by TOM GILMOUR

JAN. 3, 2003 -- When I joined the City last April, I set some pretty high expectations for myself and the Asbury Park Urban Enterprise Zone Program's (APUEZ) Board of Directors. It was finally time to create programs that really add value and establish a working bond between the businesses, community and city.

We are pleased and proud to announce that we now have 193 certified businesses in the program. We are reinvesting UEZ dollars back into the city to support businesses that are creating jobs for city residents. I would like to share with you some of our accomplishments and future plans.

Our most successful program is the Façade Improvement Program. This program provides grants to assist APUEZ certified businesses to fix up the front of their buildings. It is a matching grant and each applicant can get up to a maximum of $15,000 in matching funds.

At present, we have funded 25 completed projects in the amount of $153,065, have six projects under construction, two approved applications, and four under review. Overall, including the grants, total projects equal $948,240 in visual capital improvements. Take a drive down Asbury Avenue and check out Monmouth Glass at 1017, Tom Ruddy's recent renovation at 1146, and Unlimited Designs at 1400.

Sara Anne Towery heads this very active committee. The APUEZ Board of Directors has recently applied to the state to approve an additional $200,000 to continue this program.

Another program that we recently relaunched is our Micro Loan Program for small business owners. This program provides low-interest loans up to $25,000 to APUEZ certified businesses, and applications are accepted on a first-completed basis. The maximum term is five years and proceeds can be used for most business purposes except debt consolidation.

We have made six loans and have one pending application. Local banker and Loan Chairman Al Giobbie was instrumental in reorganizing the program, and he negotiated a contract with the New Jersey Community Loan Fund to handle all the credit checks, billing and reporting. NJCLF is a community-based organization through which individuals and institutions invest in New Jersey's low-income communities. This is NJCLF's first partnership with an Urban Enterprise Zone city.

Our Quality of Life Committee is just getting underway. Board Member and City Councilwoman Kate Mellina is directing this effort, which is focusing on public safety, parking and traffic, litter, aesthetics, and lighting.

At present the APUEZ Foot Patrol Program provides funding for foot patrols in the downtown and train station shopping districts. We are currently developing a program that will be presented to the state to purchase new equipment to clean sidewalks and gutters. This new machinery can also be utilized on the boardwalk. The committee is also looking at holiday decorations and signage and at employee parking and restriping of parking spaces to address the ongoing parking needs of redevelopment.

Last year the APUEZ Board approved a grant to the City of Asbury Park to support the purchase a Geographic Informational System (GIS). This very sophisticated computer mapping system will improve the efficiency of many city functions as well as expand data storage of vital information.

The use of GIS in the planning process will reduce the need to employ costly engineering firms and outside consultants to perform significant amounts of analysis. The Police Department can use it to analyze crime data and create prevention strategies. The city will use it to inventory all real estate, which will assist in tax assessments and reevaluations. The APUEZ will use it to assist in tracking and recruiting new businesses to the city.

The mission of the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone Program is to create new jobs for residents in the zones. The APUEZ Job Training Committee, headed by George Cooke, is reviewing proposals to assist community development projects to train residents, including one that will assist high school students in locating paid intern positions. Hopefully, a program like this will increase the availability of skilled residents so that city residents have the first opportunity to fill the significant number of new jobs that will be created by redevelopment.

Our latest undertaking is the creation of a citywide marketing program. Right now we are screening proposals from marketing/advertising firms to assist us. It is our plan to create a new logo/theme for the city. In addition, we will produce a marketing kit to attract new businesses to the city. Part of our plan will be to produce directional maps that list city businesses and sites, dress up the gateways into the city, and improve signage. We will also develop a public relations strategy to promote special events, and funding has been set aside to create a city web site.

The APUEZ Marketing Committee is headed by Ed Johnson who also serves as the Chairman of the UEZ Board. Our first effort to promote the city was the creation of the holiday insert that appeared in the Coaster and two other papers and was distributed to many other Monmouth County towns. Five committee members went far and away beyond reason to promote holiday events and need to be recognized and thanked: Joe D'Andrea from West 21, Laura Jewell from Jewell Marketing, Don Stine from Antic Hay Books, and certainly resident Ruthanne Harrison and Mark Fleming from Stage Door Canteen.

The APUEZ has also applied to the New Jersey Commerce & Economic Growth Commission for a marketing grant. We are working very closely with Monmouth County Tourism to create a Monmouth County Music Tourism Guide & Map. Obviously, Asbury Park will be prominently depicted as the place to go to check out famous sites and to hear the latest sounds.

All this was accomplished through the work of a very dedicated and hard working Board of Directors. We are grateful for the leadership of our chairman Ed Johnson. Ed had the courage and determination to bring the APUEZ program back to life and then provide direction and management to make it grow. The other members of this talented Board are: George Cooke, Angela Dottore, Karen Escobedo, Al Giobbie, Kate Mellina, Louis Navarrete, Malcolm Navias, Antonio Philippe, Sara Anne Towery, and Danny Yim.

We are always looking for volunteers to assist us with all our projects. If you are interested in being part of the effort to create more jobs in Asbury Park through economic development, please call me at the Office of Economic Development, 732-502-5749.

We also need your help financially. We're not asking for donations but we are asking you to shop in the city. Part of the 3% sales tax that is collected in Asbury Park is put into a special trust fund to support UEZ projects in the city. Simple math: the more sales tax collected, the more projects put into place.

It been quite a year. I'm pretty tired but for all the right reasons. We have accomplished more in the last ten months than was completed in the first eight years of the APUEZ program. The best part is, we are just getting started. Great things are on the horizon. Wishes for a very Happy New Year and continued success in 2003.