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Vol. LXI, No. 40
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Wednesday, October 3, 2007
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Vol. LXI, No. 40
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Wednesday, October 3, 2007
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DANIEL A. HARRIS
Dodds Lane
NICHOLAS R. KARP
Boudinot Street
CHARLOTTE O'CONNELL
Chair, Princeton Traffic and Transportation Committee
NISHAT LEHMKUHL
Mountain Avenue
FRANK SETNICKY
Director of Operations
Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad
To the Editor:
Congratulations to The Whole Earth Center for its environmentally sensitive destruction/expansion into Judy’s Flower Shop, and to Town Topics for such an enlightened piece of reporting (Town Topics, September 26). Whole Earth has again set the standard for the Princeton community and the region. “Green” construction according to LEED principles (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and certification credits — whether for new building, renovations and additions, or other developments — must be the order of the day. Indeed, many architects are now progressing beyond the limits of the original LEED parameters.
If we think long-term, we can’t afford to do otherwise. I am certain I am not alone in hoping that Sustainable Princeton will incorporate a mandate for LEED principles into its planning. Borough Council and Township Committee should take adherence to LEED principles of construction into account when considering any development applications.
Borough and Township officials, already responsibly aware of the fragility of our planet and our local New Jersey systems, would do all of us a favor by educating the entire community in LEED principles and teaching us, and our builders, how to do our building better. If build-out and build-up are to continue, they must be sanely managed, with all the elements of the equations — cycles of materials, movements of people, heat and water, the land in its seasons — taken into account.
DANIEL A. HARRIS
Dodds Lane
To the Editor:
The upcoming election gives the voters of Princeton Borough a choice, between a manifestly incompetent local government and the promise of capable governance and accountability.
Linda Sipprelle, who is standing for the Princeton Borough Council, offers that promise. She has had a long and successful career in government service at a national level, possesses great energy and integrity, has the time to focus tenaciously on our issues, and provides a lucid and pragmatic approach to the challenges facing the Borough.
The alternative is to stay the course and read regularly about millions of dollars gone missing on sewer funds or decade-old infrastructure; about development projects stalled for years because the Council doesn’t have the time or savvy to move them along; about arrogant politicians deliberately structuring meetings to avoid public scrutiny; about a Mayor and Council in a continual Cold War with the Township, University, and downtown businesses; about a farcical, yearlong debate to determine library parking rates. Is this the quality of governance you expect for the eye-popping property taxes you pay?
Quality of life in Princeton should not be taken for granted. Taxes are driving most people and businesses that are not rich or associated with the University out of town. Gangs are here and growing. Ever-bigger trucks are rumbling on routes 206 and 27. The University, a major asset and partner in most respects, is nonetheless taking over ever larger parts of the Borough, marshaling vast resources that make it an increasingly overweight gorilla in negotiation, and foisting a disproportionate share of the tax burden on the rest of us.
It will take bright, capable, and dedicated local representatives to preserve and enhance the unique life that we have in Princeton. Linda Sipprelle offers us that opportunity. Please vote for her Tuesday, November 6.
NICHOLAS R. KARP
Boudinot Street
To the Editor:
The new connectors located at the intersection of U.S. 206 and Princeton Avenue/Cherry Valley Road are a step in the right direction of relieving intersection congestion on U.S. 206. However, a great number of motorists do not follow the traffic signs telling them how to make a left turn from 206 southbound onto Princeton Avenue east and from 206 northbound onto Cherry Valley Road westbound. The signage is clear and distinct in its color and straightforward in language.
Seeing the continual disregard for signage instructions, I would recommend that all persons applying for a New Jersey driver’s license be required to take a written and oral test designed to measure their ability to read and follow traffic signs. The Department of Motor Vehicles may have this authority without changing the law.
In the meantime, Montgomery Township and Princeton Township should crack down on these traffic violators. In so doing they will improve the traffic flow on U.S. 206.
CAPT. WARREN G. LEBACK
Skillman
To the Editor:
We were horrified to read (Town Topics, September 26) about the activities at Herrontown Woods Park.
Princeton’s parks are its treasures. Princeton and its surrounding communities are family communities; our parks have always been safe for families. They provide us beauty, tranquility, and beautiful natural surroundings.
We support our police department’s efforts to keep lewd behavior and sleaze out of our parks.
NISHAT LEHMKUHL
Mountain Avenue
To the Editor:
Last year, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services contracted a consultant to review the state’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. That report, publicly released last week, has generated headlines over unmonitored agencies and untrained personnel. Casual Princeton readers may infer that this is a universal phenomenon that could affect the quality of service they may receive. However, nothing is further from the truth.
In Princeton, Basic Life Support and technical rescue services are provided by the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad. Comprising four career officers and more than 50 volunteers, PFARS is an independent, non-profit organization. The Squad’s operations are overseen by our medical director, an emergency room physician with extensive experience in EMS education, and licensure by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Medical Services.
The high-quality service we provide is only as good as the training our members receive. Though the state requires an ambulance to be staffed with a minimum of two Emergency Medical Technicians, our policies require additional levels of training and certification including incident command, trauma management, and driver training.
The Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad and its members take immense pride in the service we provide because our friends, family, and neighbors in the community deserve it.
Just as the community relies on PFARS, our non-profit organization relies on the community to fulfill its mission. Financial contributions help support the daily operation of the Squad, but the true lifeblood of the organization comes from the members who work and volunteer here. All are dedicated to helping people in their time of need. We invite those in the community who are interested in joining to visit www.pfars.org or call (609) 924-3338.
FRANK SETNICKY
Director of Operations
Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad