To the Editor:

A “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” sign is now on the rail at the D & R Canal path walking south just before crossing Harrison Street. The D & R realized that they needed it to protect walkers, joggers, and bikers from those speeding from Route 1 and whipping past the crossover without stopping, warning light blinking or not.

A response to requests for an upgrade has been that there are several jurisdictions that need to agree. Perhaps they are waiting for a fatality as happened at Rosedale Road before responding.

Three suggestions: 1) Slow traffic from Route 1 to 30 mph; 2) Extend the blinking signal beyond the sharp curve before the intersection of Harrison and the path; and 3) Add a sign that violation brings points.

Must we wait for tragedy to befall us?

Robert Karp
South Harrison Street

To the Editor:

We write to share our unequivocal support for Brian McDonald for School Board because through his many acts of public service, he always puts our children and community first.

Collectively, we’ve known Brian for nearly three decades, having met him through volunteer service and our schools. Jon coached with Brian in Princeton Little League for a number of years and witnessed firsthand how he took an “all-kids” approach to teaching and supporting all the children on his teams, which his players returned in-kind with a huge amount of enthusiasm. We all know Brian through various community and civic organizations, and all of our children have attended Princeton Public Schools. We are grateful for Brian’s exceptional service on the Board of Education.

As a School Board member, Brian has shined with his clarity of thought, ability to listen, and a natural talent to lead and manage. Based on his highly diverse and successful background in the business and non-for-profit worlds, Brian has helped deepen and sharpen the district’s strategic and financial planning, while serving as the co-chair of both the finance and facilities and operations committees. The resulting improved budgeting processes and cost-savings initiatives have allowed the district to make critical investments in the school facilities, while keeping tax increases the lowest they’ve been in years.  more

To the Editor:

While Princeton University does many wonderful things, listening to and engaging with the Town’s residents is not one of them. To date over 1,600 residents and Princeton alumni — mostly residents — have signed a petition requesting that the University not tear down three perfectly usable Victorian homes, and move the stately former Court (eating) Club across Prospect Avenue to the space they now occupy. See: change.org/saveprospect.

Back in June Princeton Future, the highly respected town planning organization, offered to be a neutral mediator between the University and a core group of those who oppose this plan. Unfortunately the University refused to engage.

Now injury has been added to insult when just last week the University sent out a PR piece on its plan to build its new Environmental Studies (ES) and School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) campus, including its entrance right on Prospect Avenue — the small (1-2 percent) portion so many oppose and which could easily be modified. While most of their plan is laudable, they had the hubris to state in the very first paragraph “enhancing the public experience of the surrounding neighborhood.” Really? How tone deaf can they be?

Introducing a modern glass and steel building right on Prospect Avenue at the end of the row of eating clubs, and right next to the residences that continue from there, will forever destroy its streetscape that so many in town love. more

To the Editor:

Last week, U.S. News & World Report released its annual ranking of the best colleges in the country, from large research universities to small liberal arts schools.

Once again — and for the 11th consecutive year — Princeton University ranked first. This means that Princeton has now ranked either first or second in the country for 29 out of the past 30 years.

That is an impressive accomplishment. And it should be noted, the University achieved this throughout by being a moderate-sized institution in a charming, historic college town.

In fact, the first line of U.S. News’ review is: “The ivy-covered campus of Princeton University is located in the quiet town of Princeton, New Jersey.”

And this ingredient of success is a key reason why so many students, faculty, and residents have been drawn here. more

To the Editor:

I am writing as an individual, not as a member or on behalf of the Board of Education, to seek community support for my re-election to the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education.

If re-elected, my service would be rooted in the vision and leadership of our new superintendent, Dr. Carol Kelley, a nationally recognized equity leader, in her important work to move the district forward so that every child is supported.

