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Vol. LXV, No. 34
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011
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Vol. LXV, No. 34
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011
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Martin Abschutz
Dayton
Sandra Jordan
Grover Avenue
Bill Kister
Princeton Kingston Road
Susan S. Thayer
Hulfish Street
Frances Reichl
Brooks Bend
Donald and Shari Black, Constance and Wen Fong, Susan Gorden, Ann Helene Iverson, John Kuhlthau, John Rassweiler
Allison Road
Marianne Grey
Patton Avenue
Charles Heckscher
Elm Road
Ken Fields
Linden Lane, Princeton (Borough)
Ralph Perry
Random Road
To the Editor
I am writing in reaction to Ellen Gilbert’s article in the August 17, 2011, issue of Town Topics (“Charter School Suit Is a Milestone”). The PIACS privately-funded lawsuit (called a petition in the article) is quite disingenuous in my mind. I see it as a smoke screen. PIACS’s inability to open in September 2011 solely was due to their ineptitude before the South Brunswick Zoning Board of Adjustment. As two examples, they did not have their traffic expert available on the day they knew traffic testimony was expected; they did not submit changes in their plans in a timely manner for the Zoning Board’s professionals to review them. There are many more instances of their ineptitude. Even though I am not a supporter, it was very hard to watch how poorly prepared they were.
It appears to me that the three school districts’ concerns relate to the health and safety of children who reside in their districts. Their concerns have been manifested as questions before the Zoning Board related to zoning issues; PIACS has not had many answers to date. Those issues seem proper to any independent observer. Finally, the only victims in this are the parents, guardians, and children who signed up for PIACS. They are victims of PIACS’s ineptitude and poor preparation before the South Brunswick Zoning Board and nothing else!
Martin Abschutz
Dayton
To the Editor:
I have just attended a Q and A (Question and Answer) session with the Princeton Regional Schools Board (PRS) and the committee to save the Valley Road Building (VRS-ARC). It was not too pleasant, for I felt some animosity from the board members, particularly Ms. Andrea Spalla, who asked questions in a very condescending tone, which I consider insulting, and Ms. [Rebecca] Cox, who quickly wrapped up the session without allowing the public (a full house) to comment or ask more questions regarding such an important issue.
The issue is the fate of the Valley Road School building.
Most of the school board members, with few exceptions, seem to have made up their minds and during the meeting showed some inconsistency with their questioning. The term “flip-flop” comes to my mind, as they emphatically said that they did not want anything to do with the building, they just wanted to own the land; however, they kept asking questions of VRS-ARC regarding the building, the fundraising, the tenants and their rents, etc. One query was completely out of touch, the repeated mantra “is the building safe?” If there is a safety issue, how come, in these times of litigation, the PRS has allowed a number of organizations to function there, non–profits such as the WIC program, Princeton Young Achievers, Corner House, Princeton Housing Authority, Princeton TV, occupy the building for over a decade?
I believe that the school board members have forgotten that though they are elected by the public to analyze and solve the issues, their position is temporary, and the schools belong to the town, so the taxpayers should have a say on this matter.
Tearing a building down is the opposite of being green. It is quite contradictory to promote recycling, reuse, compost, etc., and then tear down a building that could be restored to house non-profit organizations and a much needed community center. This not only affects the environment but also costs a lot of money to taxpayers while the VRS-ARC already have a list of potential donors and tenants anxious to occupy the building. The VRS-ARC has already submitted a comprehensive cost estimate to PRS.
The school board members should grant some courtesy to the public that elected them and find a way to start a referendum so the public can express its opinion.
Sandra Jordan
Grover Avenue
To the Editor:
The shortsightedness of our Borough and Township Council members never fails to amaze me. Do our public officials remember that many of our less fortunate, lower income fellow residents in the neighboring communities of the Community Pool are experiencing financial dislocation brought on by our representatives’ fiscal mismanagement that may force, and is forcing, many of these lifelong residents from their homes due to last year’s tax re-valuation?
Now our representatives who campaign on the wonderful benefits of a diverse community have the gall to approve a stainless steel pool built by an Italian company which costs $1.3 million more than a domestically manufactured pool, the decision based on cheaper maintenance costs. Granted the Italian economy is on the verge of collapse and we should be willing to participate in the benefits of our global economy, but the well-being of our lower income residents has been decimated by our own local greed. And let’s remember that once the hospital is razed and the multi-million dollar apartment complex goes up, our neighbors’ close knit and historic neighborhood will be history, too.
