(2 Letters)
(2 Letters)
(2 Letters)
PAUL PITLUK
Rainflower Lane
West Windsor
RON and BEVERLY PLUMMER
William Livingston Court
To the Editor:
I urge the residents of Princeton Borough to name the public plaza outside of Princeton Public Library in honor of Albert Hinds, a resident who contributed to the building of this town and whose life represents its deep history. Mr. Hinds, who died last year at 103, was the grandson of a slave who ran north and ended up helping to build the Brooklyn Bridge. Later he became a farmer in the Princeton area and raised his family here.
Mr. Hinds' mother, Sophie Hinds, as well as Albert Hinds and his eight siblings, attended Princeton's segregated Witherspoon School for Colored Children that was founded by Betsy Stockton, who had been born into slavery in Princeton and was later freed. Mr. Hinds was one of the first black students to go to Princeton High School, where he excelled in Latin and math, tutored white students, and played end on the football team.
Mr. Hinds' life spans the story of racism in Princeton, beginning with the days he walked the horses of white men for ten cents a walk, shined shoes, and waited tables at the University's eating clubs where he and other black men and women were required to enter at the back door. He also helped pave Nassau Street when it was a dirt road, planted trees on the campus, and helped lay foundations for new campus buildings. With absences only to go college and help start the black YMCA in New Orleans, he spent his entire life in Princeton.
All of his adult life, Mr. Hinds helped people. He was director of recreation for youth at the Witherspoon YMCA, which was the center of life for black families in our segregated neighborhood. (That site, now the Princeton Arts Council, sits diagonally across from the library.) Besides helping youth all his life, he taught yoga to seniors until he was 100 years old, and took people on tours of this neighborhood to help preserve the history of this black community that we lived in and loved.
He was my hero, and I hope this town honors him and the legacy he represents.
HENRY F. PANNELL
Clay Street
To the Editor:
I have read with interest letters recommending naming the library plaza after Albert Hinds. Others have suggested the plaza not be named after a person.
Many times over the years I had occasion to be with Albert Hinds. In recent years in his nineties his handshake was firm, his mind fixed on the community he served. For all he contributed to the community, I feel there is a far more appropriate way to honor him.
First, I think the plaza name should simply be Library Plaza. It's an important part of the downtown association with the library.
Second, while I have not seen this suggested yet, I would hope that the new Arts Center building be called the Albert Hinds Arts Center for many reasons.
First, the original building, part of which remains, was the Negro YMCA where, as a Princeton undergrad, I had an on-going relationship by having a "club" with 12 and 13-year old Negro boys. The building was a haven for Negroes long before it became the Arts Center.
Second, the Hinds Arts Center will speak eloquently forever of a community integration not only for the adjoining black community but for blacks and whites throughout the town.
I can think of no better way to honor this black man who, during his lifetime, brought together Negroes/blacks/African-Americans through his many ways of serving the community at large. Further, it would send a strong message to the entire community as to how this new arts center is designed to serve an integrated community. That in itself is a message for which Albert Hinds stood during his lifetime.
Perhaps those behind the Arts Center already have conceived a name. Perhaps there is a major donor whose name might be attached to the Arts Center. Still, there can be no better name than the Albert Hinds Arts Center. It will represent the location, the spirit of the town he served, the spirit of the future of the Arts Center, and it will bind together the community at large.
HERBERT W. HOBLER
Princeton
Editor's Note: The new Arts Council of Princeton building, scheduled for completion this fall, is to be called the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts.
To the Editor:
High property taxes are the number one issue in New Jersey. Our school board proposes to increase spending by $3.7 million versus 2006. As of 2006, The Princeton School district is one of the most expensive in the state, ranking 95th out of 104.
Our taxes will increase again this year, approximately 9 and 6 percent for the Borough and Township respectively. School board members rightly acknowledge that the brunt of the cost of sustaining our schools' programs is falling on us. They criticize the state's lack of meaningful aid and the high amount of tax-exempt property in Princeton. However, given these limited resources, the board continues to ignore facts of fiduciary management and asks for more money year after year. Why do voters ignore this fact and approve budgets?
Many school district budgets this year will solely aim to preserve programs currently being run, thus minimizing increases. But our school board, in part, is asking us to fund the expansion of new programs: "the first phase of staffing" for the new Princeton Performing Arts Center. This statement by Superintendent Judy Wilson assures that we will be asked to increase spending again next year.
Given the current mandate within the state to limit sky-high property taxes, the board's request is inappropriate. Princeton schools are being operated as a private school at the public's expense.
MELISSA HART
Terhune Road
To the Editor:
School taxes in Princeton take up about 50 percent of what we pay in property taxes. Local and county taxes make up the rest.
The school board is recommending a new budget which is an increase of over 5 percent of what it has been this year. At the same time, services to residents are contracting. Free parking for library users was taken away recently. The Princeton Township Public Works plans to pick up leaves only twice a season and brush infrequently.
As much as Princeton residents value public education, it is not the only public value. I suggest that the school board revisit their proposed budget before it's put to a public vote.
