September 19, 2012

Fire at John Witherspoon Middle School Quickly Contained, Building Evacuated

Students at John Witherspoon Middle School (JW) caught a break last Thursday when an eighth-period (2:30 p.m.) fire led to the evacuation of the school. Although the fire was quickly contained, students were not allowed to return to the building because of the presence of smoke. Students whose backpacks were inside the building were given a reprieve from homework that evening.

Director of Plant/Operations Gary Weisman said that the fire began as a contractor “was wrapping up a little bit of investigative work on one of the electrical panels. The panel sparked and caused a little bit of a fire.”

“It was something that happened; it’s not necessarily a referendum-related fix,” Mr. Weisman said, referring to the Monday, September 24 election when Princeton residents will go to the polls to decide on a $10.9 referendum slated for infrastructure repairs to school buildings and grounds.

If the school board referendum is passed next Monday, proposed work at JW includes updating the emergency generator circuit; “re-purposing” the old gym into media center; creating new auditorium seating and sound and lighting systems; installing energy-saving window awnings; and air-conditioning the second-floor classrooms.

The most important thing about the Thursday fire, said Mr. Weisman, is that nobody got hurt. The Princeton fire department responded immediately “as always,” and provided fans to quickly rid the building of smoke. The contractor who thought he was “wrapping up” his work for the day ended up staying on site until one a.m., replacing the panel, putting in new parts, and testing the affected circuits. The building reopened the following morning.

New Jersey adopted new fire drill regulations in 2009 and 2010 requiring public schools to hold one fire drill and one security drill during the first 10 days of the start of the school year, and one drill each for every month school is in session.

No one has said how last week’s fire will be counted.


Vaccinations and Booster Shots Can Help Prevent Whooping Cough

Recent reports have cited a rise in cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in the Princeton area.

A  national report  that came out in July indicated that “whooping cough is causing the worst epidemic seen in the United States in more than 50 years.”

“We had a number of cases of whooping cough in the spring that continued into the early part of the summer,” said pediatrician Louis Tesoro of the Princeton Pediatric Group. “While it seemed to subside when kids went away to camp, some new cases have popped up with the return to school.”

In Princeton, it is estimated that about 20 cases have been reported this year, as opposed to a single case the preceding year.

Once it is diagnosed, a person with whooping cough needs to remain at home until they’ve received an adequate dose (usually five days) of antibiotics.  The infection can last as long a six weeks.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine describes pertussis as “a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable, violent coughing.”  The coughing can make it hard to breathe, and a deep “whooping” sound is often heard when the patient tries to take a breath.

“There’s little you can do in the midst of the cough,”  Dr. Tesoro noted.  “The best way to prevent pertussis is to make sure that your child is completely vaccinated and to know what’s going on in your community.”  Many pertussis cases go unreported.  “If you know or suspect that your child has pertussis, said Dr. Tesoro, “get treatment as soon as you can.  If an individual is diagnosed with it, their entire family should also seek treatment.”

Very young children, in whom pertussis can cause permanent disability and even death, are of the greatest concern in treating whooping cough. “Older children and adults usually do okay with it, although it can last many weeks until the cough subsides,” Dr. Tesoro said.

“Unfortunately whooping cough begins with the same symptoms as many other respiratory infections: runny nose and other cold symptoms,” said Dr. Tesoro. After about a week, he said, the cough progresses to one that is “spasmodic in nature.” At this point it is not too late to control the spread of the infection. Contagion   occurs  when an infected person sneezes or coughs,  causing tiny droplets containing the bacteria to move easily through the air, from person to person.

The best way to prevent pertussis, say medical experts, is to get vaccinated.  There are vaccines and boosters for infants, children, preteens, teens and adults.   While most children are routinely immunized before entering school, recent reports of unpleasant side effects of vaccinations, have made some adults reluctant to vaccinate their children or give them booster shots. And, a new study recently published in The New England Journal Medicine suggests that “the protective power of the acellular vaccine declines rapidly after the final dose.”

The Library of Medicine, however, says that the DTaP, the vaccine typically given to infants, is safe. They recommend  five DTaP vaccines, usually given to children at ages 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15-18 months, and 4-6 years.  There is evidence that children who are “fully inoculated against whooping cough become more susceptible to the disease as the vaccination wanes over time, contributing to outbreaks.”

DOT: Narrow Bridge Not a Problem

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) has no immediate plans to replace the Alexander Road bridge, despite recent attention to its shortcomings.

Officials note that as a result of the current DOT “pilot project”Кthat is restricting left turns and U-turns on Route 1 at Washington Road and Harrison Street in West Windsor, more motorists are using the bridge.К

In addition to weathering heavier traffic, the bridge, which is only 20 feet wide, cannot accommodate two large vehicles moving in opposite directions at the same time.К This becomes of particular concern when emergency vehicles, like ambulances and fire trucks, need to pass each other.КК The bridge’s weight-bearing capacity of 15 tons also poses significant limitations to the number and kinds of vehicles it can support at one time.

“That narrow bridge has been there a very long time,” said DOT spokesman Joe Dee on Tuesday. He suggested that area officials are “raising the issue in the context of this trial.  Traffic is flowing very nicely on Route 1 as a result of these changes.

“Let’s continue to gather data,” he suggested. “This is still fairly new for a lot of people who were on vacation in August when this trial started.” More time, he said, will also allow motorists to become aware of alternatives to Alexander Road.   “Motorists act out of self-interest, and if Alexander becomes inconvenient because of traffic volume, they will seek alternatives.”

The current Route 1 trial was created by the DOT in response to aКstudy along Route 1 indicating, they say, that the existing space for left/U-turns at Washington Road and the left/U-turns at the Harrison Street jug handle is inadequate to accommodate this traffic, resulting in traffic backing up onto Route 1 and impacting traffic operations along mainline Route 1.К The trial began on August 4 and was scheduled to continue for 12 weeks.

At a recent Township Committee meeting, engineer Bob Kiser reported that the need to replace the Alexander Road Bridge was recognized and reported to the county “two or three years and ago.”  In a preliminary survey done in response to the request, Mercer County engineer Gregory Sandusky reported that the right of way at the bridge is only 36 feet wide; 50 to 60 feet would be needed to replace the bridge.  Acquiring the additional land on either side of the current bridge will be difficult from a procedural point of view because the properties involved are designated “green” and “historic”  districts.  Obtaining State House approval, Mr. Kiser said, is “quite a process.” In the meantime, he reported, Mr Sandusky suggested going with plans for replacing bridge with the possibility that the municipality might acquire the right of way.

If NJDOT opts to finalize the trial arrangement, said Mr. Kiser, there will be more traffic going over bridge.  The combination of eventually closing it in order to replace it, and maintaining the current limitations would be”setting ourselves up for a real situation,” he said.

Township Mayor Chad Goerner pointed out that the Alexander Road bridge was “meant to be temporary” when it was originally installed.  In the past, the county defended the safety of the bridge by pointing to the fact that buses and other large vehicles have to stop to make sure there are no vehicles coming in the opposite direction.

At its meeting last week, Township Committee indicated that, if the trial is felt to be successful,  they would ask the state to delay making the left turn bans on Route 1 permanent, until the Alexander Road bridge is replaced.  They are hoping that the Borough, Princeton University, and other parties will support this recommendation in a cosigned letter.

“The University would be very inclined to join you,” said  Princeton University spokesperson Kristen Appleget, who was present at the meeting. “We continue to join you in expressing concerns about the trials,” noting that the University is “taking in a lot of our own data.”

The municipalities will collect additional data, as well, said Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert, and she  encouraged area motorists to use municipal websites to report trip times and bad commutes.   “I don’t think the counters will be out there every day,” she said, referring to NJ DOT monitors.

“An  inconvenience by having  traffic back up is one factor,” observed Committeeman Bernie Miller.  “Creating a situation that could put lives or property at risk is another.  We need to make it clear to the DOT that we have a situation where an emergency vehicle could conceivably not get across the bridge, an unacceptable situation to both University and Princeton community.”


Council Wants More Information on Kiosks Before Taking a Vote

Details of a proposed plan to update the two information kiosks on Nassau Street were the focus of the September 11 meeting of Princeton Borough Council.  While Council members expressed interest in the presentation delivered by Peter Crowley, president and CEO of the Princeton Area Chamber of Commerce, they had several questions about the plan to make the kiosks more user-friendly and  decided to delay voting until more information is provided.

The kiosks have been fixtures at the Nassau Street corners at Vandeventer Avenue and Witherspoon Street for several decades.They are currently used as information boards to advertise cultural and political events, rooms for rent, and the like. Under the plan developed by the Chamber’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, the care and decisions about what is displayed would be overseen by the Chamber.

“I’m sure what you’re planning will be an improvement over what’s there now, visually,” commented Councilman Roger Martindell. “But I’m a little concerned about content.” Social and political messages are currently posted on the kiosks, Mr. Martindell continued. “It’s a public space for public dialogue. It’s sometimes good to be uncomfortable, especially in a community such as ours.” Mr. Martindell continued that by turning them over to the Chamber, the kiosks become mostly commercial. “Who’s going to sit there and say we’ll accept this one and not that one? Do we care about losing that quality?”, he asked.

Resident and former Township mayor Jim Floyd agreed. “I urge you to really give serious consideration as to whether you want to give up that public right and public expression,” he said.

