Valley Neighborhood Preservation Program Gets Off To a Great Start!

 Fresh on the heels of the successful Watchung Heights Neighborhood Preservation Program, NPP Director Rose DeSena and the West Orange Community Service Unit have redirected their efforts toward a new neighborhood and a new board of directors for the Valley Neighborhood Preservation Program.

“The Neighborhood Preservation Program in Watchung, which was funded by a state grant from the NJ Department of Community Affairs, became a state-wide model for success,” said Mayor John F. McKeon. “We were so proud of the accomplishments there, rejuvenating the neighborhood and reducing crime, that we applied for another grant to do the same in the Valley.”

The Neighborhood Preservation Program provides funding for the revitalization of neighborhoods that are deemed ‘still viable’ by their municipalities. “The mission of the Valley NPP is to provide revitalization for the neighborhood and to create a sense of security amongst the residents,” said Rose DeSena. “We are providing funding in the forms of housing rehabilitation grants and sponsored programs for youth in the target neighborhood.”

  The NPP target neighborhood encompasses much of the area of the Valley from Northfield Avenue, south to Nassau Street, east to the Orange city border and west to Rollinson Street.
 
The NPP grant process creates a foundation for a municipality to procure additional grant funds from County, State and private investors.

“What perhaps excites me the most about the NPP are the program grants that we provide to our target area young people,” said Amy Simon, Chairwoman of the Valley Neighborhood Preservation Program. “We have been able to re-establish our relationship with the historic Valley Settlement House, where we held a basketball program. We provided a number of after-school programs to HazelElementary School, like ballet and chess, this past spring. We also sponsored an ‘English as a Second Language’ class to adults in the neighborhood, and this summer and fall we are doing a couple of great trips with the CSU.”

 The Valley NPP Board works closely with the resident community group and the Valley Community Watch on addressing the issues and needs of the community. In that vein, as a result of a Rutgers study conducted in the target neighborhood before the ‘first year work plan’ was established, a police sub-station and community meeting place is slated to be built.

To learn more about the Valley Neighborhood Preservation Program, contact Rose DeSena at 973-325-4207.