FROM THE STAR-LEDGER
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
BY KASI ADDISON
Star-Ledger Staff
Bloomfield awaits waiting room rehab
Staying warm yesterday while waiting on the windy platform of the Lackawanna train station in Bloomfield required a coat, hat and gloves.
In two years, it will mean opening a door and stepping inside.
At a chilly afternoon press conference, federal, state and local officials announced a $500,000 restoration of the historic station's waiting room.
The room fell into disrepair years ago and was boarded up, leaving riders to brave the elements while waiting for a New York-bound train.
But soon it will be reopened with retiled floors, historic wooden benches and lighting, and air conditioning and heating. And if someone leases the space, riders also will be able to buy coffee or a newspaper on the way to work.
"I commute day in and day out, in snow, sleet, hail and the blazing sun, and it will be terrific to go into a heated waiting room on a day like today," said Councilwoman Patricia Ritchings.
NJ Transit has completed a $2.2million rehabilitation project at the station that included repaving the platforms, repairing concrete awnings and installing period lighting. A federal grant of $750,000, which was administered through the state Department of Transportation, helped restore the dilapidated exterior of the train station.
Since Midtown Direct service started at the station in 2002, ridership has increased and more than 700 people take the train daily, said Steve Santoro, head of capital programs for NJ Transit. He said the newest project will start in early 2007.
Renovating the station is a crucial piece to redeveloping Bloomfield's downtown and encouraging more people to use mass transit, said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.), who has worked to get $1.35million for the town.
"Towns like Bloomfield are hurting in their central business districts," he said. "Transportation is critical to bringing them back and eliminating the congestion that is choking commerce."
But the rest of the downtown redevelopment is in limbo. Though housing, restaurants, a condo complex, grocery store and parking deck are planned as part of a $160million redevelopment proposal, the project is being challenged in court by merchants and property owners objecting to the town's attempts to use eminent domain.
An appellate court panel will hear the case next week, said Mayor Raymond McCarthy.