Community Project Funding Requests
Congressman Andy Kim has submitted funding requests for important community projects in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District to the House Appropriations Committee.
Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative may request funding for up to 15 projects in their community for fiscal year 2023 – although only a handful may actually be funded. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Additional information on the reforms governing Community Project Funding is available here.
In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Congressman Kim has certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects he has requested.
FY 2023
Project Name: Route 539 Overpass
Amount Requested: $7,000,000
Intended Recipient: County of Ocean, 101 Hooper Avenue, Toms River, NJ 08753
Project Description: The funding would be used to construct an overpass on County Route 539. The overpass is needed for the safety of civilian travelers on the roadway and to provide an efficient passage route for heavy military equipment vehicles traveling from the McGuire/Dix side of the base to Lakehurst Naval on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. This is a good use of taxpayer money because it will improve safety conditions on the dangerous road for both civilians and servicemembers, increase mission activity and efficiency for military personnel at the Joint Base, and have beneficial economic impacts on the entire region.
Ocean County Route 539 Overpass Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Burlington County Emergency Communications Project
Amount Requested: $1,200,000
Intended Recipient: Government of Burlington County, 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ 08060
Project Description: The funding would be used to complete an entire overhaul and upgrade to the county-wide 911 emergency communications system. This project will enhance in-building coverage for schools and police stations to achieve nearly total coverage over 820 square miles in the county, with direct benefits to more than 10,000 residents, first responders, and a county-wide impact for all constituents. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars since it remains one of the county’s highest priorities as it ensures the effectiveness of communications between first responders when they are providing emergency response services to constituents.
Burlington County Emergency Communications Project Financial Disclosure
Project Name: OCEAN Inc. EZ Ride Transportation Services for Veterans
Amount Requested: $55,000
Intended Recipient: Ocean Community Economic Action Now, Inc., 40 Washington Street, Toms River, NJ 08754
Project Description: The funding would be used to provide transportation to the VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Brick, NJ for 100 Ocean County veterans through an EZ Ride system. The program offers a solution to the many difficulties elderly and disabled veterans have traveling to and from medical appointments. The Brick CBOC currently serves more than double its capacity and fails to offer adequate parking, putting veterans at risk of injury by parking along a highway or walking long distances to the clinic. In addition, due to age or other medical issues, many veterans needing medical attention no longer drive and find it difficult to get the care they need. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer money because expanding services to older and disabled veterans honors their service and ensures they will be able to access the medical care they need without putting their own health and safety at risk due to inadequate parking and transportation options.
Ocean Community Economic Action Now Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Well 5A PFOS Treatment System Upgrade
Amount Requested: $5,000,000
Intended Recipient: Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority, 433 John F. Kennedy Way, Willingboro, NJ 08046
Project Description: The funding would be used to provide needed upgrades to a Willingboro water treatment plant to remove PFOS/PFAS from the Well 5A raw water. The PFOS concentration of the groundwater pumped from Well 5A exceeds NJDEP requirements and has become a vital public health concern for the community. The existing facility is not permitted to be operated without removing the PFOS contaminant. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars as this is a critical water treatment plant upgrade to ensure safe drinking water.
Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Comprehensive Officer Assistance Program
Amount Requested: $300,000
Intended Recipient: Office of the Ocean County Prosecutor, 119 Hooper Avenue, Toms River, NJ 08753
Project Description: The funding would be used to provide a Comprehensive Officer Assistance Program (COAP) to include peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention, and other practices supporting officer wellness. Additionally, COAP will include substance use disorder training, a retirement transition program, and expanded resiliency training and resources. All of the services would be reinforced with the creation of an in-person and online “Officer Wellness Library” that would serve as a clearinghouse for critical resource information for members of law enforcement. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because ensuring the well-being and on-going education of Ocean County's law enforcement officers translates to not only benefitting the officers and their families but extends to positively impacting the entire Ocean County community who they serve and protect.
