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Thursday, April 14, 2016
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Designing Darius Miller Park Design committee proposes ideas to community members
By Eric Engel eengel@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Members of the community met at Princeton City Hall Tuesday, April 12, to experience a presentation from team members of the Darius Miller Park design committee concerning landscape ideas moving forward with the park. Laurie Bonucci, a leader of
the design committee, began the meeting by asking for a moment of silence for Gary Coates, stating he was an incredible person who provided a great example of how to lead quietly in any given community. Design sub-committee team members David Hornbaker and Eric Sanders then took the stage to describe their landscape ideas for
elms. “These elms are disease resistance and give substance to the park right off the bat.” The two men said they’re thinking a boulevard plaza feel, with a focal point — possibly a fountain, art piece or some kind of rotating exhibit — in the middle of the main corridor. Their designs aim to make the space as multi-functional as possible
Darius Miller Park. “The main goal has never changed in connecting the train depot to Main Street in a way that works well and has good functionality,” Hornbaker said, noting the design committee wanted to exaggerate that by bringing elm trees back to Princeton — in this instance lining the main corridor of the park with a dozen Princeton
in a way that would welcome people to Princeton. Sanders said they wanted to introduce many different types of trees, berms and grasses to provide quality aesthetic appeal to visitors of the park, yet keep open spaces available for town activity and celebrations or future development. A Darius Miller Park sign could be situated on the west side of the park
near the sidewalk, and they mentioned the notion of a “Welcome to Princeton” sign as well. Hornbaker, Sanders and the rest of the design team want to keep the park low profile, with native plants and a warm, inviting light presence from incandescent LED lights — which could
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A spirit of generosity Gary Coates was a man of passion who inspired those who knew him By Eric Engel eengel@bcrnews.com
BCR photo/Shannon Serpette
Students at Dimmick Grade School wait at the start line for the Dimmick Dash 5K race to begin Tuesday, April 12. Landon Roark (runner No. 651), Will McLaughlin (No. 510) and Ella Mudge (No. 783) all took their place at the front of the start line and earned awards for their performances.
Taking it all in stride
Dimmick students rise to the challenge of the annual 5K race By Shannon Serpette sserpette@bcrnews.com
DIMMICK — Addie Sherman of Cherry had two things on her mind Tuesday, April 12, as she prepared to take her place at the starting line of the Dimmick Dash 5K — beating her time from last year and receiving her post-race free banana. Sherman, a first-grade student at Dimmick Grade School, couldn’t remember what her time was last year when she competed in the race as a kindergartner, but she was intent on beating it nevertheless with a combination of walking and running. “I want to beat my score from last time,” she said. When asked what her favorite part of the race was last year, she said, “You get a banana and water when you are done.” Sherman said she felt proud of herself for finishing the 3.1 miles last year, even though it was tough at times. “I like how I feel when I’m getting Year 170 No. 45 One Section - 20 Pages
exercise,” she said. Sherman wasn’t the only one getting exercise that day. Physical education teacher Joel Foster said the Dimmick Dash — a school-wide effort that also involves the community — has grown in popularity throughout the years. “This will be the fifth annual Dimmick Dash. The first year we had about 100 runners, and we expect almost 300 this year,” he said. All students, kindergarten through eighth, can run the race. It is a requirement for fifth through eighth grades, and optional for kindergarten through fourth grades. Foster said nearly all the students participate, and the handful that don’t are allowed to play on the playground while their classmates are running. By the time the race starts, a great deal of work has already gone into the event. “I guess you could say I’m the race director,” Foster said. “I do a lot of the work on race day, but I have a ton of help leading up to
the race. Administrative assistants Carol Wineinger and Jen Krolak do a tremendous amount of work helping me organize the race, and it would not be possible without their assistance.” The children also put in plenty of hard work getting into shape for the race. “We have fitness days throughout the whole school year to improve strength and endurance, but we really start to focus on training for the Dimmick Dash toward the end of February. We start with very short running intervals and slowly work our way up,” Foster said. Not every child is enthusiastic about running 3.1 miles, and that’s something Foster expects and understands. “Some of the kids groan about training for the Dimmick Dash, but they do a pretty good job with it. Some of them are much more motivated than others,” he said. “Now that we have been doing it for five
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PRINCETON — Gary Coates’ classroom was not within the schoolhouse walls ... but everywhere under the clear blue sky; his students ... not just teens in the high school halls, but every willing individual in which he passed by. Gary C. Coates, 74, died Sunday, April 10, in the presence of his family. His friends and colleagues in life remember a man who was second to none in promoting education and togetherness. “As a person, he’s one of the most honest and fair men I’ve ever met,” said Randy Swinford, a fellow Princeton High School (PHS) educator who noted Coates was always there when you needed him — as a teacher, a coach, a friend and a person. “He was not overbearing, but he demanded excellence on all fronts, and had a way of dealing with people that got the best out of them. You don’t meet too many people like Gary Coates.” John Young, president of the PHS Board Coates served on for more than a decade, said Coates really believed in making the students better — not through force, but through inspiration, motivation and example. “His whole thought pattern was to make the kids think better and become more of a stand-alone individual,” Young said, adding Coates’ constant smile resulted in every glass being half-full rather than half-empty. “He was great at building character
Gary Coates and would never give in, making you better whether you wanted to be or not.” Former PHS teacher Mickey Townes met Gary almost 50 years ago and joined him in the teaching and coaching ranks throughout their academic career together. Townes thought so much of the “outstanding family man” that he asked Coates to stand next to him in his wedding and made Coates his son’s godfather. “The old days of the cinder track, Gary would be out there when the snow was still trying to fly, picking up the big cinders so it would be good for the students to run on. He was a great individual,” Townes said, recalling how Coates would attend every event he could during his days as PHS athletic director, from basketball and track to Scholastic Bowl and fine arts. “He worked tirelessly to make each participant feel special in what they were doing,” Townes added, noting no one could outwork Coates when he put his mind to his task. Kirk Haring, superintendent of PHS, said he will always remember Coates for his ability to care for
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