HE proof 2

Proposed boutique hotel would breathe new life into historic site

BY JOE EMANSKI

On Fiddlers Creek Road across the way from the Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain sits a centuries-old farmstead that has, for the first time in a long time, got people talking.

The sign on the drive reads HOLLYS ONE because it’s missing a T. This is Hollystone Manor, and while it wasn’t known by that

name in his day, the site has history that involves Joseph Titus, the namesake of Titusville.

Welcome to Capital Health.

Where many a passerby sees a rambling stone mansion and ivy-choked stone barn in need of some serious TLC, Margot Stern sees something more. She sees a quiet destination for jaded urbanites, a place in the country where people from near and far can spend a few days, or even just a

few hours, recharging their batteries and reconnecting with the land, whether by exploring it, eating the food grown on it, or just breathing in its air.

The Hopewell, Stern calls it, and if she can get the zoning variances she needs, she hopes to turn it into the kind of boutique destination that has become popular up in the Hudson Valley of New See HOTEL, Page 4

When someone you care about is sick, you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they get the best care. And so do we.

With a collaborative structure so our doctors can craft a treatment that’s uniquely right for you. With primary care physicians who never schedule an appointment that’s less than 20 minutes. With world-renowned surgeons that are changing cancer treatment.

Because you’d go to the ends of the earth for the people you care about. And we do too.

Become a part of it today at CapitalHealth.org

Small World, big dreams

Hopewell teen set for solo art exhibition at noted Princeton coffeehouse

BY JOE EMANSKI

Artist Zarina Morgan fulfilled a lifelong dream last summer when she exhibited some of her paintings at Boro Bean in Hopewell Borough.

The fact that she was not yet a high school senior at the time may have hinted at the possibility that she had more such exhibitions in her future.

And indeed, another one is coming up already. Morgan’s artworks will be on display at Small World Coffee’s Nassau Street location in Princeton from Jan. 4 through Feb. 7.

Nor are those the only venues where her original works have been on view. Over the summer, she created a butterfly mural at the Quarry Swim Club, where she was also working as a lifeguard. And in April, she also had a show at Time restaurant and whiskey bar in Philadelphia.

Then there was that day when she was showing some of her pieces to a friend’s mother, who is an art collector. She recounted the experience during a phone interview from her home attic studio in

the borough.

“She was looking at one piece and she said to me, ‘How much?’ and I said, ‘What do you mean? I’ll just give it to you.’ I had no idea what to say. And she said, ‘No, how much?’ So I ended up selling that piece to her. I signed the back, I titled it — I had never done any of that before. I had just made art in my bedroom for fun. She displayed it in her home, and that’s when I realized people actually might want to buy my art.”

Impressive milestones for any artist, much less one who is still working toward a high school diploma.

Zarina Morgan Cohan — she uses just her first two names as an artist — says she has been making art since she was at least three years old. The Hopewell Valley Central High School senior had attended Hopewell Elementary School, Timberlane Middle School and the Pennington School before settling in at Central, where she says teacher Carolyn McGrath has been instrumental in her development as an artist. She describes her style as modern figurism — or maybe a modern version of surrealism.

“I’m not really sure. It’s modern, especially when I use spray paint. It’s modern especially because of

Margot Stern prepares the dining area for service at The Hopewell for a pop-up dinner with Chef Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club on Nov. 5, 2022. (Photo by Laura Pedrick.)

Morgan

how far would you go if they were sick?

MCMAC helps to send a hero home for the holidays

The Mercer County Military Action Council announced that it has donated $2,500 to Send a Hero Home for the Holidays, a program that pays the travel expenses of junior service members who could not otherwise afford to visit their families during holiday leave.

MCMAC partnered with the Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton during its annual Flags for Heroes campaign. The campaign allowed sponsors to purchase a flag in honor of veterans or active duty service members, as well as local first responders, hospital workers, teachers and other heroes in their lives.

Nearly 300 flags flew on the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton campus in November. The Rotary Club presented a ceremonial check to MCMAC’s leadership during the club’s Dec. 2 meeting at PJ’s Pancake House in Robbinsville.

Bill Cleave, vice chairman of MCMAC, said this is the second year

that his organization and the Rotary Club teamed up to support the Send a Hero Home for the Holidays program.

MCMAC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support service members and the mission of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, as well as activeduty personnel, reservists, guardsmen, veterans and their families living in local towns. Web: mcmilitaryactioncouncil.org.

Hopewell Public Library announces January events

The Hopewell Public Library has announced a series of events scheduled to take place this January.

