NOVEMBER 2020 FREE
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Staying in Contact
Election 2020
Kuchinski, Ruger unopposed in township committee race
Nonprofit Contact of Mercer to host virtual ‘Unsung Heroes’ gala on November 17
BY JOE EMANSKI
BY JOE EMANSKI
Anyone who is having thoughts of suicide can call the Contact of Mercer County Crisis Hotline, (609) 8962120 or (609) 585-2244, or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, (800) 273-8255 (TALK). On New Year’s Eve 1975, Rev. George Morris of Trinity United Methodist Church Ewing and Rev. William R. McElwee of St. Mark United Methodist Church in Hamilton incorporated a new organization committed to helping people in crisis. Contact of Mercer County was one of a number of Contact centers that opened across the United States in the 1970’s. By May 1976, the pastors and a core group of volunteers had set up and staffed its confidential phone room with peopel who were trained to listen to callers and to help them get help when necessary. The hotline went live that month, and has been in operation ever since. Eleanor Letcher was among those who volunteered to help with the hotline after its See CONTACT, Page 10
Together, Mea Allex and Nikki Evich form the heart of Hopewell Valley’s defense in soccer this season. (Photo by Rich Fisher.)
Heart of HoVal defense key to 5-0 start BY RICH FISHER
After tinkering with his defensive formation for parts of last season, Hopewell Valley Central High girls’ soccer coach John McGinley finally got things settled by the state tournament. And he has never looked back. The pairing of Mea Allex and Nicolette Evich as central defenders formed the perfect partnership in the back, as their work helped the Bulldogs to an NJSIAA Group III Central championship. The magic has carried over
into this season. With Allex and Evich still anchoring the defense, Hopewell had not allowed a goal in a 5-0 start. “Going into the states, we just said, ‘We’re gonna ride you guys in the middle and you’re gonna play there,’” McGinley said. “They did a tremendous job. In the post season they really kind of came together.” The two began partnering off and on midway through the 2019 campaign. Evich, a senior, is a lifetime defender while the versatile Allex, a junior, has played all over the field.
“I never really played offense,” Evich said. “It’s not my strong suit. I enjoy defense. It’s a certain pressure, but I find it fun to know, ‘Oh I shut her down.’ When you beat someone to a ball or block a shot, I just like that feeling a lot.” In assessing what makes a good defender, Evich said, “I think it’s confidence and having a short memory. I know if they score and you make a mistake it gets in your head, so I think it’s important to keep your head up and just keep going. I think that’s See SOCCER, Page 12
HEALTH
HEADLINES M O N T H LY N E WS F R O M
There are no contested town elections in the Hopewell Valley this November. In Hopewell Borough, Republican C. Schuyler Morehouse and Democrat Ryan Kennedy will be re-elected to council, while incumbent Catherine “Kit” Chandler and newcomer Kennen Gross, both Democrats, are running unopposed in Pennington. In Hopewell Township, incumbent Democrats Kevin Kuchinski and Michael Ruger are running unopposed for committee. Republicans Ed “Jack” Jackowski and Kevin Johnson withdrew their names from consideration after the primary election, and no one stepped forward to take their places. But the Hopewell Express did not want election season to pass without there being any political conversation at all in the Valley. So we asked Ruger and Kuchinski to take part in our annual election coverage and they graciously agreed to our request. Starting on page 7, you can find our questions, and their answers. See TOWNSHIP, Page 7
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Dr. Patel received his medical degree at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed his rheumatology fellowship at North Shore Long Island Jewish Medical Center, part of Northwell Health/Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University in Great Neck, New York. He is fluent in English and Gujarati (and conversant in Hindi and Spanish). Dr. Khawaja received her medical degree at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her fellowship training in rheumatology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., during which time she also provided care for patients at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The team at Capital Health – Rheumatology Specialists diagnoses and treats complex autoimmune conditions, providing personalized care plans tailored to each patient.
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INBOX
Endorsements roll in for local candidates Sawicki for school board I am writing to convey my enthusiastic support of Adam Sawicki for re-election to the Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board of Education. Adam has always impressed me with his level-headed approach. He makes decisions with a strong emphasis on facts, data and fairness. These qualities have been especially impactful in the context of the challenges presented to the district by the Covid-19 virus. The impact on our children has been monumental. At no other time have we as a community had such difficult decision to make regarding health, safety and the ability to best educate our students. Adam’s outstanding leadership experience is especially important at this critical time. He has a proven track record as a leader. He has served as the vice president of the board and has chaired many of the essential board committees. In the difficult days of August, when an essential decision related to returning to school needed to be made, our
community was fortunate to have a thoughtful and caring board of education that worked tirelessly to make the best possible decisions. Adam Sawicki was a standout as he advocated for balancing staff and student physical wellness with social-emotional wellness during the pandemic. Adam consistently demonstrates an ability to synthesize and understand population health data and the scientific facts related to Covid-19 at a level that is unmatched by even my most astute physician colleagues. Adam Sawicki has served the needs of our community extraordinarily well. It is imperative that we continue to have him and the broad range of expertise that he offers as a member of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board of Education.
