Volume LXX, Number 16
www.towntopics.com
Closing of Jordan’s Is Latest Of Changes At Shopping Center
A New Class at PHS “Illuminates the Heart of Science” . . . . . . . . . . 10 PU Glee Club Presents Bach’s Mass in B Minor at Richardson . . . . . . . . 20 Tiger Baseball Goes 3-1 Against Penn . . . . . . . 37 PDS Girls’ Lacrosse Looking Explosive on Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Celebrating the Poet and Former Princeton Resident C .K . Williams (1936-2015), Shown Here in 1985 . . . . . . 15 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 34 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Classified Ads . . . . . . . 45 Music/Theater . . . . . . 20 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 44 Police Blotter . . . . . . 12 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 45 Service Directory . . . . 32 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Spring Home Starts On Page 23
“What’s going on? Are you closing? No, you can’t!,” a customer at Jordan’s Stationery and Gifts in Princeton Shopping Center exclaimed to owner Lewis Wildman last week after noticing the “Everything Must Go” signs in the windows. The refrain has become familiar to Mr. Wildman, who has operated the eclectic store for almost 35 years and has been informed by EDENS, the owner of the center on North Harrison Street since 2012, that his lease is not being renewed. He has until the end of June to get rid of his inventory and vacate the space. Taking a break from the cash register where customers were lining up to purchase cards, giftwrap, candles, and other assorted items at reduced prices, Mr. Wildman reflected on the situation. “It’s not that I want to go. I don’t. But like people say, ‘When it’s time to go, it’s time to go.’ I guess it’s that time.” Mr. Wildman said he has been paying half of the $8,000 rent for more than two years, and was told by an EDENS employee to continue doing so until his lease was up and the company would contact him about negotiating and renewing. “They never did get in touch with me,” he said. “It would have been nice to have gotten a phone call or something.” Mr. Wildman said Tuesday that EDENS has told him he owes them $120,000 in back rent. He is considering starting a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money. “Some customers were talking about it this morning, and one of them is an IT person who said she could set it up,” he said. “So we’ll see.” The situation at Jordan’s is the latest jolt to shoppers who have counted on the store, and other long-time tenants of the center, for basic needs. Mr. Wildman is not the first to be told to vacate. The leases of Camillo’s Cafe, in 2013; and more recently Taste of Mexico, were not renewed. With several empty storefronts along the walkways — Mr. Wildman said he counts 10 — and the imminent arrival of some trendy eateries such as Nomad Pizza and LiLLiPies, it appears that the 60-year-old shopping center is in transition. “While we are unable to comment on the details of our tenants and their businesses, we appreciate the concern that has been shared by members of the community regarding Jordan’s,” wrote Continued on Page 16
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Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Battlefield Society Pursues Court Injunction
The Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS), in its ongoing efforts to halt an Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) construction project, last week asked the U.S. District Court for New Jersey to grant a preliminary injunction under the Clean Water Act. If granted, that injunction would prevent the IAS from continuing work on its 15-unit faculty housing project until the Battlefield Society’s March 10 complaint concerning the destruction of wetlands on the site is resolved. The Institute has until May 2 to respond to the current motion, and on May 16 the court is scheduled to hear the case, according to Battlefield Society attorney Bruce Afran. The Institute, stating that it “has received all the necessary regulatory approvals to proceed,” continues to move forward with site preparations on the seven-acre parcel. In January, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) notified the PBS that they had found no wetlands on the IAS building site and that “the Institute does not require any permits from DEP,” but the Battlefield Society disputes that finding.
Though the current court issue is one of environmental land use, the presence of wetlands on the building site would necessitate a historical review of the project, and the Battlefield Society has long contended that the site, next to the Princeton Battlefield Park, is land on which General George Washington led an historic counterattack against British forces. Emphasizing its “commitment and sensitivity to battlefield preservation and stewardship,” the Institute has cited the project as meeting “a critical need” for
faculty housing, and claims to have “taken great care to address all reasonable concerns relative to preservation issues.” The Institute made extensive changes to its original site plans, including moving the project further away from the Park, adjusting the profiles and materials of the housing units and enhancing the landscaped screen between the site and the Park. It also arranged to provide 14 acres of public space subject to a conservation easement, including a 200-foot-wide parcel Continued on Page 12
Kathy Monzo, Deputy Administrator, Will Move to North Brunswick Position Kathy Monzo, municipal deputy administrator and director of finance, has announced that she will be leaving her post in Princeton to become administrator of North Brunswick Township in Middlesex County. “I have mixed feelings. It’s bittersweet because I have been blessed to have worked with so many wonderful people here,” she said Monday. “But at the same time, this is a very exciting challenge and
I’m looking forward to it.” “I congratulate Kathy on her new position,” stated Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert. “Kathy is a superstar, and North Brunswick is beyond lucky to have hired her. Kathy has been superb in finance and administration and has been instrumental in helping to steer Princeton successfully through consolidation and other uncertain times. She will leave a big hole in Continued on Page 14
FAIR WEATHER: The move to an earlier date worked out nicely for Communiversity 2016, with blue skies, sunshine, and a busy midway overlooked by the facades and variously shaped rooftops of buildings of Nassau Street . In this week’s Town Talk people who were at the fair talk about their favorite things . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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