The Bullet Journal Book Club plans to meet on Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 6-7:30 p.m. In the club’s first meeting of the new year members will set up bullet journals for 2023 and plan for January and February. Ages 18 and older; email redli-

HOTEL continued from Page 1 York. A countryside estate like Babington House or The Newt Somerset, in England, a wooded retreat like Inness in the Catskills or Twin Farms in Vermont. Not only a place to stay while you visit someplace nice. But also a place that is itself a place to visit, a retreat, a getaway.

Stern knows that not everyone shares her vision. Detractors who include nearby residents, local publications and the local chapter of the Audubon Society have come out against The Hopewell, and a website popped up in November encouraging people to sign a petition opposing commercial development of the property.

But Stern truly hopes that she can convince them, one and all, that what she imagines for the future of this deteriorating, historic old property will be not only good for the Hopewell Valley, and good for the site, but good for nature as well. She isn’t looking to knock it all down to build a Courtyard By Marriott. She means it when she says she doesn’t want to create a wedding venue. She wants a cozy, quiet, dignified destination that, in her words, “incorporates the values of the region.”

In the end, though, she doesn’t have to convince every detractor. What she must do is get the members of the Hopewell Township Zoning Board of Adjustment to see what she sees. It won’t be unless and until they grant her the use variance she needs that she will be able to bring her vision to life. * * *

According to the Hopewell Township Historic Preservation Commission, the oldest part of the main house — the dining and living rooms — were built around 1770 by the Titus family, and Joseph Titus owned some 293 acres around the current farmstead when he died in 1797. Other sections of the house date back to 1819 and the 1840s, and several additions were made in the 20th century. The stone barn dates back to the 19th century as well.

The property sits in a Mountain Resource Conservation zone. That particular type of zoning allows only for residential development, so in order to proceed with her plans, Stern must get the proper variance from the zoning board to allow commercial development.

To add complexity to the matter, the property is encircled by preserved land: Fiddler’s Creek Preserve on one side, and the Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain on the other. In fact, even part of the 24 acres of land that Stern purchased in 2021 is conservationally protected by an easement granted to Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space by the previous owner.

To Stern, though, the surroundings seemed not like an impediment to her vision, but rather a strength. A graduate

of the Wharton School of Business’ MBA program, she wrote her masters thesis on agro-tourism and eco-tourism.

Stern, a resident and a native of Philadelphia, has lived in a number of places over the years, including Mexico, where she successfully launched a new hotel, Avenida Baja, in 2020 in spite the coronavirus pandemic. She has been conceptualizing and opening new hotels like this one for a decade now, so she knew that there could be opposition to her ideas, so she commissioned several impact studies, including traffic, soil, septic and water, so she have that information for the zoning application.

The zoning board’s December meeting was held via Zoom on Dec. 7, and at that meeting, Stern presented the board with her concept for The Hopewell: a 27-room boutique hotel with a clubhouse, spa, workout room, yoga and meditation space, and pool.

She shared her vision of a farm-totable restaurant, open to the public, ideally with a bar if she can get the license, although that is a secondary issue at this point. She says she wants to host cooking classes and guest chefs and highlight local ingredients and seasonal cuisine.

She has pledged not to add any new buildings to the site — and to renovate the buildings that are there, including the ice house and pump house. All of the proposed units would be situated in existing structures — the house, as well as three cottages that are across the existing parking lot, and four apartments that are attached to the barn.

She says that she will also rebuild the septic system and the well, repair structural damage to the house, integrate renewable energy, remove and replace existing asphalt, replace invasive species with native plants, and improve storm-

water management on the site. Parking spaces would increase from 27 to 95.

In her presentation, she cited case studiess like The Newt, where guests are invited to forage the grounds for material that could be crafted into decorations or take calligraphy classes. She says that is the vibe she is going for — guided hikes, bird watching, beekeeping.

And she hopes to offer memberships to the clubhouse and spa, which she says is another way to share the renovated property with the community. She described it to me this way: “I’m envisioning a true clubhouse, where the goal would be, someone has a few hours to kill, comes here, jumps on a peloton or takes a yoga class or takes a steam, gets a shower, and then goes upstairs and is able to sit in the lounge, get a coffee and bang out some emails.

“What sometimes happens with these hotels is, a developer comes in, says this will be this incredible investment into this place, and then it’s totally closed to the community. What Soho House and some of these types of places have been engaging the community through a membership program.”

The meeting was well attended, in part because of the website hollystonemanor. com, started by Fiddler’s Creek residents John and Carol Mastrosimone. They created the site to publicize their opposition to the proposed development, and set up a petition on the site where others could also register their objections.

Through the website, they encouraged people to attend the meeting. After her presentation, Stern answered questions from the board and community — so many that the 7 p.m. meeting extended to 10:30 p.m., when chair Eric Hatke ended it, tabling further consideration of the proposed hotel until January.

