GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP - A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY!
New Digital Display!
Continuing improvements in the Downtown Blackwood section of Gloucester Township, a new digital information sign has been installed funded by the Neighborhood Preservation Grant. The sign features a quality, dynamic, and eye-catching LED display designed to improve community communication and aesthetically enhance the area.
Building Facade Make-Over
In the fall 2022, the stakeholder team commissioned Cindy Williams, a design consultant specializing in façade make-overs, district branding and placemaking, to help create a vision through redesign of the façades of the buildings from 2 to 20 N. Black Horse Pike. This design was intended to refresh the street-facing side of the buildings, presenting a more welcoming look and feel to the block. The objective of the project is to grow vibrancy by creating a sense of place, attracting development, recruiting businesses, building bustle, enhancing the district, and increasing value.
The property and business owners of 2-20 N BHP were invited to attend two presentations of this design in December. They will also have an opportunity to sign up for a one-on-one session with the designer to work on the details of their property. Once the design is finalized (expected by March, 2023), the NPP District will work to allocate funding – including a portion from the NJDCA grant – to implement the vision over next several years.
Below please see the preliminary design.
Congratulations, SCORE Recipients!
4 businesses participated in the SCORE program offered through the Neighborhood Preservation Program. This program provides personalized support to businesses in the Gloucester Township Arts District NPP Neighborhood by creating solutions to challenges small businesses face. Two of those businesses received $1000 grant each towards their needs, while other two are still in the process.
Learn more about the SCORE program HERE.
Farmers' Market is Back!
This year Gloucester Township was excited to bring back the Farmers’ Market in Downtown Blackwood!
The market took place every Thursday (rain or shine), June 23rd- September 29th, 4pm-7pm Harwan Park, 32 S. Black Horse Pike, Gloucester Township, NJ.
Big Thank You to the Neighborhood Preservation Program Grant that has sponsored the entertainment for 2022 season!
Stay tuned for more information regarding the 2023 market!
ARTIST AND MURALIST, DAMON BAIN, PAINTS REVITALIZATION
Gloucester Township, in partnership with the Arts at Camden County College, is excited to introduce Damon Bain, a portrait artist and muralist, who is creating stunning window art on one of the buildings in the Arts District.
Damon, a Philadelphia artist and an alumnus of Camden County College, has been commissioned by the Neighborhood Preservation Stakeholder Team to work on a temporary window installation on one of the building’s windows kindly donated to the project by the owner.
Damon reveals a look at the unifying traits of humanity in his figurative and contemporary paintings. A sense of beauty and love emanates from his modern abstract expression. Bain is a versatile artist who explores the elaborate human form with the same passion that he reveals the subtle beauty of nature.
Damon is painting Revitalization as a symbol of revitalization of the beloved Downtown Blackwood section of Gloucester Township. Hands gathered to form an earth sphere in Revitalization represent the concept of working collectively towards rebirth of something great.
The project is located at 4 North Black Horse Pike. Stop by and check it out!
Thank you, Damon, for the beautiful artwork!
Harwan Park Update
The NPP District allocated funds for the improvement of Harwan Park, a popular destination for community events. To address public safety concerns the following improvements were made: the removal of large trees, lighting, landscaping, painting of the gazebo, and improved surveillance.
COMMUNITY AND ARTS CENTER IS COMING TO THE ARTS DISTRICT!
Gloucester Township has acquired the former bank building (3 S Black Horse Pike) and the adjacent properties (5 and 7 S Black Horse Pike) in Downtown Blackwood section of Gloucester Township to be used as Community and Arts Center and a public parking lot.
Built over a century ago (est. 1911), this 6,685 square-foot historic building will serve as a much-needed Community and Arts Center, a “shared space” where Gloucester Township residents and entities such as, but not limited to, the Library and Mainstage Center for Performing Arts, will hold their events and other happenings. Local artists’ exhibitions, community classes, non-profit organizations’ meetings and events can take place at the center which will become the pinnacle and a community hub of the Gloucester Township Arts District in Downtown Blackwood. The center will also serve as a Black Box Theater for Mainstage Center for Performing Arts and provide a free community access to the internet and local information. The white building next to the bank will be demolished to serve as a public parking lot for visitors of the area.
Community centers are known to be important hubs across the country that give people an opportunity to socialize, recreate, volunteer, learn, get social support, and access various services. They boost local economies and revitalize communities. Currently Gloucester Township does not have a community center and establishing one will undoubtedly yield numerous benefits to the Gloucester Township community.
Through the Neighborhood Preservation Program, the Township has been awarded $200,000 Community Capital Needs Grant from the NJ Department of Community affairs for this project. The grant will be used to acquire and help fund reconstruction of the building. Approximately $550,000 in additional funding from various federal, state, and local sources will go toward this project in keeping up with the goal of leveraging Neighborhood Preservation Program funding to expand the resources and impact on the community.
“We are extremely grateful to receive the grant from NJDCA. The historical bank building is located in the very heart of Downtown Blackwood in a highly visible area. The proposed Gloucester Township Community and Arts Center will serve as a catalyst project to solidify the revitalization efforts in the district. Without this funding Gloucester Township would not be able to realize other investments to make this project a reality, “said Mayor David R.
Assembly Speaker, Craig Coughlin, and state and local officials tour the Downtown Blackwood to discuss improvements to the area.