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Lack of Civility Displayed in Debate
On Bunn Drive Condominium Project

To the Editor:

I am deeply distressed by the uncivil tenor of the civic conversation over the past couple of years leading to the Planning Board's vote of approval for the Bunn Drive age-restricted condominium project.

A productive conversation couldn't be held when the senior-housing advocates insisted on charging the environmentalists with being "against housing for seniors." Also, they persisted in using the epithet “NIMBY" [Not In My Back Yard] to denigrate the people who live next to the proposed project.

The neighbors I heard protesting the project had a right to do so, and they protested with vigor, reason, and grace. Calling neighbors names for trying to protect their homes is like criticizing bears for protecting their cubs. There's something wrong with animals and people who fail to protect their homes and families.

Although I heard environmentalists express support for senior housing, I did not hear the senior housing advocates express respect for, or even an understanding of, the environmental imperative — good tree, water, and soil management. Environmentalism is not a dirty word. The tragedy is that the two sides may as well be on different planets.


If the proponents of the Bunn Drive age-restricted condo project had listened respectfully to what the neighbors and environmentalists were saying, we'd have had a better senior housing zoning ordinance to work with, and something better for seniors to live in than the proposed Hovnanian boxes.

SARAH HOLLISTER
Ridgeview Road

New Warning Signs on Alexander Road Promised by Mayor of West Windsor

To the Editor:

I would like to respond to and expand on the stories in local papers about the Alexander Road "S" curve and the recent, tragic accident that resulted in the death of 14-year old Rebecca Annitto. First, and foremost, I would like to offer our deepest sympathies to the family of Ms. Annitto. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this extremely difficult time.

As elected and/or appointed West Windsor Township officials, we are always deeply affected by accidents that occur in the Township that lead to serious injury or death. While it is true that the Township cannot make everyone safe in all circumstances, we certainly want to take actions to improve conditions wherever we can. This curve has been in existence for a long time. While there is a warning sign about the "S" curve itself and a recommended speed limit of 20 m.p.h., the Township can and will add additional signage as recommended.

While previous administrations in West Windsor may have responded to isolated road problems, I have tried to look at the Township as a whole and implement programs that address infrastructure maintenance proactively rather than reactively. Earlier this year, I directed our traffic consultant and internal staff to review and analyze accident data for a number of problem locations throughout the community and provide recommendations for tangible improvements. This High Priority Traffic Congestion Mitigation Study was submitted to the Township in April, and the top 15 priority locations were discussed with Township Council at the April and May Township Council Agenda Meetings. The cost estimates associated with each of the recommended improvements were completed in June and will now be included in the 2006-2011 Capital Improvement Plan.

My Administration will continue to work with the Township Council to identify and prioritize needs and implement solutions for all who live and travel through West Windsor.

SHING-FU HSUEH
Mayor, West Windsor Township

Lacking a Park Renovation Strategy, Borough Should Shelve $25,000 Study

To the Editor:

David Schrayer's letter (Town Topics, October 5) about Princeton Borough's Harrison Street Park raised good questions about how the Borough spends its money.

The Borough is blessed with a large park near the corner of Harrison and Nassau Streets. The park has not been well maintained. Thankfully, we now have an energetic, able cadre of individuals, including at least one Council member, focused on refurbishing it.

But Council's decision on September 27 to spend $25,000 to "study" the redevelopment of the park is a lesson in how not to keep property taxes reasonable in the Borough.

First, the Borough spent several thousand dollars several years ago to "study" Harrison Street Park. Mayor and Council have never reviewed that study. Yet we're embarking on another.

Second, Mayor and Council have no budget for the project. Are we going to budget $50,000, $100,000, $250,000, or more, to refurbish Harrison Street Park? No one knows. Clearly, a $25,000 study for a $50,000 renovation would be an excessive amount to spend on a study. But, having no budget, we can't tell whether the $25,000 tab for a second study is too much or too little.

Third, according to Mr. Schrayer, the Borough is proceeding with the study without identifying a source of funds to pay for it. Actually, there is an identifiable source of funds: the Borough taxpayer. For each $100,000 in cost, it will cost about $30 per Borough household (based on average residential assessments). With the Borough tax rates expected to climb at multiples of the rate of inflation for the foreseeable future, does every household want to contribute that much to the renovation of just one park? What about the millions of dollars spent by the Borough on parks located in the Township? These are question never discussed.

Fourth, the Harrison Street Park is just one of many neighborhood parks in the Borough. Quarry Park, Potts Park, and smaller parks on Pine and John Streets are among others. Why would the Borough proceed with the development of one park without having a strategy that considers all of our parks at the same time?

