Noting that Town Acquisition of Former Westminster Campus is Wise Move
To the Editor:
Besides the ability to address future school needs, and potentially some of the soon-to-be-announced state requirement for additional affordable housing, the Westminster campus offers great opportunities for other important municipal and community uses, including turning the broad lawn fronting Hamilton Avenue into much needed in-town public open space.
The acquisition will also enable the town to designate the core of the historic campus as a local historic district, as recommended in the Princeton Master Plan adopted last November. A priority to repurpose the historic core buildings and other buildings on the campus will exemplify Princeton’s sustainability goals, as the most sustainable buildings are ones that exist, with all their embodied carbon.
With Westminster’s nationally significant musical legacy, continuing musical education and public performances on the property should also be a priority for town and school officials and for all the residents here keenly interested in music and its many contributions to our quality of life.
Town officials deserve much credit for their visionary initiative to acquire the Westminster campus. Going forward, the more they meaningfully engage the community in its repurposing, the greater will be its success.