TTAAKKEE I ITT I INN
Dr. Robert Helmrich Helmrich is a pediatrician with Princeton Nassau Pediatrics and the school physician for Princeton Public Schools. See INBOX, Page 4
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INBOX continued from Page 3 Adam Sawicki has demonstrated that he can balance the needs and desires of parents, teachers, staff and the broader community, while leading our district through a process of making tough decisions. For many reasons, we are fortunate that Adam wants to give us three more years. Adam is: Effective. If you believe that HVRSD has improved during the last nine years, you should vote for the board member who has served for that period in its entirety. During his time as Education Committee chair, the district climbed into the top tier of state and national school districts based upon objective rankings. Not afraid to take a stand. Adam voted to enable our kids to go back to school this year. He reviewed the data and sought out the advice of medical professionals. He weighed the opinions of school parents, nearly 70% of whom chose the option to send their kids back to school. Experienced. Adam has served as vice president and chaired all but one of the board’s committees. Next year, all other Hopewell Township board members will be serving in their first term. Fiscally focused. Adam is serving as Finance and Facilities chair, ensuring that district budgetary needs are balanced against taxpayer concerns. He is mindful of the need to proactively manage district expenses during a time of pandemic, declining enrollment and county-high per-pupil costs. Committed. Adam regularly com-
mits hours of his time preparing for meetings, researching the issues, talking with parents and educators, and weighing the facts as well as opinions. I can personally attest that he listens to community members and is responsive to their concerns. His commitment, fiscal focus, experience and demonstrated leadership are likely the reasons our community has elected Adam to the board for the last nine years. They are certainly the reasons that I will vote to re-elect him for another three. Kathy Somers
The choice is Driver, Gordon and Williams Galiano I love our community. It has been home to six generations of my family. I have had a student enrolled in the district since 2001 and will continue to have at least one until 2031. As a parent and citizen, The school board election is of grave importance to me. I am excited about the Driver, Gordon and Williams Galiano slate and what the three individually and collectively bring to the table. They are two educators and a business owner. They are a mix of families with recent grads, families with current students and families with future students. They are also a mixture of lifelong and newer residents of Hopewell Township. I am a firm believer that represen-
4  Hopewell Express | November 2020
tation matters. The slate consists of an African-American woman, a biracial woman (African American and European descent) and a Jewish man. While they can certainly offer perspective rooted in their unique cultural experiences and how that frames the way they view the world, they also firmly believe that every member of this community is a stakeholder. They represent a diversity of voices and life experiences but are bonded by core principles centered around diversity and inclusion, balancing the needs of students and staff against those of taxpayers and community members. They support curriculum geared toward different kinds of learners, a curriculum that ensures critical thinking and exposure to diversity of views to foster the elements of global citizenry. And when things go awry, they support a system where students are dealt with less punitively, and instead given the opportunity and space to repair harm. They have been holding weekly Meet the Candidate Sessions that have morphed into listening sessions. The best way to represent a variety of voices is to listen to and engage with a variety of voices. They have also been connecting with residents who have specific board experience to further educate themselves about this particular kind of service to our community. All three are running for school board for the first time. While many may focus on the value of experience, I invite you to consider the tremen-
dous value in varied experiences, and the importance of bringing a diversity of voices to the table. These are difficult times. We are facing new challenges as a community. We are in the midst of a global crisis, widespread civil unrest and mounting fears. Fresh perspective and varied voices in the room are needed if we want to bring all of our community members along with us. Catherine J. Fulmer-Hogan Fulmer-Hogan serves on the boards of Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, The Hopewell Museum and Hope Rises up and is the event creator and committee chair for Hopewell Valley Heritage Weekend.
Support for Kuchinski and Ruger
The closing of the Hopewell Valley Golf Club in July 2019 was a big loss for township residents, but under the leadership of the current Democratic Hopewell Township Committee the club will return as a public facility owned and operated by Mercer County. This committee’s efforts to work with Mercer County to preserve the facility means that its golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts, and platform tennis courts will become available to the general public. Of all of the scenarios and speculation about what should be done about the property, this was the best possible out-
come, a true win-win for the residents of Hopewell Township. I have already marked my ballot for Democrats Kevin Kuchinski and Michael Ruger, the two members of the Hopewell Township Committee who are seeking re-election on Nov. 3. L. Helena Bouchez Kevin Kuchinski and Michael Ruger are seeking the opportunity to continue their work as citizen leaders on the Hopewell Township committee. I enthusiastically support them and urge you to as well. Kevin has served since 2014, including three years as mayor, and Michael since 2017, including two years as deputy mayor. Both have deep roots in Hopewell Township and draw together their individual expertise with the concerns and ideas presented by others as they work to keep Hopewell Township green, safe, and strong into the future. Kevin has diligently, thoughtfully, and with great foresight led the budget discussions that have resulted in Hopewell Township holding a AAA bond rating and the lowest equalized tax rate in Mercer County while supporting and enlarging services. Michael’s focus has been improving communications between our residents and their government. This work led him to create the Citizen’s Equity Advisory Board and a new steering committee that will guide the use of and future plans for Woolsey
Park. Both committees give residents a stronger voice in shaping the future for their community. Sometimes there are difficult decisions to be made and neither Michael nor Kevin are afraid to make the tough call. This year has been full of challenges. Kevin and Michael met these challenges with intelligence and concern. I am deeply grateful that they are part of the team that had to work through this year. On Nov. 3, we the people are once again offered the opportunity to steer this community and our nation where we feel it needs to go. Kevin Kuchinski and Michael Ruger deserve your continued support. Kristin McLaughlin Mayor, Hopewell Township McLaughlin is writing as an individual and not on behalf of the township committee. Correction: In our October article on Dick Fitzpatrick, we erroneously reported that the scholarship fund in his name is managed by the Hopewell Valley Education Association. The scholarship fund will be managed by the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation, hvef.org. Clarification: In our September article about Locked Down Designs, we did not include the company’s website. The website is lockeddowndesigns.com.
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AROUND TOWN Tree kits can help restore forests hurt by emerald ash-borer Fall is an ideal time to plant trees. A local nonprofit has developed an affordable way to plant a native tree in your yard — and protect it from deer damage. The Sourland Conservancy is offering 200 native tree “kits” for $10 each. Every kit contains one native tree seedling, a length of heavy-duty metal fencing to protect the tree from deer browse, a metal post, and zip ties. Rosedale Mills and Pinelands Nursery have sponsored the program, and because of the contributions from 50 donors, free kits are also available to residents who request them. The Conservancy’s Ash Crisis Team developed this idea as a way to raise awareness of the over one million trees being killed by the emerald ash borer in this area. The New Jersey Forest Service estimates that the invasive emerald ash borer is on track to kill over one million trees in the 90-square-mile Sourland Mountain region within the next few years. The trees are small (8-24” tall), but the fences are large. Participants are advised to wear a mask and come alone, if possible, to ensure social distancing, and to bring a pick-up, SUV or minivan.
