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Vol. LXII, No. 49
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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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Vol. LXII, No. 49
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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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LUCILLE B. GAIGNAULT
Bank Street
CATHY BYERS
Director of Public Relations & Communications
The Lewis School of Princeton
RHONA PORTER
Social Worker
Elm Court
ROBERT LANDAU
Landau Woolens
Nassau Street
To the Editor:
Well, consolidation certainly sounds like a grand idea: get rid of all those redundant entities and duplicate employees.
But wait. Would you consider marrying, with little chance of divorce, someone who owes you $2.5 million plus interest? Not likely! The debt, in the shuffle, would probably be “lost” or “forgiven.”
According to Roger Martindell’s excellent letter (Town Topics, November 19), this is the case between the debtor Township and the creditor Borough.
In fiscal matters, Borough taxpayers, owning 51 percent of Borough.
property, foot close to 100 percent of the tax bill. They are between a rock and a hard place, the rock being the apparently impoverished Township and the hard place being the apparently impoverished University.
There should be no further chatter about consolidation until all debts due the Borough are paid, with interest. Why team up with a deadbeat?
What is amazing is that, over the years, none of our elected officials has been able to remedy this matter!
LUCILLE B. GAIGNAULT
Bank Street
To the Editor:
Everyone who drives to and from Princeton during the holiday season is greeted with a radiant light that shines brightly against the nighttime sky; the word of its presence and message has spread near and far. The tradition, which began as a simple strand of a few hundred lights wrapped around a small Colorado spruce tree, has now developed into several thousand lights intricately wound around the branches of a Blue Norwegian spruce tree that stands nearly 30 feet tall in the schoolyard at 53 Bayard Lane.
The true meaning of The Lewis School’s Tree of Light has inspired people all over the world. Students are proud to explain to anyone who asks about the Tree that each light shines as symbols of hope and encouragement for learning-different persons like themselves. They point out that the Tree is not a Christmas tree; it has no star or decorations. It only has lights that shine for the more than 30 million Americans who are struggling with learning and literacy — those whose “Gifts and Great Promise” have never been recognized; those who have been left behind.
The Lewis School’s annual Tree of Light event has become so popular with families, friends, alumni, and the Princeton area community that our school can no longer comfortably accommodate the large crowd. In response to many suggestions, we have elected to move this year’s 35th annual Tree of Light to a new location, The Nassau Club of Princeton, at 6 Mercer Street. The celebration is slated for Friday, December 12, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Attendees can still expect the same traditions offered every year — gourmet foods and beverages, holiday concert, silent auction, and our newly added live auction. The Lewis School Choir, The Princeton University Nassoons and Tigerlilies, and the a cappella chorus Koleinu will provide live musical entertainment. Tickets to the celebration are $30 per person and are available for purchase at www.lewisschool.org.
The Tree Lighting, which is still free and open to the public, will immediately follow the Nassau Club event. We will light the Tree at approximately 9:30 p.m. at The Lewis School. Warm drinks and desserts will be served, but please dress warmly as we will not be going inside the school. Princeton native Matthew Pizzi, a 1995 Lewis alumnus and now vice president of an investment management firm in New York City, will be our honored speaker.
The Tree of Light is a celebration to be shared by all who care enough to want to affect change for the better in our world, especially in the lives of children who are our future. We look forward to seeing you all again this year.
CATHY BYERS
Director of Public Relations & Communications
The Lewis School of Princeton
To the Editor:
Elm Court’s dining room was filled to overflowing on Sunday, November 23, as 12 uniformed men and women from the Borough and Township Police Departments served the annual Thanksgiving dinner to more than 50 residents of the two senior apartment buildings on Elm Road.
The residents feasted on turkey with all the fixings, cranberry sauce, potatoes, vegetables, topped off with pumpkin pie and cakes, catered by Princeton Theological Seminary, with the men and women in blue as personal waiters and waitresses. And since some of the police personnel brought their children to help, the ages at the event ranged from 6 to 90+.
Among other helpers were board members of Princeton Community Housing, the sponsoring organization for both buildings; residents; their family members; and our always faithful staff. It was truly a community Thanksgiving.
RHONA PORTER
Social Worker
Elm Court
To the Editor:
Here is a suggestion that would instantly create additional parking for up to 500 cars each day in downtown Princeton — at little if any cost to the Borough. (Actually, it would generate revenue.)
Directly across the street from the still unfinished Spring Street Garage is a construction site that appears to be painfully inactive. It used to be a street level parking lot for almost 90 cars. Why not convert this site to temporary ground level parking? Although the temporary lot will not solve the downtown parking crisis, it would help, and anything that helps would be positive.
Any other suggestions? We must do something and we must do it quickly to counter the thoughtless approach to parking that the town seems to have accepted during this most challenging holiday season.
ROBERT LANDAU
Landau Woolens
Nassau Street