by Gabe Donio

I’ll give you a hint: it isn’t by accident.
For a town to become successful, it has to want to be successful. It has to act like a success, and replace a negative attitude with a positive one.
Hammonton has done that during the last few years, and the results are so staggering, they are even allowing the community to buck the national trend of economic slowdown.
The new town hall has become a three-story metaphor for this new positive attitude. It is a symbol of prosperity and strength, a modern facility that has an architectural connection to the past.
Our new town hall says “we can” when others used to say “we can’t.”
When the building was built, it sent a clear message: the town is on the way up, and anyone who buys in can come along for the ride.
People bought in — they showed faith in our town when they purchased or renovated houses and commercial buildings. A domino effect began, with each new or renovated home or building leading to more new construction or more renovations.
We are in the midst of the revitalization, renovation, reconstruction and transformation of our town.
No longer content to sit on the sidelines, Hammontonians are in the game — and they are making plays. New residents have joined in, bringing with them new talents, new dreams and new goals.
Like many of you, I like to drive by new construction or renovations. There is always a hopeful feeling attached with watching the physical changes associated with the realization of a dream.
When I see a new building coming up out of the ground, or an older building renovated into something new, it makes me proud to call the town home. Each time a person, business or government entity puts hundreds of thousands — in some cases millions — of dollars into our town, I see it as a vote of confidence in the future of Hammonton.
During the last decade, we have seen new schools built and old schools renovated. We have seen a downtown renewed, building by building, by private business owners who had the time, talent and ability to turn around an area many had left for dead.
On the White Horse Pike, an old Taco Bell became a Starbucks. An old Jamesway became a ShopRite. The Augusta Professional Center, Applebee’s, Commerce Bank and Wendy’s appeared. The old building that housed, in other times, a Grant’s and Flyer’s Gymnastics was transformed into an attractive shopping center. Other buildings have seen major renovation projects — and the building continues.
Look at the Al & Rich’s Texaco rendering on the front page. That’s what a 21st Century Hammonton car wash, gas station and lube shop looks like.
It’s OK to be excited. These are exciting times. It’s been said here before: Hammonton is prouder, stronger and better than it ever has been.
The difference is, now everyone can see the evidence.
There is a term for what is happening with a lot of these renovations. It’s called “adaptive re-use.” What it means is that the existing building — like that Taco Bell — is transformed into a cleaners, and then a Starbucks. Instead of building new “big box” stores, or suburban sprawl, older buildings from the White Horse Pike to the downtown area are being transformed by “adaptive re-use” into buildings that the public embraces.
What’s important to note about all this is that in addition to making the town look better, it also adds to the financial stability of the community by broadening the tax base without creating an increased demand on services or greater impact on the environment.
How?
It’s common sense. If you’re re-using the older buildings, you’re not building new ones. The tax base still increases, because a renovated building pays more in taxes than a vacant or run-down one — but without eating up more open space.
Has Hammonton built a better mousetrap, as they used to say? Have we found the secret to the balance between maintaining a place’s unique character while continuing to grow?
Uh, yes. It appears we have.
As a result, our town continues to see economic success in direct opposition to the rest of the country. Construction is continuing, confidence remains high and our local business community can continue to be assured that any investment in Hammonton is a sound one.
Gabe Donio is The Gazette’s publisher.