Without an over-all park strategy, there will be at least three possible unintended consequences of proceeding with the renovation of Harrison Street Park by itself: (a) we'll have unbudgeted, open-ended costs for the redevelopment of our community's parks, at huge cost to our taxpayers; (b) one park in one neighborhood will be refurbished, but the Borough will run out of park money before we address the needs of other parks in other neighborhoods; and (c) there will be no rational way to negotiate the process of park development throughout the community, and it will become an arbitrary political process.

By devoting $25,000 to the study of a single park without any budget for that park and no plan for all our parks, the Borough has done a good thing in the wrong way. Let's urge Mayor and Council to rationalize the process.

ROGER MARTINDELL
Prospect Avenue
Member, Princeton Borough Council

More Than "Conscience of Developers" Needed to Protect Our Neighborhoods

To the Editor:

In recent years, Princeton residents have watched as developers have purchased, demolished, and then replaced older homes with much larger ones that change the character of neighborhoods, often for the worse. A case in point: K. P. Burke Builder L.L.D. has acquired the corner lot where Littlebrook Road joins Magnolia near Littlebrook School, and plans to build a $2+ million house. Although the old dwelling, now torn down, was probably in need of replacement, many of us who live in the area had hoped that the natural attractions of the property would be preserved. Stretching from this lot into abutting properties on Deerpath, Abernathy, and Clover Lane, there are — or more accurately, were — lovely woods. A couple of months ago, some of us who live nearby met with a representative of Burke to express our concerns about the size and character of the redevelopment. We were assured that, despite the fact that a few trees would come down, the woods would remain largely intact. The accuracy of that promise is, we suppose, judged in the eye of the beholder; but in our eyes the woods have been devastated. With large swaths of tall hardwoods cut down, much of the natural beauty of the property has been laid waste. Thus our quality of life, and the quality of life of the person who eventually buys the redeveloped property, has been diminished.

We are now concerned about the issue of water run-off because the property is relatively low-lying and the owner of the previous dwelling had continuing problems with water in the basement. We can only hope that the significant deforestation of the property and the building of a much bigger structure will not make the drainage problem worse.

Since K. P. Burke Builder has also acquired 130 Littlebrook Road, a beautiful lot with many old trees, and plans to place upon it a $2+ million house, we hope that similar deforestation does not await yet another property.

The larger issue here is the need to rethink our zoning and building laws so that redevelopment will proceed in a balanced fashion respecting not only the need for new building but also giving more than lip service to the quality of life, the integrity of neighborhoods, and the preservation of their ecology. If we wish those values respected, it is clear that we cannot rely on impersonal market forces or the good will and conscience of developers.

JIM and CYNTHIA MOORHEAD
Clover Lane
GEORGE DiFERDINANDO and BETSY MARSHALL
Clover Lane

Township's "Tide of Red Ink" Demands Election of New Blood in November

To the Editor:

No one has been minding the store, and look what has happened in Princeton Township! A very large expensive new municipal building. Extensive, costly school renovations, even including swimming pools. Two large new recreational parks. A new library (in the Borough, but partly financed by the Township).

Now, how to pay for all of this aggregate excess of extravagance? Don't worry about it. The taxpayers will pay. They always have, and they've never seemed to mind.

Well, don't count on it any longer. This year's heavy tax increase is the straw that broke the collective taxpayers' backs, and it is only an appetizer for the feeding frenzy to follow in future years.

Clearly, Township government urgently needs new blood. People with empathy for the taxpayer. People with fiscal responsibility and the experience to reduce and control costs, as well as to develop new sources of revenue.

I believe that Gordon Bryant and Tom Pyle have the requisite credentials: the backgrounds, knowledge, imagination, and creativity to stem this hemorrhaging tide of red ink. They should be elected in November. If they are not, it may be the last Township election for many taxpayers. From necessity they will have sold out and left town.

JAMES S. NORTHUP
Pretty Brook Road

Open Space Advocates Thank Donors For Supporting Coventry Farm Park

To the Editor:

On behalf of Friends of Princeton Open Space, I wish to thank everyone — the Winant family, Princeton Township, and all the donors, including ours, for making Coventry Farm Park a reality.

The Friends of Princeton Open Space were pleased to contribute both our $100,000 donation for the park acquisition and an additional $27,000 gift, funded by a grant from the J. Seward Johnson Sr. Charitable Trust, for a new trail. The trail, named after Mr. Johnson in honor of this contribution, will link our new park to Mountain Lakes Preserve and eventually to Community Park North, to which people can bike from central Princeton.

