By Anne Levin

At a meeting of Princeton Council Monday night, October 28, Municipal Administrator Marc Dashield gave a status report on the cleanup at the town’s River Road facility. Three people, two of whom were municipal employees, have been charged with illegal dumping and co-mingling of waste at the site, allegedly in exchange for payment.

Whitman Environmental Consulting has completed a preliminary environmental assessment at the site, finding five areas of concern. Contaminants found were compared with standards from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), to determine if they exceeded any of the standards.

Metals found are typical of what is found in soil throughout the state of New Jersey, and “only exceeded the most stringent standards,” Dashield said, adding that  Whitman believes that contaminants  remaining on site can be remediated. Jeffrey Grosser, the town’s health officer and assistant administrator, said that based on discussions with officers from the New Jersey Board of Health, “there are currently no observable immediate health concerns. Offsite contamination risk appears to be low.”

Dashield said any asbestos found has been removed from the site. Whitman will do additional investigations to determine the next steps.

After the violations were discovered this past summer, the estimated cost for the environmental assessment was set as being up to $163,375. The NJDEP issued the town with a violation fee of $35,000, but later reduced it to $30,000. The town is in discussion with attorneys about the next step in the cleanup, including who should pay.

“We should do all we can to make sure this doesn’t fall on the taxpayer,” said Mayor Liz Lempert. “It should fall instead on the responsible parties.”

The Whitman report will be posted online at princetonnj.gov.

In other matters, the governing body considered a petition to close Jefferson Road on Halloween night for trick-or-treaters. But after hearing from Sergeant Geoff Maurer of the Princeton Police Department, it was decided to keep the street open. “I’m reluctant to advocate closing of a road, because of conflict at intersections,” Maurer said. “It would displace more traffic on Hawthorne Avenue and Moore Street and cause more problems.”

Barricades will be up and two officers will be assigned to the Jefferson Road neighborhood, where many children are expected to be going door-to-door. Councilwoman Leticia Fraga commented that there are other streets that get an equal number of trick-or-treaters. Maurer advised residents in all neighborhoods to increase lighting on the streets, since it is expected to rain on Halloween and visibility can be limited.

Council voted unanimously to reduce long-term parking at the Princeton Train Station (Dinky) lot to two days instead of the existing one week during the closure of Alexander Street, which begins November 6 and is expected to last about 135 days while bridges are repaired.

Councilman Tim Quinn reported that the subcommittee looking into the controversial fueling station on Mt. Lucas Road met Monday, and that a full report will be made to Council at its meeting November 18.

A request was discussed involving the rerouting of the  2020 Princeton Pride Parade, in which the participants would march up Witherspoon Street, cross Nassau Street, and enter the Princeton University campus instead of turning off Witherspoon at Wiggins Street. It was decided that the proposal will be reconsidered after residents and retailers in the central business district get the chance to provide feedback, since the change could involve closing Nassau Street from Washington Road to Palmer Square.