Volume LXXVI, Number 19
Luxury Living Page 2 Wendy Benchley Speaks About Saving Sharks, Protecting Oceans . . . . 5 Rumors Fly at PPS, Fueled by Social Media, Petitions . . . . . . . . . . 12 Council Hears Report On Community Mobility Study . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PSO Closes Season with Fiery Young Violinist . . 20 McCarter Theatre Presents Ride the Cyclone . . . . 21 PU Softball Hosting Harvard in Ivy Playoff Series this Weekend . . 32 Goalie Peloso Stars as PHS Girls’ Lax Advances to MCT Semis . . . . . . . . 35
Franz Kafka’s Guest This Week Is Charlie Parker . . . . . . 19 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 29 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 40 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 30 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 39 Performing Arts . . . . . 24 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 14 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 40 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6 Weddings . . . . . . . . . . 12
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Ordinance Restricting Use of Gas Leaf Blowers Goes Into Effect As of Monday, landscapers and homeowners will have to care for their lawns without the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. May 16 marks the end of a 90-day grace period allowing residents and landscapers time to adapt to new regulations established by an ordinance Princeton Council adopted last fall. The ordinance bans usage of the equipment from now until October, when it is lifted for two months during peak fall season. The ban resumes in mid-December and runs through the following March, when the cycle begins again. Council voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance after nearly a year of deliberations by Sustainable Princeton, Quiet Princeton, the Princeton Environmental Commission, and the Board of Health. The goal is not only to protect the environment, but also the health of landscaping workers. “It went into effect in October, but this is the first time people will really be forced to change,” said Councilwoman Eve Niedergang, who led the effort. “The dates we decided on were determined with the input of the landscaping community — when they absolutely need the gas leaf blowers, and when can they manage without them. We tried to do this in an equitable way, bringing in all the parties involved.” While gas-powered leaf blowers are subject to the changes, gas-powered and battery-powered mowers can be used year-round. The rules allow them Mondays-Fridays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.; and Sundays and named holidays from 1-6 p.m. The ordinance encourages landscapers to replace gas-powered with battery-powered equipment. A Landscape Equipment Transition Fund established by Sustainable Princeton provides up to $500 in financial assistance for qualified small landscaping companies. “There is still money left in the fund for landscapers who want to take advantage of this,” said Niedergang. A large part of the effort is urging people to consider using the leaves instead of using equipment to blow them off their properties. “The leaves are a valuable natural resource, and it’s much better to keep them on your lawn,” said Niedergang. “They provide a valuable resource Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Council Continues Cannabis Zoom on May 17 As discussion and debate over the question of retail cannabis in Princeton continue in the public and private spheres of the community, Princeton Council is preparing to host a virtual special meeting on the subject on Tuesday, May 17 at 7 p.m. Council will be in listening mode again at the session. Members of the public who had their hands raised but did not have a chance to speak at the last cannabis meeting on March 29 will have the first opportunity to speak. There were about 345 in attendance on March 29, with about 35 still waiting to speak when the four-hour meeting finally ended at about 11 p.m. Mayor Mark Freda and Council members have been enthusiastic about the level of community participation and engagement, as they attempt to process the wide range of input and perspectives before beginning deliberations over whether to create an ordinance to allow a cannabis dispensary in Princeton. If time permits, additional participants will have an opportunity to speak at the May 17 meeting, but only those members of the public who had their hands up when the March 29 meeting ended are guaranteed that opportunity. A Zoom link for the meeting will be provided at princetonnj.gov. New Jersey voted in a November 2020 referendum to legalize the sale of recreational cannabis in the state. Under the
subsequent legalization law, municipalities were empowered to make the decision whether to allow retail sales and to control the cannabis businesses in their towns. Princeton Council initially opted not to allow dispensaries in town pending further study and discussion, and it created an ad hoc advisory body, the Cannabis Task Force (CTF), which, in November 2021, recommended that Council pass an ordinance allowing up to three cannabis retail establishments.
Criticism of the CTF’s recommendation has been heated, and the debate continues. Among surrounding communities, Lawrence Township, with its Zen Leaf dispensary on Route 1, is the only one to approve retail cannabis sales. West Windsor, South Brunswick, and Montgomery have opted out for now. Many who oppose the CTF recommendation have focused their criticisms on the potentially harmful effects of Continued on Page 8
PU Announces Research Partnerships With United Negro College Fund and Five HBCUs
Princeton University professors and their peers at five historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will be undertaking research collaborations funded by Princeton University through its new Princeton Alliance for Collaborative Research and Innovation (PACRI). Announced last week, the groundbreaking program, in partnership with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), will link up Princeton researchers with researchers from Howard University, Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University, Spelman College, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with teams of Princeton-HBCU researchers invited to submit proposals by June 30, 2022.
“We highly value partnerships at Princeton, whether they are with other academic institutions, industry, governments, or nonprofits,” said Princeton University Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Vice Dean for Innovation and PACRI Co-Leader Rodney Priestley, as quoted in a Princeton University press release. “We believe that these collaborations enable Princeton researchers and innovators to achieve things that we cannot achieve alone.” Princeton’s Dean for Research and Professor in Engineering and Applied Science and Chemical and Biological Engineering Pablo Debenedetti noted, “Collaboration is a powerful force for new Continued on Page 10
SUPERBLOOM: The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) recently unveiled its latest community mural on the corner of Spring and Witherspoon streets. Designed and painted by Fiona Chinkan, the colorful work celebrating spring is the ACP’s sixth public art piece at that location. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)