To the Editor:

The purpose of this letter is to enthusiastically endorse my friend Michele Tuck-Ponder for a seat on the Princeton Board of Education. I have known and worked with Michele for over 30 years and have always been impressed by her leadership abilities, problem solving skills, and willingness to compromise. Her government experience is a major plus. I especially admire her willingness to reach across party lines for the good of the town.

A specific example comes to mind. I stepped down as mayor of Princeton Township at the end of 1992. Michele became mayor in 1995. The first thing she did was to form a “mayors committee” comprised of former mayors of Princeton Township to act as an advisory group as she transitioned into her new job. We met monthly and worked in a bipartisan way to assist the mayor and the township with its challenges. It took a woman of vision and leadership to come up with that novel idea. I believe all of the former mayors were flattered to be asked to participate and impressed by the way Michele was able to mine our experience.

Everyone knows Michele isn’t afraid to speak her mind. I think that is a good thing. More than that, however, she has the ability to work with a broad spectrum of people and make things happen.

Please seriously consider giving Michele your vote (#3 on the ballot) for a seat on the Board of Education.

Richard C. Woodbridge

Former Princeton Township Mayor 

Benjamin Rush Lane

To the Editor:

I am excited to learn that Sustainable Princeton (SP) has received a grant of $100,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to achieve zero waste and offset the dangers of climate change and global warming. Our thanks to Molly Jones and Christine Symington of SP and to Matt Wasserman and other members of SP’s Board of Directors for conceiving and assembling the application.

The grant, if you think of it as a vetting operation, shows how much SP deserves our financial support. Donations (in any amount) will help SP achieve its ambitious goals, including its important sharing of its achievements at the Sustainable Jersey summit gathering in 2019. But SP also needs greater funding than it has yet had from the Princeton community. SP is a 501(c)3 organization; all contributions are tax-deductible. We may contribute online (save paper!) or by snail-mail to SP at 1 Monument Drive, Princeton.

When you visit the SP site (www.sustainableprinceton.org), you will find multitudinous information about how to help us live more sustainably: how to reduce or eliminate waste in our homes or businesses, how to speak to restaurant owners who may be using “dirty” plastics, non-organic foods, or non-postconsumer paper take-out bags (bring your own cloth bag to McCaffreys!). You can also see a list of gardeners/landscapers who follow sustainable practices — and of course we can all urge them to take our lawn and brush litter to a composting area on our properties (for Princetonians whose lots are large enough). And you will get this kind of information: “At the current rate the town of Princeton produces waste, the landfill will be full by approximately 2030: after which we’d have to send our waste to another landfill that could be several hundred miles away [think of the waste of gas!]. Sustainable Princeton aims to alleviate this problem with our goal of reducing waste by 50 percent by 2016” — with a list of ways we can all help.

And (what some people know) you can plant trees, which store carbon monoxide (which if released contributes to global warming). Asphalt driveways continue to be a major problem: they contribute to polluted storm-water run-off, thus endangering the health of individuals and the capabilities of communities to withstand the realities of global warming and climate change.

As, indeed, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have just shown (not to mention Superstorm Sandy).

The RWJ grant will help Sustainable Princeton to act responsibly and sustainably as we witness with incredulity the federal onslaught against the science-based Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association — all by Pruitts and tweets.

Locally and regionally, SP is attempting to slow the pace of global warming so that the next generations have a greater chance of adaptation.

Please sign on to the SP newsletter list; support SP with your online eyes and your credit cards or checks.

Daniel A. Harris

Dodds Lane

To the Editor:

I want to share some reasons why I enthusiastically support Jess Deutsch’s candidacy to serve on the Princeton Public School Board of Education. Jess has long been committed to the twin goals of providing schools that support students’ academic development while nurturing their emotional well-being. With a background in education and social work, she has acted on this commitment by working on behalf of students and their families nationwide and in Princeton.

At the start of her career, Jess was involved in the Department of Education Health and Human Services’ Guidebook, Together We Can: A Guide to Integrating Education and Human Services. She subsequently turned her attention to working with both students and parents in Princeton. In her capacity as a 101 Board member, she created the semi-annual Author’s Luncheon Series to raise scholarship funds that enable students from economically disadvantaged families in our community to attend college. She has also been a board member of HiTops, a local non-profit youth health and wellness center, was active on the Riverside Elementary School PTO, and currently serves on the Princeton Public Library Friends Council.

