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JANUARY 2022 FREE
Princeton expands into WW
Plainsboro sewer plant gets upgrades
University and government officials celebrate groundbreaking of massive project
$56M investment announced for Princeton Meadows wastewater facility
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Suez North America has announced that it will make substantial upgrades to its Princeton Meadows treatment plant that will bring greater resiliency and reliable service to customers. Construction at the at the facility, located at 31 Maple Ave., started in October. “The Princeton Meadows wastewater facility was constructed in 1971, upgraded in 1978 and again in 2003,” said Jim Mastrokalos, director of operations. “This next mandatory enhancement will result in a more sustainable plant by rehabilitating and modernizing aging infrastructure and equipment that has reached the end of its service life,” he said. The project upgrades are necessary to meet the future New Jersey Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit limitations, which become effective in January 2025 and sustain increased plant flow projections from 1.64 million gallons to 1.70 million gallons per day. See AROUND TOWN, Page 3
West Windsor resident Kevin Chapman with his award-winning book “Lethal Voyage.”
West Windsor author wins Kindle Book Award Kevin Chapman has written five books since 2018 By ReBeKAh SchrOeDer
Kevin G. Chapman scrolled through the Kindle Book Awards page, looking to see if the cover of his book, Lethal Voyage, would appear as the winner of the mystery/ thriller category. He checked the results with bated breath
and was met with the familiar image of a bloody knife, the drops cascading over the title text. He had taken first place. Announced as one of eight winners in the Kindle Book Review’s 10th annual contest on Nov. 1, the third novel in the attorney and author’s crime series continues the story of New York City Homicide detective Mike Stoneman. Accompanied by his partner, Jason Dickson, the two characters tackle everything
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from cruise line murders to serial killers. “I’ve always been a closet author,” Chapman says. “COVID has been good for writers. You have nothing else to do, so you spend a lot of time working on your book.” Lethal Voyage is exclusively available on Amazon.com for Kindle, in paperback and in hardcover. The Mike Stoneman series started in 2018 with Righteous Assassin, succeeded by Deadly See CHAPMAN, Page 4
Princeton University marked the start of construction on its new campus in West Windsor with a groundbreaking ceremony. Local officials joined members of the Princeton University community at the event, which took place on Dec. 7. The project, which was approved by the West Windsor Planning Board in 2020, will be located on a 107-acre tract of land owned by the university, and will be the first major development on the university’s property in West Windsor. “The West Windsor Lake Campus will be a lively community with space to support academic partnerships, graduate student housing, varsity athletics, recreational uses, and parking,” says the Princeton University facilities website. “The Lake Campus will provide a place that is experienced as a natural, yet distinctive extension of the existing campus.” Princeton owns a significant amount of land in West Windsor and Plainsboro, including 400 acres bounded See LEADERS, Page 6
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AroUND toWN AROUND TOWN cont. from Page 1 “We are grateful for the township’s support for this important project. The upgrades will enable us to meet the new, required wastewater treatment standards for the community and its residents,” Mastrokalos said. During the reconstruction of the new facilities, the existing plant will stay in service, maintain operations and will conform to the NJPDES permit limits until the commissioning of the new wastewater treatment facility. Mastrokalos added that proposed architecture includes brick buildings with standing seam mansard roofs with neutral earth-tone colors to mitigate visual impacts of the improvements along with sight lighting that will soften effects to the neighboring residential areas. The wastewater site is located in the southwesternportion of Plainsboro Township and is adjacent to the Cranbury Brook and Amtrak Northeast Corridor Line. The new plant is expected to be in service in December 2024, with final completion of construction expected in mid-2025. Suez North America operates across all 50 states and Canada with 3,000 employees dedicated to environmental sustainability and smart and sustainable resource management. The company provides drinking
water, wastewater and waste collection service to 6.7 million people on a daily basis. It treats 560 million gallons of water and over 440 million gallons of wastewater each day.