Office of Ocean County Prosecutor Comprehensive Officer Assistance Program Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Edgewater Park Township Public Safety Building
Amount Requested: $4,400,000
Intended Recipient: Township of Edgewater Park, 400 Delanco Road, Edgewater Park, NJ 08010
Project Description: The funding would be used to construct a new Edgewater Park Township Public Safety building to house the police department, emergency medical services, municipal court, and municipal court offices. The Edgewater Park Township Police Department is currently located in the basement of the existing municipal building, which is not ADA-compliant and is not up-to-code to current law enforcement standards. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars as it will improve response time and allow for police and courts to better serve the public.
Edgewater Park Township Public Safety Building Financial Disclosure
Project Name: New Vehicles for Ocean County Meals on Wheels
Amount Requested: $270,475
Intended Recipient: Community Services Inc. of Ocean County, located at 179 S. Main Street, Manahawkin, NJ 08050
Project Description: The funding would be used to purchase five new Meals on Wheels vehicles to deliver hot, nutritious meals and provide all-important wellness checks on Ocean County seniors. The demand for home delivered meals and balanced nutrition is an area of concern that only grows with the increased aging population in Ocean County. Current recipients are 63 percent high nutritional risk, 85 percent are frail, and 66 percent live alone. In 2021, Meals on Wheels of Ocean County delivered 240,000 hot, nutritious meals six days a week to more than 1,400 frail and homebound participants. The fleet of vehicles is aging at a rate faster than can be replaced and trucks are breaking down. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it helps meet the health and nutritional needs of a vulnerable population in our community.
Ocean County Meals on Wheels Financial Disclosure
Project Name: American Legion Post 509 Building Repairs
Amount Requested: $20,000
Intended Recipient: American Legion 509 Westampton Memorial Inc., 781 Rancocas Road, Westampton, NJ 08060
Project Description: The funding would be used to repair and paint the exterior of a municipal-owned building housing American Legion Post 509. Repairs also include upgrades to the concrete porch and needed repairs to the interior of the building. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars since it supports a veteran organization that promotes patriotism and provides service to those who have served their country.
American Legion Post 509 Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Kings Highway/Main Street Water Main Replacement
Amount Requested: $2,800,000
Intended Recipient: Moorestown Township, 111 W. Second Street, Moorestown, NJ 08057
Project Description: The funding would be used for the installation of a new water main and ensures any existing service line that provides drinking water to a residential or commercial user containing lead will be replaced. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because this project will benefit the residents of the township who are connected to the public water system by providing a new water main that will reliably convey drinking water, whereas the existing main has had breaks which disrupt the supply.
Moorestown Township Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Burlington County Emergency Shelter
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Intended Recipient: Government of Burlington County, 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ 08060
Project Description: The funding would be used to construct a non-congregate homeless shelter in Burlington County. The intended project will directly benefit county residents who fall below the poverty line and provide a better alternative than emergency housing in unsupervised area motels/hotels. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because erecting a county shelter provides the opportunity to house multiple people in a safe, secure location in a more economical and client-centered approach.
Burlington County Emergency Shelter Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Brick Dialysis Transportation
Amount Requested: $250,000
Intended Recipient: Township of Brick, 401 Chambers Bridge Road, Brick, NJ 08723
Project Description: The funding would be used for the Township of Brick to launch a much-need dialysis transportation service for senior citizens. Since dialysis treatment schedules are multiple times throughout the week and of significant duration, the current system of transportation in the Township and County cannot accommodate rides to the dialysis treatment centers. This leaves many seniors struggling to access life-sustaining medical treatment for their chronic condition. This is a valuable use of taxpayer dollars since it will provide a reliable service to safely transport seniors in our community to and from the medical care they need.
Township of Brick Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Transition to Adulthood Program
Amount Requested: $593,663
Intended Recipient: Lenape Regional High School District, 93 Willow Grove Road, Shamong, NJ 08088
Project Description: The funding would be used to expand Lenape Regional High School District's Transition to Adulthood Program (TAP), an educational option offered to special needs students between the ages of 17-21. The program is designed to teach students independent life skills they will need for success post-graduation, in an authentic, adult setting. The funding would be used to hire additional staff, cover transportation costs for enrolled students, and purchase educational equipment. This project would be a good use of taxpayer funds to support special needs students in learning necessary life skills, exposing them to different career clusters, helping them in the transition to employment, and providing adult agency support.