Jess is especially passionate about the importance of providing students with supportive learning environments that allow them to balance their educational aspirations and wellness. To this end, she founded Princeton Balance — an on-line community for like-minded parents — and organizes community events featuring experts who speak about evidence-based best practices for raising happy and healthy children in an increasingly competitive culture. As a professor of sociology whose research focuses on the adverse effects of stress on well-being, I applaud her efforts.

With deep roots in Princeton and strong relationships with local teachers, administrators, and parents, Jess is excited about collaborating with other board members on the development of inclusive policies that serve the needs of our diverse population of students and their families; she respects and supports each student’s unique needs, educational goals, and future trajectories. Now that her children are young adults, she would like to give back to our community by serving on the Princeton Public School Board of Education. Her track record of advocating on behalf of all children and their families makes Jess Deutsch an excellent choice for this position.

Robin Simon, PhD

Knoll Drive

To the Editor:

According to a Town Topics article on page 8 dated August 23, a 76-unit senior community has been proposed at a site near the Princeton Shopping Center at the corner of Harrison Street and Terhune Road. As longtime residents of Princeton, we welcome the application for a much needed community for seniors in our town. That said, it would also be reassuring to know that future residents will be safe in a complex which is built to the highest possible fire safety standards.

Assuming the application is accepted, we believe it would be prudent for Council to request that the developer build the units to incorporate masonry fire walls through the roof. Equally important, they should also include an upgraded sprinkler system which complies with NFPA 13 standards requiring that sprinklers be installed in concealed combustible spaces. This is not required under NFPA 13R, the current acceptable standard for residential complexes. We know that recently some New Jersey developers have voluntarily agreed to meet similar upgraded safety measures for some of their projects.

Some have argued that extra fire safety precautions in construction of multi-residential buildings are not necessary and that building to state code is sufficient. Actually, existing codes are minimum standards and upgrades by developers do not occur often enough. And we have seen from the recent massive fire in Edgewater, New Jersey (Jan. 2015) that building to state code did not prevent that conflagration from happening.

Nor did building to state code in Georgia manage to stop the fire which burned over 70 units of the Marshall Square Community (June 2015) in Evans, Georgia, even though these buildings were rigorously inspected. That fire forced 80 senior residents to evacuate their homes, many in pajamas and using walkers or wheelchairs. From a safe distance, they could only sit back and watch as their homes and all of their belongings were destroyed. One woman, age 91, died in the fire and another 81-year-old woman was rescued after seven hours, being pulled from burning rubble.

The proposal of the senior complex in Princeton is for elderly residents who may be spending the last years and months of their lives at this location. They may be disabled or less mobile and therefore should be living in an environment which is completely safe for them. Community residents, who may have family members or friends living at this facility and ultimately may be living there as well, will want to know that their complex is built to the best fire-safety standards. These measures for the new senior complex should be viewed as a worthwhile investment in protecting our senior citizens for many years to come.

Eric and Minnie Craig

Witherspoon Street

Paul and Yoshie Driscoll

Harris Road

Stephen Griffies

Maple Street

Dosier Hammond

Leigh Avenue

Wendy and David Ludlum

South Harrison Street

James and Audrey Mack

Carnahan Place 

Sue Tillett

Moore Street

To the Editor:

Allow me to deviate from the angst of politics, school budgets, mini-mansions, and traffic woes to mention something that brings me pleasure in each week’s Town Topics. I’m referring to the sports photography of Frank Wojciechowski. Speaking as an amateur photographer aspiring to photograph objects in motion (in my case, birds in flight), I can attest to the difficulty of stopping the action at just the perfect moment. If I get one good one every few months, I’m pleased. I don’t know Frank or how he does it, but week after week, sport after sport, game after game, he manages to capture a clear shot of the pass leaving the quarterback’s hand, the goalie making the save, the brilliant soccer move. So thanks, Frank, for your contributions to this paper and to the sportsmen and women of this community. With another school year beginning, I’m looking forward to your images of yet another sports season.

BILL DIX

Snowden Lane

To the Editor:

I learned about the sad closing of the American Boychoir from your lengthy article last week [“Alumni of American Boychoir School Mourn Closing and Share Memories,” page 5, Aug. 23].  The American Boychoir was frequently described as America’s foremost boychoir, perhaps even the best in the world.  It provided an exceptional education for the boys, both academically and musically.

I was honored and proud to be chairman of the boychoir for 20 years.  At that time we were able to grow the choir size from 30 to 81 boys, and increase the number of concerts in which they performed, both nationally and internationally.  The school produced many accomplished students who went on to have successful music careers, performing at some of the best venues in the world.