BILLIE EMMERICH
Dodds Lane
To the Editor:
Verizon Fios TV and Internet service are now available in Princeton. To the joy of a long frustrated Princeton resident, who has been price gouged by Patriot Media and denied access to Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia, Princeton finally has choice and competition. I had Fios 20/5 Internet and Fios Premier TV recently installed. The improvement in Internet speed and reliability is amazing. The picture quality is far better than Patriot Media. Fios has a wider selection of channels. For the first time, CSN Philadelphia is available to Princeton residents. Princeton was the only municipality in Mercer County that did not get CSN. Prior to Fios, there were three cable television providers in Mercer Comcast, Cablevision, and Patriot Media. Patriot charges Princeton residents more than either Comcast or Cablevision charges other Mercer residents. Patriot provides less expensive television channels than Comcast or Cablevision provides, but charges Princeton residents more.
When RCN sold its system in 2002, Patriot outbid Cablevision. But since Patriot had no competition, it could afford to bid higher and then charge its customers more than Cablevision. Cablevision was not in a competitive position to charge its Princeton customers more than its other one million customers in New Jersey. Verizon has changed the competitive landscape. Verizon standard Internet service is $40 a month vs. $48 for Patriot. Verizon TV service is $43 a month vs $76 a month for Patriot Media's comparable offering. And Verizon has a package that includes unlimited local and long distance phone service, 20/5 Internet, and Fios Premier TV for $95 a month.
In 2006 Patriot Media, Comcast, and Cablevision all raised TV rates about five percent. Comcast and Cablevision included the Mets new channel, Sportsnet New York, in its 2006 channel lineup. Patriot Media announced it was not going to provide SNY, because a majority of its subscribers were not interested. At the last minute Patriot Media gave in to subscriber pressure and provided SNY, but increased all subscribers' bills by $1.75 per month, passing on the full cost of SNY and ballooning its 2006 rate increase to about 9 percent. It was reported by the Associated Press that Patriot Media was up for sale last year and was asking a record price for a cable TV company, which probably would have been very profitable for its investors. Patriot Media has not yet found a buyer. More importantly to Princeton residents, Patriot Media still has not lowered its pricing or improved its television offerings to reflect the competition in Mercer County.
I have been complaining to our television committee about Patriot for a few years. I no longer have to complain.
JAMES F. MAHON JR.
Herrontown Road
To the Editor:
Verizon, which just rolled out its new home Fiber Optic Service, including television, in the Princeton area, has not included the signal of WNET-TV, Channel 13 from New York.
This shows a misunderstanding of what channels Prin-ceton-area residents are accustomed to receiving, both over-the-air and from the pre-existing cable-TV service. It may also reflect the mindset of a telephone company about how residents of the 609 area code "must" be oriented geographically. When we called to complain, they said "But you must live in South Jersey."
This situation probably also stems from the fact that, instead of going through the Joint Princeton Cable TV Committee, Verizon entered the cable TV business via a statewide franchise that bypassed local authorities and, thus, deprived itself of the chance to learn about local traditions, tastes, and expectations.
The Verizon salesmen who are currently going door to door promise that WNET-TV's signal will be included. This is to warn potential Princeton-area customers that it is not in fact being delivered.
MICHAEL KAGAY
Jefferson Road
To the Editor:
I am a firm believer that whether you are a resident of West Windsor for four years or for four generations, we all have an equal stake in our town's future.
In the past, opportunities existed for the development of such properties as Wyeth, Sarnoff, and others. However, these proposals never reached fruition because they were talked to death by certain factions in our community who, using obstructionist tactics, spread fear and confusion. We don't want to see the same fate befall the transit village.
Synergy must be developed between the mayor, council members, and the public through the charette process. Without this, nothing will be accomplished. The highly qualified West Windsor Together team of Franc Gambatese, Chuck Chang, and Diane Ciccone will make things happen.
I urge voters to vote for the West Windsor Together team on May 8.
PAUL PITLUK
Rainflower Lane
West Windsor
To the Editor:
We are delighted that JoAnn Cunningham has announced to run for reelection to her seat on the Princeton Regional Board of Education. She is a professional educator with important insights about strategies to enhance student achievement. Her service on the board has shown a strong commitment to promoting a community of learning that includes all students.
Dr. Cunningham presently chairs the program committee of the board. She has also served on the board's personnel and finance committees. She has been an advocate for curriculum and pedagogy that is responsive to the diverse needs of our student population. She also has forged ties between the Prin-ceton schools and the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute, which through its summer program works to develop the academic and leadership abilities of students with high potential.
JoAnn is a professor at William Paterson University in the Department of Anthropology. She received her doctorate in the anthropology of education and her undergraduate degree in psychology at Rutgers University. She has in-depth experience in curriculum development and a record of success in motivating a broad range of young people to succeed in the classroom.
We urge support for JoAnn Cunningham for reelection to the school board on April 17.
RON and BEVERLY PLUMMER
William Livingston Court