Volume LXXII, Number 27
New Cross for Trinity Episcopal Church. . . . . 5 Making Shakespearean Sense of the State of the Nation. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Summer Chamber Concerts Kicks Off . . 14 Princeton Student Film Festival Receives Many Submissions. . . . . . . . 15 Hun Alum Fake Enjoys Brilliant Debut Season for Yale Men’s Lax. . . . . . 23 PHS Star McBride Goes Out on High Note in Sunshine Football. . . . 23
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Cause Still Undetermined For Three-Alarm Fire On Sergeant Street
A three-alarm fire that broke out early Saturday morning at Markham Square, a group of townhouses on Sergeant Street, caused no injuries to residents or firefighters but caused major damage to three of the eight homes in the development. “It appears as if it started on the balcony of one of the units,” said Bob Gregory, director of emergency services for the Princeton Fire Department. “They are still trying to figure out what happened. It got up into the eaves under the roof, and it got there pretty quick. Three of the units sustained heavy fire and smoke damage.” Gregory said Monday that adjacent units were being assessed. “One or two had slight smoke damage, and the rest of them were not bad at all,” he said. “They had to shut down the electric, so people had to leave over the weekend. Today, electricians are taking a look to Continued on Page 4
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Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Threat to Trees on Hawthorne Avenue Is Finally Addressed In an ongoing dispute involving trees at a property on Hawthorne Avenue, a step toward resolution was taken last Friday. RB Homes, which is developing a property at No. 258, next door to Galina Chernaya’s home at No. 260, hired a tree service company to treat the roots of five maple trees made vulnerable by construction. “I don’t know how much it will help us, but at least it’s something,” said Chernaya, who has been trying since January to ensure that the trees that shade her property are not irreparably damaged by the teardown of the house next door and construction of a new one in its place. She has aired her concerns at meetings of Princeton Council and the town’s Shade Tree Commission, and hired attorney Roger Martindell to assist in her efforts. Chernaya says four of the trees straddle the line between the two properties. But RB Homes disputes that. “The trees are on our lot,” said Daniel Barsky, part owner of the company with
his father, Roman Barsky. “So they are our trees, not hers. One tree in between both properties that she asked us to take down, we did at our own expense. And we intend to do a soil treatment program putting special ingredients in to stimulate the growth.” Whether the developer was in violation of an ordinance involving tree root protection during construction is unclear. But Chernaya said she was assured in January that the tree root system had to be protected by the developer. Last month, though, excavation work began and many of the roots of the trees were chopped off. “I and my attorney made multiple requests to address the issue and take action, and also to treat the trees according to a plan proposed by an independent arborist,” Chernaya said last week, before the roots were treated. “The only feedback we’ve gotten is that the municipality is working with the developer to resolve the issue.” Town arborist Taylor Sapudar visited
the site on Friday when the protective work was done. “RB Homes had their private arborist prune all damaged roots above two inches, and flush-cut them clean,” he said Monday in an email. “Excavation of the roots was done with an air spade so the pruning cuts could be properly done.” Continued on Page 7
Proposed Parking Program Would Let Private Properties Benefit Too
On June 11, Princeton Council voted to introduce a resolution awarding a contract to PassportParking, Inc. for a new app that allows people to pay for parking through their mobile phones. An implementation that will ultimately replace the Smart Card, the program “takes Princeton into the 21st century,” Mayor Liz Lempert said. One of the key features of the Continued on Page 7
PU Track Star Amaechi Competing in U20 Worlds. . . . . . . . . . . 21 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors. . 18, 19 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classified Ads . . . . . . . 30 Mailbox. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Music/Theater . . . . . . . 14 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . 27 Police. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Religion. . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Topics of the Town . . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
RALLY FOR FAMILIES: Hundreds of people gathered at Hinds Plaza in downtown Princeton on Saturday for Families Belong Together, a rally organized by the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice. Speakers included Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, shown here addressing the crowd. (Photo by Laura Hawkins)
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