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Vol. LXIII, No. 17
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
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Vol. LXIII, No. 17
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
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DAVID ZINKIN
Birch Avenue
WILLIAM STEPHENSON
Governors Lane
PAM MACHOLD
Prospect Avenue
Princeton Environmental Commission
JOANNE MEEHAN
Chair, Taste of the Nation Event Committee
ALAN K. HEGEDUS
President, PRS School Board
JUDITH WILSON
Superintendent, Princeton Regional Schools
HEIDI JOSEPH,
Chair, Brunch@Home Committee
BILLIE EMMERICH
SANDY FETTER
KAY HEIDERE
AMY KLEIN
SUSAN LOEW
BARBARA LUNDY
BARBARA PURNELL
SHARON NAEOLE,
Director of Development
KIM H. MILLAR, M.D.
Lake Drive
CASA of Mercer County Trustee
To The Editor:
Regarding “Budget Passes” by Ellen Gilbert (Town Topics, April 22), the tax assessment formula for Princeton, by using the same percentage for all properties, is inherently unjust.
We have progressive income taxes, why not progressive property taxes? At the very least, we might consider having a “standard deduction.” So, for example, if the first $30,000 of assessed value for any property in the Township were exempt from tax, then a tax rate of $1.834 per $100 on the rest of a property’s assessed value would produce the same total revenue as the current rate of $1.706. In this way, people with more valuable properties would incur a slightly higher burden, but this would certainly not be out of line with their greater wealth. At the same time, a property assessed at $350,000 would see a tax reduction of about $100.
Endless potential formulas exist that would result in a modicum of progressivity in our property tax code. Greater minds than mine could determine which of these made the most sense. But if we Princetonians want to give more than lip service to our reputation as a progressive community, we must consider putting our money where our mouths are.
DAVID ZINKIN
Birch Avenue
To the Editor:
Bravo for the stand taken by Township Mayor Bernie Miller in his letter to the editor (Town Topics, April 22).
In our twenty years here, it seems this is the first time that real leadership is being devoted to a key issue that is vital to the future of our community.
Senior citizens are having to leave Princeton because of our tax burden, not because of inadequate senior housing.
Realistically, squeezing more money out of the University when their endowment is down by 30 percent, or changing their legally protected tax-exempt status, seems out of touch with irrefutable facts. The time we continue to devote to this fantasy is time that we should spend following the path that Mayor Miller advocates.
Our only alternative is the one that Mayor Miller proposes. He and other like-minded civic leaders deserve our total support.
WILLIAM STEPHENSON
Governors Lane
To the Editor:
As a member of the Princeton Environmental Commission (PEC), I write with concern for the loss of trees and the absence of a strong woodland protection policy in Princeton, in regard to Westerly Church’s proposed development on Bunn Drive on the Princeton Ridge as described in your April 15 issue. Westerly is proposing to build a 44,000 square foot building plus a 300 car parking lot on the ecologically fragile Ridge. The PEC has opposed large scale development on the Ridge. However, its hands are tied because inappropriate zoning for this area allows development of this magnitude, in direct contradiction to the Princeton Master Plan’s emphasis on protecting the Ridge.
There is, however, time for the Township Committee and the Planning Board to minimize tree loss. The Shade Tree Commission worked for four years on an ordinance to do just that. Disappointingly, the ordinance is too weak. The Township Committee and Planning Board members should strengthen the ordinance quickly so that the Westerly proposal and others that include tree cutting are subject to it.
With all we know about the value of trees and woodlands in stemming water runoff, flooding, soil erosion, and fostering ground water recharge, cleansing our air and water, noise buffering, climate control, energy conservation, protection of habitat, as well as mitigating ever expanding impervious land cover in buildings and parking lots, an effective ordinance should be a given.
Surely, parking for 300 cars, if that is truly needed, can be better designed than in the past, either with a parking deck and/or a porous parking surface with the goal of mitigating water runoff and preserving as many trees as possible. This has been done elsewhere but not notably in Princeton.
