Economic Development - NYT - Tax credits used in Providence restoration

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Published in the New York Times, Sunday, December 24, 2006

Square Feet
Empty for 75 Years, and Now a Symbol of Rebirth

By ALISON GREGOR

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- THE huge neo-Classical Masonic temple in the heart of the downtown here devolved into an eyesore after 1928, when the Masons abandoned the still-unfinished building. Decades of neglect left the limestone colonnade crumbling, the brick facade scrawled with graffiti and even the original copper roof picked apart by thieves.

And that was just the outside.

“I couldn’t get out of here fast enough,” recalled William W. Perrett, an expert on historical rehabilitation who first examined the building about 25 years ago. He took a second look several years ago. “You couldn’t move inside for the spray cans,” he said.

Today, however, the building has become a symbol of the rebirth of Providence, not to mention one of the largest restoration projects in Rhode Island’s history. In April, it is scheduled to open as a Marriott Renaissance hotel, with 272 luxury rooms, a ballroom, a lower-level restaurant and lounge, meeting rooms and a fitness center. Weekday corporate rates will start at $259 a night.

Sage Hospitality Resources of Denver and its investment partner, the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, have spent about $87 million to transform the temple over the last five years. The developers are receiving a federal tax credit equivalent to 20 percent of the main costs of the rehabilitation and a state tax credit worth an additional 30 percent, along with some city assistance.

“This building could never have been done without historic tax credits,” said Mr. Perrett, now Sage Hospitality’s project manager for the new hotel. But, he added, “federal tax credits weren’t sufficient to do this deal; they needed state tax credits.”

Mr. Perrett, a native of Michigan whose family owned hotels there, has completed five rehabilitations of historic buildings into hotels, including the conversion of a Romanesque-style bank building in San Diego into a Courtyard by Marriott and the conversion of the Fulton Building in Pittsburgh into one of the most popular hotels in the Renaissance line.

The resurrection of the Providence building has mirrored the gradual transformation of the city, whose economy had changed after the exodus of manufacturers after World War I.

The building’s conversion, though, has been a complicated one.

“The weird thing is, the building really never had a history,” said Edward F. Sanderson, a historian and executive director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission.

Construction began in 1926. But about two years later, “the Masons ran out of money, and they told the workers to quit work for the day, and somehow word got around that they shouldn’t come back,” Mr. Sanderson explained. “When I first came to work in the 1970s, you could go in there, and you could see the hand tools that were still sitting where they had been put down in 1928,” he said. “It was pretty amazing.”

The building’s unfinished eight-story interior remained a large hull with rusted steel-platform staircases gripping its graffiti-covered walls.

“The copper roof had been stolen in the 1970s — an entire copper roof — and the inside was rotted,” Mr. Perrett said.

The temple had been part of a complex that included a narrow structure linking it to a large theater building. The state bought the entire complex in 1945 and finished the theater building, converting it into the popular Veterans Memorial Auditorium, according to Mr. Sanderson. The auditorium is used primarily as a symphony space.

Despite the temple’s optimistic cornerstone, which is carved with a “1949” date, the state did nothing with the building.

There it sat on a slope just below the Statehouse, Mr. Sanderson noted, “too big and too expensive to fix, and too big and too expensive to tear down, deteriorating outside the governor’s window.”

“The idea that a building would stand empty and unused for 75 years in the center of a city is pretty extraordinary,” he said.

The restoration project was extensive — and unusual. A $2 million metal brace was built to hold up three walls of the temple while developers tore down and rebuilt the interiors. A fourth wall was destroyed many years ago, along with the building linking it to the theater.

To take advantage of a ballroom originally built by the Masons below what is now the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, developers excavated two stories below the temple to create an underground passage between the two structures. The narrow linking building was rebuilt, and the ballroom was reconstructed to make it soundproof, ensuring that the strains of a Beethoven fugue would never meld with the driving rhythms of “Hava Nagila” at a wedding in the hotel ballroom, and vice versa, Mr. Perrett said.

For Renaissance, a brand under the Marriott International umbrella, the project offered the perfect opportunity to extend the brand, which appeals to business travelers who like to explore the cities they visit, said Rita Cuddihy, the senior vice president of Renaissance. The brand has about nine hotels in rehabilitated historic buildings throughout the country, with three more, including the Renaissance Providence, about to open.

