Volume LXXV, Number 21
www.towntopics.com
Permit Parking Task Force To Consider Suggestions And Revisit Parking Plan
Mill Hill Garden Tour is Back in Business . . . . . . 5 Watershed Floats Wetlands To Halt Toxic Algae . . . 11 Friday Night Lights Hits Home as Bob Dylan Turns 80 . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PSO Continues Outdoor Chamber Concert Series . . . . . . . 17 PU Men’s Heavyweight Crew Primed for IRA National Championships . . . . . 30 Phogat, Silverio Clicked in Winning Prep B 1st Doubles for PDS Boys’ Tennis . . . . . . . 35
Teacher Joyce Jones is Retiring After 51 Years At PHS . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .22, 23 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 21 Classified Ads . . . . . . 38 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 37 Performing Arts . . . . . 18 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 14 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 38 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
A work session led by the Permit Parking Task Force at a meeting of Princeton Council Monday evening, May 24, drew numerous expressions of concern, particularly from residents of the Western Section, one of several neighborhoods where regulatory changes are recommended. The task force, which has been working on the issue for the past two years, recently held its first meeting with the Western Section residents. The group’s initial focus was on the Witherspoon-Jackson and Tree Streets neighborhoods, where parking is especially tight. The goal is to offer parking for essential workers in Princeton’s commercial areas, and to harmonize different parking rules from the pre-consolidation days, when Princeton was divided into Township and Borough. The plan strives to assure that residents with no driveway, or limited driveway, will have priority to purchase on-street parking permits allowing 24-hour parking, which is currently unavailable in most zones, for $10 a month. Those who are economically disadvantaged could have free permits. Another goal is to make overnight parking, currently unavailable in most zones, available to all residents and guests. Councilman David Cohen, who is on the task force along with Council President Leticia Fraga, Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros, some residents, and representatives from local businesses, said that if given the go-ahead to proceed, the next step would be to enter an agreement with the vendor Passport, which would provide license plate reading technology mounted on enforcement vehicles and online applications for permits. But after hearing comments from the public, it was decided that the task force will hold more meetings with neighbors and revisit the multi-pronged plan. Some of those who spoke questioned the need for the proposal. Others who live in the Western Section said they were not given enough notice of the plan. “Why wasn’t I given formal notice, and how many other people weren’t, and perhaps do not know about this proposal?” asked a resident of Hodge Road. “I kind of feel like it violates my due process. I feel I deserve information regarding data, proof of need, and data supporting the need.” She added, “The proposal to put Continued on Page 9
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
COVID Restrictions Lifting Before Memorial Day As Memorial Day weekend approaches, COVID-19 infection levels continue to drop, and vaccination numbers rise, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced plans on Monday to remove almost all pandemic restrictions soon. The indoor mask mandate in public spaces and the six-foot social distancing requirement indoors and outdoors, along with the prohibition of dance floors at bars and restaurants and the prohibition on ordering and eating/drinking while standing at bars and restaurants, will all be lifted on Friday, May 28. Then, on Friday, June 4, indoor gathering and capacity limits will be removed. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated are strongly encouraged to continue masking and social distancing. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, my administration has been guided by science, data, and facts to put New Jersey on the road to recovery, with the public health and safety of all New Jerseyans as our highest priority,” Murphy said in signing the executive order lifting restrictions. “Together we have made tremendous progress in crushing the virus, and the last two weeks have shown significant decreases in key areas of our data, including new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, spot positivity rates, and rates of transmission.”
Murphy noted that this lifting of restrictions over the next two weeks will show “our commitment to carefully and deliberately reopening our state after what has been a truly crushing almost 15-month period.” More than 3.9 million people who live, work, or study in New Jersey have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in-state, including 88,786 out-of-state residents, while another 167,268 residents have been vaccinated in other states.
About 57 percent of New Jersey’s 6.9 million adults have been fully vaccinated so far, and more than 194,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17 have been vaccinated in the state. On Monday, May 24, the Princeton Health Department reported no new positive cases of COVID-19 in the previous 14 days. The health department also announced further expanded vaccination opportunities, with a pop-up vaccination clinic on Thursday, May 27, from 2:30 p.m. Continued on Page 8
$20M Gift To Promote Diversity at PU; Center Will Target Access, Opportunity Committed to increasing enrollment of first-generation and lower-income students and to supporting those students academically and socially on campus, Princeton University will be establishing the new Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity, funded by a gift — $20 million according to the Wall Street Journal — from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Center will serve as headquarters for expanded programs that are designed to provide students with the “mentorship, academic enrichment, and community” that they need to succeed at Princeton,
according to a University press release. “They empower students to successfully navigate the University’s many resources, to achieve their professional, personal, and scholarly goals, and to become active leaders on campus and in the larger world,” the release states. The Center will also be a hub for research for colleges and universities across the country that are seeking to expand college access and enhance success for first-generation and lower-income students. Programs to be scaled up in size and Continued on Page 12
HIGH FIVE: Members of the Hun School baseball team celebrate last Sunday after they defeated Lawrenceville 16-0 in the state Prep A final . It marked the fifth straight Prep A crown for the Raiders, who improved to 19-2 with the victory . For more details on the game, see page 34 . (Photo provided courtesy of the Hun School)
WE’RE TOTAL HOME MANAGER
We are a complete home repair, maintenance, and management company. Whether the job is large or small, we’ll get it done. Done right the first time, both professionally and easily. The single-source solution for all your interior and exterior needs.
Call to schedule your projects or handyman service. 609-466-3355 www.totalhomemanager.com