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NOVEMBER 2020 FREE
Parents question remote plan
Progress comes to shopping center
Most LTPS students to switch to hybrid learning by Nov. 30
Developer says grocery store Lidl to open in early 2021
BY ROB ANTHES
BY ROB ANTHES
The Lawrence Township Public Schools announced its plan for the rest of 2020 last month, with the goal of returning most students to school buildings by the end of November. But not everyone is happy with the details. A group of parents who have selected the all-remote learning option for their children say the new plan shortchanges the students when it comes to the amount of time they would get with a live teacher. The district disagrees, saying the parents are conflating seat time with instruction time. The two parties spent the last few weeks of October attempting to hammer out a compromise. School instruction had been entirely remote for LTPS students since the start of the school year Sept. 8. Early results of a survey conducted by the district in October showed that about 60 percent of students intend to switch to the hybrid model with some in-person instruction once offered, with 40 percent staying all-remote. Those numbers are fairly even across schools, LTPS superintendent Ross Kasun said. The first batch of students— self-contained special education students at Ben Franklin See SCHOOLS, Page 8
It’s the question seemingly on everyone’s mind in Lawrence Township: When is Lidl opening? The answer, according to the owner of Lawrence Shopping Center, is “soon.” While not committing to a specific date, JJ Operating Inc. said Lidl will open its location in the Lawrence Shopping Center in early 2021. It’s just one bit of positive news from a formerly distressed commercial property in the midst of a multi-year transformation. Island Sports Bar and Grill has started renovations in the former location of Fusion House. Aspen Dental has signed a lease to open an office in the shopping center. Heavenly Hounds and Dollar Tree have opened in recent months. AutoZone opened earlier this year in a portion of the space vacated by Acme in July 2018. Lidl, a German grocer, has the remainder of the anchor space. Construction fences surround the unit, with much of the interior gutted. A LA Fitness gym pad site remains in the works despite appearances, with construction delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before work halted, crews completed tearing down See CENTER, Page 12
Lawrence Township resident Victoria Meisel works in the Living in Love Food Pantry Garden, located at the corner of Princeton Pike and Allen Lane.
A labor of love All-volunteer garden provides 2 tons of food this year to those in need BY ROB ANTHES
What started as a labor of love for Linda Santos has blossomed into a community effort that has yielded more than 5,000 pounds of food for local people in-need this year. In its fourth season, the Living in Love Food Pantry Garden at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church features rows of blueberries, tomatoes, collards, kale, green beans, peppers
and peas on a plot so large it takes up much of the church’s backyard at the intersection of Princeton Pike and Allen Lane. Wood chips—donated by local landscapers who have cut down trees in the area—rest in giant heaps in the church’s side parking lot, ready to be used for weed control and for portions of the garden floor. Since the garden began in 2017, Santos and other volunteers have harvested 14,434 pounds of fruits and vegetables from their garden. Together, the haul weighs more than seven tons, or the equivalent of two pickup trucks.
2020 has been its biggest season yet, both in terms of production and in the number of people volunteering to make it happen. About 50 volunteers have helped Santos harvest 5,025 pounds of crops this year. Among the yields have been 1,495 pounds of tomatoes and 1,962 pounds of blueberries. Living in Love is a food pantry garden, meaning everything harvested is donated. Santos has worked with at least a dozen organizations since 2017, including the Lawrence Community Center, HomeFront, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. See GARDEN, Page 10
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ROB ANTHES FROM THE EDITOR
November to me means Thanksgiving. And, when it came to this issue of Lawrence Gazette, this initially seemed like a problem. You see, we always attempt to include something seasonal whenever there’s an upcoming holiday—and Thanksgiving has always been one of the hardest to work into the newspaper. But a source said something We also handle your to me last month that opened my eyes to an angle I had somehow Estate Administration, missed for years. “I hope thankfulness will be a Real Estate Business & prominent theme in November as we move towards Thanksgiving,” Personal Injury needs! she said. For some reason, the words Reasonable feeshandle • Established We also your 1886 “thankfulness” and “thanksgivWe also handle your ing” lodged themselves into my Estate Administration, mind. I’d never really broken Estate Administration, down to their parts—to be Real Estate & 1886them Reasonable fees •Business Established full of thanks, to give thanks. Real Estate Business & This contemplation led, as all Personal Injury needs! things do, to an internet rabbit hole, Personal needs!1886 where I spent hours reading about Reasonable feesInjury • Established NM-00442191 and thanksgiving. Reasonable fees • Established 1886 thankfulness Thanksgiving has been an official tradition in this country since 00442191 President Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation in 1863,
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EDITOR Rob Anthes (Ext. 124)
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approach things from a cynical and skeptical angle, and 2020 has added to that a callused personality and perpetually clenched teeth. But thankfulness might be a cure for that, too, with studies finding it enhances empathy, eases aggression and improves self esteem. A sense of gratitude can reduce stress, and it may also play a major role in overcoming trauma. My reading emphasized that it’s important not to confuse thankfulness for toxic positivity—which essentially is holding your feelings in until you burst. Expressing gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring problems. But thankfulness can provide the perspective, optimism and the energy to see where you actually stand and put you in a position to better face the world. And, in that regard, it’s about the most realistic outlook one could have. Armed with this knowledge it occurred to me that when everything seems out of our control, we have a choice to make. We can give into the chaos. Or we can try to count our blessings. This Thanksgiving, I’m going to give the latter a try.
