Verona, Cedar Grove Receive Project Grants

Cedar Grove and Verona are among 16 Essex County municipalities to receive Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), according to an announcement made Tuesday by Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr.

Cedar Grove will receive a grant totaling $62,100 for the construction a barrier-free entrance and restroom for the township engineering building, DiVincenzo said, while Verona will receive a grant totaling $108,738 for reconstruction of both Personette Avenue Section III and Depot Street.

Neither township will receive a non-profit CDBG project grant, DiVincenzo said.

A total of $4.4 million was distributed Tuesday through the CDBG program, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the Essex County Division of Housing and Community Development.

“Programs supported through the CDBG programs are direct investments to provide services that enhance our quality of life and help stabilize our neighborhoods by modernizing our infrastructure,” DiVincenzo said in a release.

“These federal grants enable us to upgrade our sidewalks and roads, enhance handicap access, address mental health needs, support food pantries and stimulate economic development in our downtown commercial areas,” he added.