Description

COMMUNITY IMPACTS OF REDEVELOPMENT

In 1993, the NJDEP awarded Isles, Inc. a small grant to develop a program to educate and involve local neighborhoods in the cleanup and reuse of a contaminated site. Given its continued impact on the community, the Magic Marker site was chosen as a model.

In early 1994, the first community meeting discussing the project was held in the neighborhood surrounding Magic Marker. Over the next year, as many neighborhood meetings were held, support for the project flourished. The first several meetings attracted not only local community residents, but also city officials, members of the environmental community and regulators. Each meeting introduced complicated issues ranging from the explanation of current regulations and cleanup standards to the discussion of responsibility for payment of cleanup.

A number of community members attended seminars and conferences to expand their knowledge of the cleanup process; local residents initiated beautification projects; and in 1996 President Clinton and Vice-President Gore invited a number of residents to Farleigh Dickinson University where they heard a major policy address on the environment and "Brownfields."

The community also took action in response to other issues arising in their neighborhood. The community recently formed the Northwest Community Improvement Association (NCIA), which works not only on Magic Marker but also maintains and builds community momentum to make the neighborhood a better place to live and raise children.