Trees available from the Conservancy include: shagbark hickory, American holly, blackhaw viburnum, sugarberry, black gum and scarlet bee balm. More information is available online at sourland.org/act-ash-crisis-team.
Hopewell’s Hayton graduates from Merchant Marine Academy
Ensign Mark Robert Hayton graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York on June 20 with a bachelor of science degree in marine engineering systems. His assignments took him to Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, South Korea, Japan, the Marshall Islands, Spain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and India as well as other international ports. Hayton also received the Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby ’79 Award awarded to a senior who is entering active military service. Born and raised in Hopewell, Hayton graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School in 2015, and was 3-year member of the Mercer Junior Rowing Team with the Princeton
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Mark Hayton graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on June 20.
mile equating to 22 miles, or the overall length of the LHT, making the virtual journey 10,818 LHT miles in length. Participants can log miles on or off the LHT by biking, walking, jogging, skating, walking the dog, or even from a treadmill or spin bike. All ages and fitness levels are welcome, and groups are encouraged. Participants can log their miles using the Journey to the Moon uploader and view the Journey to the Moon tracker to check collective progress. They are also invited to follow the Journey to the Moon Facebook Group for updates, fun facts, and to share progress (#LHTJourneytotheMoon). The LHT says over the coming weeks, it will offer personal mileage trackers, fundraising opportunities, and a series of fun facts and pop culture trivia through their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds. Organizers say Journey to the Moon was created as a way to foster connection and inspire trail use despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the LHT to cancel its annual Full Moon Ride. The Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) is a 22+ mile bicycle and pedestrian trail and transportation corridor through public and private land in Lawrence and Hopewell Townships in Mercer County. The Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation is a nonprofit organization that depends on the community for support. The LHT is a member of the Circuit Trails, an 800-mile network of bicycle and pedestrian trails connecting people to jobs, communities, and parks in the Greater Philadelphia Region. For more information about the LHT, visit lhtrail.org.
National Rowing Association. During that time, he competed in both regional and national level competitions. He continued with the sport of rowing while at the USMMA, serving as team captain during 3 of his 4 years there. Upon graduation from the USMMA, Hayton commissioned directly into the United States Coast Guard with the rank of ensign. This summer, he completed Officer Training school at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, graduating on Sept. 11. His first assignment is with the USCG Buffalo Sector, New York, which includes numerous U.S. Coast Guard Stations located along Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, the Erie River and the St. Lawrence River. His duties with the USCG involve dispatching and participating in waterway emergency TPS Cum Laude Society response, search and rescue, and bor- inducts 12 der security operations. Hayton’s parents are Bob and Anne Twelve Pennington School seniors Hayton of Hopewell Township. He were inducted as student members of also has an elder brother, John Hayton the School’s chapter of the Cum Laude of Dunellen. Society on Oct. 13. Students inducted are within the top ten percent of their Lawrence-Hopewell Trail class, as determined by grade point average, and the school views selecblasts off on Journey to tion for membership as one of the the Moon highest honors it can confer. The new members William BerThe Lawrence Hopewell Trail is inviting the community to take a nal, Sophia Cano, Xingrui Chen, Matthew Cooper, Kailey Dierk, Alexander hike — to the moon no less. This virtual event brings LHT fans Huang-Menders, Shivant Krishnan, and friends together to collectively Minghao Li, Rohit Pothacamury, Trinhike and bike 238,000 miles to the ity Pryor, Olivia Schroeder-Positano, and Haichuan Wang. Schroeder-Posimoon. The LHT launched (ha) the 2020- tano lives in Pennington. The Cum Laude Society is an inter2021 Journey to the Moon in October, a month with two full moons, and the national organization dedicated to event is set to run through March 1, recognizing academic achievement 2021. To make the challenge a little in secondary schools. There are 382 less daunting, earth miles will be institutions in the society; most are recorded in “LHT miles,” with each independent schools.