There never was time in the December meeting for Stern to present the findings from her impact studies. She feels like, if only people would read the reports for themselves, they would be convinced that her professed mission for the site is genuine.

“We weren’t able to make the actual evidence. The ecological and engineering evidence is really unequivocal,” Stern says. “The way that traffic is measured is assuming maximum occupancy of the restaurant and the inn. (In January) we are going to have witnesses who are going to be able to speak to the fact that the ecological impact is going to be negligible and in fact is going to be positive. When they hear the witnesses speak, I hope that will give some of the zoning board members more clarity, so they feel they have taken in the information.”

She says she had hoped that the zoning meeting would be an opportunity to clarify what she believes are misapprehensions about the proposal.

“Part of the reason it felt so important is because there are one or two people who have created a sort of petition campaign and a website and are putting forth pretty big misconceptions about the project,” she says. “I’ve actually had a few petition signers tell me, ‘When I signed the petition, it sounded really horrible, but now that I know what it is, I want to support it.’”

She says that the Stop the Hotel signs all across town give people the idea that opposition to the proposal is widespread. “But really, this only involves a few dozen people,” she says.

In truth, there are more than 250 names signed onto the web petition. And Hopewell Valley has a long history of antidevelopment sentiment. What is not clear is whether people have signed the petition after reading the full proposal.

For example, many of the signers who have left comments have expressed that the buildings should be preserved, which is part of Stern’s plan.

Some petitioners make it clear that they are opposed to further development of any kind in the township, and another frequent objection is that commercial redevelopment will put a burden on the local ecology.

“I think this region is so special, and what I’m hearing from the community is ‘I would be so excited to have a sort of gem of a hospitality experience in this region.’ And now there’s an opportunity to showcase that in a way that to me feels grounded. And even the fact that we’re doing adaptive reuse instead of proposing new buildings is intrinsic to the values of the community. It actually feels representative of the types of individuals that are already in this community and a

Hollystone Manor, A.K.A. The Hopewell, in fall 2022. (Photo by Laura Pedrick.)

business model that fits in their values,” Stern says. “I feel like this is an asset, this is something to showcase and something to show what other communities can do with buildings that are abandoned and at risk of being torn down.”

Former mayor and Fiddlers Creek Road resident Michael Markulec is one resident who supports the proposal.

“When the township purchased the Hollystone farm for open space and carved out the area along Fiddlers Creek Road, everyone envisioned this type of use for the farmhouse and outbuildings. Similar projects like the Hopewell Valley Winery and Glenmoore Farms demonstrate how the community benefits from commercial development that is environmentally and historically integrated with our rich agricultural history,” he says.

In 2010, the owner of the estate, a wellknown local physician, contacted local conservation organizations, including Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space and the D&R Greenway Land Trust, with the goal of ensuring that the property was preserved after his death.

FoHVOS, D&R Greenway, Hopewell Township, Mercer County, and the State of New Jersey worked together to preserve 108 acres at the outer edges of the property, which today are known as Fid-

dler’s Creek Preserve.

The landowner retained approximately 24 acres at the heart of the estate, granting FoHVOS a conservation easement on 13.42 of those acres. The remaining 10.4 acres are what Stern proposes to redevelop.

Linda Mead, president and CEO of D&R Greenway, negotiated the preservation with the landowner. “I remember clearly being in his living room with him in his hospital bed, and working with his wife. The residential area had alot of small buildings in addition to the main

house. They had been used as caretaker or family housing, or perhaps for guests. The proposed use appears to be consistent with the landowner’s intention, which was to allow that area to be reused while conserving the critical conservation areas on the property,” she says.

Lisa Wolff, the executive director of FoHVOS (and a frequent Hopewell Express contributor), says, “the easement serves to permanently preserve ecologically sensitive lands that are home to rare birds, plant species, and wildlife. Our exclusive purpose is to assure that the open space character and natural resource values of the property are conserved and maintained forever.”

Wolff says that if Stern respects those boundaries and seeks to facilitate and promote sustainability, then they may be able to work together.

“FoHVOS is a recognized expert in land stewardship, and we welcome opportunities to partner on FoHVOS Community Conservation initiatives that promote sustainability, native planting, and wildlife conservation. The easement connects to important Mercer County properties and promoting passive recreation such as hiking and birding is in line with the FoHVOS objective to inspire the next generation of conservationists.”

On the web: the-hopewell.com.

We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Hopewell Express is for local people, by local people. As part of the community, the Gazette does more than just report the news—it connects businesses with their customers, organizations with their members and neighbors with one another. As such, our staff sets out to make our town a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood.