The Friends of Princeton Open Space remain excited and committed to bringing to fruition our parks and our trails and their linkages, for the benefit of the entire community for generations to come. Again, thank you all for your wisdom and generosity that made this wonderful gift to the Princeton community possible.

TIM PATRICK-MILLER
Rosedale Lane

YWCA Breast Cancer Resource Center Thanks Its Fund-Raising Participants

To the Editor:

Last Friday night, a successful, inaugural "In the Pink" Fashion Show and Silent Auction was held at The Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village. More than 150 guests watched breast cancer survivors, their husbands, children, oncologists, and social workers model fall fashions from Talbots, J. McLaughlin, Pied Piper Kids, Step by Step, and Aerosoles. They bid generously on live and silent auction items, and helped officially launch October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in style.

Over $10,000 was raised to benefit the YWCA Princeton and its Breast Cancer Resource Center, which is dedicated to providing information and support to women and families affected by breast cancer, and to increasing awareness of the disease in the community.

We extend deepest and heartfelt thanks to all those who made this wonderful, inspirational evening possible. Thank you to our sponsors Capital Health System and Commerce Bank; individual event benefactors, patrons, and friends; in-kind contributors Caribbean Rumcakes, Mastergraphx, McCaffery’s Markets West Windsor, and The Flower Market; live auction donors Rado Watch Company, NaNa Gallery, and Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster; and all of the silent auction donors for their generosity and support.

To our emcee Chantal Palmer, DJ Eric Santini, and auctioneer Jim D’Ovidio of Brown Dog Marketing, thank you for keeping the evening running smoothly. And to our models — breast cancer survivors Madeline Daniels, Karen Jezierny, Bonnie Crowley, Eileen Spiewak, Liz Caloza, Debbie Prewitt, Jennifer Galgano, Debra Raines, Sheri Savino, Evita Rasmussen, Lynne Ransom; family members Meryl and Charlotte Reading; Sara, Jonathan, Alexander, and Scott Kline; Marni Zahorsky and Michael Zahorsky; Taylor Galgano; Rick Crowley; and Mark Caloza; oncologists Dr. Peter Yi and Dr. Richard Lee; and clinical social worker Elsje Reiss — thank you for your energy and enthusiasm!

A special note of appreciation to breast surgeon Dr. Rachel Dultz who shared her thoughts on the important role the Breast Cancer Resource Center plays in the community, and to Mayor Phyllis Marchand of Princeton Township for presiding over the ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The support of all participants and guests made the event a true celebration of the beauty, strength, and courage of breast cancer survivors and their supporters.

KARA STEPHENSON
Director, Breast Cancer Resource Center
YWCA Princeton

Owner of Harrison Street Property Hopes Developers Will Save House

To the Editor:

For the record, I deplore what is to become of the property at 60 South Harrison Street that I have landscaped, raised three children on, and lovingly cared for over the past 50 years. But I am powerless to do anything about it.

The house is owned by the estate of Thomas Cook, my deceased father. It is being sold by PNC Bank, a trustee for my father’s estate. Neither of my sons have been involved in this transaction in any way.

I had been told by the broker, Stockton Real Estate, that the buyers were going to fix up and improve the existing house. I only learned that they were planning to tear down the house and trees after the contract was signed. Unfortunately, it will be their property to do with as they wish. The Barskys could choose to listen to the residents of this community and show that they are sensitive to the character of the town, and not only interested in making money from it. I believe that if they saved the existing property, the respect, appreciation, and good will they would generate from the community would be of greater value to their business over the long term than the profits from one more house.

JANE COOK TAYLOR
South Harrison Street

Township Committee Invites Tax Group To Attend Hearings, Ask Questions

To the Editor:

This letter is in response to a paid advertisement entitled, "An Open Letter to Princeton Township Committee" in the October 5th edition of the Town Topics. The letter was signed by the "Princeton Taxpayers’ Association."

Princeton Township Committee meets on a regular basis, generally the first and third Monday of every month. At each meeting, time is set aside to hear comments from the public on any Township-related matter.

The Township also employs a highly-trained and experienced staff capable of answering any question a member of the public may have regarding our operations or our budget just by picking up the phone, sending an e-mail or visiting us at Township Hall

We encourage any resident who has a Township concern to either come to one of our meetings or contact our professional staff for answers.

Phyllis Marchand, Mayor, Princeton Township
Bernie Miller, Deputy Mayor, Princeton Township
Bill Enslin, member, Township Committee
Bill Hearon, member, Township Committee
Lance Liverman, member, Township Committee

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