I cherish these musical memories, and am sad that it had to close.

Herbert W. Hobler ‘44

Former Princeton Resident

Hollinshead Spring Road, Skillman

To the Editor:

I write in support of the candidacy of Jessica Deutsch for the Board of Education.

Jess’s and my paths have crossed in many ways over the years as we raised children that went through Riverside School, particularly the garden-based education program. She has demonstrated both leadership and a huge capacity for service, particularly where balance and wellness for all children are concerned.  She founded the social media group, Princeton Balance, out of concerns we share about pressures to achieve that may not serve educational goals or the health of the child.  She has deep connections in the community, having served on numerous nonprofit boards, and she’s been involved in the school system at so many levels she’s forged valuable connections with the players and partners of the system.  I know Jess to be a voice of reason, calm, knowledge, and compassion for children and parents.  I know her to be resourceful, sturdy, and fearless when embracing difficult conversations and issues.

Dorothy Mullen

Patton Avenue

To the Editor:

When the announcement came over the loudspeaker that the library had given out its last protective glasses for the afternoon’s solar eclipse, due to arrive in just a few hours, I thought no big deal. We were only going to get the 72 percent version; you can be partially pregnant after all.

So I was completely unprepared for the line of cars streaming into town as I was leaving to go home for lunch. I was suddenly in the closing shot of Field of Dreams only it wasn’t dusk and this wasn’t Iowa but New Jersey. Turns out that they were all headed to Palmer Square as if this were the only spot for observing this near-beer of an event.

Sometimes I just don’t get it.

A few weeks earlier my friend, a well-known astro-physicist, tried to convey the excitement of a total eclipse.

“The screams are like nothing you’ve ever heard.” Really? Clearly, my friend had never been to a Michigan/Ohio State football game. So he tried another tack. “You have to imagine the experience of the light and then suddenly it’s dark.” Again, no luck. Did he not recall November 8?

The fact is that I love my fellow man but sometimes we are completely out of sync. A substantial number of them, for example, believe that we are either headed for the rapture, going to return after death for a potential star turn in a Nature documentary, or need to cover one-half of humanity in some very scary clothing.

Anyway, I got home and was looking forward to watching the decidedly anti-eclipse High Noon, a notion prompted by a recent book describing its making. Plans changed when my wife came home and turned on CNN, which I must say did a very creditable job of giving the whole event a little panache.

We also went out at the appointed time to watch our 72 percent version of the event. My pulse, slow to begin with, almost stalled.

Still, I did enjoy one aspect of the thing. It turns out that a total eclipse is really caused by the moon’s being so close to earth that it can blot out the sun that’s a gillizion times its size just like, so the CNN astronomer explained, you can blot out the person right in front of you simply by holding your thumb up to your eyes. Wow, what a revelation. I tried it and it works. It turns out that you can make almost anything disappear if you just hold your thumb up close enough to your face. How elegant. How cool. How useful. The day was not a total waste after all.

Walter Frank

Riverside Drive

To the Editor:

I have heard anecdotally that some Princeton residents feel the Sunrise Senior Living project proposed for North Harrison Street would have negative effects on our community. I feel differently, and would like to point out a few ways in which this project would benefit Princetonians.

As proposed, the senior living project would provide 76 units in two low-rise buildings on 3.5 acres of land.

A senior living project would enable Princeton residents to continue living in their community without the burdens of maintaining a single-family home and lot.

The location for the Sunrise project is ideal because it is adjacent to the shopping center. Because residents of the project can walk to stores and services, it will support regular exercise, health, and personal independence.

By adding customers next door, the project will support retail that caters to daily needs, and in a way that will not increase traffic or demand for parking at the shopping center. The fact that the shopping center is already served by transit means that no new transit or shuttle services would be needed, and car-free independence for seniors is available.

Finally, a senior living project would strengthen the local tax base without adding demand for new local services.

For all these reasons, I believe the addition of the new senior living project is something to be applauded rather than opposed.

I hope the conversation locally will focus on how to take advantage of new construction to deliver local improvements rather than on questions of whether it should be developed at all.

Nat Bottigheimer

White Pine Lane

To the Editor:

Police Chief Nick Sutter rightly highlighted the importance of “collaboration with medical and psychological health experts and facilities as well as preventative education” as being critical if we are going to effectively support, treat, and combat what is not only a local problem, but a national one: the opioid epidemic [“Physicians from Lowest-Ranked Schools Prescribe More Opioids, PU Study Says,” Town Topics, Wednesday, August 23].