Throughout the Board’s hiring process, Dr. Kelley distinguished herself as a thoughtful, data-driven leader who cares about people and is committed to undertaking necessary work to honor our district’s mission, “To prepare all children to lead lives of joy and purpose as knowledgeable, creative, and compassionate citizens of a global society.” more

To the Editor:

Just because you say it doesn’t make it so. Spin does not replace reality.

University architect Ron McCoy has recently chosen some lovely terms when selling his plans to trample the National Register Historic District on Prospect Avenue: “Connectivity,” “Intimacy,” “Porosity,” “Community,” “Stewardship,” “Public experience,” “Carefully integrated” and “Neighborhood.”

But connections and community, public experience, and neighborhoods are never built on dictation alone, however self-assured, insistent, and suave the words may be. As the great professors of Princeton University teach us, community — like education, democracy, and peace itself — depends not on pronouncements dictated with authority, but on listening, respect for another’s story and values, and working together.  more

To the Editor:

On Saturday, September 11, a dear friend and I drove from our retirement community to the local UPS store to mail a package.  After helping me climb the curb in front of the store, he suddenly lost his balance and fell back into the parking lot.

Within minutes, half a dozen people magically appeared and began to help. Not knowing each other nor saying much, they somehow worked as a team, simply doing whatever needed to be done. One called 911, another brought paper towels to wrap his bleeding elbow, while a third mailed the package.  Someone else put a clean bath towel under his head and an umbrella above it to shelter him from the sun. One of the men even brought me a chair while we waited for the Montgomery police and the ambulance. Sad to say, I remember only two of their names, Gail and Dave. 

Soon the Montgomery EMS men were bandaging his arm, assessing his condition, and doing it all with a professional but calming light touch. Before Joe and Sid (two more new names) helped my friend into the ambulance, Joe told me he had been trained by a friend of ours who no longer drives for them, but still raises funds for these stalwart volunteers. more

To the Editor:

The fate of the historic western block of Prospect Avenue with its iconic row of eating clubs and related historic buildings is on the agenda at tomorrow night’s Planning Board meeting. Will the town of Princeton grant the University a variance that will violate National Park Service guidelines for historic districts and historic preservation provisions and recommendations of the town Master Plan by 1) moving the former Court Club out of the New Jersey and National Register Princeton Historic District, 2) destroying three viable historic houses that are part of Prospect Avenue’s unique history, and 3) erecting a building and landscape that will be glaringly discordant with the historic Prospect streetscape?

The University’s proposed incursion onto Prospect Avenue is less than 2 percent of its proposed 666,000-square-foot ES+SEAS science and engineering complex along Ivy Lane to the south. Despite months of questions and appeals by concerned residents, the University has not identified a single reason why it needs to violate federal, state, and town preservation policy by denigrating Prospect Avenue.  more

To the Editor:

We enthusiastically support Brian McDonald for re-election to the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education because his service to our community and our schools has been exemplary, and he leads with integrity. He is a good person who uses his considerable intellect and skills to benefit others. We appreciate Brian’s thoughtful approach to service where he works to build consensus.

Brian’s first term on the Board of Education has been marked with achievement that has benefited our children and our town. With his background in finance, facilities, and planning, he has been instrumental in helping the administration develop a new budget process that is more transparent and that meets the needs of the district. Significantly, his efforts helped to eliminate a budget imbalance and reduce expenses by hundreds of thousands of dollars. He is an advocate for community input and advice as well as a champion for the health and wellness of students. more

To the Editor:

Climate change and its consequences began to wash right up to our doorsteps this summer when Mother Nature brought severe storms, tornados, and significant flooding to New Jersey, including the Princeton area. It made us all realize just how vital the responsible stewardship of our land and waters is to the future health of our town and its residents.

It also brought renewed energy and focus to our sustainable landscaping project, Changing the Landscape: Healthy Yards = Healthy People/Cambiando el Paisaje: Jardines Sanos = Gente Sana. Aimed at encouraging our community to adopt lawn care practices that protect the health of both landscape workers and the environment, this year-long project continues to make progress. Here are some of the things our steering committee accomplished over the summer:

Co-hosted a free workshop for professional landscapers interested in learning about gas-powered equipment’s adverse health and environmental impacts and how to transition to battery-powered options profitably.