Here’s a thought on financing the lower cost pool that will allow funds to be set aside to provide real estate tax relief for the adjacent neighborhoods in need, cover the less expensive pool’s maintenance costs and still provide adequate funds for our public officials to sport the finest Italian swim wear at the ribbon cutting ceremony as they glow in this political achievement, thus guaranteeing their re-election.
I haven’t done the arithmetic, but there should be a way to re-use the recently appropriated $1.3 million surplus for the purchase of the Italian stainless steel pool, using instead half, or more, to purchase the present value of a guaranteed municipal investment contract from a AAA rated company to fund much of the maintenance of the lower cost pool over the ten-year maintenance period. Re-appropriate the difference, say $650,000, to subsidize the inflated real estate tax burden our council members have imposed on the neighborhoods adjacent to the pool. Everybody’s a winner; we help to maintain the future of our diverse community, and we still have one of the finest community pool complexes in New Jersey.
Bill Kister
Princeton Kingston Road
To the Editor:
With the turmoil in Washington and in the state governments, here in Princeton there is a fellowship of highly dedicated professionals who tend to the citizens, young and elderly, with compassion and expertise touched with the milk of human kindness. I am grateful for the town’s forces which helped save the life of my dear husband, who helped save our country in World War Two as a highly decorated pilot. So thank you “Our Town” for many acts of kindness, from the three Borough police officers, the Rescue Squad, the Senior Resource Center, the University Medical Center at Princeton ER, ICU, ICC, and the Acute Rehab Unit which was superb, and for the flowers sent from McCaffrey’s to the hospital. Having lived in Princeton for 50 years, raising a large family, we are filled with pride and gratitude for a town which cares for it’s people.
Susan S. Thayer
Hulfish Street
To the Editor:
The opportunity to observe the operations of government by the people who are your neighbors and mine has been an education I have recently been acquiring. I have been contributing to the effort by the group ( VRS-ARC) concerned with rehabilitating the Valley Road School as an affordable home for nonprofit organizations.
Through this participation I learned that decisions of consequence to the public are made without our knowledge, e.g., the Township and the Borough will pay for an addition (4,000 sq. ft.) to the Witherspoon Street Firehouse. This is, to quote the proposal made to the School Board, “Based upon discussions previously held with the Township and the Borough.” Who knew of these discussions?
Furthermore there is the issue of the cost for the larger 30,000 sq. ft. building that has been proposed. What will happen if the Princeton Fire and Rescue Squad and Corner House, can’t meet their obligations to pay the interest and principle on the bond (ca. $10,000,000)? Have other discussions of this issue also “been previously held”?
It’s often not easy to know what will be discussed at meetings of the various governmental bodies as the agendas are often not posted until a few hours before the actual meeting. Are there no regulations regarding the availability of information to the public in a timely fashion? Apparently not.
I have learned that the government of Princeton “thinks big” when it comes to space. Corner House, which presently occupies some 3,000 sq. ft. in the old Valley Road School, will be given 10,000 sq. ft. in the newly proposed building, over a threefold increase? The Rescue Squad goes from 4,500 sq. ft. to 20,000 sq. ft., more than a four fold increase. Is this reasonable?
Finally I have learned that when competing proposals are evaluated, the proponents are not held to the same standards. The School Board wants the right to reclaim the land but allow the building, or its replacement, to belong to someone else. This means that when they wish to have the land returned, the building must also be forfeited. The PFARS group proposed a 50-year renewable lease. This was accepted by the School Board, while this same Board pressed the VRS-ARC group to commit to a 20-25 year lease. Furthermore when the PFARS group finished its presentation, the Board called for a ten minute recess. When the meeting resumed there was no public discussion of the proposal. No one was even present from PFARS. Is this democracy Princeton style?
Frances Reichl
Brooks Bend
To the Editor:
Some of our fellow-citizens have a grand vision of tearing down the building and rebuilding a bigger structure for the use of a fire house, rescue and ambulance, and the Corner House. Such a grand undertaking would cost a minimum of $9 million which would no doubt require a bond issue that would sit on the shoulders of all of us taxpayers for 20 future years. All this seems extraordinary when we already have a couple of fairly new firehouses on Witherspoon and Harrison Streets. These existing facilities are very appropriately located for their functions. The rescue and firehouse buildings on Harrison Street are in a direct line with the new hospital across Route One.
