Volume LXXII, Number 5
One Month to Go for DACA Program . . . . . . 4 PRISMS Robotics Team Brings Home Championship . . . . . . . 5 January Men Schubert and Salinger . . . . . . . 12 Griggs Farm Fire Destroys Local Artist's Studio . . 13 PSO Concert Features Pianist Simone Dinnerstein . . . . . . . . 17 No . 6 PU Men’s Squash`s Turnaround Story . . . . 26 PHS Boys’ Track Wins First Indoor County Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Richmond Aririguzoh Sparking PU Men’s Basketball . . . . . . . . . 27 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .20, 21 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 35 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Music/Theater . . . . . . 18 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 34 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 7 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Howard, Liverman Won’t Run In Next Council Election, But New Names Enter Race
Barely a day after Princeton Council members Heather Howard and Lance Liverman revealed that they will not run for re-election, two people have announced their candidacy. Eve Niedergang and Dwaine Williamson, both active in the local Democratic party, have declared their intentions to enter the race. The terms of Howard and Liverman end at the end of December. “It has been such an honor to work with my Council colleagues, with Mayor Liz Lempert, and with many dedicated staff and volunteers to serve the people of Princeton,” wrote Howard in a statement announcing her decision. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished on Council: we’ve made Princeton a more welcoming community, promoted the health of our residents, and created a single police force that is recognized statewide for its progressive practices. I hope we have demonstrated that progressive government can be responsive and effective. While I will be focusing on other work and family commitments, I hope to continue to stay involved and to find ways to support the efforts of our elected officials and many engaged citizens working to keep Princeton vibrant and sustainable.” In a phone conversation on Tuesday, Howard reiterated her plans to remain active. “I see this as a hiatus, not an end to my involvement,” she said. “Maybe later on in life, I’ll get back involved. It’s been a really exciting ride. Being able to dig deep on some of the issues I care about like policing practices, health promotion, and being a welcoming community, has been such an honor. But all of this is bittersweet.” Howard recently served on the health care committee of Gov. Phil Murphy’s transition team. The director of state health and value strategies and advancing coverage in states at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, she previously served in the administration of Gov. John Corzine. She has been a member of Princeton’s governing body since 2011. Liverman said he was stepping down “with a humble and gracious heart …. My decision to not run is a personal decision. I have been so honored to have served the residents of Princeton for 15 years,” he said. “My love and admiration for all the residents of this great town is Continued on Page 8
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
ML7 Buys Five-Story Bank of America Building The real estate investment firm ML7 has purchased 90 Nassau Street, the five-story office building on the corner of Nassau and Witherspoon Streets that houses Bank of America on its ground floor. Jeffrey Siegel, ML7 president, said Tuesday that the company will renovate the unoccupied spaces of the building, which dates from 1899, but has no plans for significant changes. “Our purchase of this building is not dissimilar to why we purchase a lot of things,” said Siegel, whose company has offices in Princeton and New York. “It is a premier property in Princeton and we love its architecture and history.” The acquisition adds to ML7’s significant presence in Princeton, including the former Lahiere’s restaurant now home to Agricola eatery on Witherspoon Street; office and retail buildings on South Tulane Street; and the three properties occupied by Small World Coffee, the soon-to-close Lisa Jones shop, and the former Army and Navy store, which has been empty for over a year. Renovation plans for those three adjacent buildings were approved last December by the town’s Planning Board. Small World will remain; tenants for the other two have yet to be named. In addition to Bank of America, the Nassau Street office building is currently occupied by Rosemark Smart Capital; Sword, Rowe and Company; The Burke Founda-
tion; and CI&T. “We do have space available on the second and third floors, so we will be renovating those spaces,” said Siegel. “They overlook the main gates of Princeton University in the front, and the Lower Pyne building on one side, so the views are quite awesome.” According to the book Images of Princeton by Richard Smith, the Classical Revival building opened on May 5, 1902 and was home to the First National Bank of Princeton. It had the only elevator in
town and was originally built as the town’s tallest structure. A 1981 architectural survey said the building “employs a variety of Classical Revival schemes on successive stories of the facade.” According to a press release, the purchase “… is part of ML7’s strategy to acquire significant properties in the highest quality locations and to invest in maintaining and enhancing buildings that add to the character of communities.” Continued on Page 7
Meetings With Architects, Education Expert To Address PPS Referendum, Building Plans Princeton Public Schools (PPS) have invited the community to attend one of two town hall meetings on February 8 to discuss ideas for a new fifth and sixth grade school and the renovation and expansion of Princeton High School (PHS). PPS will submit preliminary building plans to the State Department of Education (DOE) in April, and a referendum vote is scheduled for October 2. The meetings, the first 9:30-11 a.m. in the John Witherspoon Middle School (JWMS) Auditorium and the second 7-9 p.m. in the PHS cafeteria, will be hosted by the architecture firm Fielding Nair International (FNI), considered a global leader in 21st century school design, with CEO Prakash Nair and educator Heidi Hayes
Jacobs, author of more than 13 books and a recognized expert on curriculum design, upgrading school design, and modernizing assessments, leading the sessions. “Both Mr. Nair and Dr. Hayes Jacobs will be partnering with us throughout the design process to ensure that we are building spaces that will help prepare our students to truly thrive in today’s — and tomorrow’s — world,” wrote PPS Superintendent Steve Cochrane in his invitation to the meetings. At the meetings, Cochrane noted, Nair and Jacobs will discuss 21st century trends in learning and share best practices in school design from around the world. In the morning session at JWMS Continued on Page 8
WHITE OUT: Princeton Day School students provide raucous support at McGraw Rink as the PDS boys’ hockey team hosted its annual clash against local rival Lawrenceville last Thursday. The Panthers drew a lot of cheers as they skated to a 3-1 win over the visiting Big Red. For more details on the game, see page 32. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Barbara Blackwell Broker Associate (609) 915-5000 bblackwell@callawayhenderson.com A Home for Generations $1,968,000
For more information about properties, the market in general, or your home in particular, please give me a call.
4 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 609-921-1050 Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Subject To Errors, Omissions, Prior Sale Or Withdrawal Without Notice.