Volume LXXI, Number 2
Seniors Pages 18-19 Historic Designation of Westminster Won’t Affect Decision to Sell . . . . . 10 Shakespeare’s Pericles and New Wave Director Jacques Rivette Come Together in Paris Belongs to Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 PU Men’s Hoops Tops Penn in Ivy League Opener . . . . . . . . . . . 22 PHS Boys’ Hockey Snaps Notre Dame’s 81-Game Winning Streak . . . . . 25
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After Swearing In, Council Gets Busy With Multiple Meetings At Princeton Council’s annual reorganization meeting on Wednesday, January 4, returning member Jenny Crumiller and newcomer Tim Quinn were sworn in. New Jersey Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker administered the oath of office to Mayor Liz Lempert, who was elected to a second term. No official actions were taken at a meeting the following Monday, January 9, but the governing body heard a presentation about storm water management, was updated on 2017 budget goals, and was asked by a member of the public to consider creating a resolution opposing the proposed expansion of Princeton Charter School. That issue will likely be on the agenda for the Council meeting on January 23. A third gathering being held Tuesday, January 10 (after press time) is dedicated to setting goals and priorities for the coming year. Reorganization Meeting
Damien Chazelle, Who Grew Up in Princeton and Graduated from PHS, Discusses His Golden Globe-Winning film La La Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 17 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 30 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Music/Theater . . . . . . 13 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 29 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 6 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 30 Service Directory . . . . 31 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The yearly gathering attracted a large audience of local residents and family members of those being sworn in. Ms. Crumiller was named as Council president, and longtime member Bernie Miller announced he would not seek re-election once his current term expires. Ms. Lempert and each member of Council offered comments about past accomplishments and goals for the coming year. In Ms. Lempert’s speech, she cited the creation of a Civil Rights Commission and Youth Advisory Commission as key developments. She also referenced Princeton’s work to protect immigrants, and mentioned the recent presidential election as a reason to make these efforts even more significant. Mr. Miller reported that permits for a proposed solar array plant at the closed municipal landfill on River Road would be received by the end of this month. A second such project, on the roof of the Spring Street Garage, will go out for bids this spring to determine whether it is worth Opening pursuing. He urged the to upth ! January 17municipality grade existing public works facilities rather than spend the money to build a new one, and focused on other public works issues as well. “When I leave office on December 31, 2017, it will have been an honor to have served the citizens of Princeton as your representative to local government for Continued on Page 21
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District - Charter School Clash Embroils Community
It’s up to the State Department of Education’s Acting Commissioner Kimberley Harrington whether or not to approve Princeton Charter School’s (PCS) application to expand its enrollment by 76 students. With Princeton Public Schools (PPS) and their supporters opposing the expansion publicly, in the press, in the courts, locally and in Trenton, and the PCS strongly defending its proposal, Ms. Harrington has plenty of opportunity for input from both sides on her decision, which she is expected to render within the next two months. Both PCS and PPS leaders have expressed a desire to work together, and PCS leaders met with PPS authorities last week in what each side described as a cordial and promising session. They plan to meet again later this week, presumably in an attempt to find common ground, but the public debate has been contentious. In December, following the PCS announcement of its application to the State, the PPS Board approved a resolution opposing that application, claiming that the proposed Charter School expansion would drain nearly $1.2 million in funds from the public schools and “have a profoundly negative effect on the students in our district schools.” PPS then followed
up last week with a formal complaint to the State and a law suit alleging that PCS violated the Sunshine Law or the Open Public Meetings Act when it passed the resolution to amend the school’s charter and increase its enrollment. “In essence we are claiming that the community was not properly informed that the PCS Trustees were intending to take action to approve an application to increase the school’s enrollment, and that,
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as a result, the court should invalidate that action,” stated PPS superintendent Steve Cochrane. PCS Board Chair Paul Josephson declined to discuss the law suit, but defended the PCS application and disputed the validity of the PPS complaints. “I’m hoping for productive dialogue with PPS going forward,” he said. “We’ll respond to the law suit in due course but for now Continued on Page 6
Surprise Accord Ended Battlefield Strife, Win-Win for IAS and Preservationists
Throughout the fall the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) continued to assert its right to proceed with its faculty housing project adjacent to the Princeton Battlefield. Despite ongoing objections from the Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS) and others, site preparation moved forward and construction seemed imminent. Having pointed out that the project had “all the necessary regulatory approvals to proceed,” and that the Institute had already incorporated extensive changes to their plans in response to concerns of the public, IAS claimed that the PBS and other organizations that had formed a co-
alition to “Save Princeton” were waging a campaign to promote misstatements that had already been rejected by the courts. Meanwhile the Civil War Trust (CWT), which had made a $4.5 million offer to buy the land under dispute, had apparently been rebuffed, with IAS refusing, publicly at least, to meet. The PBS, despite setbacks, continued to try to stop the project through a law suit filed under the Clean Water Act and an appeal of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission’s approval of the planned construction. Suddenly on Monday, December 12, a Continued on Page 21
FROM A LITTLE ACORN: Sixteen years into its progress to a stature as mighty as its 300-year-old parent, the little oak grown from a Mercer Oak acorn still occupies the symbolic heart of the Princeton Battlefield. Named for General Hugh Mercer, who was fatally wounded by British soldiers during the Battle of Princeton, the magisterial Mercer Oak fell on March 3, 2000, after a wind storm toppled its last four branches. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
Opening January 17th!
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Wednesday, January 11, 2017
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