At Trinity Counseling Service [TCS] there are days we receive more than 15 or 20 referrals for counseling and support, many of which are for referrals appropriate for TCS, but some of which might be for services that would be more appropriately provided by partner agencies or colleagues in the community. For example, given that we don’t specialize in drug or alcohol treatment at TCS, when we receive a call from someone struggling with a drug or alcohol-related issue, we may refer the caller to Corner House, a partner organization that does, in fact, specialize in drug and alcohol treatment and addiction issues. Princeton House Behavioral Health also has addiction specialists on staff and there are private practitioners in town as well to whom we refer clients. Knowing who/where to call, and then finding the right therapist or mental health support can be a daunting task, but it’s an essential part of the healing process. If we aren’t the right fit for a client seeking help, we do our best every day to help people navigate the process and find an agency or therapist who is the right fit to start their healing process — and we’re constantly collaborating with our medical, psychological, faith-based, and increasingly, law enforcement partners to offer the best care to our community. Collaboration is key.

Whitney B. Ross EdM, PhD

Executive Director, Trinity Counseling Service

To the Editor:

Yes We CAN! Food Drives is partnering with the YWCA Princeton at its Saturday, September 9, food drive at McCaffrey’s in honor of Susie B. Waxwood Day. Mrs. Waxwood, who died in 2006 at the age of 103, was the first African American Executive Director of the integrated YWCA/YMCA Princeton, from 1958 to 1968.

Each year, the Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, of which Mrs. Waxwood was an active member for 60 years, honors her birthday by continuing the tradition she began at the time of her September birthday, the collecting of the amount of canned goods from her congregation that represented her age. She would then donate it to The Crisis Ministry in Princeton as a way of alleviating hunger. Before she died, she commissioned historian and well-known community activist Shirley Satterfield to continue the legacy of the annual memorial food drive.

Partnering with Yes We CAN!, a volunteer group that regularly collects food on behalf of Arm in Arm, formerly known as The Crisis Ministry, made perfect sense to the YWCA Princeton, which this year is organizing the Susie B. Waxwood Day. Since 2008, Yes We CAN! Food Drives has collected over 150 tons of food to help alleviate hunger in Mercer County.

Volunteers from the YWCA and Yes We CAN! will be on hand September 9 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Princeton McCaffrey’s to ask shoppers to donate some extra food in honor of Susie Waxwood, a very special woman. Please participate in our joint effort.

Fran Engler

Yes We CAN! Food Drives, Tuscany Drive

TK Oluwafemi

Volunteer Coordinator, 

YWCA Princeton, Paul Robeson Place

To the Editor:

After all the time it took to arrange the repaving of Canal Pointe Boulevard, I was shocked to see the carnival-type signage and labeling of the roadway. This short strip, once a side road, is now covered with signs — too many to read while driving. The road’s neon labelling is redundant — every marking is made at least twice. The “Road Diet” and bicycle access themes have cost much more than expected. We now see a major city road. It is shameful that the result of all the political interests being accommodated compromises good sense.

C.S. Copley

Alexander Road

Dear Mayor Lempert:

Members of Not in Our Town Princeton thank you for your stand on behalf of our town by signing the recent Mayor’s Compact to Combat Hate, Extremism, and Bigotry, launched by the United States Conference of Mayors and the Anti Defamation League (ADL), in response to the tragic incidents in Charlottesville. We understand that the goal of this initiative is “to make cities safer for all who live there, and to promote the fundamental principles of justice and equality that define our nation.” The compact states that “Mayors and their cities must continue to be a beacon for inclusion, tolerance, and respect for all. We will continue to create stronger cultures of kindness and compassion in our communities, and expect our federal and state partners to join us in this endeavor.” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and national director pointed out that “Charlottesville made clear that we have a lot more work to do in our communities and we can’t wait a minute longer to step up our efforts.”

We are fortunate that you and our Town Council have many government and community partners who have already shown their commitment to these goals. These include our newly formed Civil Rights Commission, Human Services Department, our Police Department (whose staff regularly undergo anti-bias training), LALDEF, school leaders and students themselves who are making racial literacy a priority, our Witherspoon Jackson Historical and Cultural Society, the annual Joint Effort Princeton Safe Streets programs, Corner House, the Arts Council of Princeton, the Princeton Public Library, YWCA, YMCA, Princeton Historical Society, and many other community groups and individuals whose mission and advocacy efforts are devoted to making our community one where all are safe and respected. Additionally, we appreciate that Princeton is officially a “Welcoming Community,” the purpose of which is to “foster a culture and policy environment that makes it possible for newcomers of all backgrounds to feel valued and to fully participate alongside their neighbors in the social, civic, and economic fabric of their adopted hometowns.” And we look forward to participating in Welcoming Week, starting September 15.