Cirkus moves on from Trenton Farmers Market West Windsor resident Chris Cirkus, who took over leadership of the historic Trenton Farmers Market in early 2019, will continue to surround herself with fruits and vegetables but through food distribution in her new role as Regional Foods Specialist for Zone 7, a farm fresh distribution service, based in Ringoes. Cirkus will focus efforts on Central Jersey and Philadelphia customers. “My work around farmers markets for the past 12 years has led me to switch gears to connecting restaurants, schools and small businesses to high quality farm products and local foods.” “I have greatly enjoyed revitalizing the Trenton Farmers Market”, Cirkus said. “I’m extremely proud of the challenge and seeing the results. My vision for the Market absolutely worked. Every square inch of the market is vibrant and full; the market’s revenue is up significantly over former management without any ; the market has its own branding and consistent advertising; the building and
We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The News is for local people, by local people. As such, our staff sets out to make our towns a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood. As part of the community, the West Windsor and Plainsboro News does more than just report the news—it connects businesses with their customers, organizations with their members and neighbors with one another. SENIOR COMMUNITY EDITOR Bill Sanservino (Ext. 104) CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rich Fisher, Rebekah Schroeder CONTRIBUTING COUMNIST Paul Ligetti AD LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION Stephanie Jeronis
West Windsor resident Chris Circus, is moving on from her position as manager of the Trenton Farmers Market. She will continue to manage the West Windsor Community Farmers Market. grounds are being maintained, and the entire community feels welcome.” New tenants under Cirkus’s management include: Kafe Kreyol, Kafe Ojala, Out of Step Offbeat Boutique & General Store, Mr. G’s Country Store, Rose Boutique LLC, Tea-For-All Tea Shoppe, and Terra Momo Bread Co. along with mushroom/poultry farm Zell’s Farm based in Hillsborough. Cirkus has also built relationships with countless artists, jewelers, craft-
ers, and local businesses who have populated the weekend rental tables and stalls. She said: “The most gratifying part of this work has been to meet and hear from customers who had stopped shopping at the Market many years ago, who have now returned over and over again because of the positive environment.” According to a press release, “Many market visitors wouldn’t even know who Cirkus is since she keeps pretty much behind the scenes; it isn’t about the recognition, it’s simply about connecting the farmers, merchants and vendors with their customers in a grand old year-round space.” A replacement hasn’t been named, and Cirkus said she hopes the new manager will possess specific skills to take her vision and run with it. “It’s a huge job to be a property manager, office manager, market mom, bookkeeper, marketer, and cheerleader, with the ability to quickly pivot, but I’m confident that there’s someone out there who is up to job, just like I was,” she said. Cirkus will continue to manage the West Windsor Community Farmers Market, now beginning its 19th year (Saturdays). She said she lives in the neighborhood and values the relationships built around community and the local food economy.
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Do you want to be part of the largest consultation in history? The Catholic church throughout the world is holding an unprecedented conversation about its future. Pope Francis believes that only the entire people of God walking together can answer the question: What is the Holy Spirit saying to the church today? It doesn’t matter whether you are an active Catholic, or someone who feels you have left the church behind. We want you to be part of this conversation. In early 2022 our parish will hold a series of small‐group meetings — some in person, others on Zoom. You would be asked to prepare by thinking and praying about some questions: What are your hopes and dreams for what the church could become? What stands in the way of the church becoming what it needs to be? If you would have an interest in taking part in one of these conversations, or you want to hear more, please write us at synod@stdavidtheking.com.
The Catholic Community of St. David the King 1 New Village Road | Princeton Junction NJ 08550 | 609.275.7111 www.stdavidtheking.com
4The News | January 2022
