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Vol. LXII, No. 37
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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Vol. LXII, No. 37
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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ANDREA HONORÉ
Director of Fund Development for the Staff of the Arts Council of Princeton
DUDLEY SIPPRELLE
Nassau Street
MICHAEL E. SLABY
San Clemente, Calif.
To the Editor:
If you were driving down Witherspoon Street on Wednesday afternoon, September 3, you may have noticed some unusual activity on the sculpture terrace of the Arts Council building: red-skirted flamenco dancers and children juggling rings and walking on stilts. That was our Free Fall Open House and we hope you parked your car and came inside for an ice cream and tour of the new Paul Robeson Center.
We would like to thank the many people who helped to make our Fall Open House a success. First and foremost, our performers, Alex Mitnick of the Kaleidoscope band, Lisa Botalico and her dance students, and Zoe Brookes and the kids of the Stone Soup Circus. We would also like to thank our wonderful friends and neighbors, Halo Pub and small world coffee, for providing the perfect refreshments to keep us going all afternoon. Lastly, we send a special thanks to our volunteers, who help us on a daily basis to “build community through the arts.”
ANDREA HONORÉ
Director of Fund Development for the Staff of the Arts Council of Princeton
To the Editor:
In his Town Topics letter of August 13, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora takes exception to my earlier letter (July 30) in which I put the onus for Princeton’s longstanding truck traffic problems on local and state officials. I find the Assemblyman’s attempt to blame the U.S. Constitution and Congress for our truck traffic to be disingenuous.
Princeton Mayors Trotman and Marchand seemingly took a different view on where immediate responsibility lay than the Assemblyman now puts forth. In February 2007, the Mayors wrote a joint letter to the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation requesting that major Princeton traffic corridors be excluded from the New Jersey Access Network. They were not seeking an amendment to the Constitution, but rather the discretionary authority of appointed New Jersey officials to place Princeton thoroughfares on the “blue list” which excludes inappropriate truck traffic. The Princeton request was rejected and our local officials acquiesced.
The Assemblyman now proposes permitting sheriff’s officers to enforce truck regulations. His bill was endorsed by Borough Council at its September 2 meeting. The State Police are on record as finding Route 206 to be unsafe for truck inspections. Their view was that their officers, in trying to stop trucks on our narrow roads, would be endangered by other fast moving traffic. Given these circumstances, the Sheriff’s Department is unlikely, even if it had the resources, to undertake such responsibility with any enthusiasm.
The truck traffic problem remains unresolved, proposed solutions nibble at the edges, and the Governor’s newest toll hike proposal will only divert more traffic to Princeton roads. Unfortunately, the latest local response to the problem only serves to illustrate the obfuscation, pass the buck, and deny responsibility mentality manifested by too many local officials. Solving problems requires leadership and a willingness to challenge the political establishment. That’s a quality in rare supply in Princeton.
DUDLEY SIPPRELLE
Nassau Street
To the Editor:
The late Steve M. Slaby, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, was my uncle. He visited us several times over the years in California to visit my father, his brother, the late Dr. Eugene R. Slaby. Both men had a passion, an insight, and a drive to promote and apply alternative energy, primarily solar energy.
Over the years, both Slabys researched solar hot water, solar photovoltaic electric energy, and alternate fuels such as ethanol. They taught me how to apply these technologies, and promised me that these energy forms will come of age. Now, here we are: of age!
In dedication to Steve Slaby and Eugene Slaby, I am continuing their legacy in Ethiopia. I am a water expert — groundwater, drinking water, and irrigation water. In 2006 I joined Hands Across the Planet to Poor Youth, Inc. (happyinethiopia.org) to locate, recover, treat, and supply safe drinking water in the remote village of Timbien, Ethiopia for 35,000 inhabitants. All electrical supply for pumping, treating, and distributing this potable water will be generated by solar photovoltaic systems; this is the result of the influence on me from these two great men.
Their legacy continues. Many people will benefit and live better, healthier lives. Christopher Slaby, my 18-year-old son, has joined this effort. He traveled to Ethiopia with me in May to help organize these efforts and will continue this quest. My legacy will continue with him.
Thank you, Steve M. Slaby and Eugene R. Slaby.
MICHAEL E. SLABY
San Clemente, Calif.