FY2023 Community Projects for NJ-04

   Under a process established this year, Members of Congress may submit a limited number of public and not-for-profit projects for consideration of direct federal funding.  Each project must have garnered local community support and exhibit a demonstrated need.  These carefully chosen submissions must also meet stringent criteria established by the committees of jurisdiction, and they are restricted by the rules of the committees.  I have developed this page to keep the public informed of these important requests. Please feel free to read about each one below.

Agency/Bureau: HUD/Community Planning and Development
Account: Community Development Fund (Project Request Only)
Program: Economic Development Initiatives
Request Title: Eatontown Community Flood Mitigation Project
Request Description: The project intends to increase housing and economic resiliency by mitigating flooding in the historic district of this diverse community by: 1) increasing short-term storm water storage to reduce ponding/flooding and the damage it causes to housing, businesses, roads and transportation; and 2) perform dam/spillway repairs and improvements to enable the municipality to lower the water level of Wampum Lake in advance of a storm event, as well as bring the dam spillway into NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) compliance, thus preventing cyclical damage to housing, businesses, roads and transportation. The residents in the Wampum Lake watershed region are predominantly apartment occupants and it is this area that experiences repetitive, significant flooding events due to a lack of short-term runoff storage available in the watershed. During high-intensity rainfall events, Wampum Lake runoff backs up into various properties, most notably, but not exclusively, onto the Eatoncrest Apartment Homes property. The effects of the flooding are significant and dangerous for the residents of Eatoncrest –a 412-unit complex which houses a cross-section of income levels including several families on Section 8 assistance and those without significant financial means. A typical flooding event can cause significant apartment damages as well as vehicle damages for the residents. The intensive flooding also undermines the roadways and support structures. And emergency response is delayed for these residents as traversing flooded streets is difficult and parking of heavy ambulances and fire trucks is not possible on soggy ground. To restore resiliency and reduce economic losses to the local economy and residences, the Borough has engaged a professional engineering company to review the flooding and formulate a plan to mitigate this dangerous and burdensome hazard.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: HUD/Community Planning and Development
Account: Community Development Fund (Project Request Only)
Program: Economic Development Initiatives
Request Title: Mobile Farmers Market by Inspire- NJ
Request Description: This project will help address significant food security problems affecting a large senior citizen community in Manchester Township, Ocean County, NJ., which has one of the largest concentration of seniors in the country. A critical aspect of the mobile unit is its refrigeration features which will ensure that housebound seniors have access to fresh produce and proteins such as eggs, dairy and meats. INSPIRE-NJ has worked with local farmers and the Farmers Against Hunger for a decade. The mobile farmers market will bring nutritious foods free of charge directly to the elderly, many of whom are housebound and with limited financial means. There is nothing similar to this innovative effort on the East Coast. The new refrigerated van will operate four days a week to assist with the distribution and delivery of fresh and nutritious produce and proteins (eggs, dairy, and meats) to food-insecure elderly. The mobile project will compliment and build upon the current work, including an existing food bank and hot meal service which INSPIRE-NJ runs in coordination with Ocean County and the County’s USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A new warrantied vehicle would fulfill INSPIRE-NJ’s mission of providing nourishment and hope to the hungry without interruptions.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: HUD/Community Planning and Development
Account: Community Development Fund (Project Request Only)
Program: Economic Development Initiatives
Request Title: Special Children’s Center Chef's Kitchen
Request Description: The Special Children’s Center is seeking funding to build a complete “Chef’s Kitchen” which will be used for culinary therapy, vocational/job skills training in the culinary field, and teaching independent living skills. Culinary therapy is defined as: “The therapeutic technique which uses cooking, gastronomy, and an individual’s personal, cultural and familial relationships with food to address the emotional and psychological problems faced by the individual, their families and groups.” Culinary Therapy involves problem-solving, time management, communication, teamwork and focus. This non-profit organization that provides multi-faceted services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disorders (IDD) and complex special needs, from birth through adulthood. The Center is in all aspects a community center with a base of hundreds of eager community volunteers. This facility has been described as “lifesaving” in the services it provides to students and in the respite provided to families.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: DOT/Federal Transit Administration
Account: Transit Infrastructure Grants (TIG)
Program: General
Request Title: Construction of roads and related infrastructure for the Township of Lakewood, New Jersey
