Princeton is a very fortunate community in many ways. Among its unique pleasures and treasures are the numerous parks and woodlands situated throughout the community. Quarry Park, Barbara Boggs Sigmund Park, Barbara Smoyer Memorial Park, Herrontown Woods, Hilltop Park, Turning Basin Park, Maggie’s Park, Harrison Street Park these are just a sampling. There are more than 50, and many remain well-kept secrets to a lot of residents. The parks offer a range of activities, from hiking and bird-watching to cycling and canoeing to soccer, baseball, basketball, and ice skating. Some are tiny pocket parks, tucked in among the downtown streets; others offer wide expanses of open space or woodlands. Many are owned by the Borough or Township; others by the state, county, or private organizations.
Whether they are well-equipped recreation areas or undisturbed woodland tracts, they provide Princeton residents with a wonderful opportunity for exercise, relaxation, and enjoyment of the natural world around us. Their more than 2000 acres are an unparalleled resource. But those 2000 acres require continuing upkeep, maintenance, and preservation. Municipal departments, such as Public Works, Engineering, Recreation, and appointed bodies including the Shade Tree Commission and the Environmental Commission oversee some aspects of the parks’ needs, but none has the parks’ well-being as its total responsibility, points out Borough Councilman Andrew Koontz.
Central Park
“Coming onto Borough Council, I pretty quickly began to realize there was no real department within the Borough whose sole responsibility was for the parks. Parks were shared by a number of departments principally engaged in other things, and there was no appointed body for them.” Mr. Koontz, who had attended New York University in New York, is a fan of parks, and had been impressed with improvements to Central Park in New York and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. “I noticed that the Central Park Conservancy had come into its own, and I saw what they could do. Prospect Park was even bigger and had an even bigger turn around. When I came to Princeton in 1994, I walked the parks, and saw that they had been neglected. I wanted to do something.”
Enter Princeton Parks Alliance, a non-profit organization, whose mission is to maintain and preserve Princeton’s parks. Established in 2005 by Mr. Koontz and others, including Polly Burlingham, vice-president, Peggy Karcher, treasurer, and board members Pam Hersh, Eric Tazelaar, and Craig Provorny, and Anne O’Neill, widow of the late Joseph O’Neill, former Mayor of Princeton Borough, it focuses on raising money and increasing public awareness of the need to safeguard the parks. “I thought of Polly right away,” says Mr. Koontz. “She had adopted the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Park, and it has become a model for what can be done.”
Unsung Heroes
Unsung heroes are the backbone of a community, and it is certainly true in the case of the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Park garden. Several years ago, it had lost much of its vitality, and was languishing. It took the sharp eye of a concerned citizen, who saw the opportunity to bring it back to life, and who was willing to invest the time and effort to make it happen. In 2000, Ms. Burlingham, Master Gardener and now Shade Tree Commission Chair, took it upon herself to add color and beauty to the garden. She planted flowers and trees, watered them (at first without a hose, using garbage cans filled with water!), gradually obtaining donations from nurseries and eventually the hands-on help of volunteers for planting and clean-up. The Borough donated mulch, and the Public Works Department has been helpful in delivering it, and also in mowing the park and hooking up the water. They do the heavier work, says Ms. Burlingham. This park, of course, is just one of many. Educating neighbors about all the parks and encouraging community participation as well as raising money through grants and contributions are major issues for the Alliance. “The way the Alliance can work best is not just as an organization raising money, but as an advocate,” notes Mr. Koontz. “Having interested people speak up on behalf of the parks and the need to preserve them is important.”
“We want to get more community volunteers in the parks and show people how the parks can thrive with volunteers,” adds Ms. Burlingham. “There have been several clean-ups with community participation, but it must be on-going. We have done clean-ups at the Harrison Street Park, but there are still drainage problems; there is old playground equipment that should be replaced, and it needs to become ADA- (American Disabilities Act) compliant, with accessible pathways for wheelchairs, etc. Work is underway in this park.”
Of course, money is crucial, and the Alliance has been successful in obtaining grants from the state and county, as well as raising money from corporations, institutions, and individuals.
Skate Boards
“Our first project was to realize Mayor O’Neill’s dream to illuminate the Battle Monument,” continues Mr. Koontz. “Fund-raising help for this came from volunteers.”
“We have also been working with the Recreation Department for a skate board area in the Hilltop Park on Bunn Drive,” says Ms. Burlingham. “Funding for the Skatepark is from the county, and this is underway. There are already other playing fields there. This area will be specifically for skate boards. Also, the Alliance will raise money for landscaping around the park.”
“Parks can be for active recreation, such as ball fields for team sports, or passive recreation for taking a walk, enjoying the scenery, sitting on a bench, or having a picnic,” adds Mr. Koontz. Those that are designated for team sports are under the jurisdiction of the Recreation Department, which is a joint Borough/Township agency.
Members of the board of Princeton Parks Alliance meet once a month to discuss plans, says Mr. Koontz. “People bring up new ideas, and we build an agenda. We regularly walk the parks. We’ve gotten strong support from The Borough, and from Kevin Wilkes, who is an important advisor for us. Brian Hughes, the County Executive, has been extremely helpful. He created a grant program, ‘Mercer At Play’, which is helping us with the skatepark, and that program also helped with rehabilitation of Potts Park.”
Despite the hard work and at times, daunting challenges, Mr. Koontz and Ms. Burlingham are optimistic. “The Monument lighting was accomplished; working in conjunction with the Borough, the Pine Street Park has been completely rehabilitated. Potts Park has all new playground equipment and is soon to be ADA-compliant, and we have added hanging baskets along Nassau Street. Now, we hope to rehabilitate Mary Moss Park on John Street.”
All of these improvements take dedication, commitment, and vigilance. The condition of the parks must be continually evaluated. “One of the things to be aware of is that not addressing drainage problems and untended trees doesn’t mean you are saving money,” explains Mr. Koontz. “Originally, I saw benign neglect. But benign neglect in parks is not benign. Drainage problems and untended trees will become an over-riding problem. If this is not dealt with, it will invade nearby properties. The Township has added a lot of parks with trees, and they will need to be maintained and cleaned up.
“Then, there is the matter of ADA-compliance, which could lead to liability issues. The problems continue to grow. Right now, I want to see us really get into the Harrison Street Park, rehabilitate it, and see it used. This is about to happen. You want to be able to walk through it, and say, ‘This is a nice spot.’
“We keep returning to the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Park ‘Polly’s Park’” he continues. “Seeing all the color in the spring is beautiful There was a recent clean-up there on Mother’s Day, and many volunteers participated.”
“I’m so excited that my park can be an example and trigger enthusiasm for other people,” says Ms. Burlingham. “They can see how successful we’ve been and see how the community can make a difference. I hope that more public awareness will come out of this, that people know there is an advocacy group that will help them get involved, whether they send a check or are hands-on volunteers in maintaining the park. We want to beautify Princeton one park at a time!”
Adds Mr. Koontz: “The biggest challenge is (1) finding people like Polly with the combination of skills and enthusiasm, and (2) money. Small parks might need something like $10,000; with a big park, such as Harrison Street, it could be more like $400,000. “I am encouraged, however. It’s important for the community to have these parks, and I don’t think there was a finer moment than when the lights went on at the Monument.”