CHAPMAN continued from Page 1 Enterprise (2019), Lethal Voyage (2020), and Fatal Infraction (2021). Perilous Gambit, the fifth book in the series, was officially released on Nov. 24. Chapman and his wife, Sharon, moved to West Windsor from Manhattan in 1995. They have three children—all of whom are graduates of WW-P High School North. When not writing crime fiction, he works as an attorney specializing in labor and employment law for a major media company. Lethal Voyage takes place after a shoot-out in the previous novel, landing the duo “in a little bit of hot water,” as Chapman describes. “They’ve just engaged in an unauthorized operation that resulted in some pretty negative publicity, and so the concept of the next book was [that] the police commissioners tell them they need to make themselves scarce for a while, because the New York press keeps asking questions, and they want them to be unavailable for interviews,” he says. “So, the idea was, we’re gonna put them on a cruise ship and have them take a little quickie vacation.” The duo embark on a cruise to Bermuda as a means of escaping the media attention, and the chosen location is heavily inspired by Chapman’s personal travels—they even go to some of his favorite places on the island. “My wife and I are huge cruisers,” Chapman says. “My wife and I’ve been to Bermuda 18 or 19 times, several times on cruises, and we love that cruise from New York to Bermuda and back, and we’re very familiar with that,” he says. Instead of unwinding on a peaceful vacation with their girlfriends, Stoneman and Dickson have to solve a murder on the high seas. After the wife of a Broadway theater producer dies in a fall from her room’s balcony, the ship’s chief of security wants to call the case a suicide. Evidence soon points towards a suspect, the husband of the deceased woman. But when a female cabin attendant is found in Stoneman’s cabin with a knife in her back, no one can deny that there is a murderer on board. “[I] thought that would be so much fun, almost like a locked-room mystery, where you’ve got a very confined space, and things are happening, and the mystery has to be solved in a very short period of time with a very confined group of characters who can’t go anywhere because they’re all on a cruise ship,” Chapman says. While he was writing, though, the world changed, and all cruises were
canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Nobody’s doing any cruising anymore, but we can at least read about a cruise,” Chapman says, connecting with the online cruising community. He offered his book as a way of allowing readers to “take a virtual cruise.” In his passion for writing, Chapman did not always opt for crime thrillers. He graduated from Columbia College in 1983, then magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law in 1986. His first novel was written in the late 1990s between jobs. Laid off from a New York law firm, Chapman had time on his hands, but before Amazon, anyone looking to publish a book needed a publisher— something he did not have. For their 20th wedding anniversary, his wife offered to have the book published. A company called Xlibris printed them, then gave Chapman the copies, the fruits of his labor and what he called a “fun project” finally realized in a physical edition. “That was a private investigator story, which is now completely dated, and it’s really a remnant of the 1990s,” he says, Mike Stoneman still years away from being conceptualized. Over the course of 12 years, Chapman went on to write A Legacy of One, a book he self-published in 2016. “It is a wonderful book, and nobody wanted to read it, because it’s serious literary fiction. It’s a book about politics and morals and self-determination and identity, and it’s wonderful, but it’s just not a pageturner. If you’re into it, it is,” he says. “But I didn’t write it in order to make it a best-seller, I wrote it because I needed to write this book.” Chapman says.. “I needed to get this book out of my system.” Opting for a more fun and marketable idea, Chapman says, he elevated a short story he had written in 2012 for a themed writing contest sponsored by The New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association. He took a break from A Legacy of One and wrote the “genesis” of Mike Stoneman, and his original draft was 3,000 words over the limit. Fool Me Twice, went on to win the legal fiction writing competition, so when 2016 and the end of A Legacy of One came around, Mike Stoneman did, too. “When I said I wanted to go in a different direction, I went back to that character,” Chapman says. Book one, Righteous Assassin, helped Stoneman take off, the detective now fronting a five book series. Despite Lethal Voyage’s success, he had trouble finding a literary agent. The experience gave Chapman a
Before Amazon, anyone looking to publish a book needed a publisher— something Chapman did not have.
unique perspective for the future. “It’s a struggle for independent authors to find distribution for their stuff. That’s the biggest downside of being an independently published novelist, is marketing the material is a challenge. I’m much better at writing than I am at marketing,” Chapman says. “So, I said ‘alright, well if you’re not interested, then I’ll just keep going as a self-published author,’” he explains. “People really enjoyed it, so the traditional publishers missed out on the chance to have this one.” The latest book, Perilous Gambit, takes the characters to Las Vegas, his second favorite place, for a wedding and “another road trip story.” But murder always follows Stoneman and Dickson regardless of their jurisdiction, so the pair gamble their luck on another case. The series could possibly consist of more installments in the future, but for now, Chapman is taking a break from Mike Stoneman, part of which has to do with the timeline of the books finally reaching the beginning of the pandemic—an era he does not wish to write about. What Chapman is open and willing to do is adapt the Mike Stoneman series into a screenplay, as the books were conceptualized with that medium in mind. “If you’re interested in Mike Stoneman and his adventures, all of the other characters that revolve around him and his story, and you’re interested in that, boy I am ready and willing to turn these into screenplays, because they’re kind of written in a cinematic style to start with.” “I really like to let the reader watch the story. There’s very little narration that’s inside the character’s heads, it’s really much more as if you’re behind a camera watching the scene unfold, and so it would be pretty easy to turn them into screenplays, if I could get anybody who loved the stories as much as the readers who post wonderful reviews for the books,” he says. The process for The Kindle Book Award, which Chapman praised, started with judges examining the e-book on Amazon and assessing its cover, book description and preview. The books that pass that stage
