The Trenton Times published the following article on November 14, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Opinion: ‘Trenton Remakes’ – Revival of city should focus on recycle, reuse theme
By Times of Trenton guest opinion column
on November 14, 2013 at 6:02 AM, updated November 14, 2013 at 6:24 AMBy Connie Goddard
In response to the welcome guest commentary “Let’s hear ideas from Trenton’s mayoral candidates” (Nov. 6) on the thus-far tepid campaigns for Trenton’s next mayor, might I make a suggestion? To regenerate themselves, cities need to have a theme. Here’s one that occurred to me while on a bike tour last spring. We’d made a stop at TerraCycle, an innovative local firm that’s turned recycling into an art form. While walking along a garden path “paved” with torn-up rubber, I thought, ah, here’s the key to Trenton’s future: recycling, along with renovating, repairing and rehabilitating.
Trenton abounds with buildings ripe for renovation. Combine this with community college courses in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), wiring and the like and enlist high school students in a work/study program to help rehabilitate their own school building. Re-purpose more of our vacant land into gardens — the nonprofit Isles has been doing a great job at this. Working on both would help our teens acquire marketable skills. At the same time, promote the restored buildings as back-office space and call centers (why should Sioux Falls get all that business?).
Last weekend’s Art All Day tour included visits to studios and businesses that repurposed remnants of the city’s industrial glory days. Let’s capitalize on this ability to repair and re-use.