The goal of the “Sustainable Princeton” resolution signed earlier this year by the Mayors of Princeton Borough and Township should be our guide in implementing such major decisions. Government must set an example and avoid the “Do as I say, not as I do” syndrome.
PAM MACHOLD
Prospect Avenue
Princeton Environmental Commission
To the Editor:
On behalf of Taste of the Nation Princeton, we want to extend a hearty “Thank You” to everyone who made this year’s event such a success. Despite the chilly rain, 255 ticket holders turned out to sample dishes from the region’s top restaurants and helped raise in excess of $25,000 for our grant recipients — Isles, HomeFront, Mercer Street Friends, and the Food Bank of South Jersey.
The food and beverage vendors, corporate and media sponsors, and volunteers who provided their time, effort, and resources to Taste of the Nation Princeton deserve our heartfelt gratitude for helping raise awareness and funds that are critical to eradicating childhood hunger in Mercer County.
JOANNE MEEHAN
Chair, Taste of the Nation Event Committee
To the Editor:
Princeton residents once again have proven their commitment to providing the best possible education for their children. With the affirmation of the coming year’s budget by 70 percent of the votes cast, the community came together to assure the continuation of excellence that has come to be the Princeton Regional Schools legacy. Voter turnout was almost double that of just four or five years ago, making a strong statement in these difficult economic times.
The PRS administration and school board are deeply grateful for this strong expression of support for the work being done in our schools. Only with this unambiguous resident and taxpayer endorsement can the high level of performance continue, with all of our children, present and future, being the beneficiaries.
On behalf of all of the teachers, support staff, parents, and especially the students of Princeton Regional Schools, “Thank you, Princeton, for your commitment to education!”
ALAN K. HEGEDUS
President, PRS School Board
JUDITH WILSON
Superintendent, Princeton Regional Schools
To The Editor:
The Princeton Senior Resource Center wishes to thank all those generous people who helped make our first Brunch@Home fund-raiser such a resounding success. The local merchants and organizations who donated food and/or financial support; the folks who gave us their empty baskets rescued from attics or cellars; the amazing volunteers who arrived at 5:30 a.m. to start door-to-door delivery of the brunch baskets — we couldn’t have done it without all of you. What started out to be brunch for two people became gifts to their friends and acknowledgments to colleagues and clients from local businesses. A single basket morphed into a party as people ordered several. We couldn’t be happier.
Proceeds from the event fund the many activities and services that flow from the Princeton Senior Resource Center, not only to area seniors but also to their extended families. Thank you, Princeton and neighbor communities. See you again next year!
HEIDI JOSEPH,
Chair, Brunch@Home Committee
BILLIE EMMERICH
SANDY FETTER
KAY HEIDERE
AMY KLEIN
SUSAN LOEW
BARBARA LUNDY
BARBARA PURNELL
SHARON NAEOLE,
Director of Development
To the Editor:
One of the saddest consequences of an economic recession is an increase in the incidence of child neglect and abuse. A recent news report stated that the New Jersey state child abuse hotline received 6,185 complaints in March 2009, up from 5,104 in February and 5,070 in March of 2008.
There is a way to help. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Mercer County trains volunteer advocates to speak up in Family Court for the best interests of children in out-of-home placement. CASA of Mercer is actively seeking volunteer advocates, board members, and donors.
April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. CASA of Mercer is sponsoring the first annual Mark B. Levin Education Fund event, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30 at the Jewish Center of Princeton. The speaker will be Andrew Bridge, author of The New York Times bestseller Hope’s Boy, a memoir of his years in the foster care system. The event is free to the public.
Please join us for his message of inspiration. For more information, call CASA at (609) 434-0050 or visit www.casamercer.org.
KIM H. MILLAR, M.D.
Lake Drive
CASA of Mercer County Trustee