8-22-2022 11:58am

Paterson Receives Over $50M to Improve Local Infrastructure

Chris Connors Editor

The city of Paterson is set to receive a massive influx of cash from the state of New Jersey as part of a new state budget signed by Governor Murphy.

As part of the FY 2023 budget agreement, Paterson will receive over $50 million, which includes:

$15 million for the Great Falls Re-Development, the Straight and Narrow program, the Ward Street Parking Garage, and the Paterson Jump Start Youth Program
$2.25 million for the NJ Community Development Corporation Youth Center Project, Paterson
$2 million for the Anti-violence Out-of-School Youth Program.
nearly $35 million in municipal aid, of which over $1.7 million comes from the new Municipal Relief Fund.

In addition, Paterson will receive $10,725,000 in FY2022 Transitional Aid that will fund capital investments and critical infrastructure upgrades, including:

$1,500,000 for numerous road resurfacing projects, including public roads, the city lot on Ellison Street, and park roadways, especially at Eastside Park
$1,500,000 for the purchase of 15 new police patrol vehicles
$1,000,000 for improvements to the Paterson Museum/Historic Thomas Rogers Locomotive Erecting Shop and the renovation project at 125/133 Ellison Street
$1,000,000 for various Westside Park renovations, including but not limited to comfort stations, office, and maintenance sheds, walking path, parking and circulation, boathouse refurbishment, plantings, and east ball field circulation
$930,000 for City Health facility improvements
$725,000 for traffic safety improvements
$725,000 for police equipment, including eight new police patrol vehicles
$500,000 for charging infrastructure and electrification of the city fleet
$500,000 for renovation/construction costs at the Pennsylvania Ave. OEM complex, which will include a new communications center
$475,000 for seven new police patrol vehicles
$300,000 for a new ambulance
$300,000 for an aerial lift truck
$280,000 for Riverside Senior Center facility improvements
$290,000 for public works equipment
$260,000 for a city yard compactor and groundwork for installation
$200,000 for automatic CPR devices and stretcher power lifts
$190,000 to pave the City Health Division parking lot
$50,000 for a library maintenance vehicle

"This funding is welcomed and the much-needed relief for our residents, historical sites and valuable programs. Paterson still faces many challenges in its recovery from the pandemic and the diverse aid will help to significantly move forward many of the efforts happening across the city," said Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly.

"We are profoundly grateful to Governor Murphy for prioritizing Paterson and for the unprecedented level of state investment our city is set to receive," said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh. "This significant infusion of funding will help us improve our parks, improve our infrastructure, and improve our quality of life."

Follow Morristown Minute on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more state and local updates.