We are encouraged by your stand and our governmental and community goals and initiatives. We must continue the momentum. Residents still suffer from the hurtful legacy of segregation in Princeton. There are students who don’t feel a sense of belonging. Members of our undocumented community and other vulnerable groups feel marginalized. The more we understand about our past and how it still affects us, the more we speak about our own experiences of struggle, the more we listen to the experiences of our neighbors and friends who still yearn for fundamental treatment of dignity and fairness, the closer we will be to becoming a community where the fundamental rights of justice and equality prevail for all. We believe that Princeton can be a leader in achieving this vision. Please let us know how we can support you in having this become a reality.

Wilma Solomon, Larry Spruill, 

Roberto Schiraldi, Linda Oppenheim

Not In Our Town Princeton

To the Editor:

Did you know that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number-one killer of all Americans? In fact, someone dies from CVD every 39 seconds! Heart disease also kills more women than all forms of cancer combined. And congenital cardiovascular defects are the most common cause of infant death from birth defects.

But we have the power to change that. Research suggests up to 80 percent of heart disease and stroke may be prevented with education and lifestyle changes. Each of us can do that through more exercise and a better diet, and by supporting the work of the American Heart Association.

I’m asking families, organizations, and businesses in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties to support the American Heart Association’s Central New Jersey Heart Walk set for Saturday, October 7 at 8:30 a.m. at Arm and Hammer Park, home of the Trenton Thunder. Heart Walk, the signature community event for the association’s Healthy for Good movement, is held throughout the country to educate the public about the small steps they can take to improve their heart health while also raising vital funds for research to prevent and treat heart disease and stroke, the nation’s top killers.

The American Heart Association is committed to helping individuals and businesses foster a culture of health, and to providing science-based treatment guidelines to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public.

For more information on the Central New Jersey Heart Walk, visit www.CentralNJHeartWalk.org.

Gina Petrone Mumolie DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC

Senior Vice President  

Hospital Administration, Capital Health

To the Editor:

All of us, especially immigrants and new Americans, long for connection and community, for having our gifts recognized and for the opportunity to reach our full potential.

While our concepts might vary widely, home and community do have concrete meaning for us all. Real love for home and family can extend to neighbors — and through involvement in civic, non-profit, or religious organizations, benefit the entire community.

Perhaps in its broadest sense, community is the experience of being at home. Michael Jacoby Brown goes as far to say, “Community is one of those things that’s hard to define. But you know it when you are in it. It’s a feeling that you are not alone, that you are part of something greater than yourself, yet even when you are in it, you are still yourself.”

I remember feeling an intense longing for community when I worked in Montreal for a year. Apart from a few acquaintances at work and the local church I attended, I didn’t know anyone. I couldn’t figure out where I belonged. Should I return home to the U.S. or stick it out in Canada? The decision became easy when Canadian immigration officials denied a visa extension and I received a job offer in Portland, Maine!

For those immigrants and new Americans who have chosen Princeton as their home, it’s all about getting to the place where life seems right again. For as long as I can remember I’ve been drawn to other cultures. If you feel the same way, you should know that Princeton Human Services is about to kick off “Welcoming Week” to celebrate people of all backgrounds who are eager to come together to find their place in our community.

So let’s get ready to express our unique expression of American hospitality to the newcomers among us. It’s a critical time for all of us to show the world that our community wants to be welcoming to everyone. Consider these timely words of author Jacob Needleman, “America is not a tribal, ethnic or racial identity. It is a philosophical identity composed of ideas of freedom, liberty, independent thought, independent conscience, self-reliance, hard work, justice.”

Steve Drake

Tenacre: A Ministry of Christian Scientists

To the Editor:

At our major intersections of Nassau and Vandeventer, and Nassau and Witherspoon we often have a conflict between pedestrians trying to cross with the light (and sometimes not with the light) and cars trying to turn left or right at these busy points. The result endangers the pedestrians even if they are walking with the lights, and slows or stops traffic as the cars have to wait for the crosswalks to clear to make their turns.