We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Lawrence Gazette 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.
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in the heart of the Civil War. It might have seemed odd to me a year ago that particular conflict—so traumatic that it ripped open wounds we’re still trying to heal 160 years later—spawned our national day of thanks. But now it makes sense. At least I’m finding that it is in times of pain and confusion—where it seems we have little for which to be thankful—that it is most important to take stock of the good in my life. Or, in less saccharine terms, things could always be worse. The religious roots of thanksgiving go back much further. The ancient Jewish people made a tradition of this by encouraging the “counting of blessings.” Did you tie your shoes today? Take a breath? See a rainbow or hear a thunderstorm? Hug a loved one? The goal was to find 100 things to bless every day, with the underlying mission to teach people to take nothing for granted. While this is a very old idea, modern science has found validity in it. A grateful outlook and sense of thankfulness has been found to increase happiness and have notable positive effects on mental health. Numerous studies have shown it might even create physical benefits like better sleep, less fatigue and decreased systemic inflammation. It’s the nature of my job to
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AROUND TOWN
Lawrenceville School donates $75K to township Education Foundation
TTAAKKEE I ITT I INN On Oct. 7, 2020, Lawrenceville School Head of School Steve Murray presented $75,000 to the Lawrence Township Education Foundation. Through grant requests from teachers and school administrators, LTEF funds programs in Lawrence Township Public Schools. In the 2019-20 academic year, the LTEF granted nearly $204,000 to Lawrence Township Public Schools for a total of 76 new programs and projects, including funding for Chromebooks for students during the COVID-19 pandemic, assemblies and field trips, new technology such as iPads and microscopes for classrooms and mindfulness and character education initiatives. Pictured are LTEP executive director Karen B. Faiman, Lawrenceville head of school Steve Murray and LTEF president Vessy Dusichka.
LHS grad Garg named governor’s chief counsel
doctorate from Harvard Law School.
LPD officer indicted for official misconduct
Gov. Phil Murphy announced Oct. 9 that Parimal Garg, a 2007 graduate of Lawrence High School, will be named A Mercer County grand jury as his next chief counsel. Garg cur- returned an indictment Oct. 20, chargrently serves as deputy chief counsel. ing a Lawrence Township police offi“I’ve relied on Parimal’s counsel for cer with two counts of second-degree more than four years, and I consider official misconduct, Mercer County him one of the sharpest legal minds Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said in a in New Jersey,” Murphy statement. said. “As we continue to Andres Mejia, 42, was manage the challenging charged in September issues presented by the with unsworn falsificaCOVID-19 pandemic and tion and tampering with economic crisis, I know records, following an Parimal will continue to internal affairs investiprovide the invaluable gation conducted by the counsel he’s brought as Mercer County Prosecuan integral member of tor’s Office. The prosecumy senior team.” tor’s office and the LawGarg has served as rence Township police deputy chief counsel to discovered the falsificathe governor since Janution of records during an ary 2018. Previously, he unrelated criminal invesserved as a senior policy tigation in August 2020, Garg advisor during then-canMCPO said. didate Murphy’s guberThe MCPO alleges natorial campaign, helping to formu- the investigation revealed that Mejia late the campaign’s positions. Prior to submitted an official arrest report to joining the campaign in August 2016, his superior officers at the Lawrence he clerked for New Jersey Supreme Township Police Department on Aug. Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner. He 16, knowing that it contained false and previously worked as an attorney at misleading information regarding a Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Gar- fictitious witness in an incident that he rison LLP in Washington. had responded to in his official capacGarg received his bachelor’s from ity as a law enforcement officer. Georgetown University and his juris See AROUND TOWN, Page 4
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Predators go undefeated
Lawrence Hamnett’s U11 girls’ travel soccer team, the Lawrence Predators, went undefeated Oct. 11–12, 2020 at the Mount Laurel United Soccer Columbus Day Tournament, winning three games and being named champions of their flight. It was the girls’ first competitive tournament. Pictured are (back) coach David Sheleheda, Gabrielle Davis, Lily Streeter, Riya Rajesh, Keeva Rice, Jillian Sheleheda, Ellie Hauger, Scarlett Potter, coach Ira Jersey, (front) Victoria Gromczak, Shea Moog, Jessenia Dieng, Elaina Jersey, Caitlyn McGlynn and Ava Yao. Not pictured is Kayla Williams.
