Volume LXXV, Number 9
Spring Into Health Pages 23-25 Young Women Lead The Way in Hun School Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Einstein Museum Proposed As Tourism Draw . . . . . 11 Municipal Attorney Releases Memo on Affordable Housing Set-Aside . . . . . . . . . . . 12 PSO Presents Second Virtual Collaboration With South African String Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . 15 Former PDS Star Colton Scores Goal in NHL Debut For Lightning . . . . . . . . 27 Featuring Deep Lineup, PHS Girls’ Swimming Produces 3-0 Start . . . . 31
This Week’s Book Review Celebrates the Poetry of Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021) . . . . . . . . 16 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .20, 21 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads . . . . . . 35 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 14 New to Us . . . . . . . . . . 26 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 34 Performing Arts . . . . . 17 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 35 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Many Voices Speak Up, As Schools Make Plans For Return to Normal On February 23, as they prepared to begin the 7:30 p.m. public session of their regular Tuesday evening meeting, the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE) was looking forward to a report from district administrators on a plan for moving forward in addressing pandemic-related issues and bringing more children safely back into the buildings. Logged in on the Zoom session, however, were more than 800 participants — mostly high school students, but also a significant number of teachers and parents. They wanted to speak on a variety of different concerns, and most were not happy. By 9:30 p.m. the BOE had taken care of preliminary business and heard the administrators’ reports, and the public forum portion of the meeting began, with individuals each allowed two minutes to speak. The Board decided to extend the public comment period from its usual 15 minutes to one hour, then another hour. Community members spoke up, voicing frustrations, stress, sometimes anger, often directed at administration or Board members, sometimes directed against the pandemic in general and its accompanying restrictions, unforeseen disruptions, and constantly changing variables necessitating frequent changes of plans. The BOE members listened. Board members do not respond during the public forum session, though they did frequently reiterate their commitment to hearing everybody who wanted to speak. Finally, as midnight and the legally mandated end of the meeting approached, the Board and Superintendent Barry Galasso committed to carrying on the dialogue in future planning sessions with students, teachers, and parents in the following days. Praising the work of the BOE and superintendent and their commitment to listening and working with the students, Yash Roy, Princeton High School (PHS) senior and one of two student representatives on the BOE, attributed last Tuesday’s contentious meeting to pandemic fatigue and communication lapses, “a confluence of bad factors.” He noted, “It was very high tension, but it cooled down very quickly.” Janelle Wilkinson, PHS French teacher Continued on Page 10
75¢ at newsstands
Vaccines to Be Offered to Educators, Others New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Monday, March 1 that the state will be expanding vaccination eligibility later this month to include educators and staff in Pre-K through 12th grade settings, child care workers, and transportation workers, among others. Princeton Public Schools Superintendent Barry Galasso applauded the news that teachers would soon be eligible for vaccination. “We’ve been advocating for them to get vaccines since vaccines became available,” he said. “I’ve written to the governor and told him specifically that schools are an integral part of getting the economy going, and the only way that can happen is if teachers feel comfortable coming into the buildings.” He continued, “Vaccines are not a silver bullet, but they will give a number of teachers a level of comfort and safety. We sent out communications asking the Princeton community for support on this, and a number of people in the community have taken up that banner and advocated for this. We appreciate their support. Teachers being vaccinated is a great thing.” New Jersey expects to receive an initial shipment of about 70,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved, one-
dose vaccine this week to supplement the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines currently in use. And, on March 2, federal officials announced that Merck & Co. would be teaming up with Johnson & Johnson in helping to produce the vaccine. In addition, CVS and Rite-Aid will be allotted 22,500 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses this week through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, Murphy added, though the supplies for subsequent weeks are not certain. “As the federal government continues
4 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542
(609) 921-1050 Office (609) 915-5000 Cell bblackwell@callawayhenderson.com For more information about properties, the market in general, or your home in particular, please give me a call.
to make more vaccine doses available, we are confident in our ability to expand our vaccination program to reach more of our essential workers and vulnerable populations,” Murphy said. “As vaccine supply increases, this phased expansion of new eligibility groups keeps New Jersey moving forward toward our goal of vaccinating 70 percent of the eligible adult population,” said New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) Commissioner Judith Persichilli. She added, Continued on Page 8
Renovations Finally in Progress at Former Downtown Post Office Building The transformation of Princeton’s former post office building into the new location of Triumph Brewery is finally underway. Inside the Palmer Square landmark, Princeton Design Guild is demolishing the old vaults where money and stamps were kept, and everything in the basement, in preparation for the redesign. If all goes according to plan, Triumph could move from its current location at 138 Nassau Street and re-open on Palmer Square by the last quarter of 2022, according to Kevin Wilkes of Princeton Design Guild, who is working as the owner’s
representative on the project. “We are not the general contractor. We will make a selection in a month for a construction management company,” he said. “But I’m getting things started on the front end so we don’t lose time.” Three architects are involved in the project. Gittings Associates of Forrestal Road is the architect of record, Richardson Smith of Witherspoon Street is design architect, and Historic Building Architects of Trenton are the historic preservation architects. “We aim to make this a Continued on Page 13
IS IT SPRING YET?: Despite the cold, a few children recently enjoyed some time in Marquand Park . Residents and visitors share what they are looking forward to this spring in this week’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Weronkia A.. Plohn)
The Air of a European Estate one Hour from NYC Barbara Blackwell Broker Associate
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
To pass through the iron gates into the stone courtyard is to be swept to another time and place. To share a meal beneath the canopy of sycamores beside the trickling fountain is simply magical. It’s hard to believe such a majestic structure started life 120 years ago as a dairy barn, one of 4 Tudor brick outbuildings on the Drumthwacket Estate in Princeton. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Subject To Errors, Omissions, Prior Sale Or Withdrawal Without Notice.