Building the Future
Knowing how valuable and essential the arts are for our community to thrive, we created the Middlesex County Arts and Culture Trust Fund back in 2015 with the goal of developing new cultural and arts
ENRICH
facilities, as well as restoring, improving, and maintaining the facilities already treasured by Middlesex County. Since then, we’ve made strategic investments in the Carteret and Avenel Performing Arts Centers, the State Theatre New Jersey, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC), and others. At the NBPAC, the County was a key partner in the development of the $172 million initiative, granting $6 million to the project. The center is transforming New Brunswick’s downtown cultural arts district through its performances at the building’s two theaters and rehearsal spaces which house the George Street Playhouse, Crossroads Theatre Company, Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts, and American Repertory Ballet. And next door, we invested $12 million in the recent renovations of the 100-year- old State Theatre New Jersey, a County facility. Showcasing world-class artists from around the world and attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, it is a significant economic driver for us. To tie all these entities together through collaboration, we created the Arts Institute in 2020 to ensure all residents in Middlesex County have the access and opportunity to participate in the arts, culture/folklife, and history experiences that enrich their lives.
Students from the Middlesex County Magnet Schools will soon have hands-on opportunities to learn at the Morris Cancer Center
We envision a future that grants better access to state-of-the-art innovative spaces and cutting-edge healthcare treatment for those within and around Middlesex County. To fulfill this vision, we have
THRIVE
State Theatre New Jersey reopening ribbon cutting, 2021
made key investments in projects ― like those already transforming the skyline of New Brunswick ― that contribute to our residents’ overall quality of life. These investments are the result of partnerships we’ve developed with key stakeholders such as RWJBarnabas Health and Hackensack Meridian Health , as well as others around the County. The County is a core partner of the HELIX, and through the Improvement Authority (MCIA) , we plan to use our AAA bond rating to provide the financing mechanism for nearly $500 million in project funds for this facility. The HELIX will be a dynamic environment representing an investment in the future of innovation and entrepreneurship in New Jersey and will serve as the future command center for DataCity, our living laboratory for autonomous technology. With a $25 million investment in the Morris Cancer Center, we and our partners are creating an elite facility that will transform cancer care through a combination of research, education, and patient care. In addition to providing world-class cancer treatment for families right here in Middlesex County, the Center will provide opportunities for students at Middlesex College and the Middlesex County Magnet Schools through robust courses and hands- on internships. This pathway for oncology education will afford Middlesex County students exclusive access to educational curricula and content from a premier oncology center. After working closely with RWJBarnabas Health for years, we continue to cultivate a partnership with the healthcare giant through the hospital system’s management of the Roosevelt Care Centers in Edison and Old Bridge. This partnership is a perfect example of how the County, by partnering with best-in-class experts, can provide the best for our residents.
For over 100 years, Middlesex County has been providing an award-winning education to students in a variety of education tracks, making us an
The CIO Strategic Investment Plan is an unprecedented opportunity to cement Middlesex College’s place as one of the best two-year colleges in America by not only expanding the educational offerings of both the College and the Magnet School System, but by turning the campus and surrounding area into a multi-faceted destination for the Middlesex County community and the entire region. The CIO Strategic Investment Plan will drastically transform the outdoor activities available to families and individuals in Middlesex County and across the state. From cultural to recreational opportunities, from athletic to scholastic, this plan will improve the lives of so many in our community. Since its founding in 1964, Middlesex College has made it possible for so many residents to achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals. The CIO Strategic Investment Plan furthers that commitment and brings that opportunity to a new generation of learners.
GROW
academic destination for families throughout the region. In 2021, both Middlesex College and the Middlesex County Magnet Schools underwent a transformative brand and visual reimagining to better align these schools with the County’s own distinctive brand strategy and the region’s economic growth plans. These new identities ― including a redesign of the logos and mascots, and development of new names ― reinforced the message that Middlesex County schools are worthy first choices for parents and prospective students. Last autumn, we took this transformation a step further with the announcement of the Community, Innovation, and Opportunity (CIO) Strategic Investment Plan which will transform the Middlesex College campus.
Renderings of the Middlesex College campus from the CIO Strategic Investment Plan
2021
2022
MAY
AUGUST
JUNE
OCTOBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER
NOVEMBER
Carteret Performing Arts Center opens.
CIO Strategic Investment Plan announced.
Tamarack East Golf Course reopening.
New Brunswick Train Station renovations announcement.
HELIX groundbreaking.
State Theatre New Jersey reopens.
Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center groundbreaking.
Carteret Performing Arts Center groundbreaking.
$25 million committed to Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center.
middlesexcountynj.gov 9
8 Your Middlesex | 2023 Issue 1
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