EDITOR

Joe Emanski (Ext. 120)

CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS

Michael Ruger, Robin Schore, Lisa Wolff AD LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION Stacey Micallef

TO ADVERTISE

call Christine Storie (609) 396-1511, ext. 115 or e-mail cstorie@communitynews.org

Community News Service

9 Princess Road, Suite M Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Phone: (609) 396-1511

News: news@communitynews.org

Events: events@communitynews.org

Sports: sports@communitynews.org

Letters: jemanski@communitynews.org

Website: hopewellexpress.com

Facebook: facebook.com/hopewellexpress Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace 11,000 copies of the Hopewell Express are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and businesses of Pennington, Hopewell Township and Hopewell Borough 12 times a year.

An award-winning

Stacey Micallef DIRECTOR

Emanski

Margot Stern, third from left, shows visitors to The Hopewell the stone barn on the property and explains her vision for its adaptive reuse as a clubhouse and fitness center, Nov. 5, 2022. (Photo by Laura Pedrick.)

the bright colors,” she said. “It’s figurative. I use a lot of eyes, and I use so many made-up creatures in my painting, but there’s not one word to describe it all. That’s what I think makes it special, that I can’t really put it in any kind of group.”

She credits McGrath, CHS’ visual arts teacher, with “creating the turning point” in her artistic career.

“I don’t think I would have had the confidence to even make art at the expressive level that I do if it wasn’t for Ms. McGrath,” she said. “She let me use all her materials, and I had never been in a situation where I was given so much creative freedom. She would let me work on more creative things while there was a different lesson going on. She would let me do whatever art I wanted, whenever I wanted.”

In an email to the Express, McGrath called Morgan “an exceptionally creative and imaginative artist. It has been a pleasure working with her over the last year and a half.”

McGrath said she is impressed by Morgan’s commitment to the artmaking process and her willingness pushing herself into areas of discomfort in the effort to create her work.

“She also has a remarkable drive to share her work with others by putting it out into the world, whether that’s through conventional means, like art shows, or public art projects, like the mural she painted for the Hopewell Quarry,” she said.

* * *

Morgan says the opportunity to make the mural at the recently reopened Quarry Swim Club came about somewhat unexpectedly. It all started after club operations manager Lindsey YoungLockett, who had just hired her as a summer lifeguard, asked if she had any other hobbies.

After she told her that she was an artist, Young-Lockett invited her to decorate one of the bare walls at the swim club with a mural. The only requirement was that the mural had to include two butterflies.

“I went up and completely did my own thing, the way I wanted to do it,” Morgan says. “And then after it was done, I continued to work on it during my lifeguarding breaks. It was awesome to do something like that without really any experience.”

The opportunity to exhibit her artworks at Time in Philadelphia came about just as suddenly. Her cousin, who is also an artist, was a bartender at the restaurant, and DM’ed Zarina one day to ask if she wanted to display her own work there.

“Obviously, you ahd to be 21, so I just didn’t tell anyone (that I wasn’t) and I just presented my work,” she said. “I was

scrambling to figure everything out. I had sold a few pieces, but a show is completely different. I was so stressed out.”

It turned out to be the best day of her life.

“It was just amazing, watching people look at my work,” she said. “My work is very modern and figurative, there’s lots of different creatures, and people were just looking at it going, ‘That’s me, that’s you.’ They were tagging themselves in the art, and it was so empowering and such a good night. Especially since everyone was treating me like I was so much older.”

To satisfy her long-standing desire to exhibit her works at Boro Bean, she took a direct approach.

“One local dream that I’ve constantly been reminded of as I walked into this coffee shop throughout my life was to have my art displayed in Boro Bean,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to have my artwork displayed there. One day, I was in there with my friend, and there were the new owners, and we were joking with them — ‘What would I have to do to get my art in here?’

“They said, ‘Just show us your art and give us your number,’” Morgan said. “I

didn’t know these people. This was the same week they moved in. The owner ended up loving my work.”

The show was up from July to September. Morgan wasn’t even totally ready to exhibit a show at the time. “Some pieces were just finished. I was literally drying them with a blow dryer before bringing them in,” she said.

Morgan estimates that she has more than 50 completed works in her studio, and says she has spent 20 to 25 hours a week making art for the past year and a half. She said her inspiration comes from observing humans and human interaction.

“What inspires me most is the way humans act and the way we engage with each other’s existence,” she said. “It is so intricate and detailed. It’s hard for it to be described through words and I love being able to convey a feeling or human emotion without using any words. That’s usually the idea that I use to lead into most of my pieces.”

