Mercer County's Homeless In 2016 Had Home In 2017, Executive Says

Every chronically homeless person identified in Mercer County in 2016 “had a place to call home by 2017,” Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes announced during his annual State of the County address on Jan. 23. That is the result of the county’s partnership with the Board of Social Services, the Mercer Alliance and others, Hughes said during a Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting at the McDade Administration Building.

“We aim to keep that track record, and I look forward to the day when anyone who needs shelter has a home,” Hughes said.

His speech covered a range of topics, from proposed projects at the county college and Trenton-Mercer Airport, to land stewardship.

He praised Mercer County Community College and its President, Dr. Jianping Wang, for “helping build the foundation for the high-tech economy of the future” by partnering with businesses to provide new career opportunities, and for continuing to invest in downtown Trenton.

The college is planning for the establishment of an Arts, Culture and Education District surrounding its Trenton campus that in addition to an art gallery and fashion design studio, will include a Health and Wellness Education Center, a new fashion warehouse, and the renovation and reopening of the North Broad Street Theatre, Hughes said.

At the West Windsor campus, he said, the college plans to break ground this year on a Fine Arts building addition that will serve as home for the college’s new University Center, where five partner universities will offer bachelor degree programs.

“These innovative projects will build on a foundation of education for jobs and workforce development to advance earning, promote investment and move the Mercer County economy forward,” he said.

Hughes said the county for several years has been “charting a path toward an improved Trenton-Mercer Airport terminal,” and that it plans to “advance the process” upon completion of an airport Master Plan update that’s in its final stages. In the meantime, he said, commercial flights at the airport continue to be very popular, with passenger traffic in November 2017 up 36 percent over the previous year.

Land stewardship, which Hughes called a “communitywide endeavor,” has taken on greater importance in recent years, he said, noting that his administration has been involved in preserving more than 5,400 acres along with improving and maintaining 10,000 acres of county parklands.

To help the county manage that land, the position of land steward was recently created through the Park Commission, a position funded by the County Open Space Trust Fund and supported by Mercer County residents, Hughes said.

“Moving forward, we are developing management plans to care for our habitats, such as combating the Emerald Ash Borer, restoring grasslands at Mercer Meadows and managing destructive deer overpopulation,” he said, adding that citizen and community group participation is welcome.

The County Executive also pointed to current and future projects that will be important sources of trade jobs, including renovations to the Mercer County Courthouse Annex, the potential renovation of the old courthouse, and close to a dozen bridge construction projects planned for the next two years.

Hughes paid homage to longtime County Counsel Arthur Sypek Jr., who is retiring, and said the retirements of other longtime directors may be on the horizon.

“This administration is dynamic and changeable,” he said. “But no matter the changes, Mercer County can expect top-notch service by hard-working, dignified employees.”

The attached image was provided: Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes delivers the 2018 State of the County address on Jan. 23.