Continued outreach and education to landscape workers, owners of landscape companies, and property owners. more

To the Editor:

Bicyclists beware! I was riding my bike from Valley Road on my way to the Princeton Shopping Center. I arrived at the traffic light and stopped in the left lane (the right lane is only for right turns). When the light turned green I crossed Harrison Street and signaled right to cross to the right turning lane.

A car rushed past on my left and cut in front, passing me by about two feet. It also cut right in front of two pedestrians at the crosswalk. The three of us were shaken as we expressed shock at the speed of the driver and how we’d had a close call.

I locked my bicycle and waited for the driver. When she approached me I said something about her speed, and rushing by, she said, “You don’t belong in the middle of the road. I’m a cyclist and I know I have to stay on the side.”

Motorists and cyclists need to know the rules of the road and follow them (nj.gov/transportation/commuter/bike/regulations.shtm), but even more important, I wish motorists would keep in mind that pedestrians and cyclists are vulnerable to great harm by motor vehicles while they do us the favor of not adding pollutants to the air we breathe. May Princeton support Vision Zero in order to have fewer bodily injuries and deaths.

I love to bike, feel the wind on my face, and be in touch with the earth, but I don’t want to be inside the earth sooner than necessary.

Eliane Geren
Dempsey Avenue

To the Editor,

The Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale, a volunteer group founded 90 years ago to raise college scholarships for local students, is grateful to the Merck Foundation for its recent $500 donation made through the Dollars for Doers program. The gift was arranged by a Merck employee who volunteers for the Book Sale, sorting donated books and helping at the annual sale each March.

Scores of talented young women from our community have been able to afford an outstanding education thanks to our volunteers and support from area corporations. We are deeply grateful.

Kathryn Morris
President, Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale
Witherspoon Street

To the Editor:

Your reader Dr. Callan (“Dangerous Stretch of Road and Sidewalk on Rosedale Road Needs to Be Repaired,” Mailbox, September 8) is correct about the damage following the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

I contacted Princeton Municipality to highlight the issue ahead of the school term starting and asked whether a stretch of barriers could be placed in the road to allow safe passage for foot traffic, especially families walking and cycling to nearby Johnson Park school. Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton facilitated a fix within 24 hours — an excellent response given the number of post-storm issues the department is currently tackling.

Longer-term repairs will doubtless be addressed in due course and require a greater degree of planning and disruption, but I applaud the response of the Engineering Department and thank them and other municipal workers for their dedication in restoring our damaged infrastructure and keeping all road users safe.

Rob Sloan
Fairway Drive

To the Editor:

The Princetonian Diner went above and beyond kindness when they found out my granddaughter and family lost their home to the storm. They graciously picked up the check for all four adults and two children!

Whoever said that there not wonderful people left on our planet was wrong. Thanks Princetonian!

Lisa Watson
Wood Village Drive, Henderson, Nev.
Formerly of Princeton

To the Editor:

The impact of some types of commercial development in a single New Jersey town can have enormous consequences for neighboring towns. That’s why the New Jersey Legislature is considering a bill (S3688) that would require a town that wants to build a large warehouse to provide timely notice to all adjoining towns, allow those towns to adopt a resolution of concern about the proposed warehouse, and mandate submission of a “regional economic and land use impact report” to the State Planning Commission.