AROUND TOWN continued from Page 3 The two-count indictment alleges Mejia failed to investigate a claim of domestic violence assault and made a false statement in a police report. Mejia has been suspended indefinitely from the police department without pay pending the outcome of his criminal case. MCPO said that despite having been indicted, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Journey to the moon on Lawrence Hopewell Trail The Lawrence Hopewell Trail has launched the Journey to the Moon program, which brings people together to collectively hike and bike the distance to the moon. The virtual event was launched to the LHT’s social media followers Oct. 2 to celebrate the first of the month’s two full moons. It will run through March 1, 2021, with the hope of collectively logging enough miles to travel from the earth to the moon. The 238,000-mile journey has been converted into “LHT Miles,” with each mile travelled turning into 22 miles— or the length of the LHT. To reach this year’s goal, participants will actually have to journey, in total, 10,818 miles. 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. Photos and videos
4 Lawrence Gazette | November 2020
can be shared on social media with the hashtag #LHTJourneytotheMoon. Participants can log their miles using the Journey to the Moon uploader and view the tracker to check collective progress. They are also invited to follow the Journey to the Moon Facebook Group for updates and fun facts. In the coming weeks, the LHT will offer personal mileage trackers, fundraising opportunities, a series of fun facts and pop culture trivia through their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds. 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 is a more-than-22-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail and transportation corridor through public and private land in Lawrence and Hopewell Townships. The Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation is a nonprofit organization that depends on the community for support. The LHT is a key 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, go online to lhtrail.org.
WHAT DID WE MISS? What are you noticing in your community? What stories do you think we should tell? Do you have news to share? We want to hear from you. Send your news or tips to news@communitynews.org.
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The remote-only schedule provides an official school day. The State of New Jersey’s reopening document students with live instruction by a defined a school day, whether in-per- teacher Monday through Thursday 1:45 son or remote, as “at least four hours to 3:30 p.m. Students K-5 will have 45 of active instruction to students by an minutes of live instruction on Fridays, with 6th grade students receiving 90 appropriately certified teacher.” The PEEP coalition, in a Oct. 20 state- minutes of live instruction on Fridays, in ment, made several suggestions they an effort to equalize the amount of time said will even the playing field, including children have in front of their teachers. This catch-up attempts to offset the equal instruction time and teacher support for remote-only and hybrid students fact that while the hybrid K-6 students and a set schedule with live instruction are in a classroom with a teacher for four hours in the morning twice a for all students in the morning. Kasun said he believes the district week. Meanwhile, the remote stualready has met those demands, either dents spend their mornings doing in the initial plan or in alterations he what’s dubbed as “asynchronous made after parents expressed con- work.” Essentially independent study, cerns. The district added 15 minutes it could be activities like worksheets in the morning, after the daily home- or reading, or lessons using Dreamroom “morning meeting,” for teach- box and iReady, two virtual learning tools purchased ers to work directly by the district for this with remote students school year. Kasun in order to set expectasaid Dreambox and tions for the day. TeachiReady use artificial ers at LIS will have intelligence to customoffice hours to help ize learning programs remote students who for each student, and might need guidance. can react to provide At the elementary instruction and strateschools, a help desk gies if a student strugwill be set up so staff gles or increase the members who have difficulty if the content breaks in their schedappears to be too easy ules can assist remote for the child. students. Elementary PEEP explicitly school teachers are called out the prodifferent, Kasun said, grams, saying in a in that they don’t have statement that “Dreamblocks in their schedbox, iReady and other ule where they can game-based virtual leave their classrooms. instruction is not an Kasun said he adequate replaceplannedOwned to meet with Family and Operated ment for time with a the parents Oct. 28, teacher, in-person or after this issue went to otherwise.” press, to let them know “I really feel that what work is being done • Post-Surgery/Injury many of our families and to see if the district • Companion Care right now are having the has missed anything. wrong conversation,” “Part of the reason • Around the Clock Care Kasun said. “Nobody’s for this town hall meettalking about quality ing is to let them know • Bonded and Insured that we’ve heard them, that we’ve instruction, quality programs. They’re made some tweaks and some changes talking about seat time. Just because a to make things more equal and equi- kid is in front of a teacher doesn’t mean table,” Kasun said. “To let them know it’s instructional time.” The actual amount of instruction that things will change.” In an Oct. 23 statement, PEEP com- time will vary from teacher-to-teacher Call today for your mendedus Kasun for his willingness to and grade-by-grade, Kasun said. At work with the group, but said there’s customized care plan the elementary level, for example, teachers will use the live instructional still work to be done. “We remain concerned about the time to work with one small group of impact of afternoon-only live instruc- children at a time while the rest of the tion for our K-6 students,” said Michael class does asynchronous work. The superintendent added that Giglio, a parent of students at Ben Franklin Elementary School and Law- the schedule is just a blueprint and rence Intermediate. “We look forward teachers have the freedom to include to a dialogue in the near future to clar- remote students when doing in-person www.janscaregiverservices.com ify the difference between instructional demonstrations, if they so wish. But contact times provided by Dr. Kasun he insisted that the “touch time” with today and the times that were sent out a teacher will be equal, whether a stuthe previous week. We encourage our dent is in-person or remote. References available from current and past clients “I’ll take some ownership,” Kasun parent supporters to continue providing feedback not only on the length of said. “We haven’t done a great job of instruction provided to our children, but explaining exactly what that schedule Call us today for your customized care plan also the quality of that instruction time.” will look like. It’s harder to do that. UsuPEEP’s biggest sticking point—that ally, you get parents together in a PTO direct teacher instruction for remote meeting and go through it. So we’re K-6 students is happening in the after- starting to go through that now, and www.janscaregiverservices.com noon—is the one thing Kasun said is “a now that some of the parents are actually seeing the schedule, they’re undercomplete impossibility to fix.”