“A historic redo is the perfect way to give local authenticity,” Ms. Cuddihy said.

Conversions of historic buildings — whether banks or department stores or Masonic temples — have become increasingly commonplace, according to John M. Tess, the president of the Heritage Consulting Group, which has worked on several hotel conversions over the last 25 years. Besides offering tax credits, the projects are also appealing because they enable developers to redevelop historic buildings exceeding the size allowed by existing zoning regulations, he said.

Mr. Tess says he has seen an increase in hotel projects involving historic buildings over the last decade as more people have moved into the downtown areas of American cities.

“A lot of hotel chains will consider historic rehabilitations,” Mr. Tess said. “With respect to historic hotels, they can act as almost a flagship. Every town has a hotel or historic building that everyone in town knows about.”

The city of Providence, meanwhile, is also considering converting a portion of another historic structure into a hotel: the South Street Station complex, a former electrical power generating plant on the Providence River.

Mr. Tess said that these types of projects, made feasible by state and federal tax credits, are limited only by the supply of buildings.

“Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, you could go in and buy these buildings at reasonable cost,” he said.

“That’s no longer true today, which is why it’s important to have in place government incentives that allow historic buildings to be saved and play an important part in the activities of cities.”

Link to online story.

(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
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Economic Development - APP - Tax credits used in Steinbachs restoration

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Published in the Asbury Park Press, Sunday, December 18, 2006

BUILDING ON BEGINNINGS
Restoration of an Asbury landmark nears completion

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 12/18/06

BY NANCY SHIELDS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU

ASBURY PARK — Fourteen years ago, merchants in an all but deserted downtown looked at the long-empty Steinbach building and begged that it be torn down.

The historic department store, which closed in 1979 and lost its fifth floor to fire in 1989, filled the triangular block of Cookman and Bangs avenues and Emory Street. By its very size, the looming building cast a shadow of blight on good intentions below.

The owner said no, it would cost too much to raze — at least $500,000. He would wait it out.

The 100,000 square-foot building changed hands at least once more with no development until 2001, when Carter Sackman, the New York City-based restoration developer, bought it for about $1 million. His company, Sackman Enterprises, announced plans for first-floor retail and 63 lofts and apartments for rent on the upper floors.

On Wednesday, a crew of at least 85 was working on all five levels in the final phase of restoration, which Sackman wants to finish by February. He said tenants should be moving in by March.

The first announced tenant is Old Man Rafferty's, the New Brunswick-based restaurant that is scheduled to open a 9,000-square-foot restaurant fronting on Cookman Avenue by Memorial Day. Other retailers will front Cookman and Bangs avenues. The primary residential entrance is on Emory Street.

"It's going to be nice, beautiful," Sackman said of the building restoration in a recent telephone interview. "You really have to do your homework to get everyone satisfied, to get the look, the timetable and any material that might have existed."

Sackman Enterprises is using historic tax credits to help finance the project, estimated in three years to cost about $7 million. One of the requirements of that program is that the apartments stay rentals for at least five years.

"After all these years of having that building dark, having it open really heralds the turning of the corner in downtown Asbury Park," said City Manager Terence Reidy.

He said the city's revival now will reach "people who really haven't been paying attention to Asbury, but who will now hear that 'Oh my God, Steinbach's is open.' "

"Populating that building will be a tipping point in the downtown for foot traffic for shops and restaurants," Reidy added."Then you have Old Man Rafferty's, 9,000 square feet is a big restaurant. You have these two amazing restaurants right across the street — Market in the Middle and the Brickwall. Add Old Man Rafferty's and you have this little restaurant mecca. People will come to eat and they can walk out of the restaurant, walk up Cookman, and go into all those wonderful little shops."

The second, third and fourth floors each have 18 apartments. There are another nine apartments with terraces on the newly-built fifth floor. The apartments throughout the building range in size from a 725-square foot studio to a 1,650-square foot two-bedroom, two-bath apartment.

The average size is 1,000 square feet; the average rent is $1,500 a month, Sackman said. He said his company will start marketing the apartments soon.

The building has two new staircases and an elevator. A large 40-foot by 15-foot atrium rises to a skylight on the fifth floor. The yellow-beige brick masonry of the building was restored. More than 300 windows were replaced following the layout of floor-to-ceiling showcase windows on the second floor. The fourth floor features arched-shaped windows.

