Volume LXXIII, Number 38
Princeton-based Filmmaker Debuts Documentary on WHYY . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Robe to Wellness Sewing Circle . . . . . . . 16 Local Leaders Discuss Collaboration . . . . . . . . 17 Before and After Sept . 11, the Tolstoy Tower Looms Large . . . 20 Roth Stars as PU Field Hockey Moves to 3-1 . . 31 Franzoni Enjoying Big Senior Year for Hun Football . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Bob Surace Excited for 150th Year of PU Football . . . . . . . . 29 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .22, 23 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 27 Classified Ads . . . . . . 38 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Music/Theater . . . . . . 21 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 37 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 6 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 38 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Students Join Effort to Prevent Relocation of Westminster Choir College A group of Westminster Choir College students has joined the list of plaintiffs in a lawsuit aimed at preventing Rider University from relocating Westminster Choir College from its Princeton home to Rider’s Lawrenceville campus. But while litigation to stop the move gathers strength, enrollment at the choir college is at a dangerously low level. “Enrollment has dropped 60 percent in the last two freshman classes,” attorney Bruce Afran told a standing-roomonly crowd gathered for a public forum on Westminster’s future last Tuesday evening, September 10, at Nassau Presbyterian Church. “I am fearful that the students who visit the Lawrenceville campus, which is the only campus where they are being given tours, will not attend, because they will see [Rider] does not have the facilities they need for their craft. We may end up with zero students, and that is a horrible waste.” Some members of the audience, which included students as well as faculty and members of the community, expressed concern that the college could be decimated by the time litigation is complete. But Afran vowed to continue the suits, adding that efforts are still being made to sit down with Rider and come up with a financial solution. The Westminster Foundation, a nonprofit group of alumni, faculty, and supporters of the choir college, organized the meeting to provide the public with their side of the what they see as Westminster’s struggle for survival. Rider, which merged with Westminster in 1991, announced in 2016 that it intended to sell the music school’s campus to help stem a projected deficit. After a failed attempt to sell Westminster to a Chinese company, the University changed its focus to moving the music conservatory to Lawrenceville. A lack of facilities to accommodate Westminster’s specialized curriculum is among the issues of concern. Acoustics, recital halls, places to practice, and moving Westminster’s library full of valuable scores, books, and other materials are also in question. “Westminster has 165 pianos, many of which are baby grands and grands,” said Afran. “Two pianos often have to go in one room. Rider will need about Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, September 18, 2019
“Urgent” Planning Needs Top BOE Agenda As the 2019-20 school year enters its third week, the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE) is wrestling with the challenges of maintaining top-flight schools in the face of steadily rising enrollments and limited financial resources. All six schools are at or over capacity, with school buildings more than 50 years old, and, in the case of Princeton High School, more than 90 years old. “We need more space,” BOE President Beth Behrend told a September 10 special meeting, “but are faced with budgetary constraints on our ability to staff and teach in these spaces.” Emphasizing the importance of collaboration within the schools and with the larger community, Behrend noted, “What we do next requires big thinking. Solving the puzzle of ‘growth with great schools’ requires planning and action, not just by the Princeton Board of Education, but also by our municipal bodies, our local institutions, and by the entire community.” Behrend pointed out that the current focus is on process rather than solutions, with the possibility of another facilities referendum not even on the table at this point. “Many in our community would like to know when to expect another facilities
referendum,” she said. “The simple answer is that we do not know yet because we do not have a pre-ordained outcome in mind. Instead, we believe that the best solution will come from an informative, transparent, and collaborative planning process.” She continued, “This requires full engagement with teachers, staff, students, local residents, and partners in order to first agree on needs and priorities and only then identify the best path forward based on our mission and values, within our community’s financial means. Our goal, as stewards of the public schools, is to develop a mission-driven, cost-ef-
fective plan to address rising enrollment and aging facilities based on sound data, creative planning, and a high level of community engagement.” The September 10 meeting, which drew a large crowd including community leaders, representatives of a number of local organizations, and a range of interested citizens, featured a presentation from Milone & Macbroom (M&M), a professional planning firm with experience helping school districts and municipalities address the complex challenges arising from growth. Continued on Page 7
County Approves Armored Vehicle Purchase, Over Widespread Resistance and Questions
The Mercer County freeholders approved the purchase of an armored vehicle last Thursday, September 12, with Sheriff Jack Kemler emphasizing the need to keep officers safe and opponents warning against militarization of the police, erosion of public trust, and waste of funds needed elsewhere. About 100 members of the public filled Room 211 of the McDade County Administration Building in Trenton at the meeting
of the freeholder board, with more than 20 speakers voicing their opposition to the purchase. The freeholders voted 4 to 2 in favor of the purchase for approximately $310,000, with Sam Frisby and Andrew Koontz casting the two negative votes. Frisby had declared earlier in the week that he would vote “yes,” but said that he had changed his mind after talking with many residents, Continued on Page 10
MONTGOMERY FUNFEST: The annual community event, held Sunday afternoon at Princeton Airport, featured a vendor fair, local food, live music, classic cars and planes, helicopter rides, children’s activities, and more . Participants share their favorite parts of FunFest in this week’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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