advance to a semifinal group of 20, where the books are read in their entirety. In early September, 20 novels was reduced five, and a rejudging period began. The overall winners, like Lethal Voyage, were then announced at the beginning of November. “It was really cool. You make the list of semifinalists, and you’d say okay, that’s good, that means the book doesn’t suck,” Chapman says. Both Righteous Assassin and Deadly Enterprise placed in the semifinals at the 8th and 9th Kindle Book Awards, respectively. “But neither one made it to the final stage, so I was very psyched when Lethal Voyage showed up on the list of the five finalists,” he said, an excitement that grew even more palpable once the book ultimately won. As its third honor thus far, Lethal Voyage was also a finalist in the top five for the Chanticleer Book Review’s CLUE Award, as well as a finalist in the top six for InD’Tale Magazine’s RONE award. Chapman also narrated the audiobooks for the entire series himself. “I think it is interesting listening to the author narrate their own book,” he says. The audiobooks are more widely available than the paperback editions and can be found on different platforms—like Audible, CHIRP, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook and other retailers. While the days of physical book signings are over, Chapman’s website, kevingchapman.com, ships out autographed paperback copies of his books with personally inscribed messages. The award-winning author has developed a steady following for his work. “I’m happy to keep doing them as long as people keep reading them and telling me that they like them. So far, the audience that I’m building seems to really like them. It’s nice for me to know that I’m not doing it just for myself, which I kind of was doing with ‘A Legacy of One,’ the great American novel. I really wrote that just for myself,” he said. “These books, I am finding, are for everyone, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Chapman is open and willing to do is adapt the Mike Stoneman series into a screenplay.
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Travel Talk with Caryn and Aron Travel with Virgin
My husband and I recently sailed on two different cruises in the Bahamas and Mexico. There were similarities among the cruises, but also some big differences. Both are geared towards adults, though only one was 18 and over only. Both required vaccination among all adults (the one that allowed children was vaccinations for all over 12). Neither required masks onboard (only in the ports and as required in stops.) Both had very good service and delicious food. Neither cruise has a formal night. An assortment of different bars and music playing. Lots of shopping opportunities and ability to book a next cruise onboard at a discount. The first cruise was on Celebrity. This is a more traditional cruise line labeled as modern luxury. • Dress code is Cruise Chic. • Shows are every evening; some are bigger productions with Celebrity singers and dancers. On other nights you might see comedians or A Cappella singing group performing. • Specialty dining is an additional charge, and you have some excellent choices. • There are pools and hot tubs and an enclosed Solarium for relaxation. • Lots of shops onboard from alcohol to jewelry to clothing to cruise line branded apparel with daily specials. • We did not have a spa treatment on this trip but did utilize the salon services. I got my first haircut at sea and based upon friends’ responses – it was a good one! • A variety of planned activities during the day, coordinated by the activity staff. We enjoyed daily trivia, games with the staff and wine tastings. • Everywhere you go you can get a photo from staff photographer. • Celebrity is partly inclusive as it now offers a classic beverage package, basic wifi and gratuities in the price. We had a great time and Celebrity is one of our favorite lines and even better when only about 25% capacity! And three weeks later we experience a new cruise line – Virgin Voyages. This is an adult only, hip, ultra-chic line with a casual vibe that is trying to be different than a standard cruise. • There are no buffets, and all specialty dining is included. There is no “main” dining room. And the dining options were very good whether Korean BBQ, Steakhouse, Italian, Mexican or a Vegetarian oriented restaurant with some “naughty” items on the menu. We enjoyed our meals and dining experiences. • Each day there is a large selection of included exercise classes, plus gym equipment. Our favorite was the 80’s VHS workout – took me back to my days watching Jane Fonda videos!
