New awnings could spice up downtown We are (relatively) new residents of Metuchen, approaching our second year living in this great town. When a work-related relocation prompted us to look for a home in central New Jersey, we searched far and wide before finally "finding" Metuchen, which offered just about everything we were looking for in a hometown - a fabulous and varied downtown, convenient access to Manhattan, green space, excellent school choices for the future, and beautiful homes. Having adopted Metuchen as our hometown, we love it whenever we see that new improvements are made. For instance, we love the new green "Welcome to Metuchen" street signs that the Chamber of Commerce has recently added to the number of entrances into town. We have thought of one possible improvement to the downtown that the Chamber of Commerce, or particular store owners, might consider - a few of the storefronts on Main Street could use new, improved awnings for their façades. Most of the shops have colorful and well-maintained awnings, which are inviting to customers and keep Main Street looking attractive to visitors and future residents. A few shops, however, (some of which sell some absolutely great items inside their walls) could really use a new awning. These are relatively small investments, but can substantially improve the view for passers-by. At a time when Metuchen needs to attract new ratables (to avoid budget problems such as the one that left us with the recent police officer shortage) and hopefully, new residents, we hope that the Chamber of Commerce and individual shop owners will take such an easy step to make downtown Metuchen even better. Tommy and Sarah Mullins Metuchen