TOWNSHIP continued from Page 1 at Hopewell Valley Central High Kevin D. Kuchinski, 51, has School. Hopewell Express: Why are been a member of the township committee since 2014, serving as mayor you running again for township from 2016 to 2018. In his professional committee? Kevin Kuchinski: We have career, he currently serves as managing partner and chief operating officer accomplished a lot during my time on at Princeton Partners, a consulting the Township Committee — lowering and strategic marketing firm working the average tax rate increase from with companies and brands to inno- 6.3% in 2013-15 to 2% this past year, vate and deliver out-sized revenue and working to protect the environment, including the preservation of Mt Rose, profit growth. Since 2016, he has also worked with Woosamonsa Ridge and the HV Golf Course, and steadfastly Ray Disch on the launch fighting to stop the of Sourland Mountain PennEast pipeline—but Spirits, now New Jerthere’s more we need sey’s premier fam distillto do. I will continue the ery. Prior to this, Kevin fight to keep Hopewell was vice president of Township green and marketing at Church affordable. and Dwight, leading a $1 First, we have an billion division. He has opportunity to use a bachelor’s degree in PILOT monies to retire economics from Duke the township’s debt, University. eliminating interest Kuchinski is vice presand principal payments ident of the Hopewell which currently Valley Education Founaccount for almost 25% dation, co-chair of the Ruger of township spending. advisory board for the We also must work to Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed, chair of the St. James reduce our reliance on residential finance council and a past-president property taxes by bringing the right of the Honey Lake Homeowners Asso- corporate tenants to the current BMS ciation. He has lived in the Hopewell site, attracting new small businesses Valley since 2003. Kevin also serves to the Valley and increasing tourism. On the environment, we will conon the boards of New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the NJ Chapter tinue to protect Hopewell Township’s rural character. This includes limiting of the American Red Cross. Kevin is married to Leslie, who has a new development to existing sewer doctorate in astronomy. She currently service areas and parcels adjacent to works with Friends of Hopewell Valley Interstate 295. Additionally, we must Open Space and volunteers with the enforce the strong environmental proHopewell Valley Music and Theatre tections in our existing ordinances, Parents Association. They live the Elm work towards new stormwater management solutions, and expand our Ridge Park neighborhood. Son Ryan is a graduate of George- walking and biking trail network. It has been a great honor to serve town University and currently in his third year of law school at Duke Uni- the residents of Hopewell Township versity. Son Brennan graduated from to help them solve problems. I look Lehigh University with a degree in forward to continuing to fight on their mechanical engineering. Son Liam is a behalf. Michael Ruger: I am running sophomore at Rutgers University and daughter Kaitlyn is a sophomore at again because I want to continue to do my best to help make Hopewell TownHopewell Valley Central High. Michael Ruger, 57, has lived in ship an even better place to live. My Hopewell Township since 1998. He is colleagues and I have made progress vice president of government affairs in many areas, notably finances, and at Comcast. He graduated from Penn I want to continue making progress. State University with degrees in politi- Having the opportunity to help the cal science and psychology, and also community by serving on the Townhas a law degree from Georgetown ship Committee is an honor. One of the true joys of the position University. Ruger was elected to the township is getting to know the Hopewell Towncommittee in 2017. He has served ship staff. I am continually impressed as deputy mayor for the past two at how hard they work for all of us. I years and is township liaison to Pub- also appreciate having the opportunity lic Works, the Agricultural Advisory to hear from so many township resiCommittee, the Open Space Advisory dents on issues that they feel passionCommittee and the Citizens’ Equity ate about. I always listen to every side Advisory Committee. He is also on the and explain why I make the decisions board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of I do. HE: Grade the committee on the Mercer County and a member of the Penn State Department of Political work it has done in the last year. Michael Ruger: This has been a Science Board of Visitors. Ruger lives in the Harbourton area year like no other. I’ll focus on three of Hopewell Township with wife Tracy issues—finances, Covid-19, and the Vogler, an attorney who grew up in the Police Department. On finances, I give the committee home where the family now lives. Son Teddy, 22, is a geologist, and twins a grade of outstanding. We kept the Billy and Bobby, 15, are sophomores See HOPEWELL, Page 8
November 2020 | Hopewell Express7
police department, to name just a few. on dealing with the police issues. The Starting with finances, I think the committee responded quickly to the committee’s work speaks for itself. We initial incident and has held extensive have lowered the average rate of tax community outreach meetings. We increases significantly, reduced debt have also hired an outside consultant by over 20%, and Hopewell Township to advise us on how we can proactively address potential bias has the lowest municiand are hiring a civilian pal tax rate in Mercer police director, while we County. A. work towards longerOn Covid-19, the Comterm reforms. mittee’s response has HE: Revenue shortbeen strong — B+. We falls are a fact of life hired an excellent actfor municipalities in ing health officer to steer the wake of the corous through the early navirus pandemic. days of the pandemic, Add to this the fact while ensuring the latest that Bristol-Myers information and safety Squibb is leaving the protocols were distribtownship and takuted to the community, ing a substantial and we adapted how the chunk of tax revenue township government Kuchinski with it until new tento continue functioning ants are found. Take throughout the crisis. Additionally, we have taken a us through the next three years. number of steps to address climate How will you and the rest of the change. Hopewell Township won Sus- committee lead Hopewell through tainable NJ’s Solar Challenge, by help- these challenges? Kevin Kuchinski: Since I joined ing educate residents on cost-effective solar energy systems and having the the committee, we have been fighthighest proportion of residents con- ing to rein in spending and keep vert. We have begun the conversion municipal taxes low. In fact, our 2020 of our police fleet to hybrids, saving municipal budget is lower than 2015, money and reducing our carbon foot- even as we have brought back bulky print. And we are working with Mer- waste, expanded communication, and cer County and local non-profits to repaired/repaved a record number of replant stormwater basins with native road miles. We have also worked to identify plants and also to restore trees lost to Sandy and the Emerald Ash Borer. A. new sources of township revenue to I would give us an incomplete score reduce the reliance on residential property taxes. This includes completing new PILOT agreements that will deliver $112 million in revenues to the township over 30 years, versus $18.5 Million, if we had proceeded conventionally. The PILOT agreement for the Woodmont development on Federal City Road alone will cover revenue losses from the BMS site. We have also rented space on a new police communications tower to interested cellular carriers and have expanded shared service agreements with neighboring municipalities and the Schools, to save additional dollars. On the BMS site, we are proud to welcome PTC Therapeutics to Hopewell Township. We are working with the new owners of the campus, Mercer County, and Choose NJ to find the right tenants to reoccupy the remaining space and I am hopeful we will be able to announce more progress shortly. Michael Ruger: As a township resident, I don’t want to pay higher taxes and I want to be sure necessary Township services are provided. We are in the process of doing what we can to make the BMS campus attractive to additional tenants. This is a great space for the pharma industry, for example, and we are hopeful companies will take advantage of this opportunity. We continue to market Pennytown so we can use the money to reduce debt. In the coming years we’ll start to see money coming from PILOT agreeExpires: 11-30-20 Expires: 11-30-20 ments and that will help our finances.