• Instead of all the traditional lounge chairs around the pool, there were some lounge chairs but also sun beds which were very comfortable. The main pool was small, but never filled while we were onboard and there were several different hot tubs on deck. • Like any cruise line there were shops onboard – but not the ones you usually see onboard a ship. Plus, you could get a tattoo or get a makeover at the MAC shop. We were so busy I never got to enjoy the spa or salon services, but those who did enjoyed their treatments. • During the day there were board games you could play, arcade games which were free to use and more in the Social Club. This cruise line encourages guests (sailors) to be self-directed in their entertainment. Each night they did have trivia but added their own twist. • The shows were more edgy with a touch of the burlesque and cabaret. In addition, you could browse a selection of albums to purchase or play in your cabin. The first night was a pajama party on deck with milk and cookies! • There are no staff photographers on board, but plenty of spots to take great photos. • This is also a partly inclusive cruise since basic beverages (soda, water, etc) are included along with wifi, tips, all dining and workout programs. • There is no beverage package, but you can prepurchase a bar tab and get a bonus added to the tab. The tab can be used to purchase any drinks onboard and you can use it to treat your friends. We did have a wonderful time onboard, met new friends and booked another voyage in 2023. Join us on one of our planned vacations in 2022 and 2023 where a Christmas markets river cruise or a Virgin Voyages to Ibiza or Whisky tasting in Ireland or a short cruise to Bermuda. We are here to help you plan a memory making journey and experience At Cruise Planners we specialize in all types of travel (not just cruises). We do not charge any additional fees for our vacation planning, and whether you are looking for a Cruise, an All-Inclusive Resort Vacation, or a European Land Tour, we will provide you with the exceptional service you should expect from a travel agent. Follow us at www.facebook.com/familycruising. Unlike big online travel sites, Cruise Planners with Caryn and Aron, delivers the personal touch.
January 2022 | The News5
An artist’s rendering of the planned graduate housing to be built on Princeton University’s Lake Campus is pictured above left. The schematic at right shows the planned locations for the project’s various elements. LAKE CAMPUS cont. from Page 1 by Alexander Road, Lake Carnegie, Harrison Street and Route 1, which the university has held for more than 100 years. The Lake Campus will be located within the tract north of Washington Road. The project—slated to be completed in 2023—will include housing for more than 600 postdoc and graduate students and a parking garage with more than 600 spaces. To be built by 2025 are sports facilities including a tennis and racket center with 8 indoor tennis courts, 8 outdoor courts, 14 squash courts; a softball stadium; playing fields for rugby and recreational sports; and a new cross-country course. “We have appreciated the support of stakeholders and partners at the local, county and state level as we developed plans for this first phase of Lake Campus,” said Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber. “We are especially appreciative of the warm welcome that we have received from officials in West Windsor.” Said West WIndsor Mayor Hemant Marathe: “I want to welcome Princeton University on behalf of everybody in West Windsor, and look forward to a very long and productive partnership with all of you.” Other representatives from West Windsor in attendance included Council President Andrea Mandel, and Council members Linda Geevers, Mike Stevens and Sonia Gawas. County officials included County Executive Brian Hughes and County Commissioner Nina Melker. The 2020 planning board approval was for a general development plan, which lays the groundwork for development of the site over the next 20 years. Earlier this year, the board approved specific site plans for Lake Campus North and Lake Campus
6The News | January 2022
South earlier this year. The initial phase of the project will create the backbone of infrastructure, including roadways and underground utilities, that will serve the Lake Campus as it develops over time. Eisgruber said that after the initial phase of development is complete, the Lake Campus will provide potential sites for locating world-class scientific facilities, enabling Princeton to strengthen the region’s innovation
ecosystem and creating opportunities for academic partnerships with nonprofit, corporate and government sectors. “We look forward to continued engagement in future phases as we refine our vision for additional facilities that will advance the University’s mission and enhance our ability to make an impact on the world,” Eisgruber said. According to statistics provided
by the university, the site will create nearly 1,000 construction jobs over the next four years. When the first phase is complete, at least 30 permanent university jobs will have been created in association with these new facilities. The project boats a number of sustainability features. Within the development will be a geo-exchange facility that will be heated and cooled with thermal energy by way of over 150 well bores
Mercer County Commissioner Nina Melker (left), County Executive Brian Hughes, Princeton University President Chris Eisgruber, West Windsor Mayor Hemant Marathe and Councilwoman Linda Geevers break ground at the university’s Lake Campus site on Dec. 7, 2021.
