Volume LXXV, Number 26
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Witherspoon Street Redesign And Sustainable Landscaping Dominate Council Meeting
Young Pianists Help Those Less Fortunate . . . . . . . . 5 Joint Effort Safe Streets Announces Plans for August Activities . . . . . . 9 Cannabis Task Force Holds Public Input Meeting . . 10 Up Close and Inspirational — The Spirit of Friday Night Lights . . . . . . . . 13 Hun Grad Petrone Stars for Mercer All-Stars in Carpenter Cup Baseball . . . . . . 24 Bar-Cohen Reuniting with Former PHS Teammates in Summer Hoops . . . 26
PDS Alum Franzoni Helps NJIT Baseball Make History . . . . . . 22 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .18, 19 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 17 Classified Ads . . . . . . 30 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 21 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 28 Performing Arts . . . . . 14 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 11 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 30 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
A work session on the first phase of the plan to redesign part of Witherspoon Street and a presentation on sustainable landscaping were the focus of Princeton Council’s June 28 meeting. While no formal actions were taken, both initiatives were given support to proceed. A public meeting will be held Wednesday, July 14 for further discussion of the recommendations put forth by Sustainable Princeton, the Princeton Environmental Commission, Quiet Princeton, and others involved in a project to make local landscaping practices more sustainable. Princeton was one of nine cities to receive a $55,000 Partners for Places grant last December, to work toward adopting practices that protect the health of both landscapers and the environment. Efforts are being made to ensure that the voices of landscapers and residents are heard in coming up with recommendations to amend current ordinances. The Princeton Civil Rights Commission’s Racial Equity Toolkit has been used in the process. The goal is to recommend solutions that are environmentally and socially equitable. Gas-powered leaf blowers are a major area of interest. “They expose workers and the public to very significant health and daily life problems,” said Tony Lunn of Quiet Princeton, adding that hundreds of residents have said they want a total ban on the machinery, which would involve converting to alternative equipment. Currently, the recommendation is for a seasonal ban. “The first all-electric landscaping companies are now operating in Princeton,” Lunn said. “We have two on our webpage that use commercial grade equipment. It is not cripplingly expensive, and the operating costs are actually lower, so once you get over the hurdle, you are actually saving.” During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident and subcommittee member John Heilner said it is important to recognize that small landscaping company owners are concerned about the costs of converting from gas-powered to more sustainable equipment. “This has to be a very careful balancing act,” he said. “Owners are very worried about regulations. They are not opposed to them, but
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Wednesday, June 30, 2021
School Board Weighs Maintenance Referendum A major maintenance referendum to replace leaking, aging roofs at all six district schools and to repair several crumbling facades was on the agenda at last night’s Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE) meeting, which took place after press time. Announcing on Monday, June 28, that it would be discussing its options for undertaking urgent major maintenance projects, the BOE could decide on the details by the end of July, submit its proposal to voters for approval through a bond referendum in January 2022, and start roof replacements in the summer of 2022, according to a June 29 PPS press release. The roof replacement and maintenance projects would be spread out over five years. The last PPS referendum, $27 million for improvements to all six schools, was passed in December 2018. According to the PPS press release, the debt from prior referendums will mature on February 1, 2022 and 2023, and the proposed future maintenance projects can be completed without increasing debt service above the current levels. The “maintenance referendum,” the PPS press release notes, would be costeffective because the state would reimburse the district for up to 34 cents on
every dollar spent. In replacing leaking roofs at the six schools, the BOE also anticipates further savings, and greater sustainability, through the installation of rooftop solar panels. PPS had no further comment or cost estimates at press time yesterday, before its 7:30 p.m. public meeting. Their press release noted that many New Jersey school districts regularly hold bond referendums for facilities maintenance work. Projects, using funds from the 2018 ref-
erendum, to renovate the Princeton High School (PHS) guidance department offices, to build several new learning spaces at PHS, and to create a new satellite “grab and go” food station in what was formerly the school store are currently underway and expected to be completed by September. The district also used 2018 bond referendum funds to add HVAC units and air conditioning to many classrooms, to convert the old middle school library into Continued on Page 8
Music, Readings, and Fireworks Mark Fourth of July Celebrations In an account recently provided by Princeton University’s Mudd Manuscript Library, July 4, 1837 was celebrated on campus “with unusual spirit.” There were cannon salutes, a ceremonial procession to the chapel, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and at least eight speeches throughout the course of the day. While July 4, 2021 won’t include any cannons firing on the Princeton campus or close by, some celebratory activities don’t appear to have changed much in the past 184 years. Readings of the Declaration of Independence and speeches
are among the events planned for the local area over the holiday weekend, along with concerts, picnics, and of course, fireworks. The celebrations get started on Thursday, July 1 at 7 p.m. with fireworks at Rider University. The display is hosted by Lawrence Township. Visit lawrencetownship. com for details. The Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS) celebrates America’s 245th birthday on Sunday, July 4 starting at 12 p.m. in Princeton Battlefield State Park. Following remarks by PBS President Continued on Page 11
OPEN HOUSE: The Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad offered tours of its new state-of-the-art headquarters on Mount Lucas Road on Sunday afternoon. The event, which had been postponed by the pandemic, also featured live music and ice cream. Visitors share their impressions of the new facility in this week’s Town Talk on page 6.
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