SCHOOLS continued from Page 1 Elementary School and Lawrenceville Elementary School—resumed in-person instruction Oct. 12. Kindergarten, integrated pre-K and the remaining self-contained special education students in grades K-6 resumed two weeks later, Oct. 26. On Nov. 9, all grade 1-3 students resume, with the remaining students in grades 4-12 starting Monday, Nov. 30. Hybrid learning will be on an everyother-day A/B schedule, Kasun said, with in-person instruction days lasting four hours. The district’s current plan places students whose last name begins with A-L in cohort A, and those whose last name begins with L-Z will be in cohort B. Students in the A cohort will attend school in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays, with the B cohort in-person on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The cohorts only apply to those students opting to do hybrid learning. All students will be remote on Fridays until January. Kasun said this
allows time for planning and professional development for staff. The district said those students who have selected to learn only via remote instruction this school year must remain remote for as long as the district remains in its current hybrid schedule. In a Oct. 23 letter to the community, Kasun said beginning in January, the district will establish periods during which parents can change their children from hybrid to remote or vice versa. Meanwhile, more than 150 parents have formed a coalition called Parents for an Equitable Education Plan (PEEP) to protest. They say the plan provides remote-only children at the elementary and intermediate schools with significantly less live instruction than their hybrid peers, as well as less access to teacher support and no live instruction in the morning. They also say that the remote-only schedule— as well as the schedules for hybrid students on their remote days—does not meet the state requirement for
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standing that it is somewhat equal, especially K-3. It is definitely equitable.” PEEP parents pointed to plans in surrounding Mercer County districts as proof that Lawrence could do better in their minds. The districts provide live morning instruction to all cohorts, as well minute-to-minute identical scheduling through various measures, they said. The districts accomplished this by creating full remote-only homerooms, dedicating teachers to the remote cohort and streaming live instruction for the off-day and full-remote cohorts. They also pointed to research that showed children learn better in the morning than they do in the afternoon. Kasun said LTPS considered live streaming and remote-only homerooms for K-6, but ultimately decided against it. “We have found by watching other districts that it is a disaster,” Kasun said. “Those kids feel alienated, they’re not part of anything.” If integrating all students was the goal of the LTPS plan though, PEEP parents said the district has failed. The entire effort started, they said, because they feel like the district has treated their children differently solely because of their decision to keep them out of school buildings this year. “To be clear, we are not promoting any other district’s specific plan, nor are we asking for the live-streamed instruction in the original reopening plan,” said Kelly Cleland, a parent at LIS and LMS. “Rather, we implore Dr. Kasun to treat the full-remote students as an equal cohort and not an afterthought. I was a
member of the district reopening committee, and this is not the reopening plan we discussed. We were not consulted on this new plan, and it is grossly unfair to the students and families who have specific health and safety reasons for choosing remote learning.” There’s plenty of room for change, Kasun said, and the district will depend on the feedback of staff, students and parents as the year goes on. And there’s no promise the proposed plan will ever be reality, as the dates for the start of hybrid instruction and the entire model itself could be scrapped should COVID-19 cases spike or the pandemic worsen locally. “I think it is a really well-thought-out model,” Kasun said. “It’s going to need some tweaking along the way. And I hope we get to it. I hope we get to try it.” As of Oct. 23, the district had reported just one case of COVID19 among staff or students since the school year began—a district employee who was not inside any school buildings tested positive in mid-October. Kasun said in an Oct. 16 statement that a school bus used by the employee had been thoroughly cleaned. At the time, self-contained special education students at Ben Franklin Elementary School and Lawrenceville Elementary School were the only children receiving in-person instruction.
FAMILY DENTISTRY • IMPLANTS • ORTHODONTICS
Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@ communitynews.org, (609) 396-1511, ext. 124, facebook.com/RobAnthes, twitter.com/ RobAnthes.