Councilwoman Jo Butler questioned whether the kiosks have become outdated and unnecessary. “They are the vestige of a past way of communicating,” she said, adding, “I’m not sure in the long run whether this is what we want in our streetscape. I’d like some time to take this back to the traffic and transit committee.” Ms. Butler also expressed concern that the updated kiosks could pose a distraction for drivers. “I just worry that this could contribute to these corners becoming less safe,” she said.

Mr. Crowley said that because the kiosks front onto Nassau Street, which is a state highway, there are restrictions about what can be put on the street side. The interactive portion of the kiosks would therefore not be visible from cars traveling on the street.

Mr. Crowley described the renovated kiosks as having eight weather-resistant panels. One would be devoted to the municipality, another would be dedicated to not-for-profits, and a third would be used by the Princeton Merchants’ Association. Instead of a fourth panel, there would be an interactive community screen with information on restaurants, cultural activities, and events on one side; and services such as dog-walking and classes on the other. “They would be organized,” he said. “Someone could push a button and find what they want.” The other four panels would be dedicated to advertising.

Councilwoman Jenny Crumiller asked whether ads could be posed only by members of the Chamber, and Mayor Yina Moore asked what percentage would be dedicated to Princeton businesses. Renovating the kiosks is part of a plan by the Chamber to enhance tourism by making information more available to visitors. The front window of Princeton University Store on Nassau Street would be devoted to information for tourists.

“If we didn’t have these at all, would anyone think it was a good idea to install them?” asked Ms. Butler. “I don’t think this is what communities are doing today.”

Mr. Crowley said that the revamped kiosks would be a positive step for both tourists and residents. “I hope when this is done that what you have instead of clutter is a more organized approach to the information,” he said. “It’s a more sustainable use a cleaner look, and it provides individuals with access to more information.”

In other action at the meeting, Council President Barbara Trelstad reported that about half of the $106,000 needed to complete and install sculptural gates at Hinds Plaza, funded by private citizens, has been raised. Mr. Martindell suggested that the Borough make an initial contribution to the effort, though the bulk should continue to come from private funds.


Critics of AvalonBay’s Rental Concept Hire Two Attorneys and Urban Planner

The Princeton citizens who have expressed repeated concerns about the rental community planned for the former site of the University Medical Center at Princeton have been less vocal in recent months. But that doesn’t mean they have slowed down their efforts.

A core group of between 10 and 15 has been gathering information in an effort to show what they see as major problems with the concept that AvalonBay Communities, the company under contract to build a 280-unit apartment complex, has for the site. Princeton Citizens for Sustainable Neighborhoods, shepherded by Daniel Harris, Kate Warren and Alexi Assmus, has hired two attorneys and an urban planner to represent them when AvalonBay’s proposal comes before the Regional Planning Board.

The group will hold an informational meeting, open to the public, at Ms. Warren’s home at 17 Jefferson Road on Sunday, September 30 at 3 p.m. Then on Sunday, October 7 at 3 p.m., environmental lawyer Alan Kleinbaum, one of the attorneys they have retained, will address
the proposed redevelopment at another open meeting. “Sustainable Redevelopment in Princeton: The Legal Perspective” will be held at the Princeton Fire Engine Company #1 facility on Chestnut Street.

“There is significant concern about the development and a desire to have a better development,” says Ms. Assmus. “There seems to be a misconception out there that this is a done deal, that nothing can be done to change it. But that’s not the case.”

The group maintains that AvalonBay’s site plan, which was revised last June, is incomplete. Missing are details about hydrant water flows, fire prevention, traffic study data, and contamination of the site, they say. State documents regarding the decommissioning of the old hospital are also incomplete, they maintain.

In addition to Mr. Kleinbaum, the group has hired a municipal land use attorney. The group is raising funds to pay the lawyers and the urban planner they have also retained. “The big push now is to raise money to have these experts,” Ms. Assmus said. A teleconference was held by the group on September 12. A post on the group’s Facebook page September 6 said that $10,000 had been raised so far, but “at least $20,000 more” is needed.

Since AvalonBay was announced as the buyer for the former hospital site in November 2011 and first presented its plans, some neighborhood and outer area residents have expressed repeated concerns about scale, design, access, sustainability, and safety. An ad hoc committee addressed the design, making such changes as archways opening up the courtyard, a lower building height, and a reduced mass for the building. But many residents have said they were not enough.

“We would like AvalonBay to get their architects [Perkins Eastman] to do a truly custom design, working with the neighborhood and Borough code and the master plan,” said Ms. Assmus. “This really could work.”

Ron Ladell, senior vice president, development, of AvalonBay, declined to comment for this article.


Big Sky for Apple Day

Terhune Orchard’s fall festival, which began 36 years ago, featured farm wagon rides, pony rides, pumpkin painting, and scarecrow making for the kids, and sent people home “done with apple-picking now” and maybe with Robert Frost dreams in store: “Magnified apples appear and disappear, / Stem end and blossom end, /And every fleck of russet showing clear.” (Photo by Emily Reeves)

September 12, 2012

Ashton-Whyte Bed and Bath in Pennington Offers Classic Selection of Home Accessories

CLASSIC CHOICES: “The staff has been here a long time, and we all enjoy being together. We feel this is a second home! We love being here for our customers, and many of them have become friends over the years.” Ellen Sabino, right, owner of Ashton-Whyte in Pennington, is shown with staff members, from left: Darby Van Heyst and Anna Moreno-Paz.

Ashton-Whyte in Pennington is certainly one of the most attractive stores around. Its quality items and charming displays invite customers both to browse and buy.

Known especially for a classic selection of fine furnishings for the home, including bed and bath items, furniture, and choices for babies and toddlers, the store recently added a line of tabletop products, including dinnerware, flatware, and stemware. In addition, a selection of clothing and jewelry is now available.

Opened in 1995 at 250 South Main Street, Ashton-Whyte (the name derives from 18th century London shop signs) has always attracted customers who appreciated its signature classic style and quality, notes owner Ellen Sabino. “We have always had a market that focused on a classic style. There was a real interest in the products we sell. I had always had an interest in decorative arts, including furniture and accessories. And, bed and bath was the original focus, and it is still our core.”

There is no question that customers, who come from all over the Princeton and Pennington area, enjoy Ashton-Whyte’s classic mode, which is reflected in the items throughout the store. “We’ve had a good fit with the lines we carry,” points out Ms. Sabino “All the lines are rooted in the classic style. They endure. Important lines in bedding include Down Right pillows and duvets; elegant bedding and great alternative down from Sferra; casual bedding from Pine Cone Hill; and great classic bedding from Matouk, and prints from Lulu DK.”

Table Linens

Bath items include towels from Matouk and Abyss, and wonderful plush bath rugs with super colors and designs from Habidecor.

Ashton-Whyte is noteworthy for its lovely table linens, including tablecloths and napkins from Le Jacquard Francais, and Calaisio’s rattan placemats, chargers, and baskets.

Ms. Sabino is enthusiastic about two new categories recently added to the Ashton-Whyte collection. “We have brought in tabletop items, such as dinnerware, flatware, and stemware. Juliska and Gien dinnerware, glassware from Reed & Barton and Sabre, and Iittala stemware are included.

“The newest thing is clothing and jewelry,” she continues. “We wanted to offer an environment for personal accessories, but we chose carefully because we are not a clothing store. We have some dresses and tops, also sweats, robes, pajamas, and handbags. Some of our items include tunics from Gretchen Scott; Before & Again’s colorful tunics, T-shirt dresses and T-shirts; jewelry and scarves from the Julie Collection; and Louen Hide handbags.

New Categories

“I have been so pleased at how the new categories have been received,” she continues. “When customers come in, they see things they don’t expect to see. That’s fun for them, and it creates interest. People say it’s fun to shop here. There is always something interesting.”

Many new customers, in addition to the loyal regulars, are discovering Ashton-Whyte, adds Ms. Sabino. “A woman came in recently and said, ‘I’ve never been in here before, and I love it!’”

They seem to like everything and appreciate the “One Stop Shop” aspect of the store. They will find an array of often irresistible items for the home. Colorful Melamine dishes from France, vintage furniture, including beds and dressers, lamps, indoor/outdoor area rugs, pewter picture frames, wooden trays and salad bowls, and framed artwork are all on display, as are cotton sheets, soap and candles, colorful cotton tunics, long cashmere cardigans in beautiful shades, and buttery soft fleece, to crisp cotton robes.

The jewelry selection features pieces from delicate to dramatic. Striking gold chains and beaded bracelets in aqua, black, and natural are among the choices. The latter are priced at an affordable $14.

Beautiful Blankets

Babies and toddlers are not forgotten at the store either, notes Ms. Sabino, “We have layettes and beautiful blankets, and keepsakes items, including music boxes.”

There are also little ceramic dishes featuring two miniature boxes for “First Lock” and “First Tooth”, piggy banks, bibs, and an array of adorable apparel for tiny tots.

“We also now have a Wish List for special occasions, including weddings, and we are working with an event planner,” reports Ms. Sabino. “We always listen to our clientele, and customer service and personal attention are very important, but it’s low key. We don’t hover. We want customers to enjoy the store and the shopping experience.”

Ashton-Whyte offers a wide range of prices, seasonal sales, complimentary gift wrapping, and gift certificates. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (609) 737-7171. Website: www.ashtonwhyte.com.


Food By Dan: A Personal Chef Service Offers Affordable, Healthy Dining at Home

GREAT TASTES: “I wanted to make food for people so they can eat well; my meals are diet and palate-specific. I feel I am helping to bring the family back to the dinner table!” Personal chef Dan Vogt, owner of food by dan, is enthusiastic about his new business venture.

