Volume LXXVI, Number 52
May the New Year Bring You Health and Happiness and Bring Us All One Step Closer to Peace on Earth ———
Charles Dickens and Shakespeare Share This Week’s Book Review . .16 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .18, 19 Book Review. . . . . . . . 16 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 36 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 35 Performing Arts . . . . . 17 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 36 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
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Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Town Sees Year of Change, Controversy, Progress Steeped in history and tradition but changing every day, Princeton seemed to gain momentum in 2023 in its role as a hub of innovation in government, education, culture, political activity, and entertainment. The weekly Town Topics calendar of events was packed this year, but all that activity did not come without conflict and debate, as one look at the “Mailbox” section would show. Speaking of controversy and history, and moving forward with change — in July, after years of debate, the town’s “Welcome to Princeton, Settled 1683” signs became just “Welcome to Princeton.” The settlement date was removed on the recommendation of the Princeton Civil Rights Commission (CRC), an important step in recognizing that Indigenous peoples were the original inhabitants long before European settlers arrived in 1683. Conflict in the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) erupted in March over the ouster of Princeton High School Principal Frank Chmiel, with protests and petitions demanding his reinstatement, a dramatic public hearing in May where the Board of Education (BOE) confirmed his termination, and the aftereffects still being felt in late October with the sudden resignation of PPS Superintendent Carol Kelley, who was replaced by Acting Superintendent Kathie Foster as the schools moved forward. Two new members were elected to the BOE in the November election, taking the places of Jean Durbin, who chose not to run, and Michele Tuck-Ponder, who was defeated. On the municipal level too, as the town celebrated the 10th anniversary of the consolidation of Borough and Township, there was no shortage of controversy and debate, but a new Master Plan was approved in November, new 64-gallon trash carts were delivered to every household in February, and new development with affordable housing proceeded at Thanet Circle and the Alice apartments on North Harrison Street. Proposals for projects at the Nassau and Harrison Street intersection and an apartment complex at the former Tennent/Roberts/Whiteley campus at Princeton Theological Seminary are currently in dispute. On a less controversial note, Princeton found much to celebrate in 2023. There was the opening of the Community Dog Park at Community Park South in February; Porchfest in April, sponsored by the Arts Council of Princeton with support from Princeton University; the return of the Farmers Market to Hinds
Plaza in June; “Oppenheimer Fever” in July, with tours, talks, and commemorative events surrounding the opening of the film Oppenheimer about former Princeton resident and Institute for Advanced Study Director J. Robert Oppenheimer; Pride Month events in June; Joint Effort Safe Streets celebrating the WitherspoonJackson neighborhood in August; and more. Construction projects proliferated in town and on the University campus throughout 2023 — on Witherspoon Street, at the new Graduate Hotel on Nassau and Chambers streets, the new Triumph Brewery site on Palmer Square, work on Washington Road, and seemingly in every corner of the University campus — from the new Meadows Community across Lake Carnegie, to Ivy Lane, to the new art museum and health center going up in the middle of the campus. Princeton University, a national leader in artificial intelligence, culminated a year of extraordinary expansion and progress on multiple fronts with a joint announcement, along with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, of the creation of an artificial intelligence innovation hub for the state. Both town and University were powerfully affected by national and international
events in 2023, the most striking being the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the war in Gaza. Princeton Council and Princeton University both acted clearly and forcefully in opposition to antisemitism and Islamophobia. There were numerous demonstrations in town and on the University campus, both in support of Israel and in support of the Palestinians. At the end of 2023 there is much to hope for in 2024, which is certain to be another year of change, controversy, progress, and excitement in Princeton. Development and Construction
With multiple projects underway this year, Princeton has seemed more like a construction zone than a university town. The Witherspoon Street Improvement Project, the Graduate Hotel, and various road improvements caused residents to complain about frustrating traffic tie-ups and delays. Work on the hotel at 20 Nassau Street caused the temporary closures of Jammin’ Crepes, Small Bites, Sakrid Coffee Roasters, Milk and Cookies, and Nassau Barbers, but proprietors were notified ahead and able to make alternative plans. The facade of the Graduate is on Chambers Street, which has necessitated
occasional closing of the thoroughfare. The opening of the new hotel is targeted for May 2024. The first phase of construction on the Witherspoon Street Improvement Project, which included sections between Nassau and Green streets, was finished in June. Roads, curbs, and sidewalks were improved or replaced. Trees were removed or replaced, and there were updates to the traffic signals at the Paul Robeson/Wiggins/Witherspoon intersection. Phase 2, between Green Street and Leigh Avenue, is currently underway. This involves underground utility upgrades, tree removals and replacements, sidewalk removals or expansions, and roadway surface improvements or replacements. It is expected to continue through next summer. Of all the contentious issues that occupied residents this year, the development of the former Tennent/Roberts/Whiteley campus of Princeton Theological Seminary figures especially high. A standingroom-only crowd turned out in October to hear contract purchaser James P. Herring describe his proposed 238-unit apartment complex, 48 of which would be designated affordable. Continued on Page 5
“WE WANT CHMIEL!”: On March 20, about 170 demonstrators — students and parents — at Princeton High School (PHS) called on the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education and Superintendent Carol Kelley to rescind their decision to remove Frank Chmiel as PHS principal. Chmiel was not reinstated, and Kelley later resigned. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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