Volume LXX, Number 42
www.towntopics.com
Authorities Plan To Defend Trees Against Ash Borer
“It’s All Good”: Bob Dylan and the Nobel Prize . . 14 Tony Winner Tells Students How To Make It On Broadway . . . . . . . 18 Pulitzer Prize Drama Disgraced Opens at McCarter’s Matthews Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Richardson Chamber Players Begin Season . 21 Princeton University Political Scientist Michael Danielson, 82, Dies . . 36 PU Football Routs Brown 31-7 Setting Up Ivy Showdown with Visiting Harvard . . . . . . . . . . . 28 PHS Girls’ Tennis Tops WW/P-S for Sectional Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Charter School Assistant Head Lisa Eckstrom Talks About Her Career . . . . . 9 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 39 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Music/Theater . . . . . . 18 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 36 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 38 Service Directory . . . . 27 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
In an ongoing battle against the infestation of a tree-killing insect known as the emerald ash borer (EAB), town officials will be voting next week to grant Princeton property owners the right to cut down ash trees without paying the usual $40 permit fee or replacing trees that are removed. Municipal arborist Lorraine Konopka pointed out that the town wanted to alleviate the burden on residents, particularly those with numerous ash trees on their property, though they will still be required to notify her when removing ash trees of eight inches or more in diameter. “We’d like to know when that work is happening,” she said, “in case neighbors get upset or we need to help keep everything running smoothly.” In removing and/or treating numerous ash trees on their property, “some people will be upset and will be facing a large bill,” Ms. Konopka said. The Town will also be urging, but not requiring, residents to replace at least 10 percent of the trees they take down. “We didn’t want to insist that replacement trees go in,” she said, but, in the long term, she emphasized, “We’d like to try to avoid losing the tree canopy cover for the town.” The next step, according to Council member Bernie Miller, is to pass this amendment to the Shade Tree Ordinance “and then for the Shade Tree Commission (STC) and our professional staff to recommend an action plan to Council for the ash trees in the municipal right of way and along the paths in our parks.” After the plan is adopted by Council, funds for removal and treatment must be approved in the budget for 2017 and succeeding years. Since its arrival in the United States in Michigan in 2002, the EAB, a non-native insect pest, has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in at least 25 states. In the past year it has been found in Princeton and surrounding communities “The emerald ash borer will kill 99 percent of all untreated ash trees within the next few years,” Ms. Konopka said. Though removal may be the necessary course of action in many cases, Ms. Konopka noted that some ash trees could be saved by periodic use of pesticide injections. “I hope people will consider Continued on Page 4
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Wednesday, October 19, 2016
University Paying $18.2 Million in Tax Settlement
Just a few days before it was headed to trial, a case in which 27 Princeton residents were suing Princeton University over property tax exemptions was settled last Friday. The school will pay out $18.2 million over the next six years to help lower-income residents of the town pay their property tax bills. The piaintiffs had claimed the school was profiting from research and development in certain campus buildings and should therefore be taxed. The University maintained that educational purposes were the focus. The suit has been dropped. “When we first conceived of the lawsuit in 2011, our focus was on how to reduce the tax burden on these people in need,” said attorney Bruce Afran, who represented the plaintiffs on four lawsuits and worked with the University on the agreement. “These are people who have struggled to keep up with their taxes but can’t take care of their homes. This fund will help them in those directions.” Under the agreement, the school will
contribute $2 million this year and $1.6 million a year for the next five years to a fund that will distribute annual payments to Princeton homeowners who are beneficiaries of the New Jersey Homestead Property Tax Credit Act. The 2017 distribution will establish a maximum amount for each household. Anything left over will go to 101:Inc., a non-profit organization that provides need-based scholarships
The Princeton Public Schools Student Services team laid out their plans for the coming year for a group of about 50 in the John Witherspoon School Academic Conference Center (ACC) on Monday night in a forum sponsored by the Special Education PTO. In setting the tone for the evening, special ed PTO co-chair Joan Spindel emphasized the value of communication, “learning from each other’s stories” and providing feedback to”help shape the
agenda of the Student Services team.” Student Services Director Micki Crisafulli commented on the results of last spring’s PTO-initiated focus groups, noting as areas of some concern: progress reports; IEP (Individual Education Plan) meetings; transitioning, from elementary to middle school (5th to 6th) and from middle to high school (8th to 9th); and communication. Among the priorities for the coming Continued on Page 8
SITTING PRETTY: A two-story family scene from Saturday’s Friends of the Princeton Public Library Book Sale. In this week’s Town Talk, browsers reveal their most surprising finds. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Dar Williams in concert to benefit Isles’ 35th year! Saturday, Oct 29@8pm 61 Nassau St, Princeton
CARING FOR AN OLDER ADULT
check out our delicious assortment of
Continued on Page 8
PPS Special Education Team Looks Ahead; School Board Candidates’ Forum on Oct. 27
A Free Evening Course
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for Princeton High School graduates attending colleges other than Princeton University. The University will also make three contributions of $416,700 to the Witherspoon Jackson Development Corporation, spread out over three years, to help with housing needs in that neighborhood. The school also agreed to make an annual
Dr. David Barile 609-924-9000 www.PrincetonCareCenter.com
see page 17
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