Volume LXXIV, Number 5
PU Outreach Program Facilitates Trenton Collaborations . . . . . . . . 5 Talbots on Nassau Street Closes, Future Plans Remain Uncertain . . . . 11 IAS Hosts Panel Discussion on Anti-Semitism . . . . . 12 Kellman Stars as PU Men’s Hoops Tops Rutgers-Camden . . . . . 24 PDS Boys’ Hockey Edges Lawrenceville 3-2 in OT Thriller . . . . . . . . 29
John Lennon Joins Kobe Bryant, Mozart, and Schubert in This Week's Book/Record Review . . . . . . . . . . 14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . . 20,21 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 19 Classified Ads . . . . . . 34 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 13 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 23 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 32 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 6 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 34 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Residents Urge Fix For Edgehill Traffic, Dangerous Conditions Tucked away between Mercer Street (Princeton Pike) and Stockton Street (Route 206), and only a single block long, Edgehill Street is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Princeton. Alexander Hamilton once lived on the street. When the Continental Congress met in Princeton in 1783, he and James Madison resided in the house known as the Barracks. According to a number of current residents, however, this 22-foot-wide 18thcentury lane has become a significant traffic problem. Sean Wilentz, who lives with his family on the street, described “a growing emergency on Edgehill Street with reckless, speeding, and abusive motorists, using the street as a cut-through and treating it as a combination short-cut and drag strip. The situation has degenerated over the last few years, and it has now become a severe danger to life, limb, and property.” A group of five Edgehill Street residents, who gathered at Wilentz’s home on Saturday morning to discuss the problem and look for solutions, agreed that traffic woes have made life on Edgehill increasingly dangerous in the past five years and that quality of life there has steadily declined. “This is a disaster waiting to happen,” said Wilentz. “This is an emergency, not something that should be delayed to next week, let alone next year.” On Sunday evening, January 12, Wilentz’s Honda CRV, which was parked legally across the street from his house, was struck by a car traveling from Mercer Street towards Stockton Street, causing extensive damage to both cars. According to the police report, the driver of the vehicle was found to be at fault and was charged with careless driving. “This is not a run-of-the-mill crash story,” said Wilentz. “It is a story about an entire street, one of Princeton’s most venerable, being afflicted and at times even terrorized by out-of-control motorists. These include, as in the case of the recent crash, otherwise respectable Princetonians who have displayed a heedless and even criminal disregard for the lives and property of Edgehill Street’s neighbors, let alone for the law.” Wilentz also noted frequent “foul-mouthed, even menacing abuse” from motorists who were asked to slow down. Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Community Helps Plan Future of PPS “We are here to figure it out together,” said Princeton Public Schools Superintendent Steve Cochrane to the crowd of about 160 community members packed into the Princeton High School cafeteria on Saturday morning. Along with school officials, teachers, students, parents, and other community residents, five consultants from the Milone & MacBroom (M&M) planning firm were in attendance to help lead the gathering in exploring the question of how to accommodate the growing population of students in the district’s schools. “I don’t know how that question will be answered,” said Cochrane, or “if it will involve some enhancement of our school facilities, some redrawing of our sending area boundaries at the elementary school level, or some adjustment of our school schedules to allow for greater efficiency. There may be other options or some combination of all of these.” Emphasizing the collaborative nature of the four- or five-month planning process ahead, Cochrane noted that this was the first of several public forums and that there would be many other opportunities
for people to engage in figuring out the answers to the challenges ahead. Before introducing the planners, Cochrane set the tone for the proceedings by quoting the title of a book by Cornelius Minor, We Got This: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us To Be, and its first chapter, “Begin By Listening.” The M&M project team members reported for over an hour on their findings so far after researching and analyzing existing conditions at PPS. Their presentations included a discussion of demographics, housing, and enrollment projections, as
they made a strong case that PPS needs to expand to accommodate recent enrollment growth — about 14 percent over the past 10 years, including 9 percent over the last four years — and continuing growth, as more than 800 market and affordable housing units are added over the next four to seven years. The planners went on to present a review of facilities, with all of the schools having been built between 50 and 95 years ago, as well as an analysis of educational programming. Following the presentations, the Continued on Page 8
Princeton Council Hears Task Force Report on Permit Parking
Princeton Council heard a report Monday night from the Princeton Permit Parking Task Force, which has been working since May on how to address issues of daytime and overnight parking in different sections of town. Their initial focus has been on the Witherspoon-Jackson and tree street neighborhoods, where parking is especially tight and only some houses
have driveways. Council members Leticia Fraga and David Cohen, along with Mayor Liz Lempert, have been working on the initiative with residents of different neighborhoods and some business owners. Delivering the report, Fraga stressed that it is not a finished recommendation. “We are just Continued on Page 8
WASSAILING AT THE FARM: Dancing and singing were just some of the activities at Terhune Orchards’ annual Wassailing the Apple Trees Festival on Sunday afternoon . The ancient British tradition is said to protect the trees from harm and ensure a good crop . Live music, roasting marshmallows, and enjoying apple cider and donuts were also part of the festivities . Participants share their favorite winter activities in this week’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)