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Echoes of "Acoustic Terrorism" Heard From Eating Clubs to Humbert Street

PATRICIA CRONE
Humbert Street

His Opposition to Overdevelopment Commends Freda for Borough Council

JENNY CRUMILLER
Library Place

Planning Board, Township Committee Understand Value of Senior Housing

WALTER EMMERICH
Dodds Lane

Expansion of Arts Council Building Would Rebuke Town's Segregated Past

CLAIRE R. JACOBUS
Cleveland Lane

Supporter Cites Neumann's Concern For Affordability of Borough Living

GAIL JOHNSON
Leigh Avenue

Proposed Nightclub on Birch Avenue Deemed Inappropriate by Neighbors

JEFFREY and NATALIE LeTOURNEAUX
Leigh Avenue
I.L. NEWLAN
Birch Avenue
EARL McQUEEN JR.
Birch Avenue
DEAN BOYER
Birch Avenue
PENNY BASKERVILLE
Birch Avenue
ALVIN McGOWAN
Leigh Avenue
MR. and MRS. RON LESSARD
Birch Avenue
MR. and MRS. J. TRAVIS WEBBER
Birch Avenue

Incidence of Lyme Disease Cases Unaffected by Reducing Deer Herd

FRED METZLER
Brookside

PHS Parents Praise Post Prom Party And Thank Sponsoring Organizations

JULIE RAUCH
HOLLY HOLCOMBE
Princeton High School PTO Co-Presidents

Arts Council Acknowledges Sponsors Who Helped Communiversity Succeed

JANET STERN
Program Director, Arts Council of Princeton

Senior Resource Center Complimented On Its Festive Derby Day Fund-Raiser

PHYLLIS and MIKE SUBER
Terhune Road

New Jersey Will Discourage New Jobs Unless Tax Provision Is Reinstated

JOAN VERPLANCK
President, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
Trenton

Echoes of "Acoustic Terrorism" Heard From Eating Clubs to Humbert Street

To the Editor:

Judith and Andrew Budwig voiced the feelings of many exasperated townies in their letter last week (Town Topics, May 5). From ten in the morning till six in the evening those of us who live in town were subjected to an aural assault so violent last weekend that we could neither work nor relax, listen to our own music or work in our gardens, go to the library, read, sleep or do anything else we might have planned to do on that day.

The University in its wisdom had decided that while ordinary humans are free to do what they want as long as it does not harm anyone else, students are free to do what they like whatever damage it may inflict on other people, in whatever numbers. By all means let them have parties. But disco music belongs in a disco, not in the open, and not at decibel levels so high that there is no way of escaping the excruciating noise in either the public space or one's own private home. On what grounds are we being forcefed? As the Budwigs say, it is not just one weekend a year. Acoustic terrorism is on the rise.

PATRICIA CRONE
Humbert Street

His Opposition to Overdevelopment Commends Freda for Borough Council

To the Editor:

Now that the downtown garage project is well underway, I would like to look ahead and hope that we can preserve the remaining old-fashioned character and appeal of our town. I would also like to hope for an end to gut-wrenching news about property tax increases. That is why I support Mark Freda for Princeton Borough Council in the upcoming Democratic Primary election.

Mr. Freda spoke out against the garage development, and he is the only Democratic candidate who questions the justification for building the third grocery store/apartment building on the parking lot next to the Record Exchange. He is the voice of reason.

I doubt a grocery store with garage-only parking in that location can last as a viable business. But besides the potential for failure and disappointment with that particular project, the Borough's recent fall into crushing indebtedness is clearly a signal for a change in thinking about financial matters. Mr. Freda has the new perspective we need on the Council. He has spoken thoughtfully against overdevelopment, a concern shared by many Borough residents which needs representation on the Council. He is willing to engage the public with an open mind for better decisions. For example, his idea for prioritizing Borough services through public input is a practical idea for improving the budget process. I am confident that he is the best candidate.

JENNY CRUMILLER
Library Place

Planning Board, Township Committee Understand Value of Senior Housing

To the Editor:

In his recent letter (Town Topics, April 21), Charles DiSanto ignores the fact that the approved sites on Princeton Ridge offer the only possibilities for senior housing in Princeton on a significant scale in the foreseeable future.