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2020 was spinach, mustard, peas and broccoli—the garden has been remarkably consistent, yielding more than a ton of produce every year. A lot of yield also means a lot of work. Santos has long had done most of the work herself, including all the garden-related tasks as well as setting up relationships with organizations and delivering the food to them. In 2019, she spent 875 hours at the garden, a number doesn’t include planting hours or other activities for the garden that occur outside the garden itself. But, as the garden has grown, so have the number of people volunteering to help Santos. This year has seen the best turnout yet, with 50 volunteers—including Santos—having spent more than 2,100 hours in the garden in 2020. The year isn’t finished yet, with a few pounds of beans left to be picked. “It’s been a phenomenal year with volunteers,” Santos said. “This year, it’s been a huge blessing. It’s been so needed, and there’s still room for more. We weren’t able to pick all the blueberries, some of them just got beyond us and overripe, and we could have used more volunteers to get them all in.” Volunteers don’t need to be a member of the church. Santos takes full advantage of the help, as volunteers have weeded the beds, watered plants, COLD SOIL ROAD TRENTON FARMER’S MARKET picked ripe produce and spread wood PRINCETON, NJ SPRUCE STREET chips in the garden. COLD SOIL ROAD TRENTON FARMER’S MARKET PRINCETON, NJ SPRUCE STREET Lawrence resident Beth Morgan started volunteering this year with her friend Nicole Plett, after they had seen the garden for years while on walks COLD SOIL ROAD TRENTON FARMER’S MARKET SOIL ROAD TRENTON FARMER’S MARKET around the neighborhood. On a walk ully stocked farm COLD store open daily with safety measures PRINCETON, NJ SPRUCE STREET PRINCETON, NJ SPRUCE STREET one afternoon in February, they saw STAY HEALTHY WITH FRESH & LOCAL FOOD Santos working in the garden. They STAY HEALTHY WITH FRESH &FARMER’S LOCAL COLD SOIL ROAD TRENTON MARKET FOOD introduced themselves, received a tour PRINCETON, NJ SPRUCE STREET measures Fully stocked farm store open daily with safety Fully stocked farm store open daily with safety measures of a garden and then signed on to help. COLD SOIL ROAD TRENTON FARMER’S MARKET Morgan said she has volunteered PRINCETON, NJ SPRUCE STREET about two hours a day, four times a Fully stocked farm store openFRESH daily with safety measures week, and has enjoyed it as an outdoor STAY HEALTHY WITH & LOCAL FOOD COLD SOIL ROAD TRENTON FARMER’S MARKET retreat. She’s done a range of tasks, PRINCETON, NJ SPRUCE safety STREET Fully stocked farm store open daily with measures but one activity in the garden has become a favorite. “This is really weird, but I like to Fully stocked farm store open daily with safety measures weed,” Morgan said. “So, I’ve done a lot of weeding.” Offering “Porch-side” pick up and Local delivery Offering “Porch-side” pick up and Local delivery Morgan also believes her work in Offering “Porch-side” pick up and Local delivery the garden dovetails nicely with her membership in the Lawrence Citizen Activists group. About 20 members of the group have joined her to volunOffering “Porch-side” upand andLocal Localdelivery delivery teer at the garden. Some of them have Offering “Porch-side” pick pick up brought in people they know from elsewhere to help, as well. “It felt like it would fit into our misOffering pick up and Local delivery Order online shop.terhuneorchards.com or 609-924-2310 sion in helping the community by Order online“Porch-side” shop.terhuneorchards.com or call call 609-924-2310 relating to the community in a differterhuneorchards.com terhuneorchards.com •• Farm Farm Store Store Open Open Daily Daily ent way,” Morgan said. “Because it’s a food pantry garden, we’re giving food terhuneorchards.com • Farm Store Open Daily to people who are the most vulnerable the community. It’s more of a handsOrder online shop.terhuneorchards.com or call 609-924-2310 Order online shop.terhuneorchards.com or call 609-924-2310 in on relationship with them rather than terhuneorchards.com • Farm Store Open Daily terhuneorchards.com • Farm Store Open Daily trying to make a law that will affect people down the line. This is a bit Order online shop.terhuneorchards.com or call 609-924-2310 more immediate.” The work certainly is immediate, terhuneorchards.com • Farm Store Open Daily with Santos often directly delivering produce to an organization right after picking. Where she delivers the produce often depends on what’s in season, how long it lasts and when a specific organization needs new supplies. GARDEN continued from Page 1 It started in 2016 when Santos, a longtime member of the congregation at Holy Trinity, noticed the church wasn’t doing much with its large yard. Santos has a degree in plant science from Cornell University and experience in commercial agriculture. She also had a desire to do more volunteer work, with her children off to college. She thought there might be an opportunity to put all three together. She pitched to church vicar Shawn Davis the idea of a church garden where everything grown would be donated. With the go-ahead from Davis, Santos sat down at the Lawrence Community Center with center director Brian Helmuth, and had a conversation about what needs he saw in the community. Helmuth said he had recently had a conversation with Mercer County food pantries where they said they were in dire need of fresh produce.
Santos had all the confirmation she needed, and started planning the garden with the goal of a first crop in 2017. The rest of 2016 served as a preparation year. Knowing the area had groundhogs, deer and other wildlife that would nibble at the plants, Santos mapped out an area for a fence, taking into account future growth. Living in Love Garden still doesn’t use all the land Santos fenced, but has begun to grow into it. The first season, in 2017, Santos planted blueberries, collards and tomatoes. She also bought a scale as a joke, saying she would grow a ton of produce that year. She didn’t expect her prediction to come true, but she wound up harvesting 3,073 pounds— about a ton and a half. There was even more that Santos couldn’t harvest and didn’t weigh that year, due to a lack of volunteers. The garden has grown each year from there. While Santos experiments with new kinds of plants every year—
STAY HEALTHY WITHFRESH FRESH &&LOCAL FOODFOOD STAY HEALTHY WITH LOCAL Fully stocked farm store open daily with safety measures STAY HEALTHY WITH FRESH & LOCAL FOOD STAY HEALTHY WITH FRESH & LOCAL FOOD
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10 Lawrence Gazette | November 2020
Started by Linda Santos (above) and entirely run by volunteers, the Living in Love Food Pantry Garden has produced more than 5,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables in 2020, with everything going to organizations that feed people in need.