located beneath the softball stadium. It will heat and cool the new graduate student housing and new racquet center as well as provide capacity for future construction. The graduate student housing will feature “passive house design,” which is a first of its kind for the university. The reduction of energy usage associated with the design decreases the number of geo-exchange bores required for the system, resulting in a more efficient use of the land. The university already produces 4.5 kw of solar energy in West Windsor at an existing solar field. This will be increased to 12.2 kw when two additional solar fields already under construction in West Windsor are completed. This will represent nearly 75% of the university’s overall solar production capacity. Also in the project are extensive pathways to local and regional path systems to encourage walking and biking, and connections to TigerTransit to encourage use of mass transit. The landscape design provides the setting for a unique integration with the larger Princeton campus, and with the D&R Canal State Park with the design of the campus intended to contribute to the ecological role of the park corridor. The graduate housing complex will consist of 379 housing units in three separate buildings—a total of 329,000 square feet. The buildings are planned to be three stories tall, with small singlestory portions used for a café and community center serving the complex. A series of portals will connect landscaped courtyards and outdoor amenities at the ground level, including a community garden, a play space, a volleyball court and barbeque areas. “The design of each of these facilities has been carefully integrated into the existing Lake Campus context, with circulation, landscape, and infrastructure meant to create a distinctive sense of place and enhance the arrival experience from the landing of the
Washington Road bridge,” says the university’s facilities website. “The project has been designed to minimize the impact on the woodlands and Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park to the west,” states the website. “The buildings will use district geoexchange for heating and cooling. The stormwater management approach will include a series of localized green infrastructure practices dispersed throughout the site. The café and community center will have green roofs, and the main buildings are designed to accommodate rooftop solar arrays in the future. The project aligns with Princeton’s sustainability standards and is seeking both Passive House and LEED certification for the buildings. The 5-tier parking garage is intended to serve the shared parking needs of the Lake Campus as it grows over time. It is positioned north of Washington Road and allows drivers to park immediately upon entering the new campus. In its initial phase, the garage will include 612 spaces for the graduate student residents on the Lake Campus, as well as parking for athletic events and visitors. It will feature a fabric facade, which is intended to soften the appearance and provide an architectural backdrop to the Washington Road landscape. The Garage will include 20 electric vehicle charging stations, and is designed to allow for a rooftop solar array to be added at a later date. “Robust tree-planting, landscaping, and architectural screening will respect the site’s natural setting. Garage driveways will connect to new and improved campus roadways that are being designed to efficiently manage vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic,” states the facilities website. “This project meets or exceeds Princeton’s sustainability standards. The University is seeking ParkSmart certification, a standard established by Green Business Certification, Inc.
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Sports
Boone has hopes for more hoops action in 2022 By Rich Fisher
The West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys’ basketball team has just one player who knows what it’s like to play a full high school season. Fortunately for the Pirates, he’s the type of player who can make an impact. After averaging 10.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 assists as a sophomore in 2019-20, Rickey Boone is raring to go into his senior year. Last year was a wash for both North and South, as their season was relegated to playing four games against each other. Boone passed his time by watching Hamilton West games, since he had friends on the team. He enjoyed watching his AAU buddies play, but it hardly filled the gap of not playing himself. “I was sad that our season was just against High School North and we weren’t playing much,” Boone said. “It was unfortunate, but we’ll have a better season this year.” Boone will be key to whatever good fortune the Pirates experience. He may even be an early-season surprise to teams that don’t remember him from two years ago. “Rickey’s always been one of the main ingredients since I’ve taken over
High School South’s Rickey Boone is one of the Pirate’s lead guards. (Photo by Rich Fisher.) the program,” third-year coach Mike Hussong said. “He’s a great kid, a hard worker, and very gifted. He can do a lot of different things for us.” Such as? “He’s one of our lead guards, he’ll
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8The News | January 2022
handle the ball, he’ll also play off of it as well,” Hussong said. “He’s one of those guys who can do it all. He’ll get some rebounds.” Most important is, he will defend. “He’s got the potential to lock any-
one down that he’s guarding,” Hussong said. “He can stick with anyone. He’s got that mentality going night in, night out, to take on a challenge defensively. Also, he’s got a nice wing span and deflects a ton of passes for us. That results in steals. He’s really pesky that way.” Boone is not shy about declaring himself to be an all-around player. At just over 6-feet tall, he is confident that he can handle whatever assignment he’s given. “Most of my teams I’ve been on were always small so I was able to play all positions,” he said. “I’ve never been the tallest but I was always a strong little kid. I was alway able to box out get rebounds. I’m a great rebounder. I know how to play all the positions. I’m a wellrounded player.” Despite missing last season, Boone still managed to work on his game. Along with playing AAU, he played in a tournament at Rutgers, attended several camps and also wandered around to several gyms. “I played against some good competition; I played some college kids,” he said. “I like to play a little above my grade. I would go to the Y and they had a lot of people from colleges playing there. My goal was to play higher
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competition.” Boone was born in Hamilton, moved to Ewing, and came to West Windsor in fifth grade. He started playing basketball with his cousin at age two “and we just started loving the game.” They began playing at the YMCA, moved to the Boys & Girls Club in Trenton and then went over to Moody Park. His AAU team, the YSU Elite, played a challenging schedule in both Florida and New Jersey last summer. “He’s been really working on his game the last year-and-a-half or so, working on that outside jump shot,” Hussong said. “He’s added that and he’s really good at scoring around the basket. He’s athletic, he gets to the rim really quickly. He’s about 6-foot but he plays a lot bigger than that.” Boone readily admits that penetration is his scoring weapon of choice. “My favorite thing to do is attack the basket, draw fouls and get ‘and ones,” he said. “I think I’m a good set shooter, and I love to run. I can dunk, so you’ll see a couple of dunks this season.” Although he was not the varsity coach when Boone was a freshman, Hussong could not help but notice him. “You could definitely see some of the attributes jump out at you right from the first time you see him,” the coach said.
