Volume LXXIV, Number 48
Home for the Holidays Pages 22-26 “Sundays at the Sarnoff” Talks About Toscanini . . .5 Public Meeting to Address Future of Quarry Site . . . .7 The Translator’s Gambit: From Cavafy to Shakespeare . . . . . . . . 14 Passage Theatre Presents Online Reading of Welcome To Matteson! . . . . . . . 15 NJSO Presents World Premiere in Virtual Concert . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PU Wrestler Merkin Showing Greco-Roman Prowess at National Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 PHS Boys’ Soccer Falls 1-0 To Hunterdon Central in Sectional Final . . . . . . . .31
Profiles in Education: Anna Leader, Pennington Teacher and Author . . . 8 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .20, 21 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 19 Classified Ads . . . . . . 36 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 34 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 28 Performing Arts . . . . . 17 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 36 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
No Longer in Infancy, Coronavirus Creates Increasing Challenges Princeton COVID-19 case numbers reached a new high Monday, November 23, with a seven-day total of 36 new cases, the Princeton Health Department reported. The 14-day total of 54 new cases is just slightly less than the highest 14-day count in Princeton since the pandemic began in March. Princeton Health Officer Jeff Grosser noted the current resurgence in cases that resembles the situation six or seven months ago, but noted several differences. “In the first wave, we saw long-term care centers contributing to the majority of cases, not only in Princeton but throughout New Jersey,” he wrote in an email. “Many non-essential businesses were closed, youth and professional sports were canceled or suspended, and schools were primarily remote. And from our vantage point at the health department, there was more concern over the virus because of its infancy.” He continued, “What we have now is a combination of that infancy maturing and some communities not adhering to strict physical distancing and mask guidance, and of course, essential and non-essential businesses are open. Also youth sports and professional sports are once again operating, and schools are in-person (or at least working through in-person instruction while adhering to NJDOH COVID criteria).” The load on contact tracers has been intense, according to health department reports, because of the numbers of infections and the multiple contacts of each. As of Monday’s report, there was a total of 337 cases over the past nine months with 280 recovered after completing isolation. More than 1,600 individuals have been contact traced by the Princeton Health Department. Princeton Press and Media Communications Director Fred Williams sounded a warning note with the arrival of the holidays and the urge to travel and celebrate. “Unfortunately, cases are expected to continue to rise, and travel numbers remain higher than expected,” he said. “The same is true of our case numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths.” He went on, “We are urging folks to think small in terms of gathering sizes and to quarantine whenever possible leading up to holiday gatherings. Yes,
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Affordable Housing Plan Receives Judgement of Compliance A ruling in New Jersey Superior Court last week completed the final step in the realization of Princeton’s affordable housing plan. On Thursday, November 19, Judge Mary Jacobson issued a Judgement of Compliance and Repose, meaning the municipality has met several conditions in order to fully comply with its affordable housing obligation. The compliance hearing culminated a process that began in July 2015, after COAH (the Council on Affordable Housing) failed to formulate rules for the third round of municipal housing obligations, which are for the years 1999 to 2025. “This officially brings to conclusion the court’s part of the affordable housing process,” said Mayor Liz Lempert. “It’s a significant milestone.” Last February, Jacobson approved the town’s settlement agreement with Fair Share Housing Center, ending almost five years of litigation. But certain compliance requirements had to be met. Council members Mia Sacks, David Cohen, and Michelle Pirone Lambros formed a negotiating team that met with property owners, developers, objectors, residents, and others to address various ideas and concerns. They were able to meet several compliance requirements involving zoning changes, agreements, updates, a
spending plan, and other actions. “This is a really complex process,” said Sacks. “We have literally been working around the clock for months now. Everything has to go through the Planning Board and Council. There is so much work in setting up the legal and financial framework. Our submission to the court was more than 2,000 pages.” “In the end, Princeton was able to formulate, and actually begin to implement, an innovative plan to meet and exceed
Princeton’s affordable housing obligation,” reads a press release from the negotiating team. “The plan incorporates a mix of product types dispersed throughout the municipality, and achieves critical planning goals set forth in the municipal master plan. The plan offers a carefully balanced mix of inclusionary developments, 100 percent affordable housing development, senior units, family units, as well fully mixed income projects.” Continued on Page 10
Princeton University Undergrads Will Return to Campus in February
Princeton University has invited all its students back to campus for the spring semester beginning in February. Between 3,000 and 4,000 students, about 75 percent of the undergraduate population, are expected to accept the invitation, with the others choosing to continue remote learning for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. In an announcement yesterday, Tuesday, November 24, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber emphasized that the Princeton campus in February will be far different than it was a year ago before the COVID-19 pandemic
and the imposition of restrictions and public health measures. The creation of an on-campus testing laboratory and a rigorous testing protocol are also important parts of the University’s plan. Most teaching will be virtual and online, Eisgruber added. Some classes may be offered in a hybrid format, but no courses are expected to be purely in-person. Noting the need to serve both the educational interests of the students and public health issues, Eisgruber emphasized that numerous health procedures would be in place and that the University would Continued on Page 12
HOLIDAYS AT MORVEN: Morven Museum & Garden on Stockton Street now presents its annual Festival of Trees, a juried collection of trees and mantels displayed throughout the museum’s galleries, on view through January 10 . Visit morven .org for timed admission tickets . (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)
NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 28 28 Continued on Page 10
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