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Vol. LXV, No. 30
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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Vol. LXV, No. 30
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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Judith A. Wilson
Superintendent of PRSD
Jerome Silbergeld
Philip Drive
Thomas P. McCool
President and CEO, Eden Autism Services
Mike and Phyllis Suber
Terhune Road
Phyllis Teitelbaum
Hawthorne Avenue
Anne-Marie Maman
Moore Street
To the Editor
The Princeton Regional Board of Education and administration share the general concern about the importance of the determination for the future use of the old section of the district’s property on Valley Road which was raised by Ralph Perry’s letter in the July 13 Mailbox. Starting with public forums in October of 2006, working with architects through 2008, and more recently seeking to determine the current fair market value of the property and soliciting proposals from the public, the Board has worked tirelessly to engage in a process which serves the district, all taxpayers and the future general good of the community well.
The process is complex, as the building is physically connected to the newer part which houses school district administrative offices, storage and other much-needed facilities for the district’s use. Valuation of the old part of the building is further complicated by the building’s current zoning status.
It is the Board’s intention not to invest funds needed for our educational mission in the maintenance of the old section of this building. There are many possible uses for the property and strong community interest in the proposals that have been submitted. As we move forward, the Board will hold safety, financial stewardship, community vision, and the mission of the district foremost in its decision-making.
Judith A. Wilson
Superintendent of PRSD
To the Editor:
I’ve been pleased to read the letters recently submitted about the hazards of trying to walk across a street in downtown Princeton. When I moved here ten years ago, a colleague warned me against driving any way but slow and careful in Princeton; you can’t get away with anything he suggested. As the victim of a serious accident decades ago, I welcomed the image of the civilized (inhibited) Princeton driving habits he described. Unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out that way. Today, for the nth-time I came close to getting run down in a crosswalk on Nassau Street, right in front of the University. I saw it coming: a car continuing to speed up, to about 35-40 by the time it reached mid-block, about two feet away from me. If I hadn’t been familiar with the situation and paused in the middle of the street for him, I wouldn’t be writing this. At the last second, fed up with this kind of freewheeling, I swung my book bag and banged the rear of his car — not a good idea, I confess, but he never slowed down anyhow.
What happened next was the surprising part. An officer in an unmarked car pulled up next to me and advised me of my misdeed. He was thoughtful, polite, and clearly sympathetic. The driver probably didn’t see me, he said; if he didn’t, I said, then he certainly didn’t belong behind a wheel. He could chase the driver down, the officer said, and I could file a complaint, but then so could the driver. “OK, go for it,” I said. But what surprised me was this: my offense, the officer said, would be “criminal” whereas the driver’s offense was only a ticketable traffic charge. Besides, he missed and I didn’t. At that point I chickened out, I’m sorry to say. So here’s the bottom line: banging your book bag on a vehicle barreling down on you is a more serious offense than aiming your two-ton speeding vehicle at a pedestrian in a Princeton crosswalk. Go figure.
Jerome Silbergeld
Philip Drive
To the Editor:
On behalf of Eden Autism Services, and the individuals with autism whom we serve, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks for the generosity of our community. On July 17 Eden held its 8th annual Eden Autism 5K Race and one-mile Fun Run in the Princeton Forrestal Village, the location of Eden’s new model autism school and national headquarters scheduled to open this fall. I am thrilled to announce that we have broken our fundraising record for this event with $125,000 in net proceeds.
Special thanks to Munich Re and Tony Kuczinski, President and CEO of Munich Reinsurance America, for its primary sponsorship of the race; Curt Emmich of Princeton Forrestal Center, who served as race director; the 23 major sponsors and 23 in-kind sponsors; and the many other individuals and businesses who contributed goods and services to our event.
We are deeply grateful to the dedicated Eden Autism 5K steering committee that helped plan this outstanding event; the many volunteers, without whom this event would not be possible; and to the walkers and runners who participated in the race and Fun Run. The funds raised will help Eden continue its mission of improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families.
Thomas P. McCool
President and CEO, Eden Autism Services
To the Editor:
How would you like to have only about two quarts of trash to dispose of each week, all the rest going to recycle or compost? Sign up for the Princeton Township composting program. It’s good for the environment AND will probably cost less than your present trash collection system.
The green and yellow County recycle bins are still used for cans, bottles, and most of your paper/cardboard. But the new green closed wheeled container is for anything organic: all kitchen scraps (including fish/meat), paper towels, weeds and small branches, cotton fabric, odds and ends of paper, and many other things. If it grows, it goes to a commercial composting facility!
Our experience has been that, with this new program, our two-person household typically discards only about one or two quarts of household material into the black wheeled trash container each week. This is both economical and ecologically sound.
For more complete information, we urge you to contact Janet Pellichero in Princeton Township Public Works; she is a very helpful source of information about the program. She can be reached at (609) 688-2566 ext. 1478 or jpel
lichero@princeton-township.nj.us. It would be wonderful if entire streets and neighborhoods would sign up for the program. We highly recommend it!
Mike and Phyllis Suber
Terhune Road
To the Editor:
In considering the possible consolidation of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, some people are making the mistake of thinking that there would be large savings. In fact, there would not be large savings. $3.1 million sounds like a lot. But the projected number may not materialize. And even if it does, the savings to the individual taxpayer would be negligible — just a few hundred dollars a year, approximately 2-3 percent of an individual’s property taxes. In addition, the projected savings would not occur for three years. Moreover, almost $2 million would have to be paid as the costs of consolidation unless the state of New Jersey decided to pay these costs; given the state’s budget situation, that seems very unlikely.
So if you think consolidation would create large savings, think again. It wouldn’t.
Think instead about the major disadvantages that would occur to yourself, if you live in the Borough, or to your Borough friends and neighbors, if you live in the Township. Borough voters would be outvoted because there are two Township voters for every Borough voter. Since all positions on the new Council would be at-large, it is likely that all or almost all of the positions would be filled by Township residents. Decisions about everything that affects Borough residents would be made by Township representatives. Ordinances could be kept the same for five years, but it is the new Council that would decide whether to keep them.
This truly would be what Americans dread, taxation without representation. It would not be consolidation. It would be a takeover of the Borough by the Township.
I have many friends who happen to live in the Township. I am certain that they would not want Borough residents to lose their representation. And I am sure that Borough residents would not want to lose their voting power, particularly when the claimed advantage of consolidation — tax savings — is negligible.
Phyllis Teitelbaum
Hawthorne Avenue
To the Editor:
I would like to encourage residents of Princeton to consider hosting a Fresh Air Fund child this summer — or next. Our Fresh Air Fund child, a 7-year-old boy from the Bronx, just completed a 12 day stay with us. Together we went to the pool, played in the back yard, visited the aquarium, and we took him on his first ever visit to the beach. The children also spent a week in nature camp at the Watershed catching bugs and frogs, getting dirty, and having fun. Although he (and we) had a wonderful time, it saddens me to think that there are many more children stuck in New York City for the summer without the benefit of running in the grass and playing in a pool. The Princeton community has so much to offer. I encourage you to think about how you can reach out to a child who is not as fortunate. The Fresh Air Fund is still looking for host families for this summer. If that doesn’t work for your summer plans, please consider hosting a child next summer. You can contact them through their website.
Anne-Marie Maman
Moore Street