Volume LXX, Number 39
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Council Votes to Introduce Ordinance to Establish Civil Rights Commission
Campus Plans Reflects Future Direction of Princeton University . . . 7 Longtime Princeton Resident the Honorable Samuel David Lenox Jr ., 91, Who Served as a Judge for Almost 40 Years, Dies . . . . . . . . 37 PU Men’s Soccer Tops FDU With Fourth Straight Win . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 PHS Field Hockey Wins Over Notre Dame . . . . 31
Herman Melville Died in New York City 125 Years Ago Today . . . . . . . . . 14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 39 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Music/Theater . . . . . . 24 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 37 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 7 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 39 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Private Schools on Page 8
At a meeting on Monday, September 26, Princeton Council voted to introduce an ordinance to re-establish a Civil Rights Commission, which previously existed in Princeton but was discontinued 18 years ago. Chaired by Leticia Fraga, a subcommittee of the town’s Human Services department has been working on the proposal for more than two years. Some members of that committee expressed reservations about certain elements of the ordinance, specifically in the procedures section. Those complaining about unfair or discriminatory treatment should be able to go directly to the Civil Rights Commission rather than having to first contact the executive director of the Human Services department, they said. “This is absolutely what we did not recommend,” said member Elizabeth Bates. “Most importantly, it is not a system that will make people comfortable.” Committee member John Heilner commented, “Multiple options for intake should be given because some residents and visitors are uncomfortable going to a direct government office, to an employee paid by the municipality. People have long memories. They remember the good situation in 1968 to 1998, when the Commission was truly independent. They recall some problems when the process was under Human Services before. Not many, but the ones that resulted in a police officer not trusting the process at all and going directly to court, and another when the process was started but the complainant pulled out when the process was tampered with. Both resulted in large settlements paid by the former Borough.” The ordinance was tabled by Council in April due to concerns expressed by members of the committee. “We believed it didn’t go far enough,” Ms. Fraga said on Monday. “We strongly believe that a Civil Rights Commission should be more than a symbolic gesture.” Ms. Fraga thanked Council for progress that has been made since April, but the ordinance is still lacking. The Commission would best serve its function if changes are made to the policies and procedures being proposed, she said. She was particularly touched by a comment from Councilman Lance Liverman. “He said that unless someone has been treated Continued on Page 18
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Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Municipality Moves Ahead on Solar Energy The town of Princeton has embarked on two groundbreaking solar energy projects — one with the Stony Brook Regional Sewerage Authority on River Road and the other with the Princeton Public Library — that could potentially bring financial rewards, save on energy bills for the participating partners, and promote sustainability by investing in renewable energy. “It’s a clear win-win for all parties,” said Council member Bernie Miller. “These are landmark projects for the municipality.” Mayor Liz Lempert added, “The River Road solar project is a great example of thinking sustainably to make an otherwise unusable site — the old landfill — a source of energy. We’re hoping to be able to do a similar project on the deck of the Spring Street garage by having solar panels there provide energy to the library. It is a prime spot for a solar project in terms of visibility, but we first need to make sure it is economically feasible.” The River Road enterprise, the municipality’s first venture into a solar energy project, will be constructed on an eightacre landfill site, according to Planning Board Director Lee Solow. GeoPeak Energy of Somerset is looking to start work
later this year and lease the ground for a 20-year term. “It made most sense to contract out rather than build, own, and maintain ourselves,” said Mr. Solow. “There’s almost no risk for us.” Mr. Solow described the projects as “part of our continuing efforts based on what the community wants to do to be more sustainable. We’ve been looking at various plans to do a solar energy project. We’ve done energy audits on all our facilities, and this is a natural outgrowth of that sustainability effort.” Referring to both projects, Mr. Miller
commented, “We’re working with contractors rather than doing it ourselves to avoid borrowing money and raising taxes to do it. Municipalities should be conservative, willing to accept a smaller reward than we could possibly get otherwise.” GeoPeak, the successful bidder on the River Road project, is currently seeking final approvals, and Mr. Solow is hopeful that they will construct a site that generates at least 1.5 megawatts of power. Sewerage Authority executive director John Kontorek explained the anticipated Continued on Page 12
Bank Street Residents Come Together, Seek Solution to Infrastructure Problems Residents and town officials are all in agreement about the need for repairs and infrastructure renovations on Bank Street. The narrow, single-block thoroughfare, tucked away off Nassau Street between Bayard Lane and Chambers Street, needs electrical, telephone, and cable lines placed underground, and the street, curbs, sidewalks, and sewage system all require extensive upgrades. “Bank Street is a wonderful Victorian street,” said Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert.
“You can tell it was designed in a different era, with homes built close together and close to the edge of the road. What makes the street special is also what makes it an engineering challenge.” Ms. Lempert went on to discuss the costs — currently estimated at $70,000 per home owner — and the complications involved in making necessary improvements. “The neighbors are hoping to bury the Continued on Page 19
JUST FOR YOU: One of the author/illustrators at Saturday’s Children’s Book Fair on Hinds Plaza inscribes a copy of her book for a young reader. Favorite books are discussed by festival participants in this week’s Town Talk. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)