Thread: Mayor believes muster zone is solution for day laborers

http://tritown.gmnews.com/news/2006/042 ... e/073.html

Mayor believes muster zone is solution for day laborers
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer


LAKEWOOD - The Township Committee has approved the creation of a muster zone that its members believe will enable the community's day laborers to congregate and solicit employment in a single location.

The cost to construct the facility is expected to be about $37,500. The committee approved the project at its April 6 meeting.

The 2-acre "employment services area," as the zone is referred to in municipal documents, will be in the Lakewood Industrial Park on Swarthmore Avenue.

"I think this shows a town that works to treat people decently," Mayor Meir Lichtenstein said.

According to the mayor, the area will provide an awning-covered shelter, rest rooms and a place where food service trucks can park.

Funding for the project will come from Urban Enterprise Zone loans.

Officials said that ideally, the creation of a muster zone will allow people who are day laborers to gather at a single location outside of the downtown area as they seek work with employers on a daily basis.

The presence of the day laborers in the downtown area has been a source of concern for merchants and public officials over the past few years.

Merchants indicated that the presence of large groups of men on the street in front of their businesses was intimidating to some customers.

Public officials expressed concern about the day laborers running into the streets to negotiate with potential employers as those employers drive through town looking for employees.

"We wanted to figure out a way for people to be treated with respect and to prevent our downtown from suffering," Lichtenstein said. "I'm hoping to make our merchants happier."

The mayor said the new muster zone should open in about two months.

Still undetermined, however, is the question of who will run the facility. Lichtenstein said the township will most likely retain an outside agency or group to handle that task. Discussions with a few interested parties are ongoing.

As far as the site is concerned, the mayor believes the location is an accessible one for day laborers.

"We looked for feasible locations," he said. "We tried private and [public] locations, but after being turned down by private owners and looking at the township properties, we came to this conclusion."

The mayor said individuals wishing to travel to the employment area will have several choices, including the Job Link buses that run between downtown and the industrial park. The day laborers may also walk or ride a bike to the new employment area, he said.

Frank Argote-Freyre, the Monmouth County chairman of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, New Brunswick, voiced his approval of the concept and applauded Lichtenstein's attention to the issue which has come up in other New Jersey communities.

"We were impressed with Mayor Lichtenstein, his understanding and desire to work with the community," Argote-Freyre said. "We have a sense of optimism."

Argote-Freyre did note, however, that the employment area seems "a little far from the downtown."

Still, he said that as long as the Job Link buses prove effective and assuming the day laborers are responsive, the plan has his full support.

"We appreciate the mayor and Township Committee's willingness to work. We recognize their sincere effort," Argote-Freyre said, adding that the Latino Leadership Alliance will monitor the progress of the muster zone.

Oh great pay for a facility to keep them out of the rain while they wait around for illegal jobs. Fire that guy for being a traitor and how dare he spend taxpayer dollars on that.

PLEASE!!!!!!!! Enough already in extending a helping hand to criminals. They've blown enough of my tax dollars on BS. Let the local pro-immigrant groups build it out of their own pocket. Let the churches donate their time and money if it's so vital. But not tax dollars.