The food pantry at the Lawrence Community Center is only open every first and third Thursday, for example, which is great for greens but not ideal for something like tomatoes. This exact scenario led Santos to expand beyond the community center in 2017, to Homefront’s main office on Princeton Avenue in Lawrence. Then, as the quantity and types of produce expanded, Santos added the Salvation Army Adult Rehab Center in 2018, and organizations like TASK and Mercer Street Friends last year. This year, the blueberry harvest “just blew us out of the water,” so Santos added new places, such as Arm in Arm and Meals on Wheels of Mercer County, to her delivery list. Fresh blueberries are a rare treat at a food kitchen or pantry, which has made them quite popular. But, to Santos, the blueberries also serve as a symbol for the garden as a whole. Based on the number of plants and their age, the bushes would have been expected to yield 1,000 pounds of blueberries this summer. Instead, plants provided more than twice that amount. “I don’t know for sure,” Santos said, “but I would have to say they’re happy, and then God has really blessed it.” This gets to the roots of Living in Love Garden’s name and what Santos has tried to accomplish with the project. She and her church community believe they’ve been given gifts by God. And this is their way to share those gifts with their neighbors. “God has blessed us with resources, talents, the property, so many things,” Santos said. “And so what this garden is, is living in love. He has loved us, and we go out now out with His love and share that with our neighbors.” For more information or to volunteer, email Linda Santos at lilgarden@ htlcnj.net. Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@ communitynews.org, (609) 396-1511, ext. 124, facebook.com/RobAnthes, twitter.com/ RobAnthes.
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CENTER continued from Page 1 the former Huffman Koos furniture store building. The township originally anticipated a February 2020 opening for the gym, but the site remains an empty parking lot and construction has not yet started on the gym building itself. However, JJ Operating Inc. promises that more big tenants are on their way to Lawrence Shopping Center in the coming months. It’s been long rumored that Starbucks will open in the pad site location formerly occupied by Wells Fargo. Jack J. Jemal, who handles asset management for the landlord, said he could not confirm the rumor, but added that JJ Operating Inc. is currently in talks with several “new national tenants” to take space at the shopping center. He said announcements about those new tenants will be made in the next few weeks. Lawrence Shopping Center has started to see a renewal in the two years since losing Acme as its anchor. When Acme closed the 2497 Brunswick Ave. location in August 2018, it was the first time in generations there wasn’t a grocery store in that spot. Acme had operated there since November 1979. Food Fair and Pantry Pride also have occupied the unit. At the time, in summer 2018, the
center had seen three owners in five years, and had more than half of its 41 sites vacant, including several large pad sites. Construction began in midJuly 2018 on updating the façade of the entire complex, fulfilling a vow by owners JJ Operating to invest $5 million into capital improvements at the shopping center. Cafe du Pain bakery and Bury the Hatchet, an ax-throwing entertainment center, came into the center around the same time, in the last half of 2018. Then came news— first reported in August 2019 by the Gazette— that Lidl would take over a portion of the anchor space at the plaza’s northeast corner. Lidl did not respond to several requests for comment for this story. Many new tenants have opened since. Young adult clothing store Plato’s Closet has moved into the center. National Pools and Spas took over a vacant pad site. City Electric Supply opened in the former location of Strauss Discount Auto. The complex occupies a prime spot in Lawrence Township, with 47 acres fronting Business Route 1 South.
Several ‘national tenants’ may be coming to Lawrence Shopping Center.
Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@ communitynews.org, (609) 396-1511, ext. 124, facebook.com/RobAnthes, twitter.com/ RobAnthes.
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12 Lawrence Gazette | November 2020
Your Pet Matters Your Career Is Calling Master Your Finances Health 411 Catch up on the episodes you missed every Monday through Thursday at 9 a.m. Listen on air @107.7 FM | Online @1077TheBronc.com On App @WRRC on Google Play and the Apple App store.