What’s for dinner? It’s been a long day; you get home late, you’re tired; there’s not a lot of time to prepare dinner, give the kids their bath and read to them, let alone relax after your own demanding work day.

Options are available, of course. TV dinners, fast food take-out, eating at a restaurant. None of these work out for tonight, however. What you really need is food by dan!

Dan Vogt is a personal chef, who loves to cook nutritious meals for people. Headquartered in Hamilton, food by dan offers weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly meals, including five entrees (four servings each) with a vegetable side.

“I will do it all for you,” says Dan. “I do the shopping, the cooking, the cleaning, and I stock the fridge. You have more time to enjoy!”

After School

From the time he was a young boy, Dan loved to cook. “I always had a passion for cooking,” he recalls, with a smile. “I started to love it when my nose could reach the countertop. My mom was my inspiration. I learned so much from her. She is the foundation of this project and of what I do.”

And he learned fast. “When I was 10, I made dinner for the family. At 15, I started cooking professionally at a nursing home for priests, where I was responsible for preparing meals for 80 people. I did this after school and in the summer.”

Dan especially loved to make “golumpki” (stuffed cabbage) and homemade pasta.

After college, he worked in restaurants and hotels, as a chef and also as concierge in the hospitality industry in northern New Jersey. When he later moved to Hamilton, he decided to go into business for himself. Looking for a way to demonstrate his unique creativity and love for cooking, he researched personal chef opportunities.

A personal chef, he explains, “serves several clients, and provides multiple meals that are custom-designed for the clients’ particular requests and requirements. These meals are packaged and stored so that clients may enjoy them at their leisure in the future.”

Dan began with a few clients, and very quickly, the business grew to encompass people in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties, providing him with a thriving operation.

Perfect Match

“I started with a Thanksgiving dinner for a friend of my sister,” he explains. “It was so successful that I put an ad in FaceBook, and before I knew it, I did 10 more Thanksgiving dinners! One of the clients said, ‘I wish I could have you every week.’”

Why not? This fit in perfectly with his love of cooking and desire to offer healthy food to clients. A perfect match, indeed.

Helping his customers to enjoy nutritious meals, while relieving them of the shopping, preparation, cooking, and clean-up is Dan’s focus. Everything is completely customized to the client’s taste and needs, he points out. “I have an initial interview with people about their likes and dislikes, possible allergies or special dietary considerations. Do they need gluten-free? Are they lactose-intolerant? Vegetarians? Trying to lose weight?”

The entree can include meat, fish, or pasta, with a vegetable side. Dan enjoys preparing many of his own recipes for people. “I love to take classic American food and put a new twist on it. For example, meat loaf, with a balsamic glaze. I love to cook with vinegar. It adds great flavor and a whole new dimension.”

Summer Choices

Dan’s menu changes seasonally, he adds. Currently, summer choices include summer roasted chicken with pistachio sauce; Tuscan-style salmon; schnitzel (pork cutlet); tomato and watermelon salad; filet mignon with mustard whiskey sauce, and pasta dishes. Gazpacho is a popular summer soup, and chili is always a winter favorite.

Dan emphasizes that all the dishes are tailored to the individual. Roast chicken is a big favorite with many customers, as is Spanish chicken and rice.

He points out that fresh, quality ingredients are a must, and “I try to get produce and other items locally whenever possible. It is important that people know where their food comes from. I am also a member of the Slow Food Association and the American Personal and Private Chef Association.”

Dan shops for groceries the morning of the day he cooks (which can be in his commercial kitchen or at the clients’ home, if they wish).

Heating Instructions

After the meals are cooked, he then packages (vacuum-seals), labels, and delivers them to the customers freezer, with heating instructions.

Desserts can also be provided for an additional cost. “I love to make pies,” he notes.

Catering for parties and events is another service, as are cooking demonstrations and lessons.

“On Tax Day, I did a corporate event — a ‘Thank You’ for the company’s clients, with omelet stations for 25. I have also done picnics, barbecues, and romantic dinners.”

Dan couldn’t be happier that he has so many regular customers who are eager to sample even more of his cooking. “For me, this is being able to follow my passion. It’s edible art. It’s so creative — I’m creating something from my own hands that people can enjoy. Food is much more than what we eat. It is our culture, our company, our comfort, and our inspiration.”

food by dan is also a wonderful gift for a new mom, newlyweds, anniversary, birthday, housewarming, or a get well remembrance.

(609) 649-8238; email: dan@foodbydan.com; website: www.foodbydan.com.

Vote for Bond Referendum to Repair, Restore Public Schools, Playing Fields

To The Editor:

I am writing to ask you to vote on Monday, September 24, in favor of the bond referendum to repair and restore the Princeton Public Schools and playing fields. The referendum is necessary because the life expectancy has been exceeded for many of the systems and components in buildings that were mostly built in the 1950s. This is an opportune time to tackle such necessary projects because of low construction costs and very low interest rates.

The district has spent more than a year carefully considering a list of needed projects for the town’s schools with an eye toward making the most conservative request possible. The projects include exterior and interior repairs and refurbishments, field reconditioning and the repurposing of an old middle school gym into a media center.

The referendum will pay for exterior repairs or replacements for select windows, doors, roofs, playgrounds, brickwork and parking lots. Inside the schools, repairs and rehabilitation will take place for some air ventilation systems, climate controls, lockers, select classrooms and class storage, and safer gym flooring at elementary schools.

The referendum also will pay for the replacement of the artificial turf and track at the high school. Heavily used by the school, weekend clubs, and residents, the turf is disintegrating into black particles and the track surface is coming loose in chunks. Both are on the verge of becoming unusable.

Refreshing those surfaces calls for the simultaneous replacement of the aluminum spectator bleachers and press box because heavy equipment cannot cross the artificial surfaces unless they are under construction. In case you haven’t been to a game recently, the narrow (and uncomfortable) bleachers have no stairs, and no ramps for the disabled.

The referendum also includes the repurposing of the old gym at John Witherspoon Middle School into a media center that better reflects the current needs of the students, with more technology, resources, and instructional space. The existing library and its tiny book collection haven’t really changed since I went there as a student in the 1970s — even though the school population is much larger.

For more details about the projects, go to www.PrincetonK12.org.

Every vote counts!

Rebecca Cox

Madison Street, PHS Class of 1982

HomeFront Drive Helps Children Go To School With Their Heads Held High

To the Editor:

Once again, the caring and generosity of our community has been immediate and impressive. This year, through HomeFront’s Back to School drive, 1,200 homeless or very low-income children are going back to school with their heads held high, thanks to the concerted efforts of area businesses, organizations, congregations, and individuals. In these opening days of the school year, these children will proudly open their backpacks, filled with all the school supplies they could possibly want or need. They are confident — and, most importantly, they are ready to learn.

Not only did community members provide clothing, backpacks, and supplies, they also contributed to HomeFront’s Children’s Fund, which will be used throughout the school year to help parents of our client families provide those items that mean so much to their children: school pictures, the fees for a class trip, and even athletic shoes and equipment.

HomeFront knows the critical role that education plays in an independent, positive life and we do our very best to encourage and support academic success for adults and the children we serve. We provide tutoring four evenings a week during the school year, and our summer camps have a strong educational component. If a child has a learning disability, we work to have it remediated. Throughout all of our work, the community plays a vital role; as just one example, we have an amazing corps of volunteers who work one-on-one with the children.

In these difficult economic times, community support is even more meaningful. I only wish everyone who helped with our Back to School drive could have seen the children’s faces when they came to HomeFront last week. All of their excitement as they saw their new clothing, backpacks, and supplies was possible because they lived in a community that cares. For all of you who made this happen, I thank you.

Connie Mercer

HomeFront President & CEO

The Best Reason for Liz Lempert To Become Mayor Is Her Record

To the Editor:

As deputy mayor of the Township, Liz Lempert has been closely involved in our town’s road to consolidation. But that’s not the best reason for her to become mayor of a united Princeton. The best reason is her record.

As Liz’s fellow member on the Princeton Environmental Commission, I can say that her commitment to the environment and sustainability has been unsurpassed by any other municipal official who has served on the PEC. One of her greatest achievements was helping preserve 66 acres of open space, including the Princeton Ridge Preserve. With Liz as mayor, our town will become greener faster.

As a fellow public school mother, I am grateful for Liz founding Save Our Schools, which has waged a tough and ongoing fight with the state legislature to give local voters — not the state — power over charter schools that usurp local funds to create boutique schools within a system ranked among the best in the nation. In my two decades in Princeton, I’ve not seen this kind of activism and commitment to public education by any other municipal official. Liz will keep working hard to keep our schools strong.

Liz also has been a local hero for the less fortunate in our town by leading the effort to save Princeton’s Human Service Commission. There are many individuals in Princeton with low-paying jobs and no health insurance who have difficulty paying rent and putting food on the table. The commission exists to help these people when they are in need or in crisis, yet it was nearly abolished.

Lastly, I am grateful for Liz’s successful efforts in working with officials and staff to keep the property tax rate flat, and for her intent to keep it flat once she’s elected mayor.

Liz is short on rhetoric and long on action. She is open-minded, fair, pragmatic, and gets things done, thanks in large part to her collaborative style of leadership. She’s not in the race for the limelight. She loves this town as much as her Princeton born and bred contender, and she’s in it to keep Princeton a great, neighborhood-oriented and progressive place to live.