HOPEWELL continued from Page 7 municipal tax increase to a minimum, saw continued progress on reducing debt, and saved money by bidding out contracts earlier than we have in past years. I give the same grade to our Covid-19 response. The township committee found an excellent acting health officer to advise us. We recorded videos to keep residents informed and posted Township Covid-19 statistics when neighboring communities chose to not do so. We kept our trails open for recreation. And we kept the Township government functioning. On the police department, I give us a grade of satisfactory since our work is still in progress. When faced with a challenge, we responded immediately. We hired a consultant from outside our community to advise us, as someone local could have been accused of bias. We are in the process of hiring a civilian police director on a temporary basis who will help us communicate with the community and implement community goals. I look forward to continuing to work on this issue along with my fellow committee members. Kevin Kuchinski: Hopewell Township has seen unprecedented challenges in 2020. This includes the ongoing fiscal challenges of striving to keep taxes low and doing more for less, as well as a host of extraordinary challenges: the Covid-19 pandemic, addressing climate change as well as troubling remarks by members of our
Expires: 11-30-20
8 Hopewell Express | November 2020
And we’ll continue to see how we can make the provision of services more efficient. For example, the Public Works Department recently purchased a tandem truck. This allows crews to collect twice as much brush in one trip, which means they can provide even better service to our residents. HE: Diversity and inclusion are major topics in Hopewell at this time. There have been multiple incidents of racism, in the police department and in the school district, and many community members of color have spoken up in the past year about bias in our community. Is Hopewell really a great place to live for all residents? Michael Ruger: The past few years have been a wake-up call for all of us about the problems we have in our country, and Hopewell Township is not immune. If straight white males like me have not understood that they have benefited from inherent privilege, they have not been paying attention. I am honored that so many residents have shared their experiences in public meetings. I hear the emotion in their voices and understand that they have told their stories time and time again, with the same result— nothing changes. So, we need to figure out how to break this cycle. It’s not something that the township committee can do alone. We need help. That’s one reason why I had the idea for and championed the Citizens’ Equity Advisory Committee. And it’s why I asked in a recent committee meeting, “What does healing look like?” The only way we are going to improve our community is by working together as a community. Kevin Kuchinski: Hopewell Valley has a rich and diverse history, but recent incidents in our schools and police department suggest we have more work to do. I am proud to have seen our community come together in the face of racial incidents at the national and local level, to have residents speak out against systemic racism and to demand increased accountability and monitoring. We (the township committee) have stood in solidarity with our community and affirmed that #BlackLivesMatter. We are also in the process of reviewing all of our procedures, including how our police department interacts with the community, and have formed a Citizens’ Equity Advisory Committee. It’s important that we bring new voices forward to help us tackle these issues. Looking ahead, all township residents should feel safe and also that they are being heard. On the school issues, I’ve worked with Dr. Thomas Smith and Dr. Rosetta Treece to support their ongoing efforts to promote communication, inclusion and equity in our district and the broader community. HE: In addition to its lack of racial diversity, Hopewell also lacks income diversity. Even small and older residences in the town-
ship are priced out of the range of young and middle-class families. An affordable housing agreement has been reached, but Hopewell remains a place where, for the most part, only the wealthy can afford to live. Can Hopewell’s government and its residents continue to justify preser ving Hopewell’s “rural character” at the expense of providing people of lesser means with nice, affordable places to live? Kevin Kuchinski: This is an important issue and also one of the first topics I spoke on, as a committee member. It pains me to see longtime members of our community, after their kids have graduated, move out of Hopewell Valley because there are not smaller, more affordable housing options in our community. This also impacts our children, not to mention our teachers, police officers, and firefighters. Unfortunately, many of these folks want to move to the town they know and love, but can’t find an affordable apartment, condo or townhome in Hopewell Township. This needs to change. Our community will grow richer as we diversify our housing stock to create new, more affordable options. However, we must balance the creation of more affordable housing options with protecting our rural character. That’s why we have limited development to existing sewer service areas and other parcels adjacent to I-295 where there is water and sewer infrastructure. Net, I see this as an “and” solution, with Hopewell Township creating new more affordable housing options AND protecting our rural character. Michael Ruger: I believe that our plans for affordable housing will strike the right balance in this area. We will have a larger pool of housing that will be suitable for everyone, from young couples to senior citizens, and that will promote income diversity. At the same time, I think it is critical that we preserve the largely rural nature of the Township—it’s a big part of what makes Hopewell Township special. HE: There are plenty of people in the Hopewell Valley with something to say in public forums online. Meanwhile, with your Republican opponents withdrawing their names from the ballot, there are now no contested races for elected municipal office in Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough or Pennington. What is your mandate? What do these things say about the state of civic participation in 2020?
Michael Ruger: I have seen some of the comments posted to online public forums, and to be honest the level of discourse frequently disappoints me. So often, there is no discussion— it’s just one side shouting at the other. And then there are the baseless accusations. There are so many examples of keyboard courage—people who will say things online that they would never say to someone’s face. I have had plenty of people stand up in meetings and disagree with me, and even though I may not agree with them, I respect them for speaking their mind face to face. But it’s a microcosm of what we see throughout the United States. I can’t say why others do not run for office— I can only say why I am running, and that’s because I want to help our community. And one of the ways I can do that is to continue to listen to what people are saying and try to react in a way that brings people together. Kevin Kuchinski: First, I want to thank all the residents of Hopewell Valley for their continued support and trust. It’s been an honor to serve on the Township Committee. Over the next three years, I will continue my efforts to keep Hopewell Township green and affordable, and I am committed to working on behalf of all Hopewell Valley residents. Looking ahead, I look forward to seeing design and construction completed on our new Senior & Community Center, and to creating an expanded, Township-wide network of biking and walking trails. I believe we can make additional progress on the municipal budget, delivering the services our residents want, for less, and reducing the burden of residential property taxes. And we will continue programs on open space and preserved farmland, to help preserve Hopewell Valley’s rural character. There are also opportunities for improvement that I would like to address. This includes fostering increased civic engagement and broader community participation. That’s why we started the new “Have Your Say Hopewell Township” engagement tool; stay tuned too for the next edition of our Township newsletter. I’m hopeful that by keeping residents better informed and getting the facts out on key issues, we can help address some of the negative discourse we have seen, both nationally and locally. I am committed to serving the residents of Hopewell Valley, and would encourage them to get involved and to offer constructive thoughts on what we can do better.
