importantly to those unable to attend the workshops, there is an interactive workshop to express your concerns.

http://togethernorthjersey.com/

To participate:

http://www.engagenorthjersey.com/

Through this site you can sign up through a variety of ways such as Google or Face Book or just an email address. Once you sign up you will be able to contribute your ideas and concerns, such as ?I think Central Avenue needs better public transportation that will bring more business to our stores. Please consider putting a trolley system in the Heights.? or "I don't want the Pulaski Skyway completely shut down in one direction for 2 years." or "development is out pacing our sewer infrastructure, please consider funding and planning for fixing old sewer systems every time a road is repaved." Any and all ideas will be put into a report that will help shape future planning both on the local and regional level.

I?ve heard many great ideas over the years as well as a plethora of complaints. Here is a great opportunity to participate.