Wendy Kaczerski

Chestnut Street

Mother of Dual Language Learner Worries That Child Won’t Get Fair Shot at Education

To the Editor:

I am a mother of a preschooler that folks in the linguistics and child development world call a dual language learner. Most of these children, if not all, go through a phase the American Language-Speech-Hearing Association call a “period of silence,” which is often mistaken for developmental or speech delay. The period of silence usually comes during the time most monolingual children are speaking and answering questions. My child was no exception to this rule and has been placed in a learning disability program here in Princeton. Through some research, I discovered that many dual language learners are in similar situations. The administration has agreed to meet with me to discuss my request to have my bilingual child be assessed with tests and standards appropriate for dual language learners.

While I am happy for the opportunity to discuss assessments with the administration, I fear that at the end of the day, financial considerations will prohibit my child and other bilingual children from getting an assessment that is appropriate for them. I had chatted with the president of one of the PTOs in Princeton about my child. She declared to me “The school doesn’t have money. The school should not pay for any special assessments. I don’t want to spend money on any other assessment.” I worry that the administration will reflect the same attitude as the PTO president.

Her financial concerns for the school are warranted. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which administers an international test called PISA to 15-year-olds worldwide, noted that the top performing nations had very cost effective educational systems. The U.S. was not one of the top ranking nations in PISA. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Governor Chris Christie hope to build educational systems that can run smarter on less money. Today, we can see some of the results of education reform. Recent rankings published in New Jersey Monthly, which had Princeton High School at number 59, reflects how well schools do during times of budget cutting.

While Princeton figures out how to make smarter decisions, I worry that because there are parents in Princeton who do not care about all the different children with different needs, the administration possesses the same ideas as the PTO president. If that is the case my children, other dual language learners in Princeton, the limited English proficiency students who are still trying to learn English, and a host of other children, will never get a fair shot at education.

Aggie Sung Tang

Herrontown Road

Princeton Public Schools’ Bond Referendum Stresses Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

To the Editor:

These days one can’t underestimate the element of sustainability when building maintenance issues come to the fore. The Board of Education takes this responsibility very seriously. Both energy efficiency and sustainability have been a major focus in prioritizing the list of capital maintenance projects included in the September 24 bond referendum.

As many taxpayers will appreciate, the Board has been striving to minimize tax increases and striving to come in under every cap set at the state level. However, large maintenance/replacement projects now need attention and funding. Window and door replacement; new roofs; lighting and lighting controls’ and other building systems are by far the largest portion of the proposed work, representing nearly a third of the dollar value of the referendum. Leaking roofs, windows, and doors put expensive equipment and fixtures of all kinds at risk. Attending to these projects allows the Board to protect district assets while taking steps to minimize our buildings’ carbon footprint and reduce operating expenses.

Some may ask why the Board isn’t going further, why not install solar? Ironically, our joint purchase consortium for energy has seen such a dramatic decline (down nearly 25 percent for the next two years) that a solar project we analyzed for JWMS and PHS would have had a 40-year payback. No tax-funded organization could seriously consider such a project. However, by the time the proposed work is completed, all compatible preliminary roof work will have been done to take advantage of market inducements, such as the NJ SHEQ program, as opportunities present themselves in the future.

Please take the time to vote on September 24, or apply for your absentee ballot now.

Dorothy Bedford

Prospect Avenue,Chair, Facilities Committee, PPS

The Long and Winding Road Leads To a Sidewalk on West Side of Ewing

To the Editor:

At long last the Princeton Township Committee is building a sidewalk on the west side of Ewing Street between Valley Road and Harrison Street North. This sidewalk was recommended to the Township Committee in the early 1960’s by the Princeton Township Traffic Safety Committee, of which I was then chairman. Such a sidewalk would connect the then-existing sidewalk on the west side of Ewing Street at the Harrison Street North intersection to the then-existing sidewalk on the north side of Valley Road. In those days there were two school districts: Princeton Township residents attended Princeton Township schools, Princeton Borough residents attended Princeton Borough Schools.

The Township Committee at that time opined that such a sidewalk could not and would not be built until certain engineering feats were accomplished: some cutting and filling and some resetting of sanitary sewer lines, storm sewer drains, and some other underground lines. Mr. Kiser, currently Princeton Township Engineer, assured the committee that such items either had been, or would be, accomplished before the sidewalk was installed.

In the intervening half-century Princeton Township built many sidewalks, some needed, most not necessary. Whether or not the sidewalks were necessary, a New Jersey law passed in 1915 went into effect; once sidewalks are installed, pedestrians (walkers, joggers, runners) must use them. To quote NJSA 39:4-4, “Where sidewalks are provided it shall bc unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway”.

Henry J. Frank

Valley Road

Hilltop Memorial to Michael Kenwood Provides Place for Community Reflection

To the Editor:

A little over a year ago, on August 28, 2011, the Princeton community lost a hero. During hurricane Irene, Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad (PFARS) EMT and rescue technician Michael Kenwood was swept into floodwaters and drowned while attempting a swiftwater rescue. Michael died in service to his community, trying to help those in need.

PFARS marked the anniversary of Michael’s passing with a memorial service at Greenway Meadows Park off of Rosedale Road. We are grateful to the special guests who spoke at the service of Michael’s altruism and legacy, including Reverend Richard White, Princeton Township Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert, Mercer County Freeholder Andrew Koontz, United States Congressman Rush Holt, and New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno.

The service concluded with the dedication of a bench in Michael’s memory. Situated on a hilltop that overlooks the location of Michael’s ultimate sacrifice, the location provides a serene place for reflection, not only for his family and fellow emergency services colleagues, but for the community as a whole. For indeed, the heroic actions of Michael and countless other emergency services personnel are what make our community a stronger, more ideal place to live. It is our hope that visitors to the park can reflect on Michael’s devotion to public service and consider how they can help make their community better.

I would like to thank the PFARS members that coordinated all aspects of the service, Shannon Koch, Director Frank Setnicky, Robert Gregory, Jay Padulchick, Matthew Stiff, and Shawn Gallagher, and the PFARS Ladies Auxiliary for the reception. In addition, we greatly appreciate the work of Acting Township Administrator Kathy Monzo and Ben Stentz and the field maintenance staff from the Princeton Township Recreation Department for helping obtain and prepare space in the park for the bench. Thank you also to the Princeton Township Police Department Color Guard members Lieutenant Robert Toole and Sergeant Michael Cifelli. Further, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Michael’s family who joined us to recognize their son, brother, husband, uncle, and cousin. We thank you for raising Michael with the character to be an excellent role model, a trusted friend, and a devoted public servant.

Finally, for those in the community that were unable to attend the memorial service but would like the opportunity to honor Michael, PFARS is presenting a Tribute Concert celebrating his life and legacy on Sunday September 23, 2012 at 7 p.m. Broadway Sings, a professional concert production company featuring stars of Broadway musicals and National Touring productions, is donating its talents to provide an evening of joyful music in tribute to Michael. The event, to be held at the Princeton High School Performing Arts Center, will also feature a silent auction; bidding begins at 6 p.m. Tickets for the one-night event are reserved seating and can be ordered online at michaelkenwood.brownpapertickets.com. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, visit the PFARS website, www.pfars.org or email info@pfars.org.

Peter J. Simon

President, Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad

Historic Valley Road School Building Neglected, Needs Immediate Repair

To the Editor:

In recent speeches and news articles Superintendent Judy Wilson has commented that “the Valley Road Building does not need any attention; it’s been well-maintained and renovated in recent years.”

She seems to have forgotten the older portion of the building, which the School System still owns and is still responsible for as a community asset.

Valley Road School Community Center, Inc. (VRSCCI), a not-for-profit organization, would like to buy this portion of the building and convert it to affordable office space for nonprofit organizations that serve the Princeton community, need space, and would benefit from the reduced rent and the synergies of being with other nonprofit organizations. Currently Corner House and Princeton Community TV remain in this portion of the building, although they are slated to move to Borough Hall. Besides replacing them with new tenants, VRSCCI wants to install two new black box theaters and badly needed public meeting spaces.

Historic Valley Road School has been suffering from neglect for decades. In 2002, the School System wanted to renovate the newer portion of the building and discovered that the property had been given in 1918 to the people of the Township of Princeton. To make sure they had clear title, the School System purchased Valley Road School from Princeton Township for $1.

Over the past year the School System reroofed the newer portion of the building, but ignored the older portion and has demonized it as being either unrepairable or not worth repairing. Recently a small roof leak has become worse, bringing rainwater into both Corner House’s and Princeton TV’s offices. Officials have been notified and have been out to look. Why wasn’t this roof repaired previously? Will it get repaired now before we get more storms? Why isn’t this asset included in the proposed bond issue?

VRSCCI has developed a plan to separate the two portions of the building. This plan involves constructing a firewall and installing a new boiler and a new fire alarm. What we need now is a commitment by the School System to allow us to move forward. What we want to do now is put a new roof on the building, repoint the parapet wall, replace the lintels over the windows and install new window systems.

Valley Road School played a huge role in the development of Princeton Township. Valley Road School was the First Regional and the First Integrated School in the Princeton Area. During the 40’s and 50’s it became known around the country for its high performance and innovative curriculum.

