Volume LXIX, Number 30
Better Living Section on Pages 12-13 Board of Health Discusses Alternative to Cancelled Bus Service . . . . . . . . . 5 Reliving the Spanish Revolution in Roger Yates’s The Beautiful Year and Britain’s Homefront in Foyle’s War . . . . . . . . 11 Princeton Summer Theater Presents Double Bill of One-Acts . . . . . 17 Competing Against the Elite of Women’s Golf, PU Grad Shon Thriving in Rookie Season . . . . . . 24 PHS Alum Stange Makes Olympic Trials in 200 Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chinese Dissident Artist Ai Weiwei Free to Travel as Authorities Lift Ban . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 33 Home Improvement . . . 31 Music/Theater . . . . . . 17 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 30 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 16 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Topics of the Town . . . . 3 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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After Seven Decades, University’s Butler Tract Is Prepared for Demolition Now that construction of the Lakeside Apartments is completed and graduate students and their families are moving into the new complex on Faculty Road, Princeton University is preparing to demolish the Butler Tract apartments on Harrison Street. The barracks-like development, which was built as temporary housing after World War II but served for almost 70 years as a home for graduate students, will finally meet the wrecking ball in early fall. To address concerns about the demolition and maintenance of the 33-acre site, which is bordered by Hartley Avenue, Sycamore Road, Longview Drive, and South Harrison Street, the University is holding a neighborhood meeting Thursday, July 30 at Lewis Library on the campus, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Members of the project team will be on hand to answer questions. “We’re giving them a forum to ask any questions they might have,” said Kristin Appelget, the University’s director of community and regional affairs. “We’ve sent out a number of letters to neighbors letting them know the project is getting started.” One neighbor, Sally Goldfarb, has been particularly concerned about effects of the demolition. She lives directly across Sycamore Street from the site. “When the buildings are torn down, this will become one of the largest vacant parcels in Princeton,” she said. “The demolition process itself raises serious questions about environmental safety. Due to the age of the buildings, it is likely they contain asbestos and lead paint.” Ms. Appelget said asbestos is anticipated and precautions will be taken. “As with any older construction, we expect asbestos. All remediation work will precede any demolition,” she said, adding that there are no oil tanks on the property. The plan is for existing roads to stay in place after the demolition, Ms. Appelget said. Wood stockade fencing will remain, and gates will be installed at entrances and exits to the site so cars cannot drive through. “It will take us until next spring to complete,” she said. “It will be done slowly and carefully. Once the ground thaws, where the existing apartment buildings are, all will be regraded and we will plant a variety of meadow mixes. It will be left open.” Continued on Page 16
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Spring Street Garage Raising Fees, Changing Rules
Patrons of the Spring Street Garage will have some changes to adjust to in coming months. Parking fees at the municipal lot will be raised to prices yet to be determined and go into effect at the beginning of next year. In addition, the two hours of free parking traditionally given to users of Princeton Public Library will be done away with. There is a silver lining: The half-hour of free parking in the lot will be upgraded to a full hour, for everyone. And during the week of September 14, when new equipment is to be installed at the two entrances to the garage, parking will be free, it was announced at Monday night’s meeting of Princeton Council. News about parking was among several topics covered at the meeting. The hiring of consultants on affordable housing, the Princeton Merchants Association’s campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags, and enforcement of rules on brush removal were among the other items on the agenda. The parking gates at the garage, which is located behind the library, have long been problematic. The new equipment will be software-driven rather than hardwaredriven, according to Bob Hough, Princeton’s infrastructure and operations director. The library will no longer be involved in validating parking tickets.
“We want to move away from that,” he said. “Since the garage was built, a decade ago, people have been stopping at the desk for validation even if they were not using the library. A lot of people walk in and out to validate a ticket, and they never take out a book,” he added. “They just come in to punch a ticket. We are losing money in that regard.” A presentation about fee adjustments in the garage will likely be made at the next meeting of Council on August 10. Affordable Housing
The Council voted unanimously to hire two affordable housing consultants and plans to hire a third next year. Maser Consulting will be paid $10,500 to assess vacant land in town and determine whether adjustments are needed for the number of affordable units to be built. Princeton
is required to build 1,000 new affordable units by 2025. The other consultant is Robert Burchell of Rutgers University, who will be paid $231 an hour to arrive at a figure of affordable units the town should have to build. Mr. Burchell was involved in coming up with affordable housing numbers released by the State of New Jersey last year. Those figures, since revised, included a zero obligation for Princeton. At the meeting last night and at a Council meeting last month, some advocates for affordable housing expressed opposition to the hiring of Mr. Burchell, fearing he will recommend a figure that is too low for the number of units the town should be required to provide. The town’s administrator Marc Dashield said a third consultant will analyze the Continued on Page 16
Princeton’s New Animal Control Officer Nate Barson Settles into Monument Hall Princeton’s new Animal Control Officer (ACO), Nate Barson, made a brief appearance at a meeting of the Board of Health last week. Unlike his predecessor Mark Johnson, who came under the umbrella of the Princeton Police Department for most of
his time with the municipality, Mr. Barson will be attached to the health department and have an office in Monument Hall. “The Princeton Health Department is excited to welcome Nate Barson aboard,” said Health Officer Jeffrey C. Grosser. “Nate offers exemplary knowledge of Continued on Page 6
MUSIC ON THE GREEN: Since neither Seurat nor Manet were on hand to paint the scene at Saturday’s Music Fest on Palmer Square, Town Topics’ Emily Reeves stopped by to capture this summer moment. Comments from some listeners are in this week’s Town Talk. (Photo by Emily Reeves)