Volume LXXI, Number 12
PCDO Endorses Local Candidates . . . . . . . . . 9 Viewing Works of Photographer Ricardo Barros . . . 16 Takács String Quartet Concludes Beethoven Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 McCarter Presents Ken Ludwig’s Adaptation of Murder On the Orient Express . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Third Generation Princetonian David C . Scott, 76, son of Anne Clark Martindell, grandson of William Clark, Dies . . . . . . . . 35 PU Men’s Hoops Edged by Notre Dame in NCAA Tournament . . . . . . . . 29 Princeton Men’s Lacrosse Routs Penn . . . . . . . . 31
Novelist Richard Ford Returns to Princeton for People and Stories Benefit . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classified Ads . . . . . . . 37 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Music/Theater . . . . . . 19 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 35 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 14 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . 37 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Service Directory . . . . 36 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Topics of the Town. . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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As Decision Deadline Nears, Efforts to Save Westminster Move Into Higher Gear On March 28, Rider University’s Board of Trustees is expected to vote on whether to sell the Princeton campus of Westminster Choir College, which it has owned since 1992. As the date nears, a growing list of alumni, students, parents, and members of the public are working feverishly to keep the world-renowned choral institution alive and well as cash-strapped Rider comes up with a plan for its overall future. The Coalition to Save Westminster Choir College in Princeton announced Monday that it has filed for incorporation status as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and has retained legal counsel. While Rider president Gregory Dell’Omo and other administration officials have said they are considering moving Westminster, which sits on 23 acres off of Walnut Lane, onto the Rider campus in Lawrenceville, Coalition members believe that is no longer the case. “Although alumni, students, and faculty have been told by administration officials that a one-campus model was initially being considered, it is clear that Dr. Dell’Omo has no plan to move to Lawrenceville anything approaching the array of educational programs currently offered at Westminster’s Princeton campus,” Coalition president Constance Fee says in a press release. Although the University has not made an announcement, it has become apparent that the plan to merge both campuses onto the Lawrenceville campus is no longer on the table.” It was Rider that came to the rescue in 1992 when Westminster was experiencing dire financial difficulties. But now, it is Rider that is in trouble, with a predicted $13 million deficit and a worrisome decrease in enrollment. While Rider’s student body has dropped from approximately 6,000 to about 5,000 since 2010, Westminster’s enrollment remains steady, according to Ms. Fee. Supporters of Westminster, a fixture in Princeton since 1932, fear that selling its campus threatens the future of the school. Three members of the Westminster Choir College Leadership Council, who met recently with Mr. Dell’Omo, shared their ideas with him about how to save the famed institution. “We made the very strong case that we think Rider should go public and say they are looking for an Continued on Page 4
TRUE COMMUNITY.
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Schools Propose $95.7 Million Budget
After lengthy preparations and deliberations, the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE) last Thursday approved a tentative budget of $95,702 million for the 2017-18 school year, an increase of 4.88 percent over last year, with an anticipated 4.7 percent rise in the tax levy. School taxes on the average Princeton home, assessed at $821,771, would increase by $223.95, a 2.5 percent hike. “But this budget is not about numbers,” PPS Superintendent Steve Cochrane said. “A budget is really about vision, values, and financing the future of our children.” Mr. Cochrane went on to explain three key factors driving the budget increase: the Strategic Plan, including needs emerging from program reviews in science, community service and health, and PE; demographics, with 150-160 additional students projected for next year; and the first-year phase-in of the recently approved Charter School expansion, which will cost the district $826,000. Pointing out the extensive thinking and planning on the part of principals and supervisors during the process, Mr. Cochrane emphasized, “We’ve been very
judicious.” As an example he noted that the High School, despite an anticipated increase of 60 students next year, has not requested additional staff. Waivers due to enrollment growth and health care costs allow the District to raise the budget above the two percent state cap. Over the past two weeks, the Board, to rein in expenses, has cut $248,545 in new staff requests and an additional $147,570 on other proposed spending, ac-
cording to business administrator Stephanie Kennedy, and has also increased revenue by $250,000 from surplus. Mr. Cochrane noted that between now and finalization of the budget at the end of April, he and his staff are continuing to look for ways to reduce the increase. He added that he had communicated with Charter School Head Larry Patton in hopes of saving the District money Continued on Page 14
Portion of 206 to Be Closed July-October; Bridges Will Be Completed by December As repairs to New Jersey’s oldest bridge and the construction of a new bridge next to it move forward, a portion of Route 206 will be closed completely from July through October, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) announced at a public information meeting yesterday. Route 206 south of Princeton will be detoured for all vehicles from July to October, and there may also be overnight closures before July that will reduce 206 to one lane with alternating traffic. There has been a signed truck detour in place
for vehicles weighing more than 20 tons since emergency repairs were made more than a year ago, and that detour will remain in place throughout construction, which is scheduled to be completed by December. The roadway was first closed on February 22, 2016, due to a failure of the parapet and spandrel wall above the north arch on the upstream side of the stone arch bridge. An in-depth inspection of the bridge revealed additional problems. The DOT performed emergency repairs, and Continued on Page 12
EPHEMERA: The word derives from the Greek “ephemeros,” meaning “lasting only one day, short-lived,” which includes papers, curiosities, and collectible odds and ends of the sort found on a table in the Collector’s Corner during this year’s Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale, which lasted five days and will come back to life again next year. Special finds are mentioned in this week’s Town Talk. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
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