Lenape Regional High School District Transition to Adulthood Program Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Support for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
Amount Requested: $40,000
Intended Recipient: Court Appointed Special Advocates of Mercer County, 1450 Parkside Ave Ste 22, Ewing, NJ 08638
Project Description: The funding would be used to expand services to youths aging out of the foster care system by recruiting and training community volunteer advocates to work one-on-one with the teens in Burlington County's foster care system. These teens are unlikely to have a permanent home by the time they are no longer age-eligible for supports and are at higher risk for substance abuse, incarceration, homelessness, and teen pregnancy. This is a valuable use of taxpayer dollars since it will ensure that vulnerable teens in the foster care system are supported, have someone advocating for them in court and in the community, and are provided resources to help them succeed in life.
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Mercer County Financial Disclosure
Project Name: CASA of Ocean County Volunteer Training & Supervision
Amount Requested: $175,000
Intended Recipient: Court Appointed Special Advocates of Ocean County, 1035 Hooper Avenue Ste 3, Toms River, NJ 08753
Project Description: The funding would be used to increase the number of volunteer advocates to the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, which assigns volunteers to advocate for foster children in court and the community. The funding would enable CASA of Ocean County to add approximately 80 new volunteer advocates and subsequently help a minimum of 120 additional foster children over the next year. Data shows that foster children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to stay in school and graduate and less likely to return to foster care. This is a valuable use of taxpayer dollars since it allows CASA to provide vital assistance to our overburdened child welfare system.
CASA of Ocean County Volunteer Financial Disclosure
Project Name: Virtua’s Southern New Jersey Pediatric Behavioral Health Expansion Initiative
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient: Virtua Health, 303 Lippincott Drive, Marlton, NJ 08053
Project Description: The funding would be used to construct a new Burlington County facility for the Virtua Children Achieving Success through Therapeutic Life Experiences (CASTLE) program. The program offers comprehensive mental health services geared towards helping children who have emotional, behavioral, or psychiatric disorders. Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in children and adolescents in need of behavioral health care. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because expanding the CASTLE Program will allow Virtua to serve an unmet need in the Burlington County region for children and adolescent services and creates additional full-time jobs in the region.
Virtua Heath Financial Disclosure
FY 2022
Subcommittee: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Project Name: Hope One Burlington County Expansion
Amount Requested: $300,000
Intended Recipient: County of Burlington, 49 Ranocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ 08060
Project Description: The funding would be used to expand the county’s successful Hope One initiative, a partnership between the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department, Human Services Department, and Health Department that operates a mobile access unit that offers critical support for individuals and their families struggling with addiction and related issues. The main goal is to prevent drug overdoses and deaths by providing links to treatment and recovery support services. Hope One operates one day each week, selecting locations most in need of services. Burlington County is requesting federal funding to expand operation of the Hope One mobile unit for additional days each week to visit more locations across the county. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it addresses the human and economic impacts of substance use disorder (SUD) in our community.
Burlington Hope One Financial Disclosure
Subcommittee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Project Name: On POINT Program Expansion
Amount Requested: $32,000
Intended Recipient: Stafford Township Police Department, 260 East Bay Avenue, Manahawkin, NJ 08050
Project Description: The funding would be used to expand the Stafford Township Police Department’s successful On POINT (Proactive Outreach In Needs and Treatment) program to include Barnegat Township. The On POINT program is a partnership between Ocean Mental Health Services (OceanMHS), a non-profit behavioral health center, and participating Ocean County police departments. OceanMHS provides on-site social workers at participating police departments, and police departments send referrals to On POINT for community residents they identify as high-risk, frequent utilizers of emergency services, or in need of a social work intervention. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it connects residents to services to address the underlying causes of crises, reduces police time spent on high utilizers of police resources, and improves police-community relations.
Stafford Township Police Department On POINT Program Expansion Financial Disclosure