Thomas Wilson, the project manager, said the restoration includes the original steel columns throughout the building as well as some solid cedar columns from the 1880s hotel that preceded Steinbach on the block.

"There are characteristics of a building like that that you don't duplicate on newer structures," Wilson said.

Steinbach's first location in the city was a dry goods store at Lake Avenue and Main Street in 1874. The store next moved to Cookman and Main until 1896 when owner John Steinbach bought the old Commercial House hotel at Cookman Avenue and Emory Street.

A new store opened on the site in 1897 and kept expanding until by 1912, Steinbach occupied the entire block.

Before Sackman arrived, Steinbach had stood undeveloped since 1979, shortly after the company opened a new store at Seaview Square Mall, Ocean Township.

Many owners of the new shops and restaurants have looked to a renovated Steinbach building to bring foot traffic.

"We're anxious for it to be completed," said Bill Kessler, one of the owners of Taka Restaurant, Mattison Avenue, which specializes in contemporary Japanese cuisine."It seems like they're doing a first-class job.

"Also, because it's an iconic building, it's a symbol to have it complete," Kessler added. "It's a significant event."

Sackman Enterprises also created 12 new condominiums — nine of which have been sold — in The Bradley, the former Asbury Park Elks Club, and will soon renovate the former PNC Bank building, the city's first post office. Sackman and RDR Properties are renovating the former Asbury Park Press Building on Mattison, close to the Steinbach building.

A warehouse portion of the Press building, which later housed the Malletech instrument company, will be the site of a parking deck for the Steinbach tenants as well as additional condominiums. That parking deck, which will provide parking for other renovated buildings and downtown stores, is in the process of gaining city approvals.

Reidy said he believes the parking spaces the city will soon get in the state parking garage can be used by Steinbach residents until the new parking deck is completed.

Sackman said the renovation of the Press building includes an 8,500-square-foot shared office facility called Sackman Suites. People can rent office space with short-term leases for a couple of months, or for one or two years, he said.

Link to online story.

(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
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Schools - Winter 2006 Concert Schedule

Winter Concert Schedule of the Plainfield Public Schools
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Winter Concert Schedule of the Plainfield Public Schools. The public is invited.

+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Cook School | Thursday, December 14th | 7:00 pm |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| PHS Dance | Thursday, December 14th | 7:30 pm |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Maxson School @ PHS | Monday, December 18th | 7:00 pm |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Evergreen School | Wednesday, December 20th | 7:00 pm |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Washington School | Thursday, December 21th | 8:00 pm |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Stillman School | Thursday, December 21st | 6:00 pm |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Cedarbrook School| Thursday, December 21st | 7:30 pm |
| (Vocal Music) |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Cedarbrook School| Thursday, January 18, 2007 | 6:30 pm |
| (Instrumental Music) |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Clinton School | Thursday, January 11, 2007 | 6:30 pm |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+
| Woodland School | Thursday, January 25, 2007 | 6:30 pm |
+------------------+----------------------------+---------+

Per schedule received from the Plainfield Public Schools, 12/13/2006.

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Community Policing - NY Times- New Have Rethinks Tactics

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Published in the New York Times, Friday, December 8, 2006

[Community policing]
New Haven Rethinking Tactics on Crime

By JENNIFER MEDINA

NEW HAVEN, Dec. 7 — After a steady decline over a decade, the number of reported homicides has jumped almost 50 percent so far this year, causing alarmed city officials to search for new strategies on how to control violent crime.

The number — 22 killings in 2006, compared with 15 in both 2005 and 2004 — is significantly lower than in 1990, when there were 34 homicides here. Still, the spike, and an accompanying increase in nonfatal shootings among young people, have led to calls for a major increase in the number of police officers and a 10 p.m. curfew for people 18 and younger.

Now, this city, which was among the first in the nation to experiment aggressively with community policing, is returning to that approach after a period in which the New Haven Police Department instead relied on having officers in patrol cars crisscross the city to respond to reports.

“We have to constantly look at what’s happening and be able to say what’s working and what isn’t,” said Mayor John DeStefano Jr., who last month proposed expanding the 405-member force by hiring 29 officers. That would make the department the largest in the state, though New Haven has the state’s second-largest population, after Bridgeport. “There began to be a question of whether we were getting away from something that had worked so well for us in the past, so it caused us to re-examine.”