“He’s always had that little bit of an “it” factor when it comes to his physical ability.” Hussong feels that Boone will not have to carry the entire load this year. He points to players such as Cal Kasof, Josh Raeter and Ben Jaclin as all having the ability to score. Boone agreed, saying “Our team is young but we have a good core.” When it was mentioned he might get double teamed at times this year, Boone just shrugged. “I hope so,” he said. “That would be incentive for me. I’d like to make other defenses struggle a little bit. And other guys will be open. I have to find other guys. I’m a point guard, I have to.” He will be directing a team that’s young but has a chance to improve with time. “Getting that experience and handling the varsity speed and physicality is something we have to learn on the fly,” Hussong said. “The quicker we adjust to that the better off we’ll be. We’re all about team basketball, sharing the basketball, knowing our assignments, taking care of the ball. And defensively, if we get stops we’re looking to run and score in translation.” Look for Boone to be in the middle of it all.
‘My favorite thing to do is attack the basket, draw fouls and get ‘and ones,’’ Boone said.
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Revolutionary West Windsor PAUL LIGETI
WEST WINDSOR CHRONICLES
Each month, the Historical Society of West Windsor—a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting local history—publishes a column covering our town’s surprisingly rich heritage. This article explores a portion of our town’s role in the American Revolution. Also—West Windsor turns 225 in 2022—look forward to a year of celebrations, including a Jan. 3 lecture on West Windsor and the American Revolution! More info at westwindsorhistory.com/year-225. We are also looking for volunteers and donors—see The old Jonathan Flock farmstead in the 1950s, then owned by the Coleman contact info at the end of this article. family, is now occupied by the long-abandoned American Cyanamid complex.
A bright light amid dark days About 245 years ago, an army marched through West Windsor. The date was Jan. 3, 1777, and George Washington’s troops were on their way to victory in Princeton. But first, let’s rewind a bit. By the end of 1776, the Revolutionary War was in full swing. However, the American cause was looking desperate. Not only had Washington’s army suffered repeated defeats over the preceding
months, but many weary soldiers’ contracts were set to expire around the end of the year. The British were occupying much of the East Coast— including New Jersey. Thus, it was do or die—the patriots needed a victory. On Dec. 26, 1776, they got their big break when they crossed the Delaware River and surprised a garrison of Hessians occupying Trenton. Their victory there, amid some of the darkest hours of the war, helped convince many soldiers to retain their
contracts. Some of these soldiers were likely from the area that would later become West Windsor—about a dozen township compatriots are known to have enlisted in the American army.
