Volume LXXV, Number 25
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Youth Advisory Groups Help Set Policies For Government and Nonprofits
PU Serves Up Summer Meals for Hungry, Homeless . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Middle School Has New Name Beginning July 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Thoughts On Ralph Ellison, Juneteenth, and Invisible Man . . . . . . . 15 Princeton Festival Closes Season with Evening of Opera . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Princeton Symphony Orchestra Merges with Princeton Festival . . . . . 17 PU Track Star Trippas Chasing Olympic Dream . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Wilberforce School Track Makes First Appearance At MOC . . . . . . . . . 29
All in a Day’s Work with Cecilia Jimenez-Weeast, Executive Director of LALDEF . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classified Ads . . . . . . 34 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 14 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 25 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 32 Performing Arts . . . . . 17 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 10 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 34 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
Giving young people a platform to express their ideas about policies, procedures, and services is the goal of youth advisory boards. Among them are the Princeton Youth Advisory Committee, which keeps the mayor and Council up to date on issues concerning young people; and the Young Adult Advisory Council, recently formed to advise leaders at Womanspace, the Mercer County nonprofit that aids victims of domestic and sexual violence. “It’s about advising us on issues that are relevant to youth,” said Council President Leticia Fraga, who serves as liaison to the Princeton committee. “They are more aware than any of us on what is going on in their generation, and they can be very helpful.” “It’s important for us to better connect with youth,” said Danielle Scollins, coordinator of prevention and community education for Womanspace. “We began this just out of wanting to reach youth in Mercer County in a deeper way. We want to continue that relationship and bring in more youth to advise us in preventing youth violence.” Seven Mercer County teenagers are currently on the Womanspace council, and Scollins hopes to expand to about 15. “We have a really good mix of people right now, from all over Mercer County,” she said. “We have 15-year-olds from Princeton, West Windsor, and Trenton, and we have two students from The College of New Jersey. All are female right now, but we are open to anyone who is willing to join.” The Princeton committee recently added four new members for the coming academic year: Anya Karande from Princeton Day School, Charlie Ross and Nico Maya from Princeton High School, and Anjali Monga from The Hun School. The group has four sophomores, four juniors, and four seniors. Members must be Princeton residents. The Womanspace council, which formed last March, meets monthly. Members use their social media platforms and life experiences to spread awareness of the organization’s mission to those who might not be familiar with its services. Their first post, in April, was focused on Denim Day, in which people were Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, June 23, 2021
PU Prospect Ave. Plans Remain Unresolved The Princeton Planning Board’s June 17 meeting adjourned after about four hours, with a dozen participants still waiting to speak and Princeton University’s application facing ongoing resistance from the community, as it seeks a variance to move the 91 Prospect building, the former Court Clubhouse, to a site across the street, where three Victorian houses will be demolished. The Planning Board will continue the discussion and move towards a decision at its meeting on July 8. The University continues to insist that moving the Court Clubhouse building is the only way it can effectively proceed with the creation of its Environmental Science and School of Engineering and Applied Science (ES+SEAS) complex south of Prospect Avenue. Many community members, including a number of professional architects, planners, and preservationists, opposed the Prospect Avenue portion of the University plan as historically, aesthetically, and environmentally detrimental to the community. Opponents have requested that the University revise its ES+SEAS plans, and the Princeton Prospect Foundation (PPF) has sponsored a petition that has garnered more than 1,060 signatures of individuals in opposition to the
University’s plans. Princeton University, however, has made no sign of a willingness to compromise, arguing the necessity of their current construction plans for the future of ES+SEAS. In answering a request for information about other possibilities if the Planning Board rejects its current application, the University gave no indication that there could be a Plan B. Christopher DeGrezia, a lawyer, along with University architect Ron McCoy, led
Princeton University’s team of about 17 professionals in presenting the case. “The University would like to save 91 Prospect, and we have determined that the only viable option is to move it across the street,” said DeGrezia. “If the application is approved, 91 Prospect will have a new home. It it’s not approved, 91 Prospect will be demolished, which will be unfortunate because the University has gone to great lengths to save it.” DeGrezia argued that the ES+SEAS Continued on Page 8
Donations of Backpacks and School Supplies Are Especially Needed This Year With schools closed last year due to COVID-19, it would seem that the need for backpacks, binders, and other essential school supplies would have decreased — or at least stayed the same. But Princeton’s Human Services Department, which looks out for the needs of residents who are vulnerable or economically disadvantaged, has discovered otherwise. The 12th annual Backpack and School Supplies Drive, which helps children who are low-income and in need of new gear, is as vital as ever. This year’s drive runs through August 6. Backpacks, book bags, notebooks,
binders, folders, loose leaf paper, pencils, pens, crayons markers, scissors, glue sticks, and other essential items can be dropped off weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Monument Hall, 1 Monument Drive. “The demand has definitely increased, even with COVID,” said Melissa Urias, Human Services director. “Families really rely on the drive. School supplies and backpacks are really expensive. Especially with the pandemic, families were focusing on having food on the table and paying rent. Now, with kids going back to Continued on Page 10
COMMEMORATING JUNETEENTH: Local leaders, from left, Tommy Parker, Mia Sacks, Shirley Satterfield, Veronica Olivares-Weber, Leighton Newlin, and Mayor Mark Freda took turns reading a Municipal Proclamation of Juneteenth during the Juneteenth Block Party held Saturday afternoon at the Princeton Family YMCA field . Participants share what brought them to the event in this week’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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