Senior housing will encourage seniors to stay in Princeton, to its benefit. Princeton seniors serve the community through volunteer activities; by moving into senior housing, they can continue to contribute to Princeton's private economy and tax base. Contrary to Mr. DiSanto's letter, Township Committee and the Regional Planning Board are to be commended for recognizing that senior housing offers important social and economic benefits to the Princeton community.

WALTER EMMERICH
Dodds Lane

Expansion of Arts Council Building Would Rebuke Town's Segregated Past

To the Editor:

I write in support of the application of the Arts Council of Princeton for an expanded building. This institution has enriched the community in many ways, and needs expansion because of the breadth of its programs and the depth of quality it desires to bring to them.

It is very difficult now to imagine the reason the building originally existed – because there was no other space the African-American community could use for celebration or social events other than church. Because Princeton was segregated.

What more fitting rebuke to that past could there be than an expanded 21st century Arts Council, diverse in its programs and in its patrons, open to all and educating us culturally and aesthetically?

To deny it this opportunity is to deny us all the opportunity to move forward together, and the reasons for that denial will be as bitter and as difficult and as ugly as the past we need to overcome.

CLAIRE R. JACOBUS
Cleveland Lane

Supporter Cites Neumann's Concern For Affordability of Borough Living

To the Editor:

I want to recommend Anne Waldron Neumann, one of four Democratic candidates for Borough Council in the upcoming primary. She has practical ideas about making Princeton more affordable to live in and shop in, and she says clearly what her ideas are. I know her to be a person of integrity with a good understanding of the issues facing the John Witherspoon neighborhood.

I am impressed that Ms. Neumann is running on concrete issues of property taxes and the affordability of living in and aging in Princeton. She is not in the Borough Council race because of ego but because she genuinely wants to serve Princeton. It is rare to find an individual who really cares about the good of the whole town and Anne Waldron Neumann will make an excellent and conscientious Borough Council member.

GAIL JOHNSON
Leigh Avenue

Proposed Nightclub on Birch Avenue Deemed Inappropriate by Neighbors

To the Editor:

Many of us who live near Mike's Tavern are very concerned about the impact that the proposed new nightclub will have on our neighborhood. More than 25 residents attended the community meeting that Stephen Distler held and a good number attended the hearing before the Zoning Board to express our concerns.

Although the proposed nightclub will continue to be a bar, the addition of food and music with as many as 150 patrons plus employees for lunch and two evening shows makes it an entirely different animal. The additional traffic, noise from patrons coming and leaving late at night, delivery and garbage trucks will have a significant impact on our neighborhood. While we are delighted that someone is planning to upgrade the appearance of the site, we would have preferred to see a less intense use, such as a retail store. We are concerned for all the children on our street who will have to deal with the increased traffic as well as the elderly residents whose sleep will surely be disturbed.

We regret that we were unable to persuade the Zoning Board that this proposed use is totally out of scale for this neighborhood, and we look forward to addressing issues such as parking and traffic at the time of the site plan review.

JEFFREY and NATALIE LeTOURNEAUX
Leigh Avenue
I.L. NEWLAN
Birch Avenue
EARL McQUEEN JR.
Birch Avenue
DEAN BOYER
Birch Avenue
PENNY BASKERVILLE
Birch Avenue
ALVIN McGOWAN
Leigh Avenue
MR. and MRS. RON LESSARD
Birch Avenue
MR. and MRS. J. TRAVIS WEBBER
Birch Avenue

Incidence of Lyme Disease Cases Unaffected by Reducing Deer Herd

To the Editor:

A New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife report (Efforts to Manage the White-tailed Deer of Princeton Township) incorrectly credits "a perceived connection between deer numbers and Lyme disease" for lessening Princeton opposition to killing deer – a perception carefully nurtured by members of Princeton's deer committee. Directly and by inference, hunt proponents continue erroneously to link killing deer to limiting the disease.