Because new warehouses have regional repercussions, it’s important for residents of Princeton to know that the West Windsor Planning Board and Township Council have approved an ordinance that rezones approximately 650 acres of undeveloped land across from the Quaker Bridge Mall to allow for the construction of multiple large warehouses. West Windsor Township also entered into a litigation settlement agreement with the owner of that land, which anticipates the development of 5.5 million square feet of the property for warehouse use. This project could have undesirable consequences on the environment and quality of life in Mercer County. more

To the Editor:

Candidates for Legislative District 16 will meet in a forum on Wednesday, September 22 — Assembly candidates at 7 p.m. and Senate candidates at 8:30 p.m. The event takes place at Raritan Valley Community College, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg. Due to limited seating, it will also be livestreamed at Facebook.com/PrincetonTelevision and rebroadcast. A recording will be posted at VOTE11.org and at lwvprinceton.org.

A virtual forum among candidates for Princeton Board of Education will be livestreamed at Facebook.com/PrincetonTelevision on Wednesday, October 6 at 7 p.m.  It will be rebroadcast, and a recording will be posted at VOTE11.org and lwvprinceton.org.

Voters may send questions for candidates in both forums to lwvprinceton@gmail.com.

Please note that this November election will differ somewhat from last year’s. You will not receive a Vote-by-Mail ballot unless you have requested one, and you may not deliver a completed Vote-by-Mail ballot to a polling place. Instead, mail it or use a drop box (locations listed on county websites). more

To the Editor:

This past April, Princeton University’s Environmental Studies Department hosted a thoughtful seminar, entitled “Environmental Justice Symposium: Meaningful Engagement between Communities and Institutions of Higher Education.” Anyone committed to sustainability knows that community engagement and support are essential to create positive environmental change. But meaningful engagement with the community is not a model that Princeton University seems interested in following in Princeton, as they seek to destroy three historic homes and impose their 666,000-square-foot engineering and environmental studies complex on the neighbors of Fitzrandolph, Murray, and Prospect. They have not heard the community’s pleas to save the homes by modifying a tiny fraction (2 percent) of a proposed complex that dwarfs most projects on Route 1.

At the June meeting of the Princeton Planning Board, the University’s representatives alleged they had done everything right, and that, at the last hour, the rules were being changed on them. This is false and disingenuous. From the outset, the University chose to design without regard for national historic district guidelines or for the town’s zoning and master plan. That is why the University needs a variance from the town. Rather than follow the zoning, or engaging the community, the University has preferred to lawyer up and force their will on their neighbors. They are only shocked that someone dares to say “no.” more

To the Editor:

Until recently, instead of referring to benign sounding “climate change,” I had been using “climate crisis.” However, the two hurricanes that battered our region with severe flash flooding, tornados, and high winds just in the past month, have opened my eyes to how drastically the situation has worsened. So now I call it the “climate catastrophe.”

We see this catastrophe unfolding here, nationwide, and globally, and worsening far faster and more severely than almost anyone expected. Massive fires, extreme heat, flash floods, and droughts are all afflicting the world in unprecedented ways.

The organization that I lead, the Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA), began a campaign called No Wars, No Warming in conjunction with the People’s Climate March attended by over 400,000 in September 2015. This campaign seeks to educate the public on the connections between militarism and the climate catastrophe.

The climate catastrophe is an existential threat in the same category as global nuclear holocaust. If anybody doubts that, just look around at events like those above. We must rapidly intensify efforts to prevent further global warming, or we face the danger of planetary extinction.

Readers wanting to join CFPA in this effort are encouraged to visit peacecoalition.org.

The Rev. Robert Moore
Witherspoon Street

The writer is executive director of the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action.

To the Editor:

Rosedale Road was considerably damaged during the floods following Hurricane Ida. The sidewalk near Johnson Park school has bucked and stretches have been washed out. The road and bridge are potholed.

In addition, two weeks ago a man was tragically killed by a car near the school intersection. This is a dangerous stretch of road and sidewalk that has fallen into disrepair. Johnson Park and Greenway Meadows get a lot of use by children, sports teams, and walkers. They need to be able to safely navigate the sidewalks and cross the street. A pedestrian activated crosswalk with a light that signals to cars that to stop is urgently needed, and the sidewalks need to be repaired.

Benedicte Callan, Ph.D.
Brookstone Drive