Volume LXXIV, Number 11
HopewellPennington Pages 19, 22-25 LiLLiPiES Bakery to Debut Cookbook . . . . 5 Budget and Backyard Chickens Among Council Topics . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Sherlock Holmes Comes to Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale . . . . . . . . 13 PU Orchestra Presents Concerto Competition Winners . . . . . . . . . 14 PU Men’s Hockey Advances to ECACH Quarters . . . . . . . . . . 27 PHS Junior Ayres Wins 2nd Straight Girls’ State Wrestling Title . . . . . . 30
Celebrating Einstein’s Birthday Online on Princeton Pi Day . . . . 11 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .20, 21 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classified Ads . . . . . . 35 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Music Review . . . . . . . 14 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 7 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 35 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Alexander St. Bridge Reconstruction Project Approaches Completion After nearly six months of detours and traffic delays throughout the Princeton area, motorists will be happy when they can once again travel in and out of Princeton on Alexander Street, where an extensive bridge construction project is scheduled to be completed by April 20. “Everyone is looking forward to the bridge reopening, especially daily commuters who bore the brunt of the increased traffic,” said Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert. “The county and the state did an excellent job keeping the project on schedule. And I am especially thankful to Princeton University, Princeton’s merchant community, and NJ Transit for working in advance with the municipality to plan around the bridge closure and help mitigate the impacts.” The section of Alexander Street/Alexander Road between Lawrence Drive and Canal Pointe Boulevard has been closed since November 6, as the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and Mercer County Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (MCDOTI) have replaced two aging bridges and a culvert that span the Delaware and Raritan (D&R) Canal, Stony Brook, and a tributary to Stony Brook. The bridges, which were over 70 years old, in poor condition, and too narrow for today’s traffic, are in the final stages of being replaced with safer and wider roadways to improve traffic flow, as well as shoulders and sidewalks on both sides. Expressing some concerns over delays and the contractor’s ability to meet the April 20 deadline, the county engineer’s office on Monday described the work as “ongoing.” Utility work by American Water and PSE&G needs to be completed before “remaining approach roadway work, including milling and resurfacing, drainage, curbing, guiderail, and striping” can take place. Assistant County Engineer Basit A. Muzaffar wrote in an email on on Monday, “PSE&G is scheduled to commence their work on March 14. All in all, if PSE&G (gas) can get in and out quickly, we should be in good shape.” NJDOT and Mercer County have worked cooperatively and simultaneously to replace bridges under each of their jurisdictions. NJDOT, owner of the D&R Canal Bridge on Alexander Road Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Possible COVID-19 Exposure in Princeton As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread across the country, with increasing numbers of cases in New Jersey and the tri-state area, local officials on Tuesday reported a potential exposure to COVID-19 at a private party in Princeton and have initiated an investigation to identify any potential infections that may result. Two people at the party had attended the Biogen Conference in Boston which has been linked to transmission of COVID-19. After their return to their homes in the Boston area, they tested positive for COVID-19. The Princeton Health Department (PHD) believes there were approximately 30 people at the party, not all Princeton residents. PHD is contacting and investigating all of the Princeton residents who attended the party and is working with other local health jurisdictions where the other attendees live. Those in attendance are being asked to self-quarantine until assessment and any testing is completed. The PHD investigation is preliminary, and PHD has announced that it will be updating the public as more information becomes available. According to a PHD March 10 press release, “The immediate risk to the general Princeton population remains low.”
The party attendees will first be interviewed, said Princeton Board of Health Chair George DiFerdinando. “If they warrant testing, we will test them. If they are positive, we will make sure they are quarantined so that these infections are contained.” As Princeton moves from planning and preparation for COVID-19 to “an exposure situation in town” and a containment strategy, DiFerdinando suggested that residents, particularly older residents and those with health problems, limit group
contacts to avoid “serious possible outcomes if you get infected.” Two Princeton University staff members who were at the party are currently under self-quarantine, and, according to the University, they are being tested with results expected in the coming days. A Princeton University March 10 press release states that the University is working with local health authorities to identify and contact those who may have been in close contact with the staff members Continued on Page 7
Council Approves Resolution To Remove Fueling Station Canopy Princeton Council voted unanimously on Monday, March 9, in favor of a resolution to hire the contractor Independence Constructors for removal of the canopy at the municipal fueling station on Mount Lucas Road. Since the canopy was installed last February, neighbors have complained that it is unsightly and too harshly lit at night. The resolution authorizes $61,227 for the project, which will also include new lighting, extending a masonry wall, raising all masonry walls to nine feet, and installing dark-colored stucco and capstone to the wall.
The town’s Site Plan Review Advisory Board (SPRAB) has also recommended removing a rain garden for stormwater runoff at the site, and adding more screening on the other side, which is on Route 206. The rain garden, which is a stormwater requirement, is currently located in a tight spot between a 6-foot-wide sidewalk and a wall. That limits choices in terms of what can be planted there. With an estimated cost of $124,500 to get permission to change the design from the Department of Environmental Continued on Page 8
SIGNS OF SPRING: The beginning of spring is still over a week away, but plenty of children enjoyed the warm, sunny day on Sunday at Marquand Park. The sandbox, with toy trucks and plastic buckets for all, has been a favorite for generations. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
March 12-13