Local news- Press Release
Highland Park New Jersey - Mayor Foster Looks Back at 2023 10 January 2024 ( news )
Highland Park , state New Jersey ( By Press Release office)
Jan 10,2024
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Excerpt from Mayor Elsie Foster ' s
State of the Borough Address
Delivered Tuesday January 2 , 2024
On this occasion of the State of the Borough Address , I will take a moment to celebrate our successes in 2023 , take a look ahead at our big plans in 2024 , and then conclude with just a couple more thank yous .
In Highland Park in 2023 , the Mayor and Council devoted countless hours and great efforts to increase affordability , maintain and improve our infrastructure , foster greater opportunities for our residents , and create our sense of community .
In 2023 , we kept our promises and welcomed a new supermarket , Super Fresh , to our town . They are renovating the old Stop and Shop building now , which frankly needs a lot of work .
The leaders of Super Fresh have told us that they expect to open their new Highland Park location to the public by Memorial Day 2024 .
We welcomed a few new businesses to our Borough , including Global Grace Market Place , Anja , Barbie Fit Studio , and Salonica Greek Store .
We were excited to see two businesses move to new locations in town that helped them grow their customer base . It’s a delight to see the new energy at Ellinikon Greek Deli and Restaurant and The Park Med Spa .
And we’re happy that two new businesses have announced plans this year to join our commercial community in 2024 – These are: Giddies restaurant , coming to North 4th Ave , and MeToo Tea Cafe , coming to Raritan Ave near South 1st Ave .
With an eye towards upgraded services and infrastructure , we implemented a borough wide Water Meter Replacement Program and made improvements to many roads . We also enhanced our recreation facilities with Pickle Ball Park Courts , Tennis Courts , and improved walking trails in Donaldson Park .
And having engaged in a very thorough commercial and residential properties revaluation process in 2022 , we saw the fruits of those labors in lowered property taxes for many residents in 2023 .
The Woodbridge Avenue Neighborhood Preservation Program , also known as the NPP program , administered nearly $70 , 000 in commercial facade and technical assistance grants to ten businesses , installed five new street murals near Molimock - Graff Park by local artists , and hosted a handful of outreach events to reach residents , businesses , and property owners . Work on this program will continue into 2024 .
With thanks to our Human Relations Commission for their partnership , we brought community members together with flag raisings events:
· Pride Month ,
· Juneteenth ,
· Caribbean Heritage Month ,
· Latina Heritage Month ,
· and Israeli Independence Day .
We also drew the community together on a very short notice in early October , for a prayer vigil that brought out a few hundred people , in response to the vicious attack on Israel over the Simchat Torah holy day .
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