Our school board, which controls the dispositions of Valley Road School Building, may find it the easy and convenient solution to let the Fire and Rescue Squad take over the building (and the lot). Easy for now, but irretrievable later. Once they take over the spot and build it to their scheme, the location is gone — gone indefinitely! Before our community gives up the location and the building, all of which puts a taxpayer burden of at least $9 million on us, the matter should be put to referendum or a vote.
The Valley Road School building is still sound. It is currently useful. It sits at a location that is appropriate for many community uses. To be sure, it needs some updating. An updating cost of $350,000 would make the building rentable for many non-profit community organizations. The high commercial rents in our town have driven away all but the most profitable businesses. The Committee for Adaptive Reuse has done a careful study and made an estimate that we should all examine. We should have a chance to raise $350,000 before we put a burden of over $9 million on our taxes for 20 future years!
Donald and Shari Black, Constance and Wen Fong, Susan Gorden, Ann Helene Iverson, John Kuhlthau, John Rassweiler
Allison Road
Marianne Grey
Patton Avenue
Charles Heckscher
Elm Road
To the Editor:
A letter in the August 17 issue of Town Topics mentions the possibility of establishing “advisory planning districts” should consolidation occur. In fact, these districts would have no actual power. They would be allowed to offer opinions to the Planning Board, and the Board would have to answer them. Not “agree’” or “compromise,” just “answer.” They are an exercise in community relations, not power sharing.
Had the Consolidation Commissioners wanted to empower neighborhoods, they would have established voting districts. Instead, they chose a form of government which will likely result in there being no representatives from Princeton Borough at all, let alone from any of its particular neighborhoods, on the Town Council, Planning Board, School Board, Recreation Board, or on any of the other advisory Boards which currently require representatives from both municipalities.
There are 2000 homes in the Borough, 5000 in the Township. The residents of the Jackson-Witherspoon or Linden Lane or Jefferson-Moore neighborhoods would have far less influence in a consolidated Princeton than they do now in Princeton Borough. Yina Moore’s candidacy surely attests to that, and I’m looking forward to seeing her as Borough mayor for many years, not just for the few months it would be with consolidation.
Ken Fields
Linden Lane, Princeton (Borough)
To the Editor:
Granted that the school system’s mission is to educate and not be distracted by being a landlord, there is a win-win solution if we all start thinking out of the box and in terms of what is good for every one in Princeton. Do not sell the building to the Township yet. They will demolish the building and spend $8-10 million to build a new one. All that is required is for the Board of Education to trade about 2-3 acres of land it now uses to park school buses in the back of the VRS building with similar space in the township. Surely the Township can find a small tract of land in Princeton, that is much more suitable for parking buses than the unmaneuverable space used now.
If this can be achieved, everyone’s dream can come through at less than half the above cost. The cost to the taxpayer will be less than half the current plan and probably even less when the non profit organizations, including TV 30, will pay rent for using space in the new Community Center.
The New Plan, to be executed as soon as the land swap deal is agreed upon and the building is sold to the Township is:
1. Rehabilitate and preserve the Historical VRS building.
2. Expand the back of the building, only on its right side. This could add about 5000 sq. ft. of space to the current 25,000 sq. ft. of VRS.
3. Add the 4000 sq. ft. for the Fire Dept. as planned.
4. Build out the front of the VRS building toward Valley Rd. as planned, for PFARS, but first determine in open hearings if they need to quadruple their space from the 4500 sq. ft., they now use, to 20,000 sq. ft. or maybe doubling their space to, say 10,000 sq. ft. is sufficient.
5. Open a study to determine Corner House’s needs. Do they need to triple their current space from 3000 sq. ft to 10,000 sq. ft.; maybe doubling their space to 6000 sq. ft. is all that is needed. If consolidation is approved they probably will move to the Borough, requiring zero space in VRS building.
6. Carve out an area, say 8-9000 sq. ft. in the VRS building to start the operations of the proposed Community Center for non profit organizations.
7. Leave TV 30 operations in place and in all future plans.
Finally, if we all work together in the open and continue to remember that whatever is done should benefit all the people of Princeton, we can achieve all of these goals at the least cost to the taxpayer.
Ralph Perry
Random Road