To the Editor:
What makes our town unique from all the others in central New Jersey?
Princeton is a town whose name is synonymous with history and education.
They will be forever intertwined.
The quality of our educational offerings both higher level and the public schools are top of the list for why people flock to live in this small, quaint, colonial village.
When PILOTs [payment in lieu of taxes] were introduced, they certainly were not meant for use in towns as popular or desirable as Princeton, yet as with all incentives and tax favors, people find ways to take advantage.
I write here to thank the town for taking the very responsible step in giving the Princeton Public Schools a portion of the future cash flows from the Avalon Bay Thanet project PILOT agreement. As we know, from the review of the Master Plan, this isn’t the first PILOT and it’s not likely to be the last. Let’s hope that this payment sets a precedent and is the first of many payments to the public schools from current and future PILOT agreements.
The only way to keep our very special town desirable for all, especially given the expected future development, is to continue to fund and support all aspects of our educational institutions, not just in the classroom, but also for safety, extracurriculars, and community involvement. With rising a population, this takes real investment.
Without this demonstrated and valuable commitment to our world class education, Princeton would be just another Colonial battle town in central New Jersey.