Letters to the editor repeat the false charge, and the press reports those charges, until, finally, misinformation becomes accepted fact.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, risk factors for acquiring Lyme disease include living in rural areas, participating in brush clearing activities from June through August, and the presence of woods or rock walls on residential property.

The number of ticks in endemic residential areas may be reduced by removing leaf litter, brush, and wood piles around houses; and by clearing trees and brush to admit more sunlight and reduce the amount of suitable habitat for rodents and ticks.

Lyme Disease simply does not decrease with fewer deer. In fact, studies have shown that it actually increases, since the ticks are more likely to ride on humans when they can't find deer or other wildlife to live on. If the cases of Lyme have dropped, it is from people actively protecting themselves from ticks, and from better diagnostic methods. In the past, many illnesses reported as Lyme Disease were not Lyme at all.

In 1993 James Blumenstock, Director of New Jersey Consumer Health Services, told the Assembly Environment Committee that there is no significant relationship between deer population control efforts and the level of ticks and the incidence of Lyme disease, because nymphs, a stage of the tick responsible for most confirmed cases, get their blood meals on the white-footed mouse – not deer. Adult ticks will adapt. If deer are killed or removed from the area, ticks will seek alternative hosts.

Director Blumenstock recommended that ecological control efforts be targeted at reducing tick populations, thereby controlling the vector, not the host.

Even the American Lyme Disease Foundation does not recommend killing deer as a way to control Lyme Disease.

FRED METZLER
Brookside

PHS Parents Praise Post Prom Party And Thank Sponsoring Organizations

To The Editor:

On behalf of the more than 400 Princeton High School students who enjoyed this year's alcohol-free Post Prom Party, we would like to thank the many members of the Princeton and Cranbury communities who helped make it possible. Through community donations of more than $7,000, numerous gifts and many volunteer hours, the students who stopped by after the prom continued to have fun for several more hours in a safe environment.

Special thanks to fundraising coordinators Okhee Hyon and Suzanne Carroll, entertainment chair Gail Hyman, refreshments chairs Barbara Lee and Ann Mann, decorations co-chairs Diane Golomb and Cindy Susan, prize coordinators Susan Anable and Kim Gengel, and volunteer contact Monica Vildostegui and their scores of enthusiastic volunteers. We appreciate the late night enthusiasm of PHS Principal Gary Snyder, Vice Principal Harvey Highland, Director of Guidance Lynn O'Grady, and Guidance Counselor Patti Lieberman, faculty-member Joyce Jones, and staff member Nick Cream. Custodial staff members Mike Hendrickson, Elie Desinor, George Weigand, and Walt Grear were invaluable members of the team.

Many Princeton and Cranbury merchants and organizations gave generous support to this community-wide effort and we thank Alchemist and Barrister, Alliance Homes, American Sew and Vac, Annex Restaurant, Ari Products, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Bowhe & Peare, Bucks County Coffee, Chazmatazz Formal Wear, Chuck's Spring Street Café, A.S. Cole Son and Company, Corner House, Cranbury Arts Council, Cranbury FOB Lodge, Cranbury Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Cranbury Lions Club, Cranbury Pizza, Cranbury Paint and Hardware, Cranbury Inn, Cranbury Lion's Club, Ferry House Restaurant, Flower Market, George's Roasters and Ribs, Forest Jewelers, Halo Farm, Hedy Shephard, Hillier Group, Hinkson's, Hoagie Haven, Image Photo, Ivy Garden, J. McLaughlin, Jay's Cycles, Jordan's, Judy's Flowers, Junction Barber Shop, Kitchen Kapers, Kopp's Cycle Shop, La Jolie Salon, Long Motors, Luttman's Luggage, Main Street, Mandalay Trading Company, McCaffrey's, McCarter Theater, Micawber Books, Momentum Fitness, Olive's, The Papery of Princeton, PNC Bank, Princeton Alcohol and Drug Alliance, Princeton BMW, Princeton Car Wash, Princeton Video, Quiznos Subs, ShopRite, Starbuck's, Showcase and Multiplex Cinema, Teresa's, Thomas Sweet, Victor's Pizzeria, Village Haircutters, Wegmans, Wild Oats, and Winged Pig.