‘Hopewell has a rich and diverse history, but recent incidents in our schools and police department suggest we have work to do.’ –Kevin Kuchinski
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CONTACT continued from Page 1 launch. The Ewing resident took to the work immediately — and so much so that she became the organization’s executive director in 1980. Forty years later, that is still her title, and Contact of Mercer County is still providing those same services, as well as a number of others, to the people of Central New Jersey. For the past 10 years, the organization has been based at Pennington United Methodist Church. Like many nonprofit organizations in 2020, Contact of Mercer has had to change up the plans for its annual fundraising gala. On Friday, Nov. 13, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Contact will hold a virtual “Unsung Heroes Gala” online, honoring local people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to assist others during the Covid-19 pandemic. Actor Jill Whelan (Love Boat) will be mistress of ceremonies. “For more than 44 years, Contact of Mercer has been there for those who are in emotional turmoil, thinking about suicide, experiencing loneliness, or facing the challenges of mental illness,” said Pasquale Colavita, Jr., president of Contact’s board of directors, in a media release. “Our organization is vital to those in need of support and reassurance, and the gala is vitally important to us because the money we raise enables us the opportunity to assist even more individuals who are in crisis.” *** Eleanor Letcher has lived in Ewing since 1968. She married her husband, David, about a week after she earned her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University’s Douglass College. They lived in Nebraska for two years and Ithaca, New York for three more before settling in Ewing when David got a job as a professor at Trenton State College. He taught a number of things over the years, most recently statistics, before retiring a few years ago. Letcher, who has a masters in education from The College of New Jersey, was a mother of four when she became Contact’s executive director in 1980. “I thought, ‘Well, this will be good, I will get out of the house.’ And now my poor little girls are 40 years older,” she jokes. Contact can trace its origins back to Australia in 1963. There Alan Walker, a Methodist minister and an influential theologian of the 20th century, founded an organization called Lifeline after a young man he had been counseling had died by suicide. “This was in the 60’s. Hotlines were springing up in different places around the world, for different reasons,” Letcher says. “Pastor Alan Walker decided there should be a place where people could call and talk to somebody in a nonjudgmental way, and it should be available 24 hours a day.” The idea was to start a hotline with volunteers who would be trained in the skill of active listening. These volunteers would also be trained to know when and how to refer callers to professional counselors who could pro-
Hopewell resident and retired nurse Julie Grossman is a six-year volunteer and board member with Contact of Mercer County. vide further assistance. Lifeline was a success, and new programs soon spread to New Zealand and then South Africa. In 1965, a Methodist minister named John Brand began a similar program in Dallas. The name was changed from Lifeline to Contact in the U.S. because a different organization was already using the name Lifeline. Contact Dallas started taking calls on its helpline in 1967. By the end of the decade, five more Contact centers were operating in communities across the U.S., and dozens more were in the planning stages. A national organization called Contact USA was formed to help coordinate the many new centers that had sprung up around the country. Contact of Mercer turned on the phones in its call center in 1976, with volunteers providing services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To this day, locally trained resident volunteers listen and chat with individuals who are in distress, suicidal crisis, or in need of emotional support. While services are no longer provided locally on a 24-hour basis, callers can still be sure to reach someone any time of the day or night. Services are anonymous and confidential. “We’re the listeners,” Letcher says. “We’re the quiet folks who listen to people who call with problems. We make a big impact, but quietly.” Earlier this year, Contact USA changed its name to the International Council for Helplines. ICH continues to provide support and accreditation for crisis centers. Eleanor Letcher is a member of the ICH board. An affiliation with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline also means that Contact of Mercer volunteers take calls to that hotline. To make it successfully through Contact training, a volunteer must commit to becoming a good listener. Julie Grossman is a Contact of Mercer board member who joined the organization six years ago. She had recently retired from a career in nursing, and wanted to find some volunteer work that would “feed her soul.”
a few minutes of conversation, but it’s also a safety check.” Letcher estimates that Contact of Mercer has around 200 volunteers — 100 who are active in the hotline and crisis chat programs, 40 or so who volunteers with the reassurance program, and around 50 more who are not as active. Grossman is one the people training new Contact volunteers. “I train because I believe in it and I find that the people who want to do that, there’s something inside of them that wants to improve the emotional climate in the world,” she says. “Really, we don’t have to agree at all with the person that’s on the other end of the line. All we have to do is hear them. What could be easier? It’s a gift we all have.” She admits that she was not at all familiar with Contact before she started volunteering with the organization. “When I found out that it had been going on all that time, I was amazed, like, ‘How come I don’t know about this?’” she says. *** One way that Contact has gotten the word out about its services is by getting more involved on college campuses, training students to learn how to help other students. In 2015, Contact became a campus club at Princeton University. Last year, the organization established another club at The College Of New Jersey. Letcher hopes many more colleges get on board in the coming years. “If we could spread this type of training to other campuses, that would be such a benefit, because the students are so interested, and many of them are going on to medical school or social work or other types of services,” she says. “But in any walk of life, you benefit from active listening and you benefit from learning about mental health. It gives people an opportunity to talk about acceptance and honesty and confidentiality and concern and compassion and connectedness.” Contact had around 80 people in training on the campuses in the spring, when the coronavirus pandemic led both schools to send students home for the rest of the semester. Eventually they re-established the training program through Zoom, and around half of the students went on to complete their training online. When it became apparent that campuses were not going to reopen for the fall semester, Contact set things up so that training for college club members would be conducted online from the start. If Letcher was worried that this would negatively affect participation, she need not have been. About 140 people signed up for fall Zoom training at the two schools. Contact of Mercer has moved its noncampus training online as well. Training is open to anyone 18 years old or older who is out of high school. The next training sessions will begin in January, and prospective volunteers will be able to register online at contactofmercer.org. For more information about the gala, visit contactofmercer.org.
