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Downtown Stores Invited to Request Flyers Promoting New Parking Garage

ROBERT BRUSCHI
Administrator, Borough of Princeton

University Should Restrain Students Responsible for "Acoustic Terrorism"

JUDITH and ANDREW BUDWIG
Jefferson Road

Arts Council Building's Significance Justifies Plan for Its Improvement

CONSUELO B. CAMPBELL
Leigh Avenue

Council Candidacies of Freda, Koontz Earn Their Supporters' Endorsements (2 letters)

TINA CLEMENT
Vandeventer Avenue

SUSAN HOCKADAY JONES
Fitzrandolph Road

Survey of Arts Council Neighborhood Finds Ways to Accommodate Expansion

LEN NEWTON
Dempsey Avenue

Democratic Party Has Compromised Borough Council Primary Election

DAVID SCHRAYER
Spruce Street

Pedestrian Safety Ideas Sought Again By Borough Transportation Committee

SANDY SOLOMON
PHYLLIS TEITELBAUM
JOE CAPALBO
Borough Traffic and Transportation Committee

Overdue Street Repairs in Township Traced to "Unreal" Budget Priorities

WILLIAM STEPHENSON
Governors Lane

Downtown Stores Invited to Request Flyers Promoting New Parking Garage

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Borough of Princeton, I want to thank all of the downtown merchants and business owners who came out for the Merchant Tours of the new parking garage recently. It was a terrific turnout and we appreciated everyone coming.

It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to answer questions, tour the garage, and distribute informational counter signs and promotional flyers about the new garage and Smart Card.

The downtown merchants are a vital part of our community and forging a partnership with them to get the message out about the availability and ease of parking in the downtown is very important to us.

Any merchant or business interested in getting informational counter signs and promotional flyers about the garage and Smart Card should contact me at (609) 497-7622 or at rwbruschi@princetonboro.org, and the information will be delivered to their business.

ROBERT BRUSCHI
Administrator, Borough of Princeton

University Should Restrain Students Responsible for "Acoustic Terrorism"

To the Editor:

The eating clubs of Princeton University had beautiful weather for their House Party Weekend. What we do not understand is why the University and its president, Ms. Tilghman, allow the residents of Princeton Borough and Township to be subjected to such aural assault. Students' music of choice filled the air westward all the way to Valley Road.

Why does it fall on the shoulders of the Borough Police to field complaints and monitor the behavior of these young women and men? What are we teaching these students about consideration, good citizenship, and power?

It's not just the one weekend per year, but several occasions that give rise to such acoustic terrorism. This is outrageous and we hope the University will pay attention in the future.

JUDITH and ANDREW BUDWIG
Jefferson Road

Arts Council Building's Significance Justifies Plan for Its Improvement

To the Editor:

There are two sides to every penny.

Last Sunday, while worshipping at the Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, my attention was called to a claim that the improvement plans of the Arts Council of Princeton present a detriment to my church.

I question the truth and validity of that claim. Can someone explain to me what harm would come to my church if the Arts Council improves its building?

As a member of the board of directors of the Arts Council, former chair of its Neighborhood Advisory Committee, and one who cherishes many fond memories and joyful times in the Arts Council building, I am unaware of any detriment that is presented.

Having spent practically my entire life as a resident of Princeton's historic African-American neighborhood, I understand the passion that this issue has raised among community residents. Many do not understand that the building at 102 Witherspoon Street was the only community facility that black Princetonians were allowed to visit (besides church) to enjoy social events. The building hosted wedding receptions, numerous dances, and meetings; in fact my own "Sweet Sixteen" party was held there. There is enormous love and respect for that building in our community.

The Arts Council's efforts to improve the building are not a detriment, but a benefit to the community. It is the only organization that will spend the money to keep the building and its history alive. What would happen to that corner and our beloved building if the Arts Council moves?

Of course there are some valid concerns about parking and traffic. The Arts Council has done its best to address them. It will offer free parking to those who come to the building for drop off and pick up, reduced rates for those taking classes, and parking vouchers for teachers and others who use the building. That doesn't mean there will be no impact, but it won't be as drastic as some have claimed.

The Arts Council has played a major role in the lives of many in our community. As chair of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee, I worked with the community to raise more than $12,000 for a young woman who needed funding for transportation and medication following her child's liver transplant. The Arts Council also provides scholarships and numerous programs for its neighbors.

We have all heard a lot about this issue, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to present the other side of the coin.

CONSUELO B. CAMPBELL
Leigh Avenue

Council Candidacies of Freda, Koontz Earn Their Supporters' Endorsements

To the Editor:

I would like to express my support for Mark Freda in the upcoming Princeton Democratic primary. While I see the other members of Council as well-meaning and caring individuals, I find the interactions between them as a group does not reflect what I feel are the views of the overall community.

We need our Council to be more practical in their vision for the community. Princeton Borough has many of the worst roads and yet the most impractical ideas being legislated that I am aware of. Jefferson and other roads waited for years to be repaired while other projects totally preoccupied the attention of the politicians. It was only after protest that the plight of Jefferson Road got noticed. Local politics shouldn't be this way. Roads should be fixed.

Mr. Freda has shown his concern about overdevelopment and growth. He listens to community-wide concerns about our future. Before we attempt to become a small city, we need to know what the people really want. His participation in our community from the Fire Company to the First Aid and Rescue Squad, and as a past member of Council, shows that he is in touch with our wants and our needs. He will lobby for a real consensus of all the people.