Let‘s go green, recycle this wonderful asset, and work together to repair historical Valley Road School. Do we want a boarded up building right across the street from what will be our newly reconfigured municipal center? Clearly the School Board has no interest in maintaining the building and has not provided for it in its upcoming bond issue. Assuming the bond issue passes, the School Board will be busy over the coming year with its implementation, while the roof on the older part of Valley Road School continues to leak and the building becomes vacant. Will the School Board do the right thing, sell it for $1 and let others in the community take on this project??

Kip Cherry

President, VRSCCI, Dempsey Ave

Obituaries 9/12/12

Rose DiFalco

Rose DiFalco, 86, of Princeton, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, August 31, 2012. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she had been a resident of Princeton since 1966. Rose was a member of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, the Altar Rosary Society, and past president of the Princeton Italian-American Sportsman Club Ladies Auxiliary. Rose was an avid traveler, enjoyed cooking, and most of all, spending time with her family.

Daughter of the late Vincent Fasano and Elena Fasano-Picariello, sister of the late Antonette Fasano, she is survived by her husband of 57 years Charles DiFalco, a son and daughter-in-law Louis and Darlene DiFalco, two daughters and a son-in-law, Elena and Antonino Russo, and Vincenzina DiFalco. She was the beloved grandmother of Vincent, Matthew, Anthony, and Jennifer Rose.

The funeral was held on Tuesday, September 4, at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church. Entombment followed in the Franklin Memorial Park, North Brunswick.

Memorial contributions may be made to: Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad P.O. Box 529, Princeton, N.J. 08542 or St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church 214 Nassau Street, Princeton, N.J. 08540.

———

George O. Isaacson

George O. Isaacson died peacefully on August 31,2012. He leaves this world in the way he lived it, with dignity, courage, respect, and kindness. He was the much loved husband to Joan Isaacson (formally Israelit), dearest father of Laurie Domers, Steven Isaacson, and Stacie Isaacson, and the sweetest grandfather to Ashley Domers, Alli Domers, Sydney Isaacson, and Olivia Isaacson.

Dr. Isaacson practiced dentistry in Princeton, for many years including over 20 years with his son Steven. Supported by his mother and father Celia and Harry Isaacson and brothers Bernie, Danny, and Marty, George was able to attend dental school in Philadelphia, Pa. He graduated in 1954 from Temple University Dental School. While in dental school, he was a member of Alpha Omega Fraternity, the Kolmer Honorary Medical Society, and the James Society of Oral Pathology. After dental school, he entered the Air Force as a First Lieutenant for two years stationed in Sacramento, Calif. In 1956 he opened a dental practice with his brother Danny. He and his brother co-authored an important text on fixed prosthodontics. After a number of years, he was able to open his own practice in Princeton. Over the years of practice, he gained many honors in his field. He lectured in front of the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics, and even gave a lecture in mainland, China. He taught dentistry part time at the University of Pennsylvania from 1962-1980. He became a fellow of the American College of Dentists in 1994. He leaves behind numerous past patients who revere him and often state, “Dr. George saved my mouth”.

George was very active in sports throughout his life. In his high school years, he played basketball for Trenton High. He also enjoyed tennis and golf and was a member of Greenacres Country Club for many years. He was an avid stamp, coin, and fine arts collector. Most of all, he was a family man who cherished his time with loved ones.

Funeral services were on Tuesday at 1 p.m., Har Sinai Temple 2421 Pennington Road, Pennington. Burial followed at Ewing Cemetery, Har Sinai section, Scotch Road, Ewing. The period of mourning was observed Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the home of Steven Isaacson and Laura Lichstein, 14 East Shore Drive, Princeton. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice. Funeral arrangements by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, 1534 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ.

———

Owen E. Desmond

Owen E. Desmond III, 77, of Skillman and a fifty-year resident of Princeton, died peacefully on Thursday morning August, 24, at home with his family.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin, July 19, 1935 to Florence (Burns) and Owen E. Desmond Jr., he graduated from the University of Notre Dame (1957), and from the Columbia University graduate school of business (1961). From 1957–59 he served as a 2nd Lt. in the Army, stationed in South Korea. He spent the majority of his working career in New York City in financial services, primarily institutional research and sales.

A member of the Pretty Brook Club and the University Club of New York, Mr. Desmond was an active member of the Princeton community. Most recently, he was a volunteer at Princeton Hospital, where he gave over 5,000 hours of service. He was a Eucharistic Minister for St. Paul’s Church serving parishioners in Princeton Hospital as well as the homebound.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Carol O’Brien Desmond; a sister, Katherine D. Hoesel (Walter) of Duvall, Washington; a brother Michael B. Desmond of Boston, Mass.; his daughter Anne C. Desmond of Princeton, and her children Owen Ristic (9) and Deirdre Ristic (5); His son, and daughter in law, Owen E. (Ned) and Kristina H. Desmond of Wellesley, Mass, and their three children: Jackson (11), Maja (9), and Tyler (5).

A memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 15, 2012 at 11 a.m., at St. Paul’s Church in Princeton. In lieu of flowers, donations in Owen’s memory can be made to: the Princeton Hospice Program, 208 Bunn Drive, Princeton, N.J. 08540 or the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Chest Diseases Center, c/o Office of Development, 654 West 170th St., N.Y.C, N.Y. 10032, Attn. Allison Yessin.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

———

Anne Hulme Vierno

Anne Hulme Vierno passed away, September 1, 2012 at Stonebridge at Montgomery Retirement Community after a brief illness.

Anne was born in Swarthmore, Pa, and moved to Clearwater, Fla. where she lived, after meeting and marrying, H. H. Baskin, Jr.

Anne later moved to Princeton and met her loving husband, Ralph A. Vierno, with whom she was married 38 wonderful years.

Anne graduated from the University of Delaware, and after moving to Princeton from Florida, Anne worked for many years at the Educational Testing Service. She was an avid reader, loved playing bridge, and was a member of the College Club of Princeton, the Princeton Day Club, and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Florida. Anne volunteered for many years at Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton.

Anne is survived by her husband of 38 years, Ralph A. Vierno; two daughters, Elisabeth Hulme Ashby, recently widowed from her loving husband, Philip K. Ashby, Victoria Baskin-Smith and son-in-law, Theodore (Ted); and her son, Hamden H. Baskin, III and daughter-in-law, Robyn; step-daughter, Michele Ciganek and son-in-law, Bill; and three grandchildren, Theodore B. (Teddy), Rachel and Randall. Anne is also survived by her two brothers, Norman and Robert Hulme, and her sister, Terry Merrick and many loving nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be celebrated on Saturday, September 15, 2012 at

2 p.m. at Trinity Church, Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Crisis Ministry of Mercer County, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, N.J. 08542. On the memo line please reference “In Memory of Anne Vierno”.

———

Golden Anniversary: In The Beatles Romance, “Yesterday” Is the Good 9/11

Beatles publicist Derek Taylor (1932-1997) begins his preface to Volume 1 of The Beatles Anthology (1994) by contrasting his “rose-colored” view of the group’s worldwide impact — “the Twentieth Century’s greatest romance” — to John Lennon’s typically hard-nosed, “We were just a band who made it very very big.”

Had he been alive in May 2003 and June 2004, Taylor would have witnessed a massive validation of that great romance in the delirious crowds thronging Red Square (est. 100,000) and St. Petersburg’s Palace Square (est. 50,000), waving their arms and dancing and smiling and cheering in ecstasy as the embodiment of the Beatles, Paul McCartney, sang “Hey Jude” (with the crowd joining in) and closed the show with “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” belting out the line, “And Moscow girls make me sing and shout” to the delight of countless singing shouting Moscow girls.

Now consider what was going on in the world when the Beatles made their first recordings 50 years ago this month, keeping in mind the Moscow and St. Petersburg multitudes and especially those among them who had come to cherish the musicians, the music, and even the words, in a language not their own, by taking their chances with records smuggled in from the West. On Tuesday, September 11, 1962, when the Beatles were in the studio recording “Love Me Do” and “Please, Please Me,” the Soviet Union was warning the U.S. that an attack on Soviet ships carrying supplies to Cuba would mean war, Soviet missiles fitted with nuclear warheads having arrived in Cuba on September 8. A month later, after U.S. spy planes obtained photographic evidence of the building of Soviet missile sites, the battle lines were drawn and the world was closer to nuclear war than at any time before or since. The day the crisis was resolved, October 28, a rock group from Liverpool virtually unknown outside the British Isles was making its first major stage appearance at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre, on a bill topped by Little Richard.

9/11/62 vs. 9/11/01

Most people, me definitely included, are susceptible to the significance and power of dates. During the almost nine years I’ve been writing these columns, the day of the month or the year has as often as not given me a subject, a motive, or an inspiration. So here I am balancing on either end of a manichean seesaw two Tuesdays that happened to fall on the eleventh day of September. On the tables of history September 11, 2001 will weigh as heavily as December 7, 1941, and November 22, 1963. According to the depth and weight and dissemination of immeasurable forces like joy and love, truth and light, the group that began life unspectacularly in London 50 years ago, September 11, 1962, “gave more cheer,” as Derek Taylor put it, “than almost anyone else this century.”

The four rockers from Liverpool did a great deal more for the world than cheering it up, regularly testing the limits in EMI’s Abbey Road studio while creating wonders over the next eight years that no one in 1962 could have imagined. On September 11 they recorded their first single, “Love Me Do,” which failed to get beyond 17 on the British charts. Toward the end of the session, they tried out a Roy-Orbison-inspired song by John Lennon that producer George Martin felt “badly needed pepping up.” The next time they returned to the studio, more than two months later, they increased the tempo, tightened the vocals, and after 18 takes produced their breakthrough song, “Please, Please Me.” At the end of the session, Martin told them “You’ve just made your first number one.” It was the first of 15 number ones, in fact.

