Westfield Train Station *Photo Courtesy of A.P.
The Mayor and Council speak about bringing businesses into town and making Perth Amboy a destination. The Transit Village is often mentioned. Do we really need a Transit Village? I’d be happy with a platform and an easier way to get up and down the stairs to the tracks in the Train Station. All the train stations on the North Jersey Coast Line were upgraded to become ADA compliant except for Perth Amboy.
How many community meetings, neighborhood meetings, studies and evaluations do we need? Enough with these studies!
Do we really need a monstrosity of a Transit Village in town? The plan is to take 1.3 sqmi. of the 4.7 sqmi. of Perth Amboy. This is a big chunk of the City.
Any informed citizen could walk down to the train station and see what needs to be done. The stairs need to be repaired and a new elevator installed. The waiting room needs to be cleaned and modernized. The bathrooms need an overhaul and most of all we need a train platform and ADA compliancy.
Rahway Train Station
*Photo Courtesy of A.P.
The café is fine. A police substation could be put on the southbound side of the station that is not being utilized. By keeping a permanent police presence at the train station will allow commuters to travel safely without fear of being harassed.
I’ve taken the train to Westfield, Summit, Rahway and Red Bank. When you get off the train and hit the downtown area, that’s what makes the individual want to come into town. There is a variety of shops and stores which offer diversity in culture and destinations such as a theater with name entertainers. Take a clue from Rahway. Make something in Perth Amboy that people want to come to. Even in South Amboy there is a Baskin Robins/Dunkin Donuts in the same building near the station.
If you have empty stores sitting here for years, it’s time you get the message. Look who is coming to local theaters. They have big name performers. New Brunswick has three major theaters. Even an amateur community or semiprofessional theater venue could be here (Like Club Bene). The old Club Bene in Sayreville was a Supper Club/Night Club where many new performers and well known performers would come and break in a new material. Bruce Springsteen sang at the Stone Pony many times, even after he became big. Bon Jovi once performed at Middlesex County College before the band made it big.
People from other towns will only come if there is a reason. We need to create a reason for people to come to Perth Amboy. “If you build it, they will come.” Many people don’t want the hustle/bustle of New York and prefer to come to smaller venues for entertainment. Rahway has a downtown theater Union County Performing Arts Center which features performances from a multitude of artists.
When it comes to colors, everyone’s favorite is green when it comes to money and we’re not talking about politics here. When people come to Perth Amboy’s stores from out of town, it’s good for everyone.
No more studies; just take a ride in various towns and talked to the people who turned around deteriorating structures into gold mines. The time for action is now. Sorry, everybody can’t live in Perth Amboy. C.M., K.M. & P.W.