Throughout most of the 1990s, crime in this city of 125,000 people dropped year after year — less drugs, fewer arrests for robbery and a gradual decline in violent crime — as the Police Department sent officers to roam small areas, walking beats with such regularity that residents knew their schedules. That strategy, along with youth programs and alternatives to prosecution, is known as community policing.

But in recent years, their dependable presence eroded as the department shrank. An increase in some crimes followed.

As Mr. DeStefano tries to expand the department, the city has also disbanded the roving patrol squad that it began in March, which flooded neighborhoods with police officers whenever there were bursts of crime. Now, the Police Department plans to return dozens of officers to bicycle and walking beats by the end of the month.

In a place that has taken great pride in bucking trends and trying new ideas, there is something of a push and pull between traditional law enforcement tactics and the community policing methods that became the norm here a decade ago.

Although many crime experts say it is impossible to link police tactics directly to murder rates, frustrated residents are pressuring city officials to do something.

“The core test of community policing is whether it empowers citizens,” said Douglas W. Rae, a professor at the Yale School of Management who has monitored the Police Department here for decades. “That’s all you can ask of it. I think that often happens, but one of the toughest parts is sustaining it.

“That’s not easy, because it is still the case that the twentysomethings who sign up for the police exams still might think of what they see on TV.”

In June, Jajuana Cole, 13, was shot and killed near her home on Dickerman Street, caught in the crossfire of what the police called a turf war between two neighborhoods known as Dixwell and Newhallville.

Two months later, the same turf war was also blamed for the killing of another 13-year-old, Justus Suggs.

Then last week, Robert Scott Bennett, 20, was shot to death in what the police said was a battle between two other neighborhoods.

But unlike the killings of a decade ago, the police say, these do not involve well-organized street gangs or drug feuds. Instead, they blame young people who simply spend idle time on the street and have easy access to guns. That has prompted some community leaders to call for a curfew to keep juveniles off city streets at night.

Similar problems are playing out in other cities around the region: Officials in Hackensack, N.J., are also considering a curfew ordinance, and in New York City, juvenile arrests for murder and other major felonies have increased 11 percent so far this year.

Curfews for teenagers gained some traction a decade ago, with somewhat mixed results. Some cities have attributed drops in crime to the curfews, but courts have also struck down some of them as unconstitutional.

So far, a proposed ordinance here is not attracting much support — both Mayor DeStefano and the police chief, Francisco Ortiz, have expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the restrictions. Chief Ortiz said he was loath to support anything that could needlessly increase confrontations with police officers.

That concern was echoed — and shouted — by scores of students who attended a Board of Aldermen hearing to discuss the proposal at Hillhouse High School last week. The school is in a neighborhood where several shootings took place this year.

“It’s not going to do anything,” said Akeem Antrum, a senior at the high school. “Kids won’t abide by it — kids get in fights all the time.” Another student chimed in: “If I’m going to get into a fight, I’m going to hit her at 5 in the afternoon or I’ll hit her at 8 in the morning. It doesn’t matter what time it is.”

Several community leaders said in interviews that a reliable police presence was more pressing than the curfew proposal.

Throughout the summer, the Police Department received complaints from residents who were upset that officers were no longer regularly patrolling their neighborhoods. City officials acknowledge there are fewer officers on the streets, but in part blame the loss of federal funds for the erosion.

Throughout the 1990s, New Haven received millions of dollars in federal grants to increase the size of the Police Department. With the city divided into 10 neighborhood subdepartments, residents became accustomed to knowing exactly whom to talk to about trouble.

When the federal money was eliminated in 2000, though, the Police Department did not replace patrol officers who retired or were promoted. Instead it relied on overtime to ensure that enough officers were on duty at any given time.

And when crime began to rise this year, the police tried a different tactic: having the roving patrol squad saturate neighborhoods after a pattern of crimes and having officers do “sweeps,” which frequently resulted in arrests. That initiative was roundly criticized by longtime advocates of community policing, who viewed it as a reversal of years of progress.

