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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

First of three forums on Muhlenberg's future Thursday


Residents have the opportunity to speak to future uses
for the 17-acre Muhlenberg Hospital campus.
 
Plainfielders and other supporters of a medical use for the Muhlenberg Hospital complex will get their first opportunity to sound off at a forum on planning for Muhlenberg's futue use this Thursday evening at the Plainfield High School cafeteria at 7:00 PM.

Residents of the Queen City and the surrounding communities impacted by the closure of Muhlenberg in 2008 have kept up a steady drumbeat of concern over the intervening years thanks to the efforts of Dottie Gutenkauf, Nancy Piwowar, Deborah Dowe and many others associated with the Restore Muhlenberg Coalition.

After JFK Health System made a proposal for a 600-unit apartment complex on the 17-acre site, based on a 'study' by Jeff Otteau, residents expressed their dismay to the City Council and individual elected officials.

As a result, City Council agreed to hire a consultant to prepare the city's own roadmap for future use of the site, and Thursday's meeting is the first of three opportunities for residents to express their desires and concerns.

Mayor Adrian Mapp campaigned on finding a health-related use for the shuttered facility and has applied pressure on JFK by proposing that property taxes be assessed for JFK's failure to use the facility as required by its non-profit tax exemption.




Muhlenberg Hospital's service area included
over 112,000 residents of Plainfield and surrounding communities.


As an indicator of public interest, about a hundred people showed up for a recent meeting of the Cedar Brook Block Association when Muhlenberg was billed as the topic for the evening. At that meeting, Ms. Piwowar pressed Plainfield's new economic development director, Carlos Sanchez, about reaching out to the surrounding communities which constituted part of the Muhlenberg service area, which Sanchez said would be done.

The Plainfield High School cafeteria is accessible from the Kenyon Avenue parking lot behind the high school. Parking is also available in the Stelle Avenue lot and on the street. Come early as the meeting will start on time.





  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dan breaking news council member's will cripple Mayor's Mapp administration please alert the public to come out on Friday.

Anonymous said...

Citizen activist notified Mayors of surrounding communities. Hopefully they will send a representative. Muhlenberg served three counties and many central Jersey communities for over 130 years. It is time to say the word - MUHLENBERG!