Mayor Allen Unveils New Downtown Sign

Mayor Janice G. Allen, accompanied by Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, North Plainfield Borough Council Members, County, State and local officials, and representatives of the local business community, unveiled a new welcome sign to Downtown North Plainfield on September 19, 2007 at the pocket park on Somerset Street at the Route 22 overpass. The sign is the first of 13 signs which will be erected at gateways to the downtown and at municipal boundaries. This project was funded by a $25,000 Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) Grant from Somerset County . The downtown signs feature changeable message boards which will advertise business promotional events such as the annual street fair, farmers’ market, and tree lighting. The signs were designed and produced by Peter Catelli of Edison . Message boards were designed by Mr. Sign of Middlesex.

The signs feature a rendition of the picturesque Watchung Hills which form a common backdrop to the Somerset Street Business District and the Borough’s various neighborhoods.

The improvements to the pocket park were achieved through a collaborative effort between the Borough’s Economic Development Committee, NJDOT, the North Plainfield Business Association and the local Lions Club. Improvements included landscaping, decorative paved walkways as well as the sign.

Also announced during the event was the Borough’s receipt of $28,983 from the Freeholders for a pilot façade improvement program from the 2007 EDIP Grant program. Finally, the Borough announced that it closed title on a property this week to be used for parking next to the municipal building. This purchase was funded in part by an earlier EDIP Grant ($204,350).



Mayor Janice G. Allen, accompanied by Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, North Plainfield Borough Council Members, County, State and local officials, and representatives of the local business community, unveiled a new welcome sign to Downtown North Plainfield on September 19, 2007 at the pocket park on Somerset Street at the Route 22 overpass. The sign is the first of 13 signs which will be erected at gateways to the downtown and at municipal boundaries. This project was funded by a $25,000 Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) Grant from Somerset County . The downtown signs feature changeable message boards which will advertise business promotional events such as the annual street fair, farmers’ market, and tree lighting. The signs were designed and produced by Peter Catelli of Edison . Message boards were designed by Mr. Sign of Middlesex. The signs feature a rendition of the picturesque Watchung Hills which form a common backdrop to the Somerset Street Business District and the Borough’s various neighborhoods. The improvements to the pocket park were achieved through a collaborative effort between the Borough’s Economic Development Committee, NJDOT, the North Plainfield Business Association and the local Lions Club. Improvements included landscaping, decorative paved walkways as well as the sign. Also announced during the event was the Borough’s receipt of $28,983 from the Freeholders for a pilot façade improvement program from the 2007 EDIP Grant program. Finally, the Borough announced that it closed title on a property this week to be used for parking next to the municipal building. This purchase was funded in part by an earlier EDIP Grant ($204,350).
4030 – Mayor Janice G. Allen and Council President Frank “Skip” Stabile unveil North Plainfield ’s new Downtown welcome sign at the pocket park.
	4032 – The landscaped plaza is visible in this scene showing the crowd gathered for the unveiling.
4035 – Mrs. Florence Mannion, Chair of the North Plainfield Economic Development Committee, Freeholder Peter S. Palmer and Councilman Frank Righetti admire the new sign.
	4041 – Officials pictured in front of the newly unveiled sign are (L to R): Police Chief William Parenti, Fire Chief William Eaton , Councilman Santiago Soto, Councilwoman Mary Forbes, Councilman Frank Righetti, Mrs. Florence Mannion (Chair of the North Plainfield Economic Development Committee), Council President Frank “Skip” Stabile, Mayor Janice G. Allen, Peter Eddy (President of the North Plainfield Business Association), Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, Kimberly Cowart (Director, Somerset County Community Development Office), Robert Bzik (Director, Somerset County Planning Department), and David E. Hollod , Borough Administrator.
4044 - Mayor Janice G. Allen, Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, and Mrs. Florence Mannion (Chair of the North Plainfield Economic Development Committee), are pictured in front of the new sign. Mrs. Mannion holds a sybolic check received from the Freeholders the previous evening for the Borough’s 2007 EDIP Grant in the amount of $28,983 for a pilot façade improvement program.