“Free as a Bird” 

Sitting in a Montreal hotel room, picture window curtains parted for a bright-lights night view packed with skyscrapers after the 400-mile drive to the Miracle of the North, I’m putting Volume One of The Beatles Anthology on the disc player, which is mine, all mine, now that my son is asleep. For a golden anniversary column, my plan is to go back to the earliest record, the primal disc cut in 1958 in the living room of a Victorian house on Kensington Avenue in Liverpool. “In Spite Of All the Danger” is a song Paul co-wrote with George Harrison two years before the Quarrymen became the Beatles. The unlikely title, with its hint of dark fate lurking, is the first example of the group’s knack for “being in mystery.”

I’d forgotten that the album devoted to Beatle history begins with a “new” song, “Free As a Bird,” born in 1977 in New York when John made the demo and completed in 1994 when Paul wrote and sang a brilliant bridge (one of the glories of Beatles music are the middle eights). Meanwhile George was moved to perhaps the most spiritual, passionate playing of his life, Ringo having set things in motion with a thunderclap. In the ten years since the break-up, fans all over the world had been wishing and hoping the group of groups would get back together; the invitation from Russia might have done the trick, had John and George lived that long. The haunting “Free As a Bird” video reminds me of the golden period between A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and the White Album (1968) when everything the Beatles touched seemed to fall magically into place. The dreamlike imagery of the video, viewed as by a bird in flight, offers a dark tour, touching, gloomy, whimsical, and portentous, with John’s voice wailing from beyond the grave and the emergency imagery of police lines and wreckage recalling “A Day in the Life” from Sgt. Pepper (“He blew his mind out in a car”) which in turn evokes the Paul-is-dead phenomenon that had everyone looking for ominous messages in the closing seconds of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “I am the Walrus” with its sampling from Act Four of King Lear, Oswald (Shakespeare’s or Lee Harvey’s, take your pick) moaning, “untimely death.”

“Yesterday”

Paul McCartney turned 70 on June 18 of this year. Wherever he plays, and he’s still at it, he is the Beatles, as he was in Red Square, and in New York in the aftermath of September 11, closing the October 20, 2001 benefit concert he organized for the first responders to September 11, the New York police and fire departments and their families, as well as for the families of those lost in the attacks, and those working in the recovery effort. The star-studded show ended with McCartney singing “Freedom,” which he’d composed for the occasion. “Yesterday” the last song of the Beatles medley, however, had the most visible emotional impact on the audience.

Paul’s “Yesterday” was a major breakthrough in the Beatles romance, charming and converting adults who had been staring with nagging, reluctant, uneasy fascination at the object of the ludicrous “moptop” phenomenon they never imagined they could ever take seriously. I was in the living room with an English family, a middle-aged couple and their neighbors who had been gently teasing me about my fondness for the Beatles. We were watching Paul sing “Yesterday” on the telly. When the song was over, the adults in the room were, literally, speechless, until one said, in a choked voice, “Well, that was quite nice, wasn’t it?”

Watching the faces of the thousands in Red Square as Paul sang his signature song, I thought of the faces of the people at the 9/11 benefit who took the lyrics and the sad melody personally. In Moscow where many in the crowd were singing along in a language they did not know, their eyes were shining not with sorrow but with love. Well, except for Vladimir Putin, who did at least look pleasant. Which is saying something.

Finally, there was the moment in Pula, on the Adriatic coast in Yugoslavia, a country where the people seemed cold and unfriendly, even hostile, at least to a bearded American hitchhiker still coming down to earth after a year in India. Late one night I heard voices in the street, looked out the window and saw a group of boys and girls about my age singing as they walked, serenading anyone who chose to listen. A bit drunkenly perhaps but beautifully, romantically, they were singing “Yesterday.”

In addition to the program notes for The Beatles Anthology, I used Mark Lewisohn’s  The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions and William J. Dowlding’s Beatlesongs. “Being in mystery” comes from a letter by John Keats in which he spins the theory of Negative Capability.

As for Paul McCartney, he will begin his next tour in St. Louis this November. And the French government just awarded the embodiment of the Beatles the Legion of Honor. Cue the Marseillaise opening from “All You Need is Love.”

Area Exhibits 9/12/12

The Arts Council of Princeton at Paul Robeson Center has sculpture by Jonathan Shor on view on the terrace through September 29. The Annual Members Show is in the Taplin Gallery through September 29. For more information call (609) 924-8777 or visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Expressions in Wood, Glass and Bamboo,” works by Charlie Katzenbach and Norine Kevolic, through September 30. Visit www.lambertvillearts.com.

Bernstein Gallery at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, has works by Negar Ahkami, Ghada Amer, Reza Farkhondeh, Zeina Barakeh, Ofri Cnaani, Parastou Forouhar, and Shadi Ghadirian as part of “The Fertile Crescent” project, through October 19.

Cafe 44, 44 Leigh Avenue, is showing “Art + 10” September 7-October 1. Paintings and photography, subtitled “A Slice of Life,” are the subject of the show, which will include works by Heather Stoddardt Barros, James Bongartz, Betty Curtiss, Jeannine S. Honstein, Stephen Kennedy, Ryan Lillienthal, Meg Brinster Michael, Tasha O’Neill, Katja De Ruyter, Gill Stewart, Karen Stolper, and Mary Waltham.

College of New Jersey Art Gallery, Pennington Road, Ewing, is presenting “Bruce Rigby: Recent Work” through October 11 in honor of Mr. Rigby’s retirement from teaching. Visit www.tcnj.edu/artgallery.

D&R Greenway, Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, presents “Sustainable Harvest: Creating Community Through the Land,” a mixed-media show about farmland, iconic farm structures, and new perspectives on crops and creatures, through November 9.

Firestone Library at Princeton University, has in its Milberg Gallery “Woodrow Wilson’s Journey to the White House,” through December 28. In Cotsen Children’s Library through September 30 is “Noah’s Art: Designing Arks for Children.” “First X, Then Y, Now Z: Thematic Maps” runs through February 10 in the main exhibition gallery. “Your True Friend and Enemy: Princeton and the Civil War” shows in the Mudd Manuscript Library Cotsen Children’s Library from September 17-July 31. “Into the Woods: A Bicentennial Celebration of the Brothers Grimm” is scheduled for October 15-February 28.

Gallery at Chapin, 4101 Princeton Pike, has “Yardsong: A Botanical Adventure” through September 28. The show is of digital photography by Madelaine Shellaby. The opening reception is September 13 from 5-7 p.m. From October 1-26, drawings and paintings by Dot Bunn are on view. The reception is October 3 from 5-7 p.m. Call (609) 924-7206.

Gallery 14, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, shows “Sanctuary II” by Edward Greenblat, “A View of South Beach” by Martin Schwartz, and “Spiritual Places,” a group show by AgOra, through October 7. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. or by appointment.

Gourgaud Gallery, Cranbury Town Hall, 23-A Main Street, Cranbury, hosts the “Winter Workshop Series Exhibit” by workshop artists including Linda Gilbert, Colleen Cahill, and Hannah Ellis through September 30. Visit www.cranbury.org.

Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, presents Ming Fay’s “Canutopia” installed in the new East Gallery through February 15. Artists displayed in other GFS galleries through September include Sharon Engelsein, Willie Cole, and Marilyn Keating. See www.grounds
forsculpture.org.

Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead on Quaker Road, “The Art of First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson: American Impressionist” is on display through September 15. Opening hours are Saturday and Wednesday from 12-4 p.m. For more information visit www.princetonhistory.org.

The James A. Michener Art Museum at 138 South Pine Street in Doylestown, Pa., has “To Stir, Inform, and Inflame: The Art of Tony Auth” is on view through October 21. “I Look, I Listen: Works on Paper by Marlene Miller” is exhibited through October 14. “Creative Hand, Discerning Heart: Story, Symbol, Self,” runs through December 30. Visit www.
michenerartmuseum.org.

The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton Street, on the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, has “Lynd Ward Draws Stories: Inspired by Mexico’s History, Mark Twain, and Adventures in the Woods” through June 23, 2013. Through January 6, “Art=Text=Art: Works by Contemporary Artists” will be on view, from the collection of drawing collectors Wynn and Sally Kramarsky. “In the Company of Women: Prints by Mary Cassatt” runs September 29-March 3. The museum is open free of charge on Saturday, September 29 as part of National Museum Day Live.

Mariboe Gallery at Peddie School, Swig Arts Center, Hightstown, presents a photography exhibit, “Occupying Wall Street,” by Accra Shepp, through October 3. Then from October 12-November 12, “Nuits Blanches,” recent paintings by Frank Rivera, is on view. An opening reception and talk by the artist is October 12 from 6:30-8 p.m. Visit www.peddie.org/mariboe
gallery.

MCCC Gallery, Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, is showing “Roger Hane and The Big Idea,” works by the illustrator Roger Hane, through October 4. An opening reception with Hane biographer Robert C. Hunsicker is Saturday, September 15, 12:30-3 p.m. Mr. Hunsicker will present a slide lecture September 24, 7 p.m. Visit www.mccc.edu/gallery.

Morven Museum & Garden, in collaboration with the Arts Council of Princeton, presents “The Garden at Night: Photographs by Linda Rutenberg” through September 16. “Portrait of Place: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints of New Jersey, 1761-1898” is September 28-January 13. Museum hours are Wednesdays-Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. on. Group tours of 10 or more can be arranged any day by advance reservation. There is free on site parking.