She tends not to sketch works out beforehand. “I get into a space of mind, and after that, I don’t really think about much of anything,” she said. “It’s completely intuitive. It comes completely

from wherever my head is at the time.”

She describes her art as introspective in nature, and says that any meaning that she finds in an artwork is usually not apparent to her until the work is mostly finished.

“My favorite thing to do is, I usually have a loose inspiration, and toward the end, I come up with an interpretation that I like or feel connected to, and I’ll go with that for the rest of the painting,” she said. “I usually dont start with any particular idea, but I always have an idea that i come up with at the end.” * * *

Zarina’s mother, Zora Andrich, is known to some as the winner of the first season of Fox TV’s show Joe Millionaire. She also has two brothers, Hudson, who is in kindergarten, and Blake, who is in 5th grade.

When asked what the future olds, Morgan said she is not sure what she will do, but she is “definitely considering” art school.

“It’s great, because I already have this experience, and my passion for art seems to be ever growing. I just feel like I’m going to keep learning, keep experimenting, and I don’t think I’ll ever not be an artist. I feel like it was just like what I was made to do,” she said. “I’m applying to art schools. I’m not sure if I’ll get in and I’m not sure it will work out.”

McGrath says that she is excited to see Morgan at the start of her journey as an artist, and to see where that path takes her.

“Perhaps it will include art school, or it may look like a less traditional route. Regardless of what the future holds, I have no doubt that Zarina will continue to make amazing art and find ways to share her unique vision with the world,” she said.

Web: zarinasartstudio.com. Instagram: zarinamorgan.art. Small World Coffee: smallworldcoffee.com.

Hopewell Borough artist and Hopewell Valley Central High School senior Zarina Morgan, surrounded by some of her many works of art.

Zarina Morgan’s butterfly mural at the Quarry Swim Club in Hopewell.

HolidaythAnnualWalk

DIAMOND SNOWFLAKE

SPONSORS($1,000+)

Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty • Northfield Bank

GOLD SNOWFLAKE ($500)

Blackwell Memorial Home • DeSimone Orthodontics • First Bank • Orion Jewelry Studio LLC

Pennington Quality Market • SAX Wealth Advisors • Susan Thompson, Weidel Real Estate The Bank of Princeton • The Pennington School

SILVER SNOWFLAKE ($250)

Capelli Salon • Creative Media Works • Hopewell Valley YMCA • Knox Grove Financial, LLC Meyer Business Law • Michelle Needham - BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors • Pennington CrossFit Pennington Montessori School • Poppy Boutique • Regent Flooring Kitchen & Bath Stark & Stark • Stellitano Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. • Vito’s Pizza • The Front Porch

BRONZE SNOWFLAKE ($100)

A&E Construction • Alisandra Carnevale, Esq. • Aging Advisors • Ellen Kick & Seung Kwak First Steps Financial • Hopewell Valley Fitness • Jan & Lynette Atienza • Jazzercise, Inc.

Jeremy & Meghan Rhen • Kollevoll & Associates • Mark McDonough, DMD Orthodontist • McCabe Electric Pixie Salon • Pru Thai • Sudi and Michael Southall • The MAX Challenge

Lawrenceville/Pennington

The Patchwork Bear • Twirl Toy Shop • Walsh Senior Solutions INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR ($50)

Amber Spa • Chris Murphy & Jon Butler • Carol & John Jackson • Gail T. Butterfoss • Guy & Jane McPhail Jason & Tracy Meyer • Kim Waters, Zoe Graphics • Vida Rose Coaching Solutions

ENTERTAINMENT

Caroling by the Hopewell Valley Girl Scouts and J.E. Voice Studio Carolers

Children’s Musical with Mike Tusay

Hopewell Valley CHS Brass Band

Ice Carver John Goeke

Knecht’s Danceworks

Santa Claus

The Pennington Studio of Dance

FOOD & REFRESHMENTS

Dudes With A Truck

Erwin Harbat

Pennington AG Church

Pennington Bagel

Pennington Presbyterian Church

Pennington Quality Market

Pennington United Methodist Church

Uncle Ed’s Creamery

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Barn Picks & Stuff

Brett Margulis, Pennington Parks and Recreation

Dudes With A Truck

Erwin Harbat

Brian Hartel, Hartel Timber Services

Hopewell Emergency Services

Hopewell Valley YMCA Youth Activity Center

Jack’s Nursery

Pennington Fire Company

Pennington Flower Market

Pennington Library and Wallaby Tales Traveling Zoo

Pennington Police Department

Pennington Public Works

Pretium Property Mgt. LLC/Howe Commons

Santa’s Elf-Tara

Greeters at Santa’s Workshop-Sheila Kron & Reba Holley

Weidel Real Estate

Zoe Graphics—Kim Waters

PB&PA HOLIDAY WALK COMMITTEE: Dawn Berman • Nathalie Cassien Kit Chandler • Erwin Harbat Larissa Kelsey • Alisa McCabe Jason Meyer • Chris Murphy Michelle Needham Jeremy Rhen • Brit West Special Thanks to Snowflake Sponsors, Volunteers and Friends that made this event possible!

