Volume LXXII, Number 30
Mary Moss Playground Renovation Gets Finishing Touches . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Ordinance Enforcement Questioned at Council Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 All in a Day’s Work: Susan Conlon Heads PPL Youth Services . . . . . . 11 Holding Shakespeare’s Mirror to the Light . . . 13 PU Alum Kanoff Heading to Training Camp for Arizona Cardinals . . . . 25 Springdale Golf Club Hosting AJGA Championship . . . . . . 27
Archaeologist and academic James Robert McCredie, a member of the Institute for Advanced Studies, Dies . . . . . . . 31 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .20, 21 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads . . . . . . 32 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Music/Theater . . . . . . 18 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 24 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 31 Service Directory . . . . 36 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Council Looks Ahead, Prepares Next Step In Bike Lane Experiment
After reviewing the mostly positive public responses to last month’s Beta Bike Lane experiment, including 432 completed surveys, Princeton Council will consider an engineering study proposal from WSP, formerly Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering and Design Firm. Councilman Tim Quinn and Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton presented the results of the survey to the Council Monday night, and more than 20 members of the public weighed in with comments about their experiences during the period when the bike lanes along Wiggins Street and Hamilton Avenue were in use and their opinions about making the bike lanes permanent. Though the responses were mostly positive, with many bikers feeling safer in bike lanes and pedestrians feeling safer with bicyclists off the sidewalks, the question of what to do about the need for parking remained unresolved. Thirty-six parking spaces were removed to make room for the bike lanes during the tenday period. Councilman Lance Liverman emphasized the value of the bike lanes but expressed concern about the loss of parking. “Can we provide somewhere else where they can park?” he asked. “I agree we do need a bike lane, but I want to be respectful of people who would be losing parking.” Though admitting that the sample size was small and the duration of the experiment was brief, Stockton reported that the number of bicyclists on the Wiggins-Hamilton half-mile stretch more than doubled. According to the survey, before the experiment 44 percent of cyclists rode on the sidewalk, and 56 percent on the street, but with the bike lanes only 11 percent rode on the sidewalk and 89 percent in the bike lanes. Before the lanes were installed, 23 percent of bike riders said they felt safe, 61 percent unsafe, but with the bike lanes 69 percent said they felt safe as opposed to only 12 percent unsafe. All in all, 49.5 percent said they loved the the bike lanes, 15 percent liked the lanes, and 23 percent of respondents said they did not like them. Quinn noted that, in addition to winning the approval of bikers, the bike lanes were popular with many pedestrians, who Continued on Page 14
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Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Schools, Community Look to Nov. Referendum
“It’s going to be a hotly debated item on the November ballot,” said Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, commenting on the planned $129.6M Princeton Public Schools facilities bond referendum. The debate continues in various forums, public and private, throughout the Princeton community. “I applaud the school district,” Lempert said at a Monday press conference. “They’ve been out there in the community holding forums.” Declining to take sides, Lempert added, “The most important thing about this is that it’s going to be a community vote. There are challenging issues here. To not invest comes with a cost too. it’s an important process. I’m glad there’s a high level of community involvement.” Councilman Tim Quinn also weighed in, not pro or con on the question, but supporting the process as “democracy in its purest form, a straight up-and-down vote.” The Princeton Board of Education at its July 17 meeting voted to separate the referendum into two questions for voters on November 6. The first question authorizes $82.5M to fund a new 5/6 school at Valley Road; four additional classrooms at Princeton High School (PHS); safety measures and security upgrades at all district schools;
HVAC upgrades; the purchase of 15 acres and two existing office buildings at Thanet Circle for administration, maintenance, and transportation employees currently at Valley Road; and upgraded athletic facilities. The second question authorizes $47M more for creation of additional capacity at PHS through transformation of three interior courtyards, renovations of existing space at PHS, and addition of turf to an athletic field. The second question cannot pass unless the first question passes.
Last Saturday morning about 35 residents with a wide range of concerns and questions came to the Community Room of the Princeton Public Library for a twohour Q&A session on the referendum with PPS Superintendent Steve Cochrane and project architect Scott Downie. Not surprisingly, many concerns focused on the financial implications of the referendum and its impact on property taxes. A number of speakers sought further explanation and clarification of Continued on Page 14
Princeton AlumniCorps Gets Grant To Restore Historic Headquarters Princeton prizes its buildings designed by 19th-century architect, carpenter, and developer Charles Steadman. Thanks to a recent historic preservation grant, the Steadman-built house at 12 Stockton Street is about to receive some TLC. Princeton AlumniCorps, which is headquartered in the building, has received $15,000 from The 1772 Foundation, which partnered with the New Jersey Historic Trust to distribute $293,786 this year to 12 organizations. Princeton AlumniCorps, which purchased the building 18 years ago, received the maximum grant amount, designated for repair and resto-
ration of its exterior. “Our very generous donors set up a fund when we moved here, which has allowed us to maintain necessities,” said Kef Kasdin, Princeton AlumniCorps president and executive director. “But there are certain things that are beyond necessities, and this grant is helpful for that.” Work on the building will include repair and painting of the trim, and upgrading of the driveway. “A lot of tours go by here, so it’s important that we look our best,” said Kasdin, who has led the organization since last summer. “This will make a difference.” Continued on Page 10
CHANGING THE GAME: Athletes at Camp Shriver gather after a basketball game on Friday at the Special Olympics New Jersey Sports Complex in Lawrenceville . The Complex also hosted a Change the Game Day Open House marking the 50th anniversary of the organization . Participants share what Special Olympics means to them, along with their favorite sports, in today’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)