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Capital Health Medical Group welcomes DRS. WILLIAM TORELLI, SEHRIS KHAWAJA, and RISHI PATEL, fellowship trained rheumatologists, to its Capital Health – Rheumatology Specialists practice. With expertise in diagnosing and treating autoimmune conditions and diseases that affect the joints, muscles and bones, the new physicians join Dr. Sajina Prabhakaran at their main office, located in the medical office building at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell. New offices will also open soon in Newtown, Pennsylvania and Bordentown, New Jersey. Dr. Torelli received his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed his fellowship training in rheumatology, including training in musculoskeletal ultrasound, at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
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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No matter your age, routine screenings can have big payoff should stay under 100 mg/dL; and outweigh the risks. Some men expe-
DR. SHANKAR SANTHANAM HDL, or “good” cholesterol, should rience false-positive test results that ASK THE DOCTOR
Many people put off medical care— especially men. That’s risky. Taking the time to see your doctor for routine screening tests can have a big health payoff. “When conditions are found earlier, they can be easier to treat,” says Dr. Shankar Santhanam, a family physician and chair of the Department of Family Practice at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton. Men should schedule the following screenings at these ages, according to Dr. Santhanam. Age 18: Blood pressure. Check it at least once every two years. If your systolic blood pressure (upper number) is between 120 and 129 mm Hg and your diastolic blood pressure (lower number) is less than 80 mm Hg, your blood pressure is elevated and you should get it checked annually. Before starting treatment, be sure to obtain measurements outside the doctor’s office. Cholesterol. Unless your readings are abnormal, this blood test should be performed every five years. Total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL; LDL, or “bad” cholesterol,
be 60 mg/dL or higher. High levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol can increase your risk of developing heart disease, while high levels of “good” HDL cholesterol can lower it. Testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is the most common malignancy in young men; it often strikes in the 30s. During a routine checkup, a physician typically performs an exam. Men with risk factors—such as a family history of the disease or an undescended testicle—should consider performing self exams on a monthly basis. Ages 40 to 64: Colorectal cancer. In 2018, the American Cancer Society recommended that people begin screening at age 45 instead of 50 due to the increase in younger individuals being diagnosed with the disease. You might need to be screened even earlier if you have risk factors, such as a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps or inflammatory bowel disease. Screening can involve annual stool-based tests; sigmoidoscopy every five years; or colonoscopy every 10 years. Prostate cancer. Men over 50 should discuss prostate cancer screening with their doctor, says Dr. Santhanam. The benefits of having a routine screening blood test that measures PSA have not been shown to
may require more testing. However, African American men and those who have a family member who was diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 65 should consider PSA testing starting at age 45. After age 65: Abdominal aortic aneur ysm. If you’re a former smoker and are between the ages of 65 and 75, consider having an ultrasound, which detects this potentially deadly bulging in the aorta, the body’s main artery. Otherwise, ask your healthcare provider if you could benefit from this test. EKG. Starting at age 65, have an EKG annually, advises Dr. Santhanam. EKGs measure the heart’s electrical activity and can detect irregularities, which can signal heart disease. Men with a personal or family history of heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure should consider having an EKG starting at age 40. To schedule an appointment with a Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton primary care physician, call (855) 571-2500.
Coming up this month at RWJUH-Hamilton Monday, NOVEMBER 2
Diabetes Made Simple! (609) 584-5900. Marguerite Billie O’Donnell, BSN, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator, RWJ Hamilton. Virtual class format. Call to register. 2 p.m.
TAKING AWAY THE KEYS DOESN’T TAKE AWAY THE RISKS… Thursday, NOVEMBER 5 Over two-thirds of all deaths associated with underage drinking are NOT on the roadways. *CDC
Medicare Update 2021. (609) 584-5900. Learn about changes to your Medicare benefits from Mary McGeary, Director of the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Virtual format. Call to register. 1:30 p.m.
monday, November 9
Kids still LISTEN to their PARENTS…
Diabetes and Gratitude: A Perspective Shifter! (609) 584-5900. Marguerite Billie O’Donnell, BSN, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator, RWJ Hamilton. Virtual class format. Call to register. 2 p.m.
The #1 reason kids choose NOT to drink is knowing their parents disapprove. * Help stop underage drinking‐ Be their parent, not their bartender. *SAMHSA
EDUCATE. ENGAGE. EMPOWER. www.mercercouncil.org
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PREVENTION COALTION OF MERCER COUNTY Join Us! www.mercercouncil.org 2nd Wednesdays of the month, 9-11AM Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/PCoMC
14 Lawrence Gazette | November 2020
Tuesday, November 10
Take Home Colorectal Kit. (609) 584-5900. Learn about colorectal cancer, types of screening tests, and how to use a simple take-home test to detect early colon cancer. In person. Attendance limited at RWJ Hamilton Fitness & Wellness Center. 9:30 a.m. Estate Planning Seminar. (609) 584-5900. Learn why estate planning is important with Justin Scott, elder care attorney. Registration required. Both virtual and in-person attendance available. 10 a.m. Creating YOU! (609) 584-5900. Kathi Szabo, life coach, shows how to bring your dreams and desires to life. In person. Limited attendance. RWJ Hamilton Fitness & Wellness Center. 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 12
Sleepless in Hamilton! Causes, symptoms, and treatment for insomnia discussed by Dr. Marcella M. Frank, board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and sleep medicine. In person. Limited class size. RWJ Hamilton Fitness & Wellness Center. 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, November 17
Swing Music. (609) 584-5900. Sing, dance, or just listen with great music from the swing era. Registration required. Both virtual and in person attendance available. In-person attendance limited. 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, November 19
Meet Your Better Health Program for VIPs 65+. (609) 584-5900. Explore the benefits of the Better Health Program at RWJ University Hospital Hamilton. Meet Dr. Sara Ali, geriatric and internal medicine and learn the benefits of geriatric medicine including managing chronic illness. Registration required. Virtual class format. 3 p.m. Navigating Transitions in Care: Elder Law Planning in NJ vs PA. (609) 584-5900. Scott Bloom, Esq. will discuss transition planning in NJ and PA, including Medicaid, Inheritance Tax and Estate Tax. In person. Limited class size. RWJ Hamilton Fitness & Wellness Center. 6 p.m.
Monday, November 23
Jersey Fresh Supper Club: Three Course Meal for Two. (609) 584-5900. Touch on classic flavors of the season. Roasted garlic & rosemary bisque, cauliflower steaks with mushroom gravy, and a silken pumpkin tart. Virtual class format. 6:30 p.m.