Thank you to Saphire + Albarran Architecture LLC, for making 12 North Main Santa’s home for this event.

Winter a busy time for township’s Public Works department

Crews make sure the trucks, deicing equipment, and plows are storm ready.

It’s January, and winter has officially started. Ahead are several months of colder temperatures and the continuing possibility of snow and ice storms.

Many of us, especially if we grew up in this part of the country, remember the excitement of waking up to snow and wondering if school would be delayed or, even better, closed for the day. And for those who do not have to leave in the morning, a snow day may be a good excuse to sit in a warm home and watch the world outside.

One group that cannot stay at home on snowy days is the Hopewell Township Department of Public Works. Public Works is responsible for plowing and deicing 288 lane miles of Township roadways, along with municipal parking lots and walkways.

Preparations for winter start in the fall with planning, training, marking catch basins, stockpiling salt, and ordering plow parts. Plow routes and salt routes are reviewed to optimize resources.

When winter weather is forecast, Public Works is ready to act. Vehicles receive a pre-trip inspection, and a prestorm meeting is held to prepare a plan. Trucks are loaded with salt to facilitate a quick response to icing conditions. Our tandem truck holds twice as much salt as a standard truck, which allows twice the amount of roadway to be treated before returning for more salt. “Studies have shown … that being proactive rather than reactive can reduce costs substantially … and also reduce the total quantity of salt used during a storm by up to a factor of four,” reads The Snowfighter’s Handbook; A Practical Guide for Snow and Ice Control. This is important for both cost and environmental reasons.

Once ice and snow fall, Public Works’ first priority is to facilitate passage for first responders; the police, fire, EMS and electric and gas company vehicles. The second responsibility is to clean the road for drainage. This is especially important in a storm, because melting ice and snow needs a place to go. Otherwise, water will freeze on the roads. And the team works to provide safe travel for

W WILSON APPLE FUNERAL HOME

residents, commuters and commerce.

While Public Works takes great care to avoid causing damage, every now and then the weight and velocity of snow coming off of a plow may knock over a mailbox. This is a good time to ensure mailboxes are secured and any rotten posts replaced. If a mailbox is damaged by a plow, contact Public Works. The team will temporarily repair mailboxes so mail can be received. Once the ground thaws, damaged mailboxes or posts are replaced with standard USPS-approved mailboxes and wooden posts.

After plowing is done, post-storm staff meetings are held to review the storm’s timing, salting routes and plow routes. Public Works is always looking for ways to improve the process and to get the roads cleaned as quickly as possible.

With snow and ice come potholes, which develop in the winter due to freeze/ thaw cycles. The Public Works team uses a scientifically created cold patch to repair potholes in winter, as area asphalt plants close during cold months. Potholes should be reported to Public Works. Christmas trees are collected curbside after the holiday. The last day to place trees out for collection is Jan. 15. Trees

must be completely free of decorations. Many are trucked to the shore to create natural dune protection, while the remainder are recycled into wood chips. In both cases, decorations on the trees interfere. Residents may take recycled wood chips stockpiled behind the skate park between Public Works and the Police Department. Chips are available year-round until the supply is exhausted. A portal is available to make Public Works service requests. Go to Public Works at hopewelltwp.org/PublicWorks, and follow the link to the SDL portal. Residents can report potholes, drainage issues, tree branches, water and sewer problems, and other concerns that need Public Works’ attention. The location can be identified by an address or selected on an interactive map. The portal allows uploads of pictures, letters, and other documents to help Public Works understand the work that is needed. Public Works can also be contacted at (609) 537-0250 and publicworks@ hopewelltwp.org.

Wilson-Apple Funeral Home

Robert A. Wilson, Owner

NJ Lic #2520 609-737-1498

Cromwell Memorial Home

R. Asher Wilson, Manager

NJ Lic # 3823/Pa Lic # FD-000766 609-466-0233

Wilson-Apple Funeral Home

R. Asher Wilson, Manager NJ Lic # 3823/Pa Lic # FD-000766 609-737-1498

Serving Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough, Lawrenceville, Ewing, Pennington, Titusville, Blawenburg and Princeton.

