JERSEY CITY, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today highlighted the $232,873,000 for community projects he secured in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding bill that passed the Senate yesterday. The projects the Senator fought for make critical investments in education, water infrastructure and health care services, which will help improve communities across the state.

“These projects will create good-paying jobs, lower costs for hardworking families, and make the critical investments so that New Jersey continues to be one of the greatest places to live and work,” said Sen. Menendez. “From child care to public safety, to transportation and senior services, these projects will have meaningful impacts on families and communities across the state. I’m proud these projects were included in the funding bill and I will continue fighting to ensure our state has the resources to complete projects like these.”

Funding for community projects secured by Sen. Menendez include:

  • Capital Health System – $925,000 to make internal and external repairs and upgrades to the Capital Health Family Health Center.
  • Union City – $1,100,000 to purchase a new closed-circuit television system to be installed in New York Street Park and 33rd Street Water Park, as well as general upgrades to the city’s existing CCTV.
  • North Bergen – $488,000 to introduce new speed tables and rapid flashing beacons around six schools in the city to slow vehicle traffic and improve pedestrian safety.
  • Union County – $1,270,000 to establish a new radio site to enhance communications coverage for law enforcement in the western portion of the county.
  • Woodbridge Township – $1,000,000 to transform land to construct a new recreational park that will include two soccer fields, two street hockey courts, a spray park, a playground, and a restroom with changing areas.
  • Deborah Heart and Lung Center – $1,000,000 to purchase a cardiac MRI machine to create detailed images of the heart without using radiation.
  • City of Passaic – $833,000 to design and construct a multi-use pedestrian greenway that supports pedestrians and bicyclists.
  • Hudson County Community College – $980,000 to equip and staff seven classrooms on the HCCC’s North Hudson Campus with Immersive Telepresence Video (ITV) synchronous learning classroom technology systems, which will connect remote students to in-class learning from home or across classrooms.
  • University Hospital – $3,870,000 to build Trauma Operating Room.
  • 4Cs of Passaic County, 4Cs of Passaic County Early Childcare - $250,000 The 4Cs of Passaic County seeks to partner with Paterson Alliance on a project that will improve the accessibility of early childcare and education for families in need in New Jersey. The funding will be used for three main components: 1) Community Education and Outreach Campaign for Early Childcare and Education; 2) Developing a Needs Assessment; and 3) Creating Resource Materials for Childcare Providers and Educators. In the first, 4Cs and the Paterson Alliance will develop collateral materials utilizing well-researched, tested messages in multiple languages encouraging families to take action. In the second, the proposed needs assessment will collect and analyze demographic data to provide insights necessary for the continued success of our community outreach and engagement efforts. In the third, the resource materials will advance early childcare and education.
  • Ironbound Community Health Center – Renovation and Equipment - $550,000 The funding will be used to renovate 9 examination rooms/clinical support areas and purchase medical equipment to better serve and expand the needs of the medically underserved Newark community.
  • Metropolitan Family Health Network – Health Center Restoration and Improvements - $800,000 The restoration will include improvements to portions of the 70-year old exterior and 27- year old interior of the health center including an enhanced HVAC system to improve air quality, roof replacement, refurbishing of the building exterior, additional parking to increase access to care, exterior lighting to improve safety, and equipment upgrades to enhance the quality of care.
  • North Hudson Community Action Corporation – 21st Century Community Learning Center - $80,000 The funding will be used to pay salaries and purchase educational materials and technology needed to facilitate an afterschool and summer academic enrichment program for disenfranchised youth. The investment will help students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects. Furthermore, participants will reduce engagement in risky behaviors and victimization of perpetrators of violence, largely due to lack of supervision of youth from working, impoverished families.
  • Saint Peter’s University – Center for Child and Human Development at Saint Peter’s - $1,100,000 Funding will be used to improve the access and quality of postsecondary education including hiring and training faculty, establishing degree programs and implementing partnerships with school districts and nonprofits, including the creation of parent, teacher and community resource centers. This will help to address social inequities that can derail a child's future at a very early age, worsened by the economic shock of COVID-19. Integrated education, human services and social work prepares students to challenge unequal structures and systems around race, age and social class, and will fill much-needed counseling jobs in schools, healthcare settings and nonprofits as people recover.
  • Sayreville Economic and Redevelopment Agency – Sayreville Waterfront Multimodal Transportation Improvement - $1,316,000 This grant will be used for construction of a 2.5 mile public waterfront promenade along the banks of the Raritan River on the former National Lead site in Sayreville, New Jersey. The public Waterfront Promenade will consist of a fully paved walking, biking, and running trail within an access easement along the river. The area around the Promenade will be fully landscaped and will incorporate lighting to allow its use during the day and evening. The Promenade will also include an outdoor amphitheater and an outdoor plaza.
  • Union County College – Plainfield Professional Trades Training Center - $1,500,000 Funding will be used to design, construct and outfit the Center on Union County College's Plainfield Campus to provide access to in-demand workforce training programs for local families and to prepare a skilled local workforce to meet demand for professionals to support federal, state and local infrastructure investments in the near and long term.
  • Winslow Township, Improvements to West Atco Community Center -- $3,000,000 The project will facilitate necessary renovation to bathroom and kitchen facilities, as well as replacement of the HVAC system. The project will provide West Atco a viable facility in which conduct community events in a safe, clean and comfortable environment, commensurate with facilities in other sections of town.

Click HERE for the full list of New Jersey community projects included in the funding package.