But to carry out the mayor’s proposal for neighborhood policing, the city would have to recruit a class of 45 officers in the next month. That would give New Haven one officer for every 280 residents, compared with one every 305 residents now; Bridgeport has one per 336 residents, Hartford one per 303.

Link to online story.

(Note: Online stories may be taken down by their publisher after a period of time or made available for a fee. Links posted here is from the original online publication of this piece.)

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff and Clippings have no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor are Plainfield Today, Plainfield Stuff or Clippings endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
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City Services Directory - Handy Reference

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A copy of the City Services Directory prepared in 2004, when I was the City's Public Information Officer, is posted below for your handy reference. This was originally posted to the City's website, and last updated in December, 2005. It was removed during the 2006 'makeover' and can no longer be found there.

Sorry for layout problems -- 'translation' from an Excel spreadsheet gives these results. You must scroll down the page about 2/3 of way to the bottom to get the first line of the Directory. Wretched Microsoft HTML code!!!

Will try to tweak appearance later. -- Dan
-----------------------------

2005
SERVICES DIRECTORY
PLAINFIELD, NJ
CITY HALL
515 Watchung Avenue
Mayor	753-3310
City Administrator	753-3227
City Clerk	753-3222
City Council Members - Call City Clerk's Office	753-3222
Corporation Counsel	226-4901
Audit & Control	753-3205
Administration & Finance	753-3201
Community Development	753-3233
Economic Development	753-3602
Permits & Inspections	753-3386
Public Affairs & Safety	753-3225
Public Works/Urban Dev	753-3375
Purchasing	753-3211
Tax Assessor	753-3203
Tax Collector	753-3215
CITY HALL ANNEX
510 Watchung Avenue
Health Officer	753-3092
PCTV74 - Cable Channel	753-3301
Plainfield Action Services	753-3519
Recreation Division	753-3097
Vital Statistics	753-3094
WIC	753-3397
MUNICIPAL COURT / POLICE HEADQUARTERS
Watchung Avenue at East 4th Street
Court	753-3064
Police, Emergency	9-1-1
Police, Non-emergency	753-3131
Violations Bureau	753-3064
FIRE HEADQUARTERS
Central Avenue at West 4th Street
Fire, Emergency	9-1-1
Fire Prevention Bureau	753-3446
Fire, Non-emergency	753-3484
Other Locations
Senior Center - 305 East Front Street	753-3506
Parking Bureau - 127 West 4th Street	753-3200
Public Works Garage - 745 South Avenue	753-3427
Alphabetical Services Directory, 2005
(Area Code is 908 unless otherwise noted)
EMERGENCY
Police	9-1-1
Fire	9-1-1
Ambulance (Plainfield Rescue Squad)	9-1-1
Gas Leak (PSE&G)	(800) 880-7734
Poison Control Center, State	(800) 764-7661
A
Accident Reports	753-3300
Administrator, City	753-3227
Adult Learning Center (Board of Ed)	731-4270
Advisory Committee - Citizens (CDBG)	753-3391
Affordable Housing - Faith, Bricks & Mortar	756-5774
Affordable Housing - Habitat for Humanity	769-5292
Ambulance (Plainfield Rescue Squad)	9-1-1
Animal Control Officer	753-3092
Assessor, Property Taxes	753-3203
Assessor, Tax	753-3203
Attorney, City	226-4901
B
Bingo Licenses	753-3222
Birth Certificates	753-3094
Block Party Permits	753-3222
Board of Adjustment, Zoning	753-3391
Board of Education, Plainfield	731-4200
Board of Health	753-3094
Bodega Owners Assoc	753-7155
Brush, Bundled - Collection (DPW)	753-3427
Budget Information	753-3201
Building Inspector	753-3386
Building Permits	753-3386
Bulk Pickup Permits (PMUA)	226-2518
Bundled Brush Collection (DPW)	753-3427