I’ve seen a solution to this in New Haven. There all traffic is stopped in both directions by red lights and the walk lights give preference to pedestrians. They can cross safely and even diagonally as there is no traffic movement to contend with. Then the walk lights say stop, and traffic resumes its flow. If we adopted this system in Princeton we would make it considerably safer for pedestrians crossing at popular and very busy corners, and improve the flow of traffic in the center of town.

It may take some work and many levels of approval to get this system adopted since this involves a state road, I believe, but it would be a significant improvement for both drivers and pedestrians and would probably reduce the backup of traffic in downtown Princeton.

David Miller

Hawthorne Avenue

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Princeton Recreation Commission, I would like to thank everyone that came out to be part of Princeton’s 11th annual Community Night Out on August 1, 2017. Community Night Out is the result of many months of planning by the Recreation and Police Departments, and this year’s event drew roughly 2,000 visitors to Community Park Pool.

One of the highlights of this free community event is the participation by many municipal agencies and community organizations, including: Corner House, Princeton Fire & Rescue Squad, Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, Sustainable Princeton, Princeton University Public Safety, Princeton Tennis Program, Princeton Health Department, Princeton Human Services Department, Mercer County Prosecutors Office, Princeton Girl Scouts, Access Princeton, Not In Our Town, Princeton Public Library, Princeton Fitness and Wellness, Womanspace, and Greater Mercer TMA.

The generosity of many sponsors is critical to the success of the Community Night Out. These sponsors include Princeton PBA, McCaffrey’s, Cross Culture, Princeton Pi, Ace Hardware, Let’s Be Heroes, Dacole Photo Booth, and Lily Yu (Zumba).

Community Night Out will be back in 2018 and will remain free, fun, and family-oriented for all to enjoy.

Ben Stentz

Executive Director of Recreation

To the Editor:

The Board of Trustees of Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP) would like to thank the owners and staff of One53 in Rocky Hill for their “Rose for a Cause” event that kicked off on July 14, Bastille Day. One53 raised $1,000 for HIP by donating the proceeds from every sale of a glass of AIX rose poured from an enormous 15-liter Nebuchadnezzer, and we are truly grateful!

HIP is an all-volunteer, community-based organization that provides transitional housing to working families in the Princeton area. HIP’s members are concerned about homelessness and the unmet need for affordable and low-income housing in Princeton. HIP is a 501(c)(3) organization that started assisting families in 2004.

Rose for a Cause was a wonderful example of local businesses and non-profits collaborating to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors.

Carol Golden

Chair, Housing Initiatives of Princeton, Mercer Street

To the Editor:

Mayor Lempert’s comments, recorded in the August 2 edition of Town Topics [“Mayor Expresses Position On School Board Bid for Westminster Campus”], concerning the acquisition of Westminster Choir College property are completely consistent with the autocratic approach to societal issues inherent in a one-party government. She appears to advocate acquisition of the property over a concerted effort to preserve an internationally recognized cultural gem. And, of course, the cost is no problem since Princeton seems to be able to exercise an unlimited ability to tax, without limit, property and business.

Although she acknowledges the fact that Westminster is a “treasured community asset,” it’s not treasured enough for her to seek a means of preservation. She would rather Princeton join the circle of vultures for its share of the carcass.

Absent is her offer of the prestige and influence of her office with local and area big business and Princeton University, with which she and others in our government have a connection, for a way to preserve this “asset.”

If Princeton prides itself on being aggressive about social issues, why is it willing to participate in the destruction of a cultural treasure?

If we let Westminster Choir College become a high school gym or another AvalonBay project, shame on us.

Marc Malberg

Autumn Hill Road

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Princeton Recreation Commission, I would like to thank Steve Allen and Curtis Webster of Blue Curtain Productions for their tireless efforts in bringing world class musicians to Princeton for free concerts at the Pettoranello Gardens (Community Park North) Amphitheater. This summer the crowd filled the venue to see two artists, Mystic Bowie and Sasha Masakowski on July 15, and for July 22 the concert featured Betsyada and Sammy Figueroa. Unfortunately rain forced the cancellation of the July 22 show but many people turned out anyway just for a chance to meet the artists.

The partnership between the Recreation Commission and Blue Curtain continues to be a fruitful one for the community. Blue Curtain concerts have become a staple of summer entertainment and as always the concerts remain free to all to enjoy.

Blue Curtain has consistently attracted world-class artists to our tiny amphitheater year after year, with little or no fanfare for their efforts. On behalf of the Recreation Commission and my colleagues, I sincerely thank Steve, Curtis, and the entire Blue Curtain Productions team.

Ben Stentz

Executive Director of Recreation