Volume LXX, Number 37
www.towntopics.com
Council Adopts Ordinance On Trees and Shrubs With Amendments
Profiles in Education Features Science Teachers Who Are Finalists for the President’s Award . . . . . 7 You Can’t Get Away from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Her Many Stepchildren . . . 10 It’s a Milestone Year for Princeton’s Jazz Feast . . 17 With Larkin’s Stellar Play at Both Ends, Princeton Women’s Soccer Improves to 6-0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 PHS Boys’ Soccer Edges HoVal in Opener . . . . 27
Dorian Williams Excited for Season Opener . . . 24 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 19 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 33 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Music/Theater . . . . . . 17 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 31 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Schools’ Open Houses Pages 14-16
At a public hearing Monday night, Princeton Council voted to adopt an amended ordinance related to cutting down trees and shrubs. Originally introduced this past July, the ordinance was amended and passed 5-1, with Patrick Simon voting against the measure as presented. Princeton’s Shade Tree Commission and Code Review Committee have worked on the ordinance, largely prompted by the escalating rate of teardowns as well as damage done from recent storms and the coming infestation of the emerald ash borer. The measure would call for taking the size of a tree being removed into consideration when deciding how many trees would have to be planted in its place. It would also address application fees and a tree fund managed by the town. The Shade Tree Commission met last week to discuss unique issues associated with the ash trees and concerns related to the ordinance as originally introduced. Some modifications were considered and some trees would be considered exempt. Among them would be a tree posing danger to life or property, any tree fallen as a result of storm damage, and a dead or substantially diseased tree from natural causes or storm damage. Several residents expressed concerns about issues such as fees and permits. “There are a lot of issues that have not been addressed for individual homeowners,” said Peter Madison, a former member of the town’s Planning Board. Calling the ordinance harsh and noting that he has planted 23 trees on his property over the years, he added, “There needs to be some consideration for what people have done in the past.” Ron Nielsen, who lives on Humbert Street, said an unintended consequence of the ordinance is that it would end up causing greater expense for homeowners. “The proposed changes will only add to the cost and hassle,” he said. “Please revise it.” Longtime Princeton resident Sam Procaccini objected to the ordinance because he and his wife want to build a small house, “not a McMansion,” he said. “You’re really penalizing not the builders, but retired residents like my wife and I who want to stay in town.” Wendy Mager, who lives on Cherry Hill Road and is president of Friends of Continued on Page 4
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Region Gets High Marks for Tourism
There was good news for the second year in a row at the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Toast to Tourism Awards, held Tuesday morning at The Boathouse overlooking Mercer Lake in Mercer County Park. Brian Tyrrell, Stockton University professor and CEO of Travel and Tourism Research and Training Associates, said during a presentation of his 2016 Economic Impact Study of Tourism in the Princeton and Mercer Region that activity in the area continues to be on the rise. “This report provides strong evidence that the Princeton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau’s efforts are paying generous dividends to the stakeholders throughout the Princeton-Mercer Region,” the commissioned report concludes. “The Bureau has been successful in growing a strong summer and fall travel market for the hotel industry in the Princeton-Mercer Region, recovering nicely from the recession. The Princeton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce should be unabashedly proud of their effort, and leaders in the community should take note that the promotion of the PrincetonMercer Region works.”
The 35-page report examined lodging, food and beverage, retail, entertainment, and transportation in Mercer County and portions of Middlesex and Somerset counties as well. These areas accounted for a significant portion of tourism expenditures in New Jersey, Mr. Tyrrell said. As stated in his report, “In generating tourism expenditures of $2.1 billion in 2015, the Princeton-Mercer region has achieved a new high in tourism receipts for the region and is showing similar growth to both the United States and the New Jersey industry performance averages.”
The many facts and figures in the report include the number of people — 37,000 — employed in the region’s hotels, restaurants, and other attractions that support the industry. The three award-winners at the breakfast were Lori Rabon, vice president of The Nassau Inn, Princeton Merchants Association, and Palmer Square Management; Jasmine Gates, front desk lead of Springhill Suites by Marriott; and Delroy Williams, food and beverage director for The Nassau Club of Princeton. Continued on Page 6
#BlackLivesMatter Movement Seeks “Revolution in Values,” Glaude States Calling for a “revolution in values,” in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Princeton Professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. told a standing-room-only audience on Monday that white supremacy, in the form of a belief that white lives are worth more than others, prevails in this country. Religion professor and African American Studies Department Chair, Mr. Glaude, in his keynote address to Princeton’s 10th Annual Humanities Colloquium
in Aaron Burr Hall, described an enduring “legacy of the value gap,” and said that #BlackLivesMatter bravely and directly challenges this belief. “Young people all around the country are challenging the underlying assumptions of white supremacy,” Mr. Glaude asserted. “They’re putting their bodies on the line, disturbing the peace — let’s call it the politics of disruption — and asking hard questions.” Continued on Page 11
REMEMBERING: The St. Paul Parish memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks resembled a field of flags, some 3,000, each bearing a placard with the name of a person lost on that day. The 15th anniversary commemoration was arranged by the church together with the Princeton Knights of Columbus. Saturday’s special prayer service included the color guards of the Princeton Police and Fire Departments and color guards of the Knights of Columbus. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
APPLE DAY
Sat, Sept. 17 and Sun, Sept. 18 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
See page 6