Bus and Train Info - NJT (6 am to Midnight)	(800) 772-2222
Business Groups - Bodega Owners Assoc	753-7155
Business Groups - Korean Merchants Assoc	756-3760
Business Groups - MOP-UP (Downtown Merchants)	754-8244
Business Groups - Plainfield Chamber of Commerce	753-2296
Business Groups - Plainwood Square Merchants Assoc	755-5994
C
CDBG	753-3391
Cedarbrook Park (Union County)	757-2772
Certificates - Birth	753-3094
Certificates - Death	753-3094
Certificates - Food Handler's	753-3092
Certificates - Smoke Alarm	753-3446
Certificates - Wedding	753-3094
Certificates of Compliance	753-3386
Chamber of Commerce, Plainfield	753-2296
Charter School - Queen City Academy	753-4700
Chief, Police	753-3039
Citizens Advisory Committee (CDBG)	753-3391
City Clerk	753-3222
City Council	753-3222
City Engineer	753-3391
City Maps	753-3222
City Streets - Maintenance	753-3427
Clerk, City	753-3222
Clerk, Municipal	753-3222
Clinic - Immunization	753-3092
Code Enforcement	753-3386
Collection - Bundled Brush, Collection (DPW)	753-3427
Collection - Leaf, Curbside (DPW)	753-3427
Collector, Property Taxes	753-3215
Commission - Shade Tree	753-3375
Community Development	753-3233
Community Development Block Grants	753-3391
Complaints - Property Maintenance	753-3386
Compliance, Certificates of	753-3386
Construction Official	753-3386
Construction Permits	753-3386
Consumer Affairs Office (Union County)	654-9840
Corporation Counsel	226-4901
Council, City	753-3222
County Roads - Maintenance	789-3657
Court, Municipal	753-3064
Crime Prevention Bureau	753-3038
Curbside Bundled Brush Collection (DPW)	753-3427
Curbside Leaf Collection (DPW)	753-3427
Curbside Trash and Recycling (PMUA)	226-2518
D
Death Certificates	753-3094
Detective Bureau	753-3047
Director - Administration and Finance	753-3201
Director - Economic Development	753-3602
Director - Public Affairs and Safety	753-3225
Director - Public Works and Urban Development	753-3375
Disabled Veterans, Tax Exemptions for (Assessor)	753-3203
Dog Licenses	753-3092
Drake House Museum	755-5831
Dudley House - Municipal Alliance	753-3395
Dumping - Illegal (Union County Hotline)	388-3222
E
Education, Plainfield Board of	731-4200
El Centro Hispanoamericano	753-8730
Election Information - Plainfield	753-3222
Elections, Union County Board of	527-4121
Electric Service (PSE&G)	(800) 436-7734
Electrical Permits	753-3386
Elevator Permits and Inspection	753-3386
Engineer, City	753-3391
F
Faith, Bricks & Mortar - Affordable Housing	756-5774
Finance and Administration	753-3201
Fines - Motor Vehicle (Municipal Court)	753-3064
Fines - Parking (Municipal Court)	753-3064
Fines - Speeding (Municipal Court)	753-3064
Fines, Payment of	753-3064
Fire Division - Business	753-3484
Fire Division - Emergency	9-1-1
Fire Inspector	753-3446
Fire Prevention Bureau	753-3446
First Aid Squad (Plainfield Rescue Squad) - Business	755-0003
Flood Insurance	753-3386
Food Handler's Certification (Health)	753-3092
Food Stamps	791-7000
Freeholders, Union County Board of Chosen	527-4100
G
Garbage and Trash Collection (PMUA)	226-2518
Gardening - Rutgers Hotline (M-W-F, 9 to 3)	654-9852
Gas Leak (PSE&G)	(800) 880-7734
Gas Service (PSE&G)	(800) 436-7734
H
Habitat for Humanity - Affordable Housing	769-5292
Health Board	753-3094
Health Officer	753-3092
Highway Maintenance (see Road Maintenance)
Historic Preservation Commission	753-3391
Historical Society of Plainfield	755-5831
Homeless - Interfaith Council	753-4001
Homeless Hotline	756-6060
Hospital - Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center	668-2000
Hotline - Homeless	756-6060
Hotline - Mayor's	753-3521
Housing - Faith, Bricks & Mortar	756-5774
Housing - Habitat for Humanity	769-5292
Housing - Senior (Plainfield Housing Authority)	769-6335
