Jamesburg’s revitalization efforts focus on past and future

JAMESBURG — Members of the Jamesburg Revitalization Coalition are on a mission to preserve a small-town feel while encouraging growth to keep the tiny borough viable.

“We are all stakeholders,” said coalition President Elliott Stroul. “The mission of our organization is to make sure that Jamesburg stays a destination, rather than just a crossroads.”

The borough encompasses just under 1 square mile with roughly 6,000 residents and about 2,200 ratables, he said.

“We have thousands of people traversing our roads every day,” Stroul said. “We want to make sure we maintain a village feel and keep people coming in to shop. It’s got to grow at some time. If it doesn’t grow, it will come to an end.”

Consolidation with neighboring Monroe has always been an issue, he said.

“There’s nothing happening right now,” Stroul said. “But eventually, we are probably going to be usurped by Monroe. Jamesburg will become the downtown district of Monroe. It may not happen in my lifetime.”

But whether Jamesburg stays a borough or merges with Monroe, the goal is still the same for the coalition.

The group was born in 2006 when Stroul and resident and local businessman Ted Ehmann met at Lisco’s Country Café to discuss the possibility of a revitalization effort in the borough. The coalition eventually developed a 25-year plan called “Vision of Jamesburg.”

“Our mission over the next 25 years is to make sure the town grows in the right way, make sure we bring in the right kind of businesses and bring in the right kind of housing, not the wrong kind of housing,” he said.

The coalition has sponsored a number of community events over the past few years.

This summer, the Farmers Market has returned, running from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at the Presbyterian Church on Gatzmer Avenue. The nearby Farmer Al’s and Von Thun farms truck in Jersey Fresh produce to the site. The church’s Men’s Club sells hot dogs and snacks.

“There are other specialty vendors that come in from time to time,” Stroul said.

The Farmers Market began in early July and will continue until the first week in October.

“The first week we had 252 people,” he said. A rainy Saturday the following week did not deter 198 from buying goods, and the next week 223 people came out.

The coalition held a successful medical equipment recycling day on July 10 and is planning another in August.

Next up is the Peach Festival on July 31 at the Farmers Market, featuring games and raffles along with food sales. The event is sponsored by the Jersey Peach Growers’ Association.

“The goal of the revitalization coalition is to work with every organization, to hopefully execute these goals over the long run,” Stroul said. “Beautification, historical preservation, economic growth — it’s all tied together.”

The coalition meets at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month at Fiddleheads Restaurant, 27 E. Railroad Ave.

For more information, visit the website at www.ilovejamesburg.com.