Thanks for stopping by. I'll begin with the briefest of introductions.
My name is Jim Doria. I live in Trenton in the neighborhood known as Mill Hill. I bought a house here about a year and a half ago, so I'm still a new resident. When faced with a job-related move to New Jersey, we chose Trenton and specifically Mill Hill for our family because we wanted to live in an urban environment, and enjoy the sense of both community and dynamism that comes with such a place. We came from Long Island, NY, where I have lived and worked since college, and where my wife grew up. I am a techie-type with diverse interests, and my wife is an artist and art teacher. We served together some years ago on the Council for the Arts on the North Shore (now defunct.) We are current members of the Old Mill Hill Society (OMHS) the strong neighborhood association of Mill Hill residents.
Now that you know who I am, let me tell you why I'm here. ;-) The purpose of this blog is to document and discuss a new project that will have a great impact on our little neighborhood and the city at large in both the short and the long term. Nestled in the corner of our neighborhood, at the edge of the park that runs along the Assunpink Creek, is an old warehouse building that has been converted into artists' studios and a gallery space. This building is currently owned (I believe) by the City of Trenton and occupied by an independent group known as Artworks. Artworks holds classes and workshops there in association with Mercer County Community College, who also has an urban campus nearby. Artworks is made up of volunteers who have committed much time and effort to ensuring that vital artistic resources are available to both local artists and the community in general. They have hung on tenaciously through dark periods of scarce funding for the arts and waning interest in the city, and have achieved a measure of success in returning a vital arts resource to the community.
The people who run Artworks were unpleasantly surprised recently when the news came out that the city had granted development rights to the building to a local development corporation called HHG.
The key word here is
local. The corporation is actually an investment/construction group of three neighbors who live in Mill Hill. Unlike me, these people are not johnny-come-latelys to the Trenton scene. They have, through their past actions, amply demonstrated their commitment to the intelligent improvement and revitalization of both the neighborhood and the city, and they've been at it for years. They are not "slash and burn" builders, but have set a very high standard (and provided many beautiful homes) by carefully restoring existing buildings to historic standards when possible, and building new construction when necessary with a sharp focus on maintaining the aesthetic and historical integrity of the neighborhood's architecture. These folks have been key players in bringing about the kind revitalization that made me even consider moving to Trenton.
As you can probably imagine, things are a bit fuzzy at the moment. Already some pretty heated rhetoric has been let loose. In a situation such as this, both sides have plenty of emotional charge to draw on should they choose to do so. There are issues of personal profit vs. public good, art vs. commerce, local determination vs. outsider influence, and probably a few other vs.'s that I'm forgetting.
Since the Old Mill Hill Society and its members have such a vested interest in the outcome of this situation, they have formed a committee to study it and provide information, both to neighborhood residents and the community at large. The committee is being co-chaired by Peter Kasabach and myself, with its membership drawn from other OMHS members.
Our aim in this is to make sure that level heads prevail and that all relevant issues are brought forward and given due consideration. We are of the opinion that this situation does not necessarily have to result in conflict. Both parties are in the right about what needs to be done, they simply have different visions of how to achieve it. My hope is that we can reconcile the differences, smooth over any ruffled feathers, and get the community back on track toward a common goal.
We all believe in a revitalized urban center with a strong presence for the arts. Knowing the destination, it's time to work on the map. Change equals opportunity.
There is a meeting tonight, Thursday, February 16th, at 7:30 PM, to discuss this issue at the ARTWORKS Building - 19 Everett Alley, Trenton, NJ 08611. The Board and supporters of ARTWORKS will attend, as will community and OMHS members.