Housing Authority of Plainfield	769-6335
Housing Inspector	753-3386
Housing, Low-Income (Plainfield Housing Authority)	769-6335
Housing, Public (Plainfield Housing Authority)	769-6335
Housing, Section 8 (Plainfield Housing Authority)	769-6335
I
Identification - Passport, US & County Photo ID	654-9859
Illegal Dumping (Union County Hotline)	388-3222
Immigration Assistance (El Centro)	753-8730
Immunization Clinic	753-3092
Income Tax Information, Federal (9 to 4)	(800) 829-1040
Income Tax Information, State	(800) 323-4400
Information - Budget	753-3201
Information - Bus, NJT (6 am to Midnight)	(800) 772-2222
Information - Elections, Plainfield	753-3222
Information - Passport, US & County Photo ID	654-9859
Information - Public	226-4905
Information - Train, NJT (6 am to Midnight)	(800) 772-2222
Information Officer, Public	226-4905
Inspections - Smoke Alarm	753-3446
Inspector - Building	753-3386
Inspector - Construction	753-3386
Inspector - Electrical	753-3386
Inspector - Elevator	753-3386
Inspector - Housing	753-3386
Inspector - Plumbing	753-3386
Interfaith Council on the Homeless	753-4001
J
Judge, Municipal	753-3064
Juvenile Bureau	753-3024
K
Korean Merchants Assoc	756-3760
L
Latin American Coalition	753-7155
Leaf Collection, Curbside (DPW)	753-3427
Library, Plainfield Public	757-1111
Licenses - Bingo	753-3222
Licenses - Dog	753-3092
Licenses - Liquor	753-3222
Licenses - Livery and Taxi	753-3222
Licenses - Marriage	753-3094
Licenses - Peddler	753-3222
Licenses - Raffle	753-3222
Licenses - Taxi and Livery	753-3222
Licenses - Wedding	753-3094
Licenses (Also see Permits)
Liquor Licenses	753-3222
Literacy - LVA-Plainfield	755-7998
Livery and Taxi Licenses	753-3222
Low-Income Housing (Plainfield Housing Authority)	769-6335
M
Maps - City	753-3222
Maps - Wards	753-3222
Maps - Zoning	753-3391
Marriage Licenses	753-3094
Mayor	753-3310
Media Relations	226-4905
Meters, Parking - Broken	753-3200
MOP-UP (Downtown Merchants Group)	754-8244
Motor Vehicle Commission (State)	(609) 292-6500
Motor Vehicle Fines (Municipal Court)	753-3064
Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center	668-2000
Municipal Alliance - Dudley House	753-3395
Municipal Clerk	753-3222
Municipal Court	753-3064
Municipal Judge	753-3064
Municipal Utilities Authority	226-2518
Museum - Drake House	755-5831
N
NJ Dept. of Transportation (State Highway issues)	(973) 648-2550
NJT - Bus and Train Info (6 am to Midnight)	(800) 772-2222
NJT - Customer Service (8 to 5, M-F)	(800) 772-3606
O
Outlets, Storm - Reporting Conditions	753-3427
P
Parade Permits	753-3222
Park, Cedarbrook (Union County)	757-2772
Parking Meters, Broken	753-3427
Parking Permits - Public Lots	753-3200
Parking Tickets (Violations Bureau)	753-3064
Parking Violations (Municipal Court)	753-3064
PARSA (Plainfield Area Regional Sewerage Authority)	(732) 968-2471
Passport Information, US and County Photo ID	654-9859
Peddler Licenses	753-3222
Permits - (Also see Licenses)
Permits - Banners	753-3222
Permits - Block Party	753-3222
Permits - Building	753-3386
Permits - Bulk Pickup (PMUA)	226-2518
Permits - Construction	753-3386
Permits - Electrical	753-3386
Permits - Elevator	753-3386
Permits - Parade	753-3222
Permits - Parking, Public Lots	753-3200
Permits - Plumbing	753-3386
Permits - Public Events	753-3222
Personnel Division	753-3401
Photo ID, US & County	654-9859
Pickup - Bulk, Permits (PMUA)	226-2518
Pickup - Bundled Brush	753-3427
Pickup - Leaves	753-3427
Plainfield Action Services	753-3519
Plainfield Area Regional Sewerage Authority	(732) 968-2471
Plainfield Board of Education	731-4200
Plainfield Chamber of Commerce	753-2296
Plainfield Health Center	753-6401
Plainfield High School	731-4390
Plainfield Historical Society	755-5831