Request Description: This project has the dual purpose of addressing serious traffic congestion in this densely populated town, as well as helping to alleviate the housing shortage. Lakewood is one of the fastest growing cities in New Jersey. From 2000 to 2020, the Township’s population grew from approximately 50,000 to 135,000 residents, making it the fifth largest city in the State. With that growth comes many benefits, including becoming an economic engine for the County. An estimated 15,000 new jobs and hundreds of new businesses have been created in Lakewood in recent years. But growth can also tax aging infrastructure. Paramount in Lakewood is the need to lessen congestion on narrow streets which were designed and built in many cases over 100 years ago. Also urgent is the need for low-cost housing for students, growing families and seniors.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: HUD/Community Planning and Development
Account: Community Development Fund (Project Request Only)
Program: Economic Development Initiatives
Request Title: Allaire Community Farm Market renovation and rehabilitation project
Request Description: This capital improvement project will renovate and rehab a 100-year-old farm market building at Allaire Community Farm (ACF), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which provides organically grown produce to the local community, as well as hundreds of vocational and mental health programs for veterans, people with disabilities, teens with mental health issues and more. The produce is grown by students and young adults on the autism spectrum and with other disabilities, and the gardens and greenhouses support local families battling cancer and those in financial need by supplying them with weekly free produce from its farm and other donated organic groceries. The renovation will include upgrading electrical service, weatherizing the building, purchasing and installing refrigerated cases and freezer, sink, etc.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: HUD/Community Planning and Development
Account: Community Development Fund (Project Request Only)
Program: Economic Development Initiatives
Request Title: Hamilton Library Window Replacement Project
Request Description: This critical project modernizes a heavily-used public library. The Hamilton Township Free Public Library is the heart of this sizable community, especially for students of the town’s four high schools, three middle schools and 22 elementary schools. The library is a 55,000 square foot, standalone, three level structure. Built in 1973, it was recently inspected and determined that the seals of the near half century old windows are failing, compromising the all important climate control that is necessary to protect the integrity of building structure, its 181,000 plus volumes and years of 300 separate, stored periodicals, as well as maintain energy and cost efficiency. The library contains many delicate pieces of equipment, computers, printers, projectors and communication devices, all of which can be impacted by humidity and temperature swings. The Township of Hamilton, one of the 10 largest towns in New Jersey, has a mix of urban, rural and suburban areas. It is home to 92,2097 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, who are all served by this single public library, which opened in 1975. The library today is in dire need of all new windows. Hamilton officials and community leaders recognize this threat to their treasured library. In 2019, the library hosted over 46,500 computer users and 489,898 visits (equal to more than five visits per each resident). Its 2021 Strategic Plan cites that its dedicated staff handled a total of 40,466 reference questions. Over 41,311 (52 percent) of residents aged 10 and up hold library cards. Book and ebook circulation was listed as 171,446, an average of 4.2 books per card holder. More than 39,990 people attended meetings in library rooms in 2019, and the equivalent of nearly half of the population came to the library for event meetings.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: DOJ/Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
Account: Community Oriented Policing Services
Program: Technology and Equipment (Project Request Only)
Request Title: 9-1-1 Call Center and Emergency Management Office (OEM)
Request Description: To accommodate the growing needs of a fast-rising population, the government of Ocean County, N.J. plans to build a greatly needed 9-1-1 call center and emergency management office (OEM). The call center will be a 60,000 square-foot facility that would serve a growing county and consolidate seven buildings spread out across the second largest county in the state at 629 square miles. Cost savings, greater efficacy, efficiencies and improved services would result. This facility, would ultimately centralize the main functions of the Sheriff’s Department, including its Detective Division, Court Security and Forensic Laboratory, as well as the 9-1-1 Call Center and the OEM. The county is set to begin the design project in FY2023.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: HHS/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Account: Program Management
Program: Community Project Funding (Projects Only)
Request Title: CentraState Medical Center to acquire the Elekta Linear Accelerator to deliver state of the art Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)