2560 Pennington Road, Pennington NJ | wilsonapple.com

Michael Ruger is a member of the Hopewell Township Committee. Hopewell Township provided this content.

Michael Ruger FRoM the township

Welcome to Capital Health.

When someone you care about is sick, you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they get the best care. And so do we.

With a collaborative structure so our doctors can craft a treatment that’s uniquely right for you. With primary care physicians who never schedule an appointment that’s less than 20 minutes. With world-renowned surgeons that are changing cancer treatment.

Because you’d go to the ends of the earth for the people you care about. And we do too.

Become a part of it today at CapitalHealth.org

how far would you go if they were sick?

Brandom Farms meadow a learning experience for all

My email box was completely filled with forwards of the New York Times Dec. 14 article entitled, “They Fought the Lawn. And the Lawn’s Done.” What made the story so compelling was that it had all the elements of a blockbuster film: a simple scenario with a relatable protagonist who overcame significant challenges in her desire to do good.

The Times documented a multiyear struggle that eventually resulted in a happy ending. The feature related the story of Janet Crouch, a Maryland homeowner who planted climate-friendly native wildflowers that attracted beautiful migratory butterflies, birds and bees. As her garden thrived, she repeatedly received threats and lawsuits from an overzealous homeowners association that demanded that she convert her yard back to an ecologically unfriendly turf lawn.

The tenacious Ms. Crouch not only won the contentious lawsuit, but also inspired legislators to change state law. The Maryland General Assembly recently passed low-impact landscaping legislation that codifies rights to maintain an environmentally conscious landscape.

While New Jersey should most definitely consider similar legislation, there’s a good reason why Columbia, Maryland wound up in the news and Hopewell Valley did not.

The Maryland story began in Fall of 2017, when Ms. Crouch received the first letter from the HOA lawyer demanding her wildflower meadow be converted

to lawn. Coincidentally, at the very same time, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space approached the largest homeowners association in Hopewell Valley —- Brandon Farms Property Owners Association — to ask if they would consider implementing a pilot project to convert their detention basins from lawn to naturalized wildflower meadows.

While both tales include a series of obstacles threatening the success of healthy, ecologically helpful landscape, the sensational Maryland plotline plays far better to the masses than an account of a smart New Jersey POA researching landscape alternatives to help both the environment and its residents.

Not surprisingly, the Maryland HOA and the NJ POA shared common

concerns of promoting an attractive community while bolstering property values. However, to address those concerns, Maryland enforced strict rules documented in HOA bylaws. Conversely, BFPOA leadership planted a wildflower meadow as a proof of concept, that a meadow could look beautiful while gleaning positive environmental benefits and lower upkeep costs due to reduced mowing and watering needs.

Mike Shevlin and Pete Sandford, President and Trustee of BFPOA respectively, worked closely with the FoHVOS team. Their first decision would be to choose a location in the vast Brandon Farms community to host a 10,000-square-foot meadow. They reached out to Steve Wilfing, principal of Stony Brook Elementary School, and suggested placing the meadow on BFPOA land that abuts the school so it would be an easy walk to teach students about biodiverse ecosystems and local wildlife.

Principal Wilfing enthusiastically encouraged the transition and brought together the STEM staff, the PTO, and the local community to plan and implement the new meadow/outdoor classroom. As the project progressed, FoHVOS solicited funding from local leaders Vanessa Sandom and Carl Seiden, and the 5th grade class purchased bird feeders.

Weatherwood Design, a landscape architect. planned the design. Nectars Landscape & Design did a “sod cut” to remove the existing lawn. Community members and HVRSD administration came out and planted 3,000 native plant plugs. FoHVOS augmented the planting with seeds for ground cover and some shrubs to add dimension.

In Spring 2019, the Stony Brook Elementary student body came out to celebrate the meadow and held a ceremony with BFPOA, FoHVOS, and financial sponsors to install a sign that shares details about the benefits of a native wildflower meadow versus lawn. Mike Shevlin said: “The Brandon Farms POA board was excited about the opportunity to be involved in a pilot program to convert an area of unused yet heavily maintained grass into a natural meadow that benefits the entire community and serves as an educational experience for the Stony Brook students.”

The meadow met with some unexpected challenges, and became a learning experience for more than just the students. The original plan was to use “deer resistant” native plants. And it turned out that the Brandon Farms deer had voracious appetites and grazed on many plants thought to be resistant.

In addition, the native Indian grass grew very aggressively. In 2020, a neighborhood master gardener helped remove some Indian grass and in 2021 the Xerces Society provided a grant of 600 native wildflower plugs to fill that space.