Plainfield Housing Authority	769-6335
Plainfield Municipal Court	753-3064
Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority	226-2518
Plainfield Public Library	757-1111
Plainfield Public Schools	731-4200
Plainfield Rescue Squad - Business	755-0003
Plainwood Square Merchants Assoc	755-5994
Planning Board	753-3391
Plumbing Permits	753-3386
PMUA - Main Office	226-2518
PMUA - Transfer Station	753-3139
Police - Business	753-3131
Police - Emergency	9-1-1
Police Chief	753-3039
Post Office - Main and all branches	(800) 275-8777
Potholes (see Road Maintenance)
Press Officer	226-4905
Property Maintenance Complaints	753-3386
Property Taxes - Assessor	753-3203
Property Taxes - Collector	753-3215
Public Housing (Plainfield Housing Authority)	769-6335
Public Information Officer, City	226-4905
Public Information, Union County	527-4744
Public Library, Plainfield	757-1111
Public Relations	226-4905
Public Works - Director	753-3375
Public Works - Garage	753-3427
Purchasing Agent	753-3211
Q
Queen City Academy (Charter School)	753-4700
R
Raffle Licenses	753-3222
Real Estate Tax Collection	753-3215
Recreation Division	753-3097
Recycling and Trash, Curbside (PMUA)	226-2518
Registrar of Vital Statistics	753-3094
Registration, Voter	753-3222
Rescue Squad, Plainfield - Business	755-0003
Road Maintenance - City	753-3427
Road Maintenance - County	789-3657
Road Maintenance - State	(973) 648-2550
S
School Board, Plainfield	731-4200
Schools, Superintendent	731-4350
Section 8 Housing (Plainfield Housing Authority)	769-6335
Senior Citizens Center	753-3506
Senior Citizens Housing (Plainfield Housing Authority)	769-6335
Senior Citizens Tax Deduction (Assessor)	753-3203
Sewer Problems (PMUA)	226-2518
Sewer Utility Charge (Tax Collector)	753-3215
Sewerage - Plainfield Area Sewerage Authority	(732) 968-2471
Shade Tree Commission	753-3375
Signs, Street	753-3427
Smoke Alarm Certificates	753-3446
Snow Removal (see Road Maintenance)
Social Security Administration	(800) 722-1213
Solaris Health Systems - Muhlenberg	668-2000
Speeding Fines (Municipal Court)	753-3064
State Highways - Maintenance	(973) 648-2550
Storm Drains, Reporting Conditions	753-3427
Storm Sewers	753-3427
Street Maintenance (see Road Maintenance)
Street Signs	753-3427
Streets, City - Maintenance	753-3427
Superintendent of Schools	731-4350
T
Tax Appeals (Union County Board of Taxation)	527-4775
Tax Assessor	753-3203
Tax Collector	753-3215
Tax Deduction - Senior Citizens	753-3203
Tax Deduction - Veterans	753-3203
Tax Information - Federal, Income (9 to 4)	(800) 829-1040
Tax Information - State, Income	(800) 323-4400
Tax Searches (Collector)	753-3215
Taxes - Assessor	753-3203
Taxi and Livery Licenses	753-3222
Traffic Fines	753-3064
Train and Bus Info - NJT (6 am to Midnight)	(800) 772-2222
Transfer Station (PMUA)	753-3139
Trash and Recycling, Curbside (PMUA)	226-2518
Trees - City	753-3427
U
Union County College - Cranford	709-7000
Union County College - Elizabeth	965-6000
Union County College - Plainfield	412-3599
Union County Customer Information Center	518-9000
Union County Customer Information Center - TTY	654-9390
US & County Photo ID	654-9859
V
Variances (Zoning Board of Adjustment)	753-3391
Veterans - Benefits (VA)	(800) 827-1000
Veterans - Disabled - Tax Exemptions (Assessor)	753-3203
Veterans - Homeless Program	203-9685
Veterans - Lyons VA Hospital	647-0180
Veterans - Tax Deductions (Assessor)	753-3203
Vital Statistics	753-3094
Voter Registration	753-3222
W
Ward Maps	753-3222
Water (Elizabethtown Water)	(800) 272-1325
Wedding Certificates	753-3094
Wedding Licenses	753-3094
Welfare (Union County)	791-7000
WIC	753-3397
X-Y-Z
Zoning Board of Adjustment	753-3391
Zoning Maps	753-3391
Zoning Officer	753-3386