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What to know about New Jersey’s Coronavirus Relief Fund KEVIN NERWINSKI FROM THE MANAGER’S DESK
I, along with many others, read with great joy and delight an article on patch.com from Oct. 13, “Lawrence [is] To Receive $575K In Coronavirus Funding From NJ.” It is amazing news, if it were true. But it is not. So, now I have to write an article because posts on social media from residents have expressed great interest in how the township will be spending this windfall of money that we are not receiving. To give you the answer now (and save you from having to read the Patch article), $575,000 is the maximum amount Lawrence Township is eligible to receive as reimbursement for qualifying expenditures. That saying, the “devil is in the details” seems to come to mind. The New Jersey’s CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund is a fund purposed to provide counties and municipalities severely impacted by the pandemic with financial assistance “to maintain essential services and take the steps necessary to fight COVID-19.”
The most significant negative financial impacts result from “extreme economic contraction, deficits in tax and fee revenues, and extraordinary increases in public safety and health and human services expenditures.” In Lawrence, we can identify and relate to losses sustained from all of these categories. We have lost millions in revenue from taxes (predominantly commercial rateables), as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars from construction fees, recreation fees and court revenue, to name a few. But these costs are not what the CRF Funds are to replace. These are not qualifying expenditures (i.e., what the township may claim as “permissible” expenses related to our COVID-19 response). To be very clear, the proceeds from this grant will reimburse counties and municipalities for money spent on COVID-19 costs; money that was not included in 2020 budgets. Therefore, there should be no question where those proceeds, if received, will be applied. But if you need to ask the question, the answer is that it will be applied to the budgetary funds that have been depleted due to the pandemic. It is not extra money to be spent anywhere a
governing body wishes. At present, we do have qualifying COVID-19 related costs: (1) additional salary and wages; (2) additional equipment (PPE, etc.); and (3) other miscellaneous costs; the total of which through Oct. 14 is approximately $88,000. But we, as a township, are aggressive in pursuing grant funding in all that we do because grant proceeds reduce taxpayer costs. Through FEMA and other New Jersey grant sources, we have applied for and will most likely receive money to cover these costs. (We have already received some.) In addition, prior to passing our 2020 municipal budget, we understood that the pandemic would result in additional costs to our operating expenses and included $135,000 into the budget so that 2021 would not have to absorb it all. Accordingly, our township is well situated to handle what 2020 brings us. This pandemic, however, persists with no real end in sight. As a result, 2021 will have to be provided for. Knowing that there is federal and state assistance available to us for these expenses is certainly helpful. However, the loss of anticipated tax
revenue and revenue from the other sources that fund our municipal budget continue to accrue and will have to be dealt with responsibly. The resident taxpayers in our community need to know, understand and believe that the governing body and the professionals that manage our community finances will pursue every available grant to limit our losses, and do what is necessary to protect our ability to provide the services we all need, expect and deserve from our taxes. Over the years, many in the community questioned the amount we hold in our surplus fund as being too much and applied pressure for us to use it for one reason or another. Despite all of the fiscally prudent reasons to have a healthy surplus fund (i.e., better financing rates and higher returns on investments), the one that stands out right now is that it can be used for a “rainy day.” Our “rainy day” has arrived, and its name is “COVID-19.”
Kevin Nerwinski, a longtime resident of Lawrence, serves as Lawrence Township’s municipal manager.
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Call 609-396-1511
November 2020 | Lawrence Gazette15
the
only choice
At Greenwood House, our residents, families and caregivers
LOVE HOW MUCH WE CARE! AND YOU WILL, TOO. But don’t take our word for it.
“the only choice for my family” – CAROL LITOWITZ GOLDEN Chair, Housing Initiatives of Princeton
“Greenwood House took unbelievably great and loving care of so many members of my family, and they each required different levels and types of care. It is hard to overstate how critical it was to know that my mom, who was severely compromised by Parkinson’s Disease, was being cared for by the amazing staff at Greenwood House.”
Senior Healthcare Personalized high quality care, safety, security, expert staffing, kindness and love are all the things our clients, residents, and families love about Greenwood House the most! But don’t take our word for it. Hear it straight from them. Visit our website and read the many letters of thanks and appreciation @ GreenwoodHouse.org/testimonials.
• Post-Acute Rehab • Orthopedic Surgery Recovery Rehab • Stroke Rehab • Parkinson’s Disease Rehab Programs • Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapy • Long-Term Care • Skilled Nursing
• Respite Care • Home Care • Home Health Aide • Assisted Living Residences • Meals on Wheels Home Delivery • Hospice Care
Greenwood House is a nonprofit, mission-based organization rooted in cherished Jewish traditions, and an industry leader in providing high quality senior healthcare in the state of New Jersey. Seniors of all faiths are welcome. Call us today (609) 718-0587 Or email us at info@greenwoodhouse.org 53 Walter Street Ewing Township, NJ 08628 (Off Parkway Ave/Scotch Rd Exit & I-295)
16 Lawrence Gazette | November 2020
greenwoodhouse.org
Greenwood House is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Princeton, Mercer, Bucks.