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She found Contact by googling “volunteer opportunities near me.” “I got, I think, 484 responses or something, and I started to read through them and four stood out to me, one of them being Contact,” Grossman says. “I liked the idea of learning to listen better, because I feel that’s really important. I kind of wish I had listened better when I was a nurse.” Grossman and her husband Scott, a consultant who has worked for a number of major pharmaceutical companies in drug development, are natives of Wisconsin. They lived in a number of places before settling in Hopewell, where they still live. They have two adult children, Dan and Kelly. She says picking up these new listening skills was difficult — at first. “As a nurse, I want to fix people who come in with a problem, I want to tell them what they need to do. I had to unlearn that natural response inside of me,” she says. “I had to really listen to what the person was saying.” Grossman says that active listening encourages listeners to let go of their judgmental tendencies. “What the training really did was make me let go of all my feelings and my judgments and my way of thinking, and I found that honestly it was the most rewarding work that I’ve ever done in my life,” she says. *** Around 10 years ago, Letcher says, Contact centers across the U.S. started noticing a decline in the number of calls that they received from young people. In response, many started up crisis chat programs (crisischat.org), by which people could communicate with someone by phone or computer. Today, Contact of Mercer volunteers participate in crisis chats as well as telephone hotline calls. “Our chat visitors can be very young, like 11,” Letcher says. “Probably 70% of our chat visitors are teens or in their early 20’s, although they are getting older because now more people are comfortable chatting or using technology. But at the beginning, almost all the people in the chat program were young.” In 1978, the organization also began offering another program, a telephone reassurance program. It’s a free daily outreach service for senior citizens who live alone. Anyone 60 and older who lives in Mercer County can sign up for the free service. The program is staffed by a separate group of volunteers from the hotline and crisis chat staff. Letcher says Contact volunteers currently call about 35 people every day, although they have the resources to call even more. The calls are typically general wellbeing checks, although sometimes volunteers are able to determine that a client in the reassurance program is in distress. Over the years, volunteers have identified clients who have fallen or who have had a medical emergency, and have been able to get those people the help that they need. “Our volunteers have one or two clients, and they call them every day at the same time,” Letcher says. “It’s
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SOCCER continued from Page 1 been super important for me to keep going.” Allex slotted in all over the field before settling in the back midway through last season. She began her rec career as a goalie and a striker, but did not play defense until eighth grade, when her club team had an opening. “I played outside back for a while, but I didn’t switch to center back until my freshman year, and even then I was playing striker,” Allex said. “I’ve played everywhere on the field but goalie.” There was a reason for that. “Mea’s just a great athlete,” McGinley said. “Freshman year, she kind of filled in when I felt we needed someone at different spots. Last year she played sometimes at center, sometimes at outside. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle the center, but she was better on the outside than some of the people we had.”
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Midway through the season, Allex started to see increasing time in the middle; and it became permanent in the states. “It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve really enjoyed it,” she said. “I think I’m made to be more of a defender in terms of my size and my speed. I think that really works out because I’m such a competitive person that it’s really nice to be able to compete for the ball in terms of balls in the air, balls on the ground and just stepping to it, and being able to lay it off and ignoring more of that technical aspect. I think it plays more to my strengths.” Her pairing with Evich has solidified a back line that features seniors Claire Tellier and Jamie Wills on the outside, and sophomore Lucy Fleming in goal. Allex is quick to point out the stingy defensive numbers are due to more than those five. “It starts with our strikers and midfielders,” she said. “They do a great job of getting back and a lot of times Nikki and I don’t have to do the work because the ball never gets to us.” When it does get to them, attacking players have a difficult time getting any further. In the season’s first five games, opposing teams garnered just nine shots on goal. After deploying Allex to different spots, McGinley finally decided, “She’s just a big strong kid, and she’s more of a natural defender.” As for Evich, she has settled into her role of being a veteran leader whose comfort level has made her an even tougher defender. “She’s a very tough, physical kid, and she’s a smart kid,” McGinley said. “You can see her being more aggressive in that role. She’s very good at one-v one defending. They both actually can get forward a little bit, but Nikki’s more of that kid who excels in one-v-one. “She has also improved and developed her ability to attack. She’s worked on that a lot to make some runs here and there. She’s got very good ball control and is very good with the ball at her feet and able to dribble through and create that way.” The coach noted that Evich leads by example, while Allex is more of a vocal leader. It is a mix that works well. “We’ve just become very good together and just flow with each other,” Evich said. “I think a lot of it is just natural at this point. We still talk a lot (on the field) out of habit. But most of it is pretty fluid.” Allex feels that getting time together last year was a big key to the chemistry.
Junior Mea Allex and senior Nikki Evich helped Hopewell Valley out to a 5-0 start with no goals conceded this season. (Photo by Rich Fisher.) “On every kick or punt, I’ll know where Nikki will be or where I’ll be and we have our positioning worked out,” she said. “She’s such a great player that it makes my job a lot easier. She does a great job of being a wall back there so it’s really nice. I know I can trust her.” There appears to be a trust level throughout the field for Hopewell, and in a normal season it would be easy to have dreams of Mercer County and state titles. But there is no MCT this year and just an abbreviated state tournament will only crown sectional champions instead of state champs. While it’s easy to think “what if”, the dynamic defenders are happy with “what is” considering COVID-19 could have wiped out the entire season. “It does stink not to compete in the county tournament, because I think we could go really far,” Allex said. “But personally I’m really happy to be playing. I love being out here, I love being with all my friends and just competing.” Evich agreed. “It’s hard with this being my senior year but I’m happy we’ve got a season in general. There’s nothing you can really do about it, so I’m happy we’re having at least something. It’s unfortunate but we’re just trying to make the best of it,” she said. They appear to be doing just that.