The capture of the British Dragoons For the next few days, the Americans regrouped and camped in Trenton. Anxious to know the strength and
movements of the British, Washington sent a small contingent of scouts led by Colonel Joseph Reed to scope out the area. On their way back to Trenton, they made a consequential discovery at a local farmstead. Francis Bazley Lee’s 1907 “Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County” elaborates: “… as they were riding along the Quaker Road (Quakerbridge Road) … they saw… some soldiers, apparently unarmed, passing between the barn and the house. Colonel Reed’s cavalry quickly surrounded the place and captured twelve British dragoons, who were foraging and had left their loaded arms in the house. “They also captured a commissary with his entire wagon train. The sergeant of the British alone escaped, and he reported that he had fought his way through fifty horsemen. From these prisoners they obtained a good account of the numbers and condition of the British army and learned that they were about to move against the Americans at Trenton.” Memoirs from Joseph Reed and Thomas Peters (another one of the scouts) corroborate much of this account. They also substantiate the importance of the information gleaned from the soldiers. Several additional sources pinpointed the exact prop-
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erty on which the British seem to have been captured: that of Jonathan Flock, himself a Revolutionary War soldier. Flock’s farmstead was in West Windsor and is in fact now known as the Howard Hughes/Atlantic Realty property, formerly American Cyanamid. It was only in the 1950s and beyond that the house and much of the farmland was razed to make way for the (now long-abandoned) American Cyanamid agricultural research facility sitting off Quakerbridge and Clarksville Roads. However, even to this day, a portion of the land is farmed, much as it was during Jonathan Flock’s residency.
An army marches through town On Jan. 2, 1777, George Washington, now armed with critical information about British troop movements, staved off a counter-assault on Trenton by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, who had brought thousands more soldiers to the city. This “Second Battle of Trenton” (AKA the Battle of Assunpink Creek) gave Washington additional incentive to leave Trenton. Thus, by the early hours of Jan. 3, the American army began to secretly slip out of Trenton and make their way to Princeton, unbeknownst to their enemy. They left a group of soldiers behind who made noise and created fires to mask the army’s escape, but within several hours, even these men
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fact, until the mid-1800s, West Windsor (which incorporated in 1797 after old Windsor Township split into East and West Windsor) owned all land in Princeton southeast of Nassau Street—including the Princeton Battlefield and Nassau Hall!
Legacy
Brigadier-General Hugh Mercer. were on their way to Princeton. For hours, thousands of troops— including legends such as Hugh Mercer, after whom Mercer County was named—trudged along the path, moving their equipment, artillery, supplies, and more. Much of their route included Quakerbridge Road—which, for about two miles, forms southwestern border of West Windsor. The army passed again by the now-liberated Flock farm, among other properties. Some contemporary historians believe the Americans’ route veered northward through the lands that would become Nassau Park Pavilion over two centuries later—which, despite often being branded as “Princeton,” is indeed in West Windsor. In
Washington’s triumph at the Battle of Princeton later that day, alongside figures such as Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and Nathaniel Greene, marked a third victory within the span of just eight days. Not only had he restored the morale of his troops, but his larger objective of pushing the British out of New Jersey was slowly becoming reality, and he was in a better position to request foreign aid. Both the Princeton Battlefield on Mercer Road and Nassau Hall in Princeton University’s main campus—the site of the final stage of the Battle of Princeton - stand as monuments to this seminal point of American history. Nassau Hall played an additional role, as headquarters of the United States Continental Congress from June to November 1783. During this period, the Treaty of Paris was signed between the British and the nascent United States government, ending the Revolutionary War. Also discussed was a permanent federal capital, with Trenton being a viable contender. Were it chosen over Washington, D.C., West Windsor would have been a suburb of the nation’s capital. Again, at the time,
all of Princeton southeast of Nassau Street—including Nassau Hall and the Princeton Battlefield—belonged to Windsor Township—West Windsor’s predecessor. Thus, it may also be appropriate to rename Washington’s assault on British forces here the “Battle of Windsor” and the army’s procession the “Windsor March.” In 1914, twelve stone obelisks were erected between Trenton and Princeton, marking the American army’s seminal march to victory. Two of these dozen markers stand in the historic West Windsor/Lawrence/Princeton hamlet of Port Mercer (itself named after General Hugh Mercer—see the December 2021 article). One sits in the Quakerbridge Road median just west of Nassau Park Boulevard and the other sits along the Delaware & Raritan Canal. Additional memorials exist in the gravestones of various soldiers in West Windsor, such as that of Jacob G. Bergen (17451805)—who hosted the first eleven years of West Windsor’s municipal meetings. As West Windsor turns 225 this year, our town would do well to celebrate its heritage—including its small but not-inconsequential role in the birth of our country. To contact, donate to, or volunteer for the Historical Society and explore more WW history, visit westwindsorhistory. com. We are also on social media— search “@SchenckFarmstead” on Facebook and Instagram. Email us at westwindsorhistory@gmail.com
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