Volume LXXV, Number 42
www.towntopics.com
No Date in Sight For Reopening Of Quaker Road
PCV Celebrates Construction of New Affordable Housing . . . 5 PU, YMCA Collaboration Benefits ESL Students and Researchers . . . . 8 Talk Marks 50 Years of Photography in PU Art Museum’s Collection . 10 Living In the Moment with Rimbaud, Dylan, and the Flyers . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 PU Football Defeats Brown, 5-0 Tigers Girding for Clash With 5-0 Harvard . . . . .30 Undefeated PHS Field Hockey Advances to MCT Semifinals . . . . . . . . . .35
Beloved Football Coach Steve DiGregorio Dies At 60 . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .24, 25 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Classified Ads . . . . . . 42 New to Us. . . . . . . . . . 26 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 40 Performing Arts . . . . . 19 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 14 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 42 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
Motorists anticipating the reopening of Quaker Road between Province Line and Mercer roads may have a long wait ahead of them. Thanks to the ravages of Hurricane Ida last month, the scenic stretch favored by many drivers entering and exiting Princeton remains closed until a date to be determined. According to an update on the municipal website princetonnj.gov, the previously anticipated start date of October 18 has been postponed as the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) awaits authorization from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). But repairs are expected to begin next week between Mercer Road and the Historical Society of Princeton located at Updike Farm at 354 Quaker Road. It is also anticipated that the NJDOT will begin work near the canal and Port Mercer to rebuild the towpath and road embankment. Princeton will replace the guiderail once the NJDOT work is completed. “A lot of agencies are involved,” said Princeton’s Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton. “A stretch of the road embankment was washed away, so the guiderail is hanging in the air, which just isn’t safe.” Several spots on Quaker Road sustained significant damage during the September storm. The Princeton/Lawrence side of the bridge over the Delaware and Raritan Canal collapsed. Close to Updike Farm, repairs are needed on a pipe that goes from a ditch to the Stony Brook at three different locations. “That is being fixed by our contractor, so at least we’ll be able to open up between Mercer Road and Updike Farm once that’s done,” Stockton said. A sinkhole in the Lawrence Township portion of the roadway, approximately 10 feet by 10 feet, also needs repair. According to a prior update on Princeton’s website, a date for Lawrence to fill the sinkhole has yet to be determined. Before work on Quaker Road gets underway, the town is making repairs on Rosedale Road, which was also damaged during the storm. That work will start this week. “We will do that first, and then go to Quaker Road,” Stockton said. “We will keep updating the website as soon as we get information.” Visit princetonnj.gov for updates. — Anne Levin
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
PU Offers Compromise Plan for Prospect Ave. Following several months of increasing resistance from the community — through multiple drawn-out Planning Board hearings, a rebuff from the Historic Preservation Commission, an online petition in opposition with more than 1,700 signatures, and widespread objections through public media — Princeton University has revised its controversial proposal for Prospect Avenue, as part of its planned Environmental Studies and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (ES+SEAS) complex. The original plan called for demolition of three Queen Anne Victorian houses on the north side of Prospect Avenue and removal of the 91 Prospect former Court Clubhouse across the street into their place in order to make room for a theorist pavilion and entrance to the new 666,000-square-foot complex. Criticism of the University plan has not questioned the importance and value of the ES+SEAS project, but it has objected strongly to the portion of the project that would have involved removal of the clubhouse building and demolition of the three Victorian houses, potentially jeopardizing Prospect Avenue’s streetscape, its history, and the culture of the community. Following recent discussions with Princeton Prospect Foundation (PPF) and
advice from the municipal staff, the University submitted an updated plan to the Princeton Planning Board (PPB) on Monday, October 18, for consideration at the Thursday, October 21 PPB meeting. The updated plan, according to Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss, involves relocating 91 Prospect to a site across the street but closer to the North Garage than the original proposal, with two of the Victorian houses in question (114 and 116 Prospect) remaining in place
and the third (110 Prospect) being relocated to a nearby site. “Subject to Planning Board approval, this revised location for 91 Prospect allows 114 Prospect and 116 Prospect to remain in place; 110 Prospect will be relocated by the University to a site near the rear of 114 and 116 Prospect,” Hotchkiss wrote in an October 19 statement. Clifford Zink, historic preservation consultant, author of The Princeton Eating Continued on Page 14
COVID Cases Down, As Princeton Prepares For Colder Weather, Upcoming Holiday Season
As the cold weather arrived last fall, activities moved indoors, holiday social gatherings proliferated, and the COVID-19 pandemic saw its greatest surge in cases. From December 12-18, 2020 Princeton registered its highest seven-day total of 39 new cases and, from December 8-20, 2020, its highest 14-day total of 66 new cases. This year’s weather, movement indoors, and holiday social gatherings are likely to resemble last year’s activity, but the pandemic may see only a slight rise in case numbers rather than a surge in the closing months of 2021, according to
health authorities. “From the national and local perspective, it appears cases of Delta have peaked,” said Princeton Health Officer Jeff Grosser. “Holiday travel and more indoor socializing as the weather gets colder will likely contribute to scattered localized outbreaks throughout the winter. That’s the general sense of what public health experts predict at least.” Expressing a mix of optimism and uncertainty, Grosser continued, “There is some concern that the rapid rise followed by a quick decline could rebound to a Continued on Page 12
SATURDAY IN THE PARK: The sunshine and warm weather on Saturday morning made for a lovely visit to Marquand Park, which hosted OAKtober, a celebration of the oak tree, at the Children’s Arboretum. Participants share what the Princeton parks mean to them in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)