Outsider Art Gallery, 10 Bridge Street, Suite 4, Frenchtown, has a show of work by artists from the Canary Islands and England through November 1.

Princeton Brain and Spine Care Institute at 731 Alexander Road, suite 200, presents “The Activity of Form,” a photography exhibit by Laura McClanahan, Greg McGarvey, Barbara Osterman, and Larry Parsons, through September.

Princeton Day School Anne Reid ‘72 Art Gallery is presenting “Peter Lighte: Pieces of China” as its first show of the season, October 1-5. An opening reception and silent auction is September 28. Opening hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.pds.org.

Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, is showing photography by Mary Cross (“Egyptland”) and painter Ifat Shatzky from September 15-December 31 as part of “The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art and Society” series taking place in nine area venues. (609) 924-9529 or www.princetonlibrary.org.

The Princeton University Art Museum presents “Encounters: Conflict, Dialogue, Discovery” through September 30. The show includes more than 60 works from the museum and private collections and mixes media, historical period, and place of origin. “Root and Branch,” which explores the form of a tree in art and includes several art forms, runs through November 25. The Museum has installed 12 sculptures by Ai Weiwei at Scudder Plaza, in front of Robertson Hall, through July 2013. Works by Parastou Forouhar, MonaHatoum, Sigalit Landau, Shirin Neshat and Laila Shawa are on view through January 13 as part of “The Fertile Crescent” project. “Dancing into Dreams: Maya Vase Painting of the Ik’ Kingdom” is October 6-February 17. Museum hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Call (609) 258-3788.

Quiet Life Gallery, 17 North Main Street, Lambertville, shows “Fearless Fighters’ Portraits” by Elise Dodeles through September 30. Visit www.quietlife
gallery.com.

Rider University Art Gallery presents photographs by Joh Suler September 13-October 14. “Photographic Psychology: Forces That Shape the Psyche” opens with a reception September 13 from 5-7 p.m. An artist’s talk will be September 20, 7 p.m. Visit www.rider.edu/artgallery.

Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street, has an exhibit called “The Future is Female 2.0” through the month of September.

Stover Mill Gallery, 852 River Road, Erwinna, Pa., will have “Brush and Chisel,” paintings and sculpture by Christine McHugh and Ron Bevilacqua, through September 23. Visit cmart
worksonline.com or call (215) 804-5612.

Straube Center, 1 Straube Center Boulevard, Pennington is showing “Ataractic Themes,” an exhibit of landscapes, portraits and still life work capturing a sense of calm and tranquility, through December 1. Visit www.straubecenter.com/art_at_straube.php.

West Windsor Library, 333 North Post Road, Princeton Junction, shows a solo exhibit of watercolors and acrylics by Elizabeth Peck during the month of October. An opening reception is Sunday, October 7, from 2-4 p.m.

Plagiarism Exacts Emotional Toll in Tale of Overwhelming Regret

WE MEET AT LAST: Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper, left) finally meets up with the real author (Jeremy Irons) of Jansen’s runaway bestseller first novel “The Window Tears.” See the movie in order to find out what they said to each other.

The latest stop on Clayton Hammond’s (Dennis Quaid) book tour has the renowned author in New York City to promote his latest work. It’s a cautionary tale of overwhelming regret recounting the rise and fall of a presumably fictional character called Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper).

In a series of flashbacks, the story open; with Rory as an aspiring novelist who is being pressured to find a job after years of relying on handouts from his father (J.K. Simmons). The young man grudgingly capitulates and takes a job in the mailroom of a leading literary agency.

The steady pay enables Rory to save enough money to finally propose to his girlfriend (Zoe Saldana) who has been patiently waiting to marry him. The newlyweds spend their honeymoon in Paris where the grateful bride impulsively buys her husband a weather-beaten briefcase that she finds in a dusty antique shop.

When they return home Rory opens the valise and discovers that it contains a yellowed handwritten manuscript written by someone who is far more talented than him. However, instead of trying to locate the author, he succumbs to the temptation to submit the novel to publishers under his own name.

Lo and behold, the book, The Window Tears, becomes a runaway bestseller, and Rory finds himself in the midst of the literary career he’d always dreamed of having. However, because the real author (Jeremy Irons) could step forward to expose the fraud, Rory faces the prospect of spending his life looking over his shoulder.

Co-written and co-directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, The Words is constructed as a series of flashbacks narrated by a visibly-haunted Hammond as he reads excerpts from his new book. It gradually becomes obvious that he is emotionally agonizing over the material on the pages as the tension mounts around whether his audience is hearing is autobiographical or fiction.

Unfortunately, the problems with this slow-paced production are plentiful. First, it’s hard to accept the film’s farfetched premise, and harder still to fathom how its protagonist has managed to maintain the charade for so long, especially given his guilty conscience and being confronted by the aggrieved party he’s impersonated.

Additionally, neither of the parallel plotlines is particularly engaging, the only issue of interest being whether Hammond’s new book is a confession that his debut novel had been purloined. For this reason, the film’s biggest flaw rests in its cliffhanger ending failing to resolve if Rory Jansen is indeed a thinly-veiled version of the author.

That anticlimactic conclusion proves to be quite unsatisfying after an investment of what feels like an eternity waiting for the answer to the question “Did he or didn’t he?” The only thing worse than a movie without an ending, is a ninety-minute endurance test without an ending.

Fair (*). Rated PG-13 for smoking, sensuality, and brief profanity. Running time: 96 minutes. Distributor: CBS Films.


Reading, Writing, and Respect: Literacy Volunteers Improve Lives

“L” IS FOR LITERACY: Congressman Rush Holt (center) was recently named a Literacy Champion in ceremonies at the Princeton Public Library to mark September as Adult Literacy Month in Mercer County. The award was made by (from left): Cheryl Kirton, executive director, and Lew Thurston president of the board of the Literacy Volunteers in Mercer County. Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes was also named a Literacy Champion at the ceremony.

Tutors, students and their families, librarians, and honored guests were among those present when Literacy Volunteers in Mercer County (LVMC) held a kick-off event marking September as Adult Literacy Month earlier this week at the Princeton Public Library.

There are over 60,000 Mercer County residents who cannot read above a fifth grade level, reported County Executive Brian Hughes. The inability to fill out a job application, read a newspaper, understand a prescription, or read a bed-time story to children are just a few of the consequences of this “problem for all of us.” Mr. Hughes read the official proclamation naming the month-long initiative and, along with Congressman Rush Holt (D-12), was honored as a “champion of literacy” at the event.

“Our goal is to heighten public awareness and increase the number of people who understand the vital role adult literacy training plays in our county’s well-being,” said an LVMC spokesperson.

LVMC offers free, confidential literacy programs. Former students, some of whom are now tutors themselves, were present at the library program to talk about the remarkable difference that literacy instruction made in their lives. Mr. Hughes also cited the record number of General Education Development (GED) diplomas that were awarded to residents at area correctional facilities this year.

LVMC students come from between 30 and 40 different countries, and range from the newly-arrived to those who have been here for 10 or 15 years or more. With the number of students now exceeding the number of available tutors these days, more tutors are needed. Mr. Holt, who was a tutor himself, described it as “some of the most fulfilling work you can do,” and jokingly took exception to the description of volunteering as “‘something you can do in your down time.’” “You have to be ON to tutor,” he emphasized as the audience laughed appreciatively.

Tutor and former student Eric Little also drew laughs with his description of getting new students to relax. “They’re so scared, you can see it in their eyes,” he said. Mr. Little owned up to being scared himself, since his students have included dentists and other professionals who received more education in their countries of origin than he can claim for himself.

The public is invited to LVMC’s open house at its headquarters on 3535 Quakerbridge Road, Suite 104, in Hamilton Township, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Monday, September 24. The program will include refreshments, tours, door prizes, promotions and, from 1 to 2 p.m. a model tutoring class.

Those interested in tutoring are also encouraged to take advantage of two upcoming tutor training sessions. An evening session begins Monday, October 15, and meets for five weeks from 6 to 9 p.m. A daytime session also begins October 15 and meets for five weeks from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All classes are held at the offices of Pelletieri and Rabstein, 100 Nassau Park Boulevard, West Windsor. To sign up, call (609) 587-6027.

For more information visit www.MercerLiteracy.org.


Community Encouraged to Call Governor, Express Support for Anti-Fracking Bill

Grassroots activists and volunteers representing the consumer advocacy organization Food and Water Watch visited the Princeton Farmers Market last week to talk about the Fracking Waste Ban Bill that is awaiting the governor’s signature. Fracking is a process of natural gas extraction that is employed in deep natural gas well drilling.

The bill passed both houses of the state legislature with strong bipartisan support. If it is enacted, it would would make New Jersey the first state in the nation to prohibit the discharge, disposal, treatment, or storage of fracking waste products.

After vetoing the bill last year, Governor Chris Christie proposed a one-year moratorium on fracking. Once a well is drilled, millions of gallons of water, sand, and proprietary chemicals are injected under high pressure. The pressure fractures the shale and forces open fissures that enable natural gas to flow more freely out of the well. Pennsylvania inspectors have found that fluid spills have contaminated some waterways.

The New Jersey bill would specifically ban the treatment, discharge, disposal, or storage of any wastewater, wastewater solids, sludge, drill cuttings or other byproducts of fracking in New Jersey.

