Volume LXXIII, Number 6
Valentine’s Day Pages 22 & 23
www.towntopics.com
Police Promote Two, Swear In New Recruits, Emphasize Leadership
Topics of the Town . . . . 5
Further bolstering its leadership structure and strengthening the department for future challenges, the Princeton Police Department (PPD) last week promoted two officers and swore in eight new officers in a ceremony at the municipal building. Two longtime PPD veterans, Captain Christopher Morgan and Corporal James Martinez, received their promotions, as PPD Chief Nick Sutter cited their demonstration of the department’s professionalism and its values of knowledge, honor, integrity, and service. “Captain Morgan and Corporal Martinez are two of the shining examples in our department of the core values of the department,” Sutter said. “They are respected and seasoned leaders who lead our department in furtherance of the tenets of 21st-century policing. I am very proud and honored to have them as colleagues.” He further noted that Corporal Martinez replaced a corporal who retired and that the promotions make the structure one chief, one captain, and three lieutenants. Morgan, who joined the Princeton Township Police Department (PTPD) in 2000, after three years in the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, has received the Honorable Service Award and the Mercer County Volunteer of the Year Award from the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, as well as numerous other service awards. He served as patrol officer, corporal, lieutenant, and acting chief of the PTPD. Martinez, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, earning the National Defense Medal and the Good Conduct Medal before joining the Princeton Borough Police Department 25 years ago, has served as a senior officer for more than 17 years. He has received the Exceptional Duty Award, the Meritorious Service Award, and numerous other honors. The eight new police officers, six men and two women, who were sworn in last week bring to the PPD a wide range of backgrounds and experience, Sutter said. Officer Joseph Avanzato, a graduate of Rider University and the Mercer County Police Academy, received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rider and is currently working on a master’s degree.
Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
Continued on Page 10
Saturday Science Talks at PPPL . . . . . . . 5 Incumbent Quinn Kicks Off Council Campaign . . . . . . . . . . 9 My Stroke of Luck at PSRC . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mick Jagger and the Madness of Performance . . . . . . 14 PSO Celebrates 10 Years of Milanov Leadership . . . . . . . . 15 PU Women’s Hoops Returns to Action with 2-0 Ivy Weekend . . . . 30 Stuart Basketball Rolls Past PDS Into State Prep B Semis . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Hun Alum Barratt Starring for Penn State Men’s Hockey . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .24, 25 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 28 Classified Ads . . . . . . 38 Dining & Entertainment. . 26 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Music/Theater . . . . . . 16 New to Us. . . . . . . . . . 20 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 37 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 38 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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Wednesday, February 6, 2019
PPS Successfully Sells Referendum Bonds Taking steps to finance the renovation and construction projects approved by Princeton voters in the December 11, 2018 referendum, the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) last month sold $26.9 million in Moody’s Aaa-rated bonds. The sale allowed PPS to access 20-year capital at a favorable interest rate of 2.99 percent, significantly lower than the rate forecast by the Board’s financial advisors in December, according to a PPS press release With cumulative financing costs for the bonds over the next 20 years more than $1 million lower than the original estimate, the BOE attributed the successful sale to favorable market conditions and the district’s Aaa credit rating. The bonds were sold by competitive sale, similar to an auction, and there were seven different bidders. “This is the first, successful step of a two-year process to implement necessary facility renovations and upgrades that will improve learning spaces for our current and future students,” said PPS Superintendent Steve Cochrane in the press release. “With assistance from our professional advisors, stakeholders, and community experts, we look forward to completing these important projects thoughtfully, skillfully, and transparently.”
School officials have noted that these funds will address the district’s most immediate and urgent needs, including safety, security, and HVAC upgrades in all the schools, as well as the creation of four additional classrooms at Princeton High School along with a new dining center on the main floor, increased space for athletics, and improved space for student counseling. “The Board of Education is grateful to the community for approving the $26.9
million referendum, after months of engagement and constructive dialogue,” said BOE President Beth Behrend, “and for its willingness to invest in the future of our public schools.” In the PPS press release she went on to thank Cochrane, his staff, and previous board members for the time and energy they devoted to this effort. The estimated impact on property taxes of the new bonds was originally approximately $57 additional in the first year, Continued on Page 8
Princeton’s First Restaurant Week Is Not Limited to Priciest Eateries In cities across the globe, an annual tradition known as Restaurant Week allows diners to sample the fare at establishments they might otherwise be unable to afford. But in Princeton, where the first Restaurant Week will be launched March 10 to 17, just about every eatery is participating. That means that foodies will be able to partake of special menus at restaurants ranging from PJ’s Pancake House and Princeton Soup & Sandwich to Eno Terra and The Peacock Inn. While many es-
tablishments will be offering fixed-priced menus of $20 for lunch and $35 for dinner, some of the lower-priced restaurants will be inviting diners in with other types of incentives. “We really wanted to open it up to everybody,” said Michelle Pirone Lambros, whose company, Princeton Promotions, is marketing the event. “Whatever the smaller restaurants want to do is fine. We’re leaving it open to them. But we definitely wanted to include them. So not every restaurant has the $20 lunch and $35 menu.” Continued on Page 11
WASSAILING THE APPLE TREES: Dancing, singing, and hot cider toasts were just some of the activities at Saturday’s Wassail Festival at Terhune Orchards. The longtime British tradition of honoring the apple trees to protect them from harm is an annual winter celebration at the farm. Live music, homemade donuts, and a bonfire with marshmallow roasting were also featured. Participants share their favorite winter activities in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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