Volume LXXIII, Number 34
Back to School Section Pages 27-33 Nonprofits to Share a Home in the Sourlands
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Construction Has Yet to Begin for New Triumph Location 10 Neighborhood Initiative Keeps Storm Drains Clear 12 Being There: Woodstock at 50
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PU Men’s Hockey Grad Veronneau Comes Home to Ottawa Senators 34 PDS Alumna Coyne Primed for Sophomore Season with GW Women’s Soccer 37
First Results of the Readers’ Choice Awards 14, 15 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .24, 25 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Classified Ads . . . . . . 41 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Music/Theater . . . . . . 19 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 40 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 41 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Area Roadwork and Construction Cause More Traffic, Detours If you think that traffic and detours around Princeton are slowing you down more than usual this summer, it is not your imagination. “This year’s construction work activity is heavier than normal,” confirmed Princeton Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton. “From the municipality’s perspective, the PSE&G gas main replacement work has been the main contributor to the heavier schedule. The locations of work have also been more focused on the higher volume roadways.” But some good news is on the horizon. Residents might be navigating detours, and dealing with noise and some inconvenience, but infrastructure improvements are underway, and some work is scheduled to end soon. Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) continues to work on its gas system modernization program, which includes the replacement of seven miles of gas main with 600 residential gas services upgraded or replaced as a part of the project. Remaining areas of work for gas main replacement include Nassau Street/Princeton-Kingston Road (Prospect Avenue Extension to Harrison Street) and Harrison Street. Pavement restoration activities are ongoing in the quadrant bordered by Nassau Street and South Harrison Street. This work is part of PSE&G’s statewide initiative to replace 875 miles of aging cast iron gas pipes with new, durable plastic and/or coated steel piping, a five-year program that will improve the overall system. Alexander Road, the main access from Route 1 to Nassau Street, will likely see short-term closures and alternating traffic operations to allow for utility relocation and other work in advance of the road closure scheduled for November 6. The Alexander Road and Faculty Road intersection provides an alternate route. There is good news for travelers on Cherry Valley Road (Cherry Hill Road to Jefferson’s Curve). The road is anticipated to be reopened to traffic by September 5. Before that date, the contractor is finishing storm sewer, curb, pathway, and roadway improvements. The intersection of Cherry Hill Road/Cherry Valley Road will be closed for final paving for one day during the next two weeks. Continued on Page 11
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Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Local Cultural Groups Search for New Leaders In an unlikely confluence of circumstances, four of Princeton’s key cultural institutions are looking for leaders. McCarter Theatre Center and American Repertory Ballet are in the market for artistic directors, and the Arts Council of Princeton and Princeton Public Library are seeking to fill empty executive director slots. The Arts Council has been without a permanent executive director since last August, when Taneshia Nash Laird departed after less than two years in the post. Princeton Public Library announced last April that Brett Bonfield, who had taken over from longtime director Leslie Burger in early 2016, was moving on. News that Emily Mann, McCarter’s artistic director since 1990, would retire at the end of the 2019/2020 season was made public last January. And at the end of last month, American Repertory Ballet (ARB) announced that Douglas Martin, the company’s artistic director since 2010, was leaving. The terms of his departure were not disclosed. It might seem that this uncertainty would be cause for concern. But those leading these organizations on an interim basis say that for the most part, it is business as usual. “It’s peaceful. Things are good here,”
said Jim Levine, who has been serving as interim executive director of the Arts Council since Laird’s departure last year. “Things have settled down, and the organization is running really well and fulfilling its mission. Finding a new executive director isn’t urgent. But it’s time.” Levine, who is retired from the investment firm Church & Dwight Co., Inc., is not involved in the committee that is currently looking for a full-time director. Is he a candidate? “They haven’t asked me
to stay,” he said. “I think about it, but I’m not sure if I’d throw my hat into the ring.” Princeton Public Library is one of the town’s cultural anchors. Often called “the community’s living room,” it was renovated and reimagined with a major expansion led by former director Burger. Bonfield had big shoes to fill when he arrived from the public library in Collingswood to take over from Burger. When he departed for a new job as chief operations officer Continued on Page 8
Hopewell Theater to Expand as Arts Hub with Restaurant Purchase
Hopewell Theater, the recently-revamped club-style arts hub on South Greenwood Avenue, will be able to expand its programming with the addition of a new restaurant. Renovations on the restaurant at 7 West Broad Street, formerly The Brothers Moon, are underway. Baxter Construction has gutted the interior, and the owners are reviewing proposals from potential partners to co-create and run the restaurant. With the new space, which is scheduled to open sometime in 2020, Hopewell Theater will host “food and arts experiences,” said Hopewell Theater Co-Founder and
Executive Director Sara Scully, including private events such as meet-the-artist VIP receptions, afternoon “unplugged” concerts, book signings, and readings, many in conjunction with a show. Scully, of ScullyOne Productions, who is leading the expansion, will oversee the business development and design of the restaurant, as well as the hiring of a new executive director as she focuses on the restaurant’s needs. The theater, which re-opened in September 2017, has developed its own niche by presenting live music performances, comedy, talks, and Continued on Page 11
ROCK ON: Members of School of Rock Princeton performed classic rock tunes last Thursday in the Summer Courtyard Concert Series at Princeton Shopping Center . Concertgoers share what they are looking forward to this school year in this week’s Town Talk on Page 6 . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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