“TRENTON MAKES, THE WORLD TAKES” – 

Did you know that John A. Roebling’s Sons Company of Trenton NJ is the inspiration for the Jersey- famous saying on a bridge about Trenton’s days as a powerhouse? Roebling, who also designed the Brooklyn Bridge, is a famous name from Trenton’s past. The decaying steel- and wireworks manufacturing site bearing his name (see pic) has become synonymous with Trenton’s woe.

When I interviewed Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora last year, he said this: “Trenton has a lot of abandoned properties, particularly there are four Roebling buildings, football field-sized! We have industrial areas that have vacant properties, warehousing that’s ready to use.”

I was skeptical because even though I like Reed a lot, we’ve all heard Mayors trying too sell their town’s promise and potential. I wanted to believe it and I told him so. I not-even-jokingly suggested growing medical cannabis at the Roebling site and maybe creating some green space in our mostly concrete-clad capital city.

The cannabis idea is still a ways away, but part of the Roebling site is coming back to life.

Mayor Gusciora announced today at a press conference that a company called Princetel plans to transfer  their White Plains, NY facility into Roebling Block II, part of the massive, mostly-languishing Roebling site. This development would include green space and jobs, 400 new jobs in Trenton over the next decade the Mayor said.

“This is a great opportunity for Trenton residents to have access to high-paying jobs,” said Gusciora. “Princetel projects to grow to about 400 jobs in Trenton over the next 10 years, the vast majority of which only require a high school diploma. Beyond that, this is the start of something great for the Roebling complex. Developing the property will encourage other companies to invest in Trenton, and the historic complex, and provide more opportunities for our residents to succeed.”

According to their statement, Princetel is a fiberoptic rotary joint manufacturer, with a commitment “to preserving the historic aspect of the Roebling building, (see pic) and build a LEED certified, energy-efficient facility.” They’ll purchase the site for $85,000 and will  invest $4,000,000 into the historic building.

Clifford Zink literally wrote the book on Roebling and the part this company played in Trenton’s mighty industrial past. He noted the knock-on effect. Those 400 jobs over the next decade would create more jobs.

“As I chronicled in The Roebling Legacy, the Roeblings made precision products on this site for well over a century,” Mr Zink told InsiderNJ “Princetel will be following in that tradition by bringing high tech production back to Trenton with its fiber optic components. Princetel’s rehabilitation of Building 62 will jump start the long-awaited redevelopment of Roebling Block 2 and its superb historic mills, and it will stimulate additional rehabilitation on Roebling Blocks 1 & 3.”

There are a lot of towns in NJ that would love some real good news on April Food’s Day and everyday. If there’s something this cool happening in your town, email me lassiter.jay@gmail.com and let me know!