Great communities make great schools. Thanks to the Princeton and Cranbury communities and to all of those mentioned above and any others we may have inadvertently omitted. An event of this type is truly the work of many hands, and we are grateful for each and every one of them. Thank you one and all.

JULIE RAUCH
HOLLY HOLCOMBE
Princeton High School PTO Co-Presidents

Arts Council Acknowledges Sponsors Who Helped Communiversity Succeed

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Arts Council of Princeton, I want to express our gratitude to everyone-performers, vendors, nonprofits, Princeton University students, volunteers, and especially our more than 10,000 visitors who helped to make Communiversity 2004 such a spectacular event.

When the Arts Council and the Princeton University undergraduates plan Communiversity each year, this is the kind of day we picture – sparkling weather, jam-packed streets, dazzling performers, people of all ages crowded around the booths, long lines at the food stalls, and every face sporting a smile, face paint, or both.

These are the groups and individuals without whom this wonderful day could not have happened: Princeton Borough Police Department; Princeton Fire Department; Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad; Princeton Regional Health Department; Lea Quinty; Wayne Carr and his staff; all of the artists, crafters, local merchants and nonprofits; Jim and Lisa Levine; all of our volunteers; the performers; the staff and Board of Trustees of the Arts Council; our event planners, kma events, LLC; and all of our corporate sponsors/donors: Miele, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tyco International (US) Inc., The Times, Fleet Bank, Patriot Media, PNC Bank/PNC Advisors, Triumph Brewing Company, Weichert Realtors, PDQ Press, Princeton Fuel Oil Co., Smith, Stratton, Wise, Heher & Brennan, LLP, Arlington Capital Mortgage, Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Commerce Bank, Palmer Square Management, Panera Bread, Princeton Real Estate Group, LLC, Alchemist and Barrister, and Nassau Street Seafood & Produce Company.

But thank you also to everyone who came to downtown Princeton on Saturday. Whether as a participant in the event, a sponsor, or a visitor, you helped to make it a Communiversity to remember.

JANET STERN
Program Director, Arts Council of Princeton

Senior Resource Center Complimented On Its Festive Derby Day Fund-Raiser

To the Editor:

What a delightful fund-raiser the Suzanne Patterson Senior Resource Center held on May 1. The Derby Day gala was a festive event, with many attendees dressed in "garden party" attire, including elegant straw hats. There was fine food and drink, and wonderful Dixieland music by a live quartet. The Kentucky Derby was shown on a large screen for all to see, and it was exciting even for us non-horserace aficionados. Great prizes went to some of those who had bet on the win, place and show horses. (All money bet went to the Senior Center.)

Congratulations to the co-chairs and their committee for giving us the opportunity to have such fun while supporting a good cause. We look forward to next year's Derby Day.

PHYLLIS and MIKE SUBER
Terhune Road

New Jersey Will Discourage New Jobs Unless Tax Provision Is Reinstated

To the Editor:

For the last two years, New Jersey has been one of three states to discourage job growth by suspending the Net Operating Loss (NOL) provision in the state's tax code. Now, the state is threatening to renege on its promise to reinstate the NOL provision, seeking another suspension. This could have a devastating impact on the state's economy. If the suspension continues, the Garden State will be the only state not to offer job providers NOL access.

New companies, high-tech startups, or established companies introducing new lines usually experience losses before their ventures prove profitable. The NOL provision allows businesses to stay afloat, creating jobs and improving the economy.

Suspension of the NOL disproportionately hurts small businesses that depend on the provision in their critical early years. As a result, many of them will have to think twice before hiring or expanding, and others may go out of business altogether. Entrepreneurs may refrain from starting their businesses here and instead bring their ideas to states that encourage innovation and risk taking. By suspending the NOL we may be forcing tomorrow's Microsoft or Starbucks to create jobs and ratables elsewhere.

When the NOL suspension was originally proposed, business people were assured that it would only be for two years. Legislators need to remember that there's honor in promises kept, dishonor in promises broken.

JOAN VERPLANCK
President, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
Trenton

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