I know that he will hold strong in demanding that Princeton University begin paying its fair share of our tax burden. He started that process while he was on Council a decade ago. Let him finish and complement Joe O'Neill's present stance on negotiating with the University on behalf of the town.

We need a grassroots idea person on Council who reflects the views of the Princeton community, a practical person with a cool temperament who can bring community perspective and introduce good ideas in closed sessions. Mark Freda is that person. He will add a new dimension to the Council.

TINA CLEMENT
Vandeventer Avenue

To the Editor:

I am writing in support of Andrew Koontz as the Democratic candidate for Borough Council in the upcoming Primary Election on June 8.

In the next decade, our town will face some issues of extraordinary importance and complexity. These critical questions include further planning in the downtown area for business and housing, control of traffic, improving systems for parking and, of course, taxes. All of these matters will challenge the energy and ingenuity of our elected officials.

In the months since he was appointed to Joe O'Neill's seat on Borough Council, Andrew Koontz has shown an unbiased approach to learning about Princeton's problems and a willingness to work hard on their solutions. He is perceptive and sensitive to the needs of all groups involved in any large and complex project. He is especially interested in working on the problem of property taxes – a painful reality for many Princeton homeowners.

Mr. Koontz has made a great start in his first months on Borough Council and we should support his bid to continue.

SUSAN HOCKADAY JONES
Fitzrandolph Road

Survey of Arts Council Neighborhood Finds Ways to Accommodate Expansion

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the Witherspoon Jackson Neighborhood Association in conducting an in-depth survey of issues on the proposed expansion of the Paul Robeson Building at 102 Witherspoon Street. Thoughtful and enlightening responses to 33 varied and complex questions were received from almost 200 people.

The purpose of this survey was to determine the width and depth of John Witherspoon neighborhood opinion about the many aspects of the proposed expansion. Specific areas of focus were on the zoning restrictions for this site, on the impact on the neighborhood of parking and traffic, on "good neighbor" issues, on preservation of history, and on community participation/outreach associated with the Arts Council.

Contrary to some false or misleading reports, the focus of the survey was to find a way that The Arts Council of Princeton could remain at its current location. The survey reveals a number of ways that would lessen the negative impacts of an expansion in a district zoned for residential use, while allowing The Arts Council to fulfill its core mission and goals.

The organization's extensive effort, survey results, and supporting documentation will be discussed at an open meeting at the First Baptist Church on Saturday, May 8 at 9 a.m. All members of the Princeton community are welcome.

LEN NEWTON
Dempsey Avenue

Democratic Party Has Compromised Borough Council Primary Election

To the Editor:

In this age of partisan wrangling over election engineering and tales of ballot confusion and dangling chads, it isn't very comforting to discover that our local Democratic leadership is capable of similar feats of obfuscation.

What do you know, Princeton Borough elections have fallen into the hands of politicians! The Borough Municipal Party Chair, himself a candidate for Borough Council, and the County Democratic Chair have decided to make it harder for voters to find the names of two of the four Democratic candidates for Borough Council when we go into the voting booth for this year's primary. Those two candidates will not appear in the long column of Democratic office candidates where you would expect to see them. Instead, just two names, preferred by these politicians, will be listed with all the other federal, state and county Democratic candidates. And one of the candidates in this long column is the Borough Municipal Party Chair himself.

Our upcoming primary election has been compromised, not by partisan maneuvering but by the actions of the Democratic party itself. It seems that the party leadership has taken for granted a continued one-party representation on the Borough Council and feels that it can effectively appoint Council representatives by manipulating the ballot.

While their ballot formula may be legal, it is also wrong. Unfortunately for the Democratic leadership, Princeton voters won't be fooled or confused. I encourage them to join me in searching the ballot for the name of Mark Freda, Democrat for Council, the candidate who will best represent us in open government.

DAVID SCHRAYER
Spruce Street

Pedestrian Safety Ideas Sought Again By Borough Transportation Committee

To the Editor:

Disaster: the e-mail suggestions sent in by Princeton residents before March 15 about how to improve pedestrian safety in Princeton were totally erased as the result of a computer glitch. We have been trying to recover the e-mails, without success. So many of the e-mails were full of thoughtful suggestions that we want to be able to cite specific recommendations in our written report to Borough Council.

Would those of you who sent e-mails before March 15 please resend your comments to tandtcommittee @hotmail.com. We're so sorry to bother you with this.

Thanks again for your help.

SANDY SOLOMON
PHYLLIS TEITELBAUM
JOE CAPALBO
Borough Traffic and Transportation Committee

Overdue Street Repairs in Township Traced to "Unreal" Budget Priorities

To the Editor:

The fact that there is a pot hole "hot line" and a schedule of upcoming street repair in the recent Township newsletter should be encouraging, but it's not.

Our streets have become very hazardous not over one or two years, but over a decade. The problem is not street repair, but elected public servants who have priorities that seem to be unrelated to reality.

For example:

1. A deer herd that is a safety problem, but not nearly as hazardous as our streets, even if the deer were heavily armed.

2. An elaborate Township Municipal Complex that is less that 200 yards from axle-breaking pot holes on Terhune.

3. A new library budget that exceeds the budget of the old library by $491,000. It helps address crying needs such as a room where teenagers can watch more TV.

WILLIAM STEPHENSON
Governors Lane

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