Volume LXIX, Number 23
Face to Face Talks Have PREA, Board Hoping for Agreement Before Fact Finding Stage . . . . . . . 12 Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra Closes Season Saturday at Richardson Auditorium . . . . . . . . 17 Longtime Princeton Resident Charles Townsend, Who Chaired the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures for 32 Years, Dies at Home . . . . . . . 31 After Enjoying Quick Start to Decathlon Career, PU’s Soerens Hoping for Big Finish at NCAAs . . . . . 22 Men’s Summer Hoops League Tips Off 27th Season With Old Guard Looking to Hold Off Young Guns . . . . . . . . 28
Today Is Nobel-PrizeWinning Novelist and One-Time Princeton Resident Saul Bellow’s 100th Birthday . . . . . 13 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 12 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 33 Music/Theater . . . . . . 17 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 31 Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Council Moves On Overnight Parking, Lytle Street Property Rules for overnight parking and the purchase of a controversial property on Lytle Street dominated a lengthy meeting of Princeton Council Monday night. The governing body was evenly divided about how to proceed with harmonizing rules from the former borough and township on overnight parking, leading Mayor Liz Lempert to cast the deciding vote against introducing an ordinance that would have slightly modified or expanded the former borough’s overnight parking rules. “This issue needs more consensus before we move forward,” Ms. Lempert said. At its previous meeting, Council discussed three options for overnight parking. One was to keep boundaries the same, another was to make some changes, and a third was to ban overnight parking throughout the town. While no one expressed support for the third option, there was considerable discussion about the other two. Council member Jo Butler, who did extensive work with colleagues Jenny Crumiller and Bernie Miller on the issue, was especially disappointed with the decision. Along with Mr. Miller and Patrick Simon, she voted in favor of introducing the ordinance, which would have made some changes to boundaries. Heather Howard, Lance Liverman, and Ms. Crumiller voted against it. Ms. Crumiller said that though she had done a lot of work on the issue, she recently changed her mind about introducing the ordinance because it wouldn’t be fair to tell residents who have previously been allowed to park overnight that they would no longer be permitted to do so. Ms. Howard agreed with Ms. Crumiller’s opinion. “We ought to protect what we have,” she said. “The equity is really cut in favor of keeping existing rules. Tweaking the edges has a real impact on the residents who live in the area that’s being affected.” Ms. Butler commented that other rules have changed as a result of consolidation, including regular leaf and brush pickup that borough residents have had to give up. According to existing rules, anyone can park on the street in much of the former township. But in the former borough, on-street parking is not allowed Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Library Director Leslie Burger Stepping Down
Leslie Burger, the woman credited with turning the Princeton Public Library into “the community’s living room” while bringing it national recognition for services and innovation, is retiring after 16 years as executive director. According to the library’s Board of Trustees, Ms. Burger has decided to step down in January 2016. A national search will be launched by an executive search firm to hire her successor. “This is a bittersweet moment for the Princeton community,” said Kiki Jamieson, president of the library’s Board of Trustees. “We’re very happy for Leslie as she starts a new chapter of her life, but we will sorely miss her leadership, vision, hard work, and dedication to the
Princeton community and public libraries in general.” Ms. Burger, who co-founded the private consulting firm Library Development Solutions with her husband Alan in 1991, will turn her full attention to that company once she retires. It was as temporary library director that she first came to Princeton in 1999 when former director Jacqueline Thresher had left for another position. “Leslie took us by complete surprise,” recalled Marvin Reed, who was mayor at the time of what was then Princeton Borough. “We had this big plan to expand and double the capacity of the library. We
weren’t sure what direction to take, or what we’d do about parking. Our director had gotten a wonderful job out on Long Island and here we were having to at least temporary fill her shoes. Leslie came on, and we told her we wouldn’t bother her too much about all our planning for our expansion, but she said, ‘That’s alright, I’m interested in that. We’ll fit it into the schedule.’ Eventually, she asked if we’d mind if she submitted her application for the directorship. Of course we said, ‘Fine.’” Ms. Burger changed the way municipal leaders viewed the library’s future. “She introduced us to the fact that we weren’t just physically remaking a building,” Mr. Continued on Page 7
Second Session On Valley Road Set for June 15
SHE GAVE THE COMMUNITY A LIVING ROOM: After 16 years as executive director of the Princeton Public Library, Leslie Burger will step down in January 2016. Echoing Ms. Burger’s favorite term for the library under her tenure, particularly during crisis situations like Hurricane Sandy, former Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand credits her with making it “the living room of our community.” (Photo by Mark Czjakowski for Princeton Public Library)
SAVOR, SIP AND SHARE
The municipality is preparing to make improvements to Valley Road in 2016, as part of a capital improvement program, partially funded by a New Jersey Department of Transportation municipal aid grant. Last month Valley Road residents were invited to contribute their ideas at a May 12 meeting. A second meeting, described as a “public design session” will take place Monday, June 15, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room at Witherspoon Hall, 400 Witherspoon Street. This meeting, which will again be chaired by Mayor Liz Lempert, will continue the discussion between residents and representatives from various municipal Boards and Commissions. It is designed to discuss Valley Road in the context of the town’s master plan, which recommends the installation of an offroad multi-use path along Valley Road, as well as Princeton’s Complete Streets Policy, adopted in 2013. Topics to be discussed include repairs to storm sewers, sanitary sewer main and laterals, new curbing repair of sidewalks and/or replacement with blacktop pathways. The municipality will be imposing a five-year moratorium on any street openings once the work is completed, and residents planning to upgrade or install new utility services are being advised to contact their utility company. A list of contacts is provided on the municipal website: www.princetonnj.gov. Continued on Page 11
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