New sidewalks, pavers, trees coming to J'burg Grants fund projects on E. Railroad, Maple, Birchwood, Fernwood BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer JAMESBURG - Two grants from the county and state will allow officials to continue on the path toward downtown revitalization, as well as replace aging sidewalks in other areas of town. Totaling $365,000, the funds are helping the borough's governing body to reach goals concerning improvements. "The council has done as much as it can without putting a burden on the taxpayer," Councilman Brian Grimes said. "There's definitely change happening in town- positive change." The boroughwill begin phase three of its revitalization efforts downtown, thanks to a $180,000 grant from the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. The streetscape work on East Railroad Avenue will include replacement of curbs and sidewalks, as well as removal of old trees whose roots are tearing up existingwalkways.New trees will be planted in their places, and brick pavers will be placed along the street, MayorAnthony LaMantia said. "Themain reason [for the project] is public safety," LaMantia said. "The second is to create a good environment for downtown businesses, and then to dress it up to try and attract more businesses." According to Grimes, past revitalization work in the area has yielded results, evidenced by a number of new businesses opening in town. Over the past month, Jamesburg Veterinary Hospital and the Golden Garden Chinese restaurant have opened for business. Chase and Commerce bank branches are two other new additions of recent months. "Definitely, progress can be seen as far as attracting new businesses in town," Grimes said. "There's a definite buzz being created among the business community that our town is vibrant [and] that it's growing." The project will focus on the stretch of East Railroad Avenue that runs from East Church Street to Veterans Park, according to BoroughAdministrator Denise Jawidzik. Phase two of the revitalization work, completed in 2005, brought improvements to East Railroad Avenue from Forsgate Drive to East Church Street. The first phase covered two blocks onWestRailroadAvenue, Jawidzik said. Thework aligns itselfwith the objectives of the Jamesburg Revitalization Coalition. Members of the group worked with graduate students from Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in order to develop a plan for the downtown, as well as other areas of Jamesburg. The students presented the fruits of their yearlong effort inMay, providing a blueprint for revitalization. Their finished product, gleaned from meetings with officials, residents and business owners, outlined a number of possible projects, including improvements to the entranceway of Thompson Park. The coalition was to have its first meeting of the year last night at borough hall. A grant for $185,000 from the state Department of Transportation will make sidewalk replacement possible on several residential streets in town. Maple Drive, Birchwood Road and Fernwood Lanewill all see the benefits of the funds. Jawidzik said work on both projects is slated to begin in the spring, as soon as the bid process is complete. Both should be finished by the end of the season, she said. According to Grimes, officials plan to look into grants that would help fund improvements to other areas of town in the future.