Volume LXXII, Number 26
Nassau Hall Restoration Project Begins . . . . . . . 5 Japanese Beetles Return, Threaten Plants . . . . . . 8 Princeton Summer Theater Presents Tick, Tick … Boom! . . . . . . 17 Princeton Festival Continues With Baroque Concert . . . . . . . . . . . 18 PU Grad Dietrick Playing For Atlanta Dream of WNBA . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Princeton Little League Wins District 12 Intermediate Title . . . . 29
PU Alum (Class of ‘58) Frank Stella’s Moby Dick Series Is Featured in This Week’s Art Review . . . 14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .20, 21 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads . . . . . . 32 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Music/Theater . . . . . . 19 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 31 School Matters . . . . . . . 8 Service Directory . . . . 36 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Council Votes Unanimously On First Step of Plan For Seminary Improvements In the first step of a process that would enable Princeton Theological Seminary to add more housing to its Tennent campus, Princeton Council voted unanimously Monday night to direct the town’s Planning Board to study whether the campus should be designated as an area in need of redevelopment. This tool would allow the town to be more proactive in planning, in turn giving the public a greater ability to provide input and be more involved in the process. The seminary could also contribute financially to affordable housing, not necessarily on the site but in areas across town. Mayor Liz Lempert recused herself from the discussion because her husband is a professor at Princeton University, which has connections to the affordable housing issue. Properties included in the resolution are on Stockton Street, Hibben Road, Library Place, and Edgehill Street, all within the Mercer Hill Historic District. Municipal planner Jim Constantine told Council that the redevelopment process would be more effective than the one used when the seminary replaced its Speer Library, which opened in 2014. “It took years,” he said. “It was prolonged, and arduous on all involved, because it was a reactive process. So that process is what we have if we do nothing. But if you move forward with what is proposed, it is an opportunity to have a more proactive planning approach.” The town would be better able to regulate layout and design, and could require that improvements be phased and completed within a significant period, Constantine added. The municipality could also be designated a qualified redeveloper. The process dates from mid-20th century urban renewal, but an area doesn’t have to be blighted or condemned to qualify. Neighbors of the seminary expressed concerns about historic properties that they said the seminary has failed to protect over the years, leading to significant deterioration. “This should not be rushed through,” said area resident Elizabeth Brown, who added she does not blame the institution’s current administration but hopes the current one will address the problem. S hane B er g, t he seminar y ’s Continued on Page 13
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Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Westminster Sale Is Far From Complete, Opponents Say
Last week, Rider University announced it had signed a “Purchase and Sale Agreement” for the transfer of Westminster Choir College to the Chinese company Beijing Kaiwen Education Technology Corporation. But the agreement is hardly a done deal, say opponents of the sale. Representatives of Rider and Westminster’s faculty, Westminster’s alumni, and members of Rider’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) joined attorney Bruce Afran Monday at a press conference denouncing the University’s June 21 announcement. On Wednesday, June 27 at 7 p.m., The Westminster Foundation, which is opposed to the sale, will hold an open
forum at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. The June 21 announcement was “created for the press,” said Jeffrey Halpern, a member of the AAUP chapter. “It’s primary purpose was to get people to say it’s a done deal.” The press release from Rider said the $40 million agreement “is the result of months of hard work and negotiations which will allow the Board to achieve its ultimate goals of successfully transitioning Westminster Choir College to a partner that can make the necessary investments to continue its legacy, and more strongly position Rider to pursue its strategic plan for long-term financial
stability and growth.” A statement from the AAUP that soon followed said, “The purchase and sale agreement is not a true sale, but is little more than a snapshot of a prolonged negotiation with a reluctant buyer determined to reduce the price for a piece of prime Princeton real estate. The full agreement, which Rider has not released, no doubt contains numerous contingencies allowing the Chinese investment company to withdraw.” Kaiwen, which has previously been in the steel and bridge business, is running at a $20 million loss and has only $26 million in cash, Afran said. The company, which in December began operating K-12 schools in China, has no experience running a college of the caliber of Westminster, one of the country’s top musical training grounds. Afran compared Kaiwen operating Westminster to “me handling a Continued on Page 12
Floyd Remembered For Activism at Memorial Service
JAZAMS SUMMER BLOCK PARTY: Children had fun playing with colorful PlusPlus construction toys at the annual event Friday evening on Palmer Square West in Princeton . The party also featured lots of crafts, activities, food, and live music . Participants name their favorite toys in this week’s Town Talk on page 6, and more photos can be found on page 24 . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
The Princeton community turned out in force last Saturday at Nassau Presbyterian Church for the memorial service of longtime civil servant James Arthur Floyd Sr. Floyd, who was Princeton’s first African American mayor, died May 14 at the age of 96. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, local historian Shirley Satterfield, Princeton Community Housing director Edward Truscelli, Robert E. Humes of the Mercer County Community College Foundation, and a representative from Floyd’s beloved Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity praised him for his commitment to equality, community, voting rights, freedom for those unfairly incarcerated, and fair housing. Many references were made — in good humor — to Floyd’s forceful personality. “He was at times, approachable,” said the Reverend John White, former pastor of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, of which Floyd was a member. “Other times … he would leave you talking to yourself and running in the opposite direction,” he said, to laughter from the audience. “But Jim Floyd was simply seeking the best from those of us who were in his sphere.” Satterfield said she was intimidated Continued on Page 13