Although the meadow is a work in progress with continual learning opportunities for all, it has succeeded in attracting hundreds of pollinators. In spring, watch for colorful flowers and beautiful butterflies, birds and bees. In addition, the planted area has not needed supplemental waterings and stayed green while the surrounding lawn turned brown in the drought.

The overarching positive results have been encouraging. Under its Community Conservation program, FoHVOS has continued to help Hopewell Valley add life-giving native plants to thousands of acres of local landscape.

Unlike the Maryland HOA that battled for years, Brandon Farms POA has taken the journey to an ecologically friendly landscape and enthusiastically continues on the path. This positive attitude towards environmentally friendly landscape will hopefully encourage others to consider their relationship to the land on which they live.

Shevlin noted: “We are now considering possibly expanding our naturalization efforts to some detention basins in the community which could result in less mowing and provide a more sustainable environment for our residents.”

Lisa wolff is the executive director of Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. Email: lwolff@fohvos.org.

Lisa Wolff

Native flowers in the Brandon Farms-Stony Brook meadow.

On being a cranky old man: A how-to guide

behind a garbage truck that you can’t pass.

With the advent of the new year, I deem it essential to fulfill my resolution and share the wisdom of my years with the next generations. So here goes.

So many young people come to me desperate for advice: How do you get to be a cranky old man? What steps are required? Is there a training program and, if so, is it expensive?

First of all, to become truly cranky, it’s essential to learn from your earliest experiences and draw upon childhood role models.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a neighborhood full of cranky old men. Old man Avino had a permanent scowl on his face. He yelled rather than spoke. These key characteristics may have had something to do with persistent misbehavior by neighborhood hoodlums.

On each side of his front stoop sat a cement lion. Sometimes he painted their mouths red. Regularly, the local bad boys would sneak up to his house at night, lift those tremendously heavy lions off their platforms and place them on the sidewalk. The next morning, a seething Mr. Avino had to figure out how to return them to their proper places. He was mad — always.

A few doors down was a ghostly presence whom we never saw. That was because, as he announced to kids innocently playing in the street, “Go away! I work all night, and I sleep in the day.”

Maybe we felt sorry for him. Maybe not.

Further down the block was the furious Aloysius Beakman. He had the sorriest row of diminutive hedges in front of his weed-filled patch of garden. One day, one of those hedges appeared to have been broken.

Mr. Beakman came out red-faced with anger and began screaming at the kids playing outside, announcing that if he caught the kid who broke his shrubbery, he’d make sure that criminal went to jail for 77 years! We were scared, and we wondered why he picked 77 years.

The crankiest of the cranky was Pop Scofield, who lurked at his window with his dog Rusty, just waiting for some kid to violate the space in front of his house. Once a kid got even slightly close, Pop Scofield would begin yelling, and his dog would begin barking. After tiring from his tirade, Pop Scofield would start hitting the dog with a newspaper while yelling, “Down, Rusty!” Invariably, the dog would bark even louder.

With models such as these, how could one help but be adept at crankiness upon reaching the appropriate age.

But what does it take to perfect one’s snarl, to induce the requisite fury that allows one to be irritable enough to let loose with full-blown crankiness at a moment’s notice?

Concentrating on all the things that inspire irritation are guaranteed to help maintain the ill temper and ready glare so essential to expressing crankiness with optimal speed.

That list of irritants could include: a table of people at a restaurant all of whom are staring at their cell phones, deer eating the azaleas, people coughing without covering their mouths and people who clean up after their dogs and leave the full plastic bag on the sidewalk.

Also, anti-vaxxers, Republicans and, of course, he-who-must-not-be-named.

But how, you may ask, do you perfect the trademark cranky-old-man scowl?

Anyone can suck on a lemon, but serious aspirants to crankihood will charge ahead and order a pineapple, anchovy and liver pizza, or even think about ordering a pineapple, anchovy and liver pizza. Or you could try getting stuck

The truly intrepid will go to such extremes as getting too close to a construction site port-o-potty or watching Fox News for 30 seconds (the same thing).

When is the best time to unleash your crankiness? While standing in line at the express lane of the supermarket behind someone with way more than 12 items.

When drivers speed up while you are waiting at a crosswalk with a small child. When, once again, you don’t receive any mail except junk mail. And, of course, when encountering other cranky old men.

In conclusion, be comforted that there is no magic involved in achieving perfect crankiness. It’s actually a natural part of the aging process. Just follow the darkest recesses of your heart.

All of the above, begs the question: Is crankiness gender specific? Is there such a thing as cranky old women? Or can there only be crabby old women?

These are the questions to ponder in the Happy New Year.

Robin Schore

sChoRe to pLeAse

Robin schore lives in Hopewell Borough.