Request Description: This Community Project Funding request will support the purchase of hardware and software that will enable CentraState Medical Center’s existing Elekta Linear Accelerator to deliver state of the art Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS). SRS allows for the delivery of high dose radiation to a very small, focused area. It is a precise form of therapeutic radiation that is used to treat primary and metastatic brain and spine cancers, as well as epilepsy and other neurological conditions. The targeted focus of the radiation in radiosurgery techniques results in less damage to healthy surrounding tissues and less risk of infection, making it safer for those who have just had surgery. This upgraded equipment will enable those with cancer and other serious diseases to access state-of-the-art treatment options that are close to home. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in New Jersey, and the age-adjusted death rate due to cancer has been slowly declining for several years. In New Jersey, over 16,000 deaths each year are due to cancer. In the total population and among each racial/ethnic group, males have higher death rates than females. The age-adjusted death rate due to cancer is highest among Blacks in New Jersey, but the gap is narrowing. Lung cancer death rates among Whites and Blacks are more than double those of Hispanics and Asians. Following an analysis of the identified health needs and in consultation with the public health officers of the western Monmouth County, New Jersey communities, CentraState Medical Center’s 2020-2022 Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan identified and prioritized the community’s most pressing health issues, ranking them based on the magnitude of the problem, the seriousness of the consequences and potential burden to the community, and the feasibility of addressing or correcting the problem. The result identified the significant health needs, with cancer ranked as number two.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: HHS/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Account: Program Management
Program: Community Project Funding (Projects Only)
Request Title: Lakewood Community Services Corporation (LCSC) Expansion of Mental Health Center
Request Description: Lakewood Community Services Corp., a community-based organization, is at the frontlines servicing the mental and behavioral health needs of the greater Lakewood, N.J. area. In 2021, LCSC provided over 26,174 units of service (including telehealth) to over 1,500 unique patients, 86 percent of whom were Medicaid insured or uninsured. To address the growing and unmet needs of outpatient mental health services, LCSC needs to expand capacity by moving into a larger facility. Funding for the LCSC expansion will be utilized for the construction and equipping of this 5,000-square-foot mental health facility, which will have the capacity for an array of services including individual and family psychotherapy, group sessions, DBT and other evidence-based practice models. This area is a sustained COVID-19 hotspot, which led to a tremendous spike in the need for mental health services. A spate of recent anti-Semitic incidents targeting Orthodox Jews in the service area has also contributed to an increase in the Orthodox population seeking trauma treatment at LCSC. The huge Lakewood population growth (45.6 percent from the 2010 to 2020 census counts) has fueled the need for dramatically increased services. This growth is coupled with a high poverty rate (with 53 percent of Lakewood residents are below 200 percent of poverty, higher than the statewide average of 21.2 percent and the national average of 28.9 percent). Lakewood is designated by the U.S. government as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA). Noteworthy is most of the population growth is from a robust fertility rate, predominately in the indigenous Orthodox Jewish community causing a pressing need for perinatal behavioral health expansion. NIH researchers have found by treating mental health issues before they spiral out of control, individuals gain the skills and tools they need to be functioning and safe members of society, reducing unemployment and reliance on public assistance.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support


Agency/Bureau: HHS/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Account: Program Management
Program: Community Project Funding (Projects Only)
Request Title: Achieve Academy for Adults with Autism
Request Description: The Monmouth Ocean Foundation for Children (MOFFC) has been committed to supporting and enriching the educational programs for local children with special needs since 1992. Over the last 10 years, the Foundation has focused exclusively on financially supporting programs that will enhance the lives of students aged 3-21 who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). During that time, MOFFC and its Trustees have forged incredible partnerships with programs and organizations that educate and support children with ASD. There is a dire need for high-quality programs that provide ongoing support, training and other services for adults with ASD, once they have aged-out/graduated from high school in order for them to continue to grow, thrive and develop and most importantly be productive, employed and independent members of society like their neuro-typical peers. The Academy will provide the necessary services, pre-vocational training, and job coaching that these adults need to be employed or live purposeful lives. In addition, many adults who do not continue to learn everyday skills which are typically at the core of their PK-12+ education, experience regression and struggle to be independent or productive members of their residence and their community. The Achieve Academy will service adults with ASD in Monmouth County and surrounding counties. The program will be a daily continuing education program that will provide a comprehensive program for adults with ASD, and the goal of the program is to ensure that these adults are gainfully employed, while still developing and reinforcing their essential life skills. The program will provide ongoing pre-vocational training to prepare the young adults for the workplace, as well as provide instruction on the key skills that the adults will need to be successful at work.
Letter of Request from Rep. Smith
Letters of Support