PHS Seniors to Register For Permits This Week

Candace Braun

Presuming the Princeton Regional Schools will open as scheduled on Thursday, the first order of business at the high school will be to establish the parking system that has been worked out by an ad hoc committee over the past three years and was approved by the Borough, Township, and Princeton Regional School Board this summer.

A letter sent out this past week to the 271 Princeton High School seniors states that the allotted 70 parking spaces will be distributed through a lottery that students can enter into the first day the school opens, currently scheduled for Thursday, September 9.

Students are being asked to complete the parking permit lottery application and return the signed form to the high school's main office by 9 a.m. on Friday, September 10. A drawing coordinated jointly by PHS Student Council and the school's administration will be held that same day.

After presenting a picture I.D. and car registration, the students selected will receive their permits. The permit system is expected to go into effect on Monday, September 13. Parking registration information will be shared with Borough and Township police departments, who will monitor their use on Princeton roads.

Permit Eligibility

Eligibility for the lottery is limited to members of the PHS senior class, and to students outside of a designated area around the high school that was determined by parents, students, and Board members at a meeting held on Tuesday, August 31.

Students residing beyond Route 206 to the west, beyond Nassau Street to the south, beyond Harriet and Grover Streets to the east, and beyond Terhune and Ewing Streets to the north are eligible for permits. Seniors residing within the stated boundary and therefore within proximity to the PHS campus are not eligible for a parking permit.

If less than 100 applications for parking permits are received, then 70 permits will be granted to students for both the fall and spring semester. However, if more than 100 students apply for parking permits, the 70 applicants chosen will then be asked which semester they want the permit to cover. The remaining applicants, up to 70 more, will be selected for permits and then get their preference of semester in the order picked, until each semester has 70 permits assigned.

The lowest lottery numbers (for example, first, second, third) will be eligible for parking privileges during both semesters if there are more than 101, but less than 140 applications. The permit system negates the former two-hour street-parking limit on roads surrounding the high school. Those residents in the designated vicinities who apply for permits will receive parking permits and two guest placards free of charge. Permanent parking decals must be placed on the lower left corner of the inside of the vehicle's rear windshield.

Students will also receive permits free of charge, but the district must pay the Borough and Township $10 for each one in order to cover each municipality's printing and administration expenses.

Permits in the Borough

Under the Borough's new parking system, drivers must have a residential parking permit to park on all or parts of Moore Street, Jefferson Road, and Franklin and Hawthorne Avenue from September 1 through June 30, except for Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.

Students will be permitted to park on the east side of Walnut Lane between Houghton Road and the Township boundary and on the South side of Guyot Avenue between Moore Street and Walnut Lane. Both roads will allow permit parking between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Permits in the Township

The Township will have a similar parking system, with parking restricted to residents with permits between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the east side of Harris Road from Henry Avenue to the Borough line; the south side of Henry Avenue from Moore Street to Harris Road; the east side of Jefferson Road from the Borough line to Guyot Avenue; the east side of Linden Lane from Henry Avenue to the Borough line; and the west side of Moore Street from the Borough line to Guyot Avenue.

Students with permits will be allowed to park on the south sides of Franklin and Guyot Avenues and the east side of Walnut Lane between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Parking systems for both municipalities will be examined and evaluated throughout the year, and changes will be made as deemed necessary, said School Board President Anne Burns at a recent Board meeting. The Borough's parking plan will expire July 1 of next year, so that it can be reviewed before being renewed.

Those seniors who have not received information regarding high school parking permits can obtain copies of the information at the high school's main office. For more updated information on the high school's opening, visit www2.prs.k12.nj.us.