Food and Water Watch representatives encouraged those they talked to at the Farmers Market to call Governor Christie and express their support for the pending legislation.

“The response was very positive,” reported organizer Karin Wilkinson afterward. “We got around 60 signatures with promises to make the call.” With more numbers coming in from other public events in the state, Food and Water Watch hopes that at least 1,000 calls will be made to the governor’s office.

Last year, both Township Committee and Borough Council adopted an anti-fracking resolution proposed by the Princeton Environmental Commission (EC).

“Fracking companies aren’t required by law to disclose what’s in their solutions,” said EC Chair Matt Wasserman at the time. “Energy policies don’t have governance … [and] no one is giving us firm answers. I’m going to err on the side of caution … if an opportunity came up where we needed to let our lawmakers know about it, it is something folks here should be concerned about.”

For more information on Food and Water Watch visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.


Exercise Is the Best Medicine For Breast Cancer Survivors

RECOVERING RANGE OF MOTION: Instructor Patti Haggerty, left, and Neurac Institute co-owner Jamie Kornbluth, right, demonstrate the gentle exercises offered by the Pink Ribbon Program, which helps breast cancer patients regain their strength and flexibility. The Bunn Drive rehabilitation studio is currently offering the program, just in time for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is October.

Breast cancer patients recovering from surgery and follow-up treatments have traditionally been told by their doctors to rest during the healing process. But taking it easy, it turns out, isn’t always the best idea.

More current thinking shows that exercising as soon as possible is the key to reclaiming the range of motion commonly lost after mastectomy or the removal of lymph nodes. The simple act of washing one’s hair, or raising an arm to put dishes away in an overhead cupboard, can be severely compromised by these procedures, leading to feelings of depression and defeat.

It is early intervention — as soon as a doctor gives the green light — that can make the difference, experts say. The Neurac Institute, a local rehabilitation and sports performance center located on Bunn Drive, is now offering workout sessions specially tailored to breast cancer survivors. Known as the Pink Ribbon Program, this rehabilitation system uses Pilates exercises, principally, to help patients regain full range of motion in areas affected by their surgery. Clients can begin as early as six weeks after their procedure, or as late as several years after surgery.

“Once you get through all the drama of surgery and possibly radiation or chemotherapy, you are often told to take it easy,” says Patti Haggerty, a certified Pilates instructor who has been specifically trained in the six-year-old Pink Ribbon Program. “But there is tremendous value in exercise. It can restore range of motion. It can help prevent lymphedema (swelling of the arm caused by a compromised lymphatic system) and infections, which is everybody’s biggest fear.”

Breast cancer survivor Doreen Puglisi, a New-Jersey-based exercise physiologist, founded the Pink Ribbon Program after working with breast cancer survivors and then becoming a patient herself. She has trained more than 400 instructors in the United States, Europe, and Australia in the technique she developed. Many, like Ms. Haggerty, are Pilates instructors; others are physical therapists. The program focuses on stretching and strengthening the shoulder, chest, back, and abdominal muscles.

Once a client reaches a certain level, she (or he) can progress to regular Pilates exercise sessions, or Redcord, another system of rehabilitation offered at the Neurac Institute. “Pilates is the next step, and it’s an easy transition,” says Jamie Kornbluth, who is co-owner of the Institute. “And Patti knows just how to help the person make that transition, because she knows what they have been through. Clients don’t feel like they’re being thrown to the wind when they finish, because they can continue their fitness training right here, at the next level.”

Ms. Haggerty’s personal connection to breast cancer is her closest friend, who is a 14-year survivor of the disease. “The good news is that she is a survivor,” Ms. Haggerty says. “But what isn’t as good is that after her surgery, no one told her that she’d lose her range of motion if she didn’t exercise. If she had known, she would be better off today.”

The Pink Ribbon Program is for patients at all levels of fitness. Ideally, training should begin within a year of surgery. “The best time to start is six to twelve weeks after, because you’re really nipping it in the bud and getting that range back,” says Ms. Haggerty. “And one of the most important things for breast cancer patients is regaining control, strength, and self-esteem. This is the way to do it.”

 

Township Debates Transition Finances

The question of whether or not to hire a construction manager “for a sum not to exceed $129,504” to oversee remaining consolidation operations, and whether or not to approve a professional services agreement with a cap of $107,290 to pay KSS Architects for “Phase II-Task 2” work on consolidation, generated heated discussion at Monday night’s Township Committee meeting.

The professional services agreement was ultimately approved, while the question of hiring a construction manager was tabled until the next joint meeting.

“I’m begging you,” Borough Administrator Bob Bruschi finally said to Township Committee after defending the need for the approval of both motions С particularly the KSS payment. Mr. Bruschi will be the administrator of new single municipality created by consolidation.

Township Mayor Chad Goerner, who was firmly on the side of not hiring a construction manager and had doubts about the KSS contract, pointed out that the two expenditures had not been discussed earlier. He counseled “caution” in moving ahead.

Citing a “tight time frame,” Mr. Bruschi responded that the recommendation had come from the Transition Task Force’s Facilities Subcommittee in the hope that the Borough and the Township would “run with it.”

Acknowledging that a conversation at an earlier meeting seemed to point toward not hiring a construction manager, Mr. Bruschi noted that the extent of the work that remains to be done was not known at that point. “It’s not something that we have the capability of doing in-house,” he observed. Township Engineer Bob Kiser concurred, saying that a construction manager with the right contacts is needed “if we’re going to fast track this project.”

Mr. Goerner said that he was “not convinced that we need to fast track” consolidation. He described the costs in question as “high,” and suggested that the work might not be complete by January 1, 2013, anyway. Mr. Bruschi agreed that consolidation would not be completed by that date, but suggested that that didn’t preclude “doing the project correctly” and expediting it as much as possible in order to minimize disruption. He pointed out that “$120,000” was not that significant in the context of an operation that will cost an estimated $60 million, and that “savings will only come if we have the right design.”

“I’ve never met a delay that saved us money,” observed Councilwoman Sue Nemeth, expressing concern about services like police, administration, and Corner House, that might be impacted “if we did delay.”

“We need to be cognizant” of what transition-related expenditures are costing, responded Mr. Goerner. He suggested keeping “an eye on individual expenditures” that may be occurring without the approval of the two governing bodies, and proposed that the decision be tabled until the next joint meeting. Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert suggested that in the future, potential expenditures should be presented first to the Finance Committee.

Facilities subcommittee chair Bernie Miller, who said that he has also continued to work informally with staff preparing for consolidation, emphasized that the two motions in question related to “two very distinct tasks.”

He pointed out that KSS is being asked to develop detailed drawings and specifications, while a construction manager would “coordinate the movement of many people in many departments with minimal disruption,” working, for example, on evenings and weekends. Mr. Miller’s motion to approve the resolution for outside construction management was not seconded.

Acting Township Administrator Kathy Monzo, who will be the CFO of the new municipality said that she “was surprised” at the contract amounts, but recognized that “this isn’t a simple move. Nothing is extravagant in there; they’re really just functional changes.” When Township Engineer Bob Kiser pointed out that the governing bodies do not have cost estimates for the conceptual plans, Ms. Monzo wondered why this couldn’t be done in-house, as it would be done for any other project.

Mr. Goerner cast the only “no” in the final vote to approve the professional services agreement with KSS Architects.

There was unanimity, however, in Township’s approval of a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United Decision, giving “personhood” to corporations, allowing them to donate to political campaigns as individuals.


Historic Commission Votes To Recommend Designation After Consolidation Occurs

At its meeting on September 5, Princeton Borough’s Historic Preservation Review Committee (HPRC) voted to recommend to Borough Council that a portion of Princeton’s western section, known as the Morven Tract, be designated a historic district. But the committee also opted to advise Council to hold off on acting on the recommendation until after consolidation takes effect.

“It was a judicious compromise,” said committee member Cecelia Tazelaar in a conversation this week. “We voted in favor of the historic designation report, saying it met the criteria for designation as a local historic district. But, given the fact that consolidation is only a few months away, we thought it would be advisable for Council to delay acting on it, because the two commissions will be merged and the ordinances are being merged. We felt it would be unfair to the public to push through something without their knowledge of the new ordinance.”

Currently, the HPRC represents the interests of Princeton Borough, while the Historic Preservation Comission covers preservation issues in the Township. Once consolidation takes effect January 1, a combined commission will be formed with a new ordinance in place. The new ordinance, which is based on New Jersey municipal land use law, won’t be much different from the existing two, according to Ms. Tazelaar. “But it seems fair to let everybody see what the new ordinance is before continuing with a discussion,” she said.

The Friends of the Western District have been actively lobbying since 2006 to establish a new historic district in an area roughly bounded by portions of Library Place, Hodge Road, and Bayard Lane, while encompassing Morven Place and Boudinot Street. The proposed district directly abuts the Mercer Hill historic district, which is one of four in Princeton. The others are Jugtown, Bank Street, and the Central historic districts.

Those in favor of the designation say it will help maintain the area’s unique architectural character and prevent tear-downs. Those opposed say designation would create too many restrictions, which could in turn affect property values.

In 2009, the Friends group engaged Hunter Research to prepare a document entitled Morven Trust Historic District Historical and Architectural Documentation. The report says of the proposed district, “It is significant in American history and architecture and possesses integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of Princeton’s past and embodies the distinctive characteristics of a period.”

At the September 5 meeting, the HPRC also recommended to Council that residents of the proposed district be polled on the divisive issue.