The pairing of Evich and Allex has solidified a back line that features seniors Claire Tellier and Jamie Wills on the outside, with sophomore Lucy Fleming in goal.
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Putting Hopewell Valley on the Map LISA WOLFF NATURE IN THE VALLEY
Despite the tragic toll COVID-19 took on people of the world, many ecological benefits provided reasons we should not return to normal upon the pandemic’s conclusion. In addition, the initial stay at home orders freed up time, and people sought out activities that they could do safely, improve their surroundings, and help others and the planet. In Hopewell Valley, we saw increased civic engagement as many took a moment to reflect on the intersection between their private actions and its public impact. As the national political stage grew more polarizing, personal pursuits became more uniting. Individuals not only publicly supported social services that promoted the welfare of others, but also privately began more personal endeavors. Outdoor activity and previously neglected projects now took center stage but with a new twist, namely, mindfulness. For example, people approach gardening, a seemingly mundane task, with a new thoughtfulness by installing record numbers of native plants to improve their property while also seeking to restore the earth. Doug Tallamy, Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, said it best: “In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.” Replacing lawn and traditional gardens with native wildflowers and grasses restores biodiversity and transforms that area into life sustaining habitat for rapidly declining insect and bird populations. In his New York Times best seller, Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard, Dr. Tallamy promotes the cumulative impact that individual landowners can wield. Check out the Hopewell Valley pictures included with this column
Graphic courtesy of Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. to appreciate the dramatic results gained through combining municipal and land trust preservations with residential restorations. Hopewell Valley has seen meaningful impact through engaging in land stewardship in and beyond our public lands and preserves. That work has, both figuratively and literally, “put Hopewell Valley on the map.” Dr. Tallamy was impressed with the progress our community has made and our plan to proliferate more in the future. He intends to share our community’s story with his national audience and will include our success in his Homegrown National Park project. We have a wealth of areas that will be shared on the Homegrown National Park map. Local land trusts have
really stepped up their stewardship on public lands. “Two D&R Greenway preserves, Penn View next to Kunkle Park in Pennington and our popular Cedar Ridge Preserve in Hopewell, were restored with plantings of 1,600 trees in October,” stated Linda Mead, president and CEO of the D&R Greenway Land Trust. “These restoration plantings contribute to the broader swaths of open spaces and habitats that are helping to alleviate climate change and support wildlife and disappearing bird species that need these lands to thrive.” The Mercer County Park Commission has done extensive restorations throughout Hopewell Valley. Their website touts: “In 2010, 8.3 acres of abandoned
We have a wealth of areas that will be on the Homegrown National Park Map. Local land trusts have really stepped up their stewardship.
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look outward to the greater community. So, we put together a program to encourage residential community conservation.” In a video found at fohvos.org, Dr. Van Clef shares photos of beautiful native gardens and meadows from homes throughout Hopewell Valley and explains the free Community Conservation program helping about 200 local residents achieve those results. Residential Community Conservation participants are asked to sign a pledge that they will not plant invasive species into their landscape. The Hopewell Township Environmental Commission is also promoting land conservation as both a role model and through program. A oneacre native meadow was installed by FoHVOS in front of the Hopewell Township Public Works building. The Watershed Institute partially funded the project in appreciation of the storm water management benefits achieved through Community Conservation.
In addition, Environmental Commission member Andrew Plunkett initiated the Hopewell NJ Native Plant Swap site because, “I want to see native plants proliferate to repair the damage we have done to our biodiversity and ecosystems. By planting native plants, you are supporting the organisms such as insects, birds, and all other wildlife. If we want to restore our biodiversity and our ecosystems, we have to start with plants.” The EC has additional plans for more native planting initiatives. The Sourland Conservancy has also engaged in projects on both public and private lands. Their Roots to Rivers riparian restoration project took place along Moores Creek, near Howell Living History Farm and was funded by The Watershed Institute and New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Sourland’s Ash Crisis Team (ACT) offered native trees to plant at home. All of the projects listed above will appear both on the map for Hopewell
Valley as well as Homegrown National Park. Visit fohvos.org to learn more about how your property can “get on the map” and how to do your part to help fight climate change and commit to planting native wildflowers through FoHVOS Residential Community Conservation. *** Do you enjoy walking outside on the trails? On Nov. 1, FoHVOS will release the 2020 Edition of its Free Guide to Walking Trails in the Hopewell Valley. More than 100 miles of trails are open to the public at the 25 locations described in this guide. New in this edition are QR codes for each FoHVOS trail which provide interactive GPS trail maps along with trail updates and information.
Looking for more Hopewell news? Visit our website or follow us on Facebook to get updates about your community all month long
/HopewellExpress Lisa Wolff is the executive director of Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. Email: lwolff@fohvos.org.
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COMMUNITYNEWS November 2020 | Hopewell Express15
Relief solutions designed for now
Let’s get you back to better than normal.
Although the world has changed, our commitment to your prosperity has not. Whether you need cash now, wish to consolidate high-interest debt into one low monthly payment or want to establish a financial safety net for the future, we have three smart solutions to get you back to better than normal.
Auto Loans and refinancing with
no payments for 90 days*
Lifestyle Loans up to
$25,000
Platinum MasterCard� with a
special interest rate for 12 months
gocunj.com/better * Valid on new and used auto loans. Each auto loan closed during this promotion period will make no payments for 90 days. Accepting the terms of “no payment for 90 days offer” will extend the maturity of your loan for at least 90 days but less than 110 days. If accepting the delayed first payment, you will not be eligible for any other skipping/delaying of your payment during 2020. Interest will accrue during this period. Payments made through payroll deduction or automatic payment will be deposited into your account for the time you are skipping/delaying your payment. Refinances from existing CU of NJ loans do not qualify. All loans are subject to credit approval. Certain restrictions may apply. This offer can be discontinued at any time. Federally insured by NCUA | Equal Opportunity Lender
16 Hopewell Express | November 2020