Volume LXX, Number 8
Summer Camps Pages 25-33 YMCA and YWCA Are Reorganizing . . . . . . . . 9 Princeton University Glee Club Performs With Ladysmith Black Mambazo . . . . . . . . . 18 With Oscar Night Looming, a Look at Nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh and TwoTime Winner Olivia de Havilland . . . . . . . . . . 20 When Dawn Breaks Is An “Immersive” Theater Experience . . . . . . . . . 21 PU Men’s Hoops Are in Thick of Ivy Race . . . . 36 PDS Boys’ Hoops Wins Prep B for 1st Title Since ’99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
"All in a Day’s Work" Features Medical Assistant Grisele Gamboa . . . . . . 7 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads . . . . . . . 48 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Music/Theater . . . . . . 18 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 11 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 35 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 45 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 47 Service Directory . . . . 46 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Neumann and Crumiller Announce Their Bids For Princeton Council A fourth Democrat has announced her candidacy for a seat on Princeton Council. Anne Waldron Neumann, a former member of the Princeton Environmental Commission and Site Plan Review Advisory Board, has joined newcomers Tim Quinn and Leticia Fraga and incumbent Jenny Crumiller in the race for the two seats that are up for grabs. Ms. Crumiller issued a formal announcement this week that she is seeking re-election. Incumbent Patrick Simon has said he will not seek re-election. Affordability is the most pressing local issue to Ms. Neumann, who ran for Borough Council in 2010 but was defeated in the primary. “I grew up in Princeton,” she said in her release, “and I’m passionate about preserving our many diverse neighborhoods. How many Princetonians know that a third of all Princeton households, based on income alone, would be eligible for affordable housing?” Ms. Neumann chaired Princeton Borough’s Affordable Housing Commission in the last year before consolidation and took part in a Princeton Future initiative supporting local retail. She has served on the Princeton Democratic Organization’s executive board for 10 years and currently chairs its Local Issues Committee. Among the bullet points she lists as her vision for Princeton are keeping property taxes as low as possible to protect diversity in age and income, making it possible for residents to age in place, using zoning laws proactively and shaping development to suit the town’s needs, providing affordable housing, and preserving the character of existing neighborhoods. Ms. Crumiller served on Borough Council before consolidation and has been a member of Princeton Council since the merger of Borough and Township three years ago. In her first term on the consolidated Council, she has served on the Planning Board, the IT Committee, the Ordinance Harmonization Committee, Traffic and Transportation, and Public Works. “I have done my best to make our new government inclusive and transparent and to look for cost savings without diluting the quality of services. There is more to be done, I know what needs to be done, and this is why I am seeking re-election,” she said. Continued on Page 4
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Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Witherspoon-Jackson Designation Looks Likely
At another standing-room-only meeting of Princeton Council in Witherspoon Hall Monday night, the proposed ordinance that would make the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood Princeton’s twentieth historic district drew spirited commentary from residents and other members of the public. Nearly all spoke strongly in favor of the concept. The Council listened to three hours of testimony before referring the matter to the administrative staff. The ordinance could be formally introduced at another special meeting devoted to the issue, possibly on March 10. If introduced, the measure would go to the Planning Board before being sent back to Council for a final vote. Witherspoon-Jackson was developed as a result of segregation and discrimination, and has historically served as home to the town’s African American residents, as well as Italian, Irish, and Hispanic families. Last December, Wise Preservation consultants issued a 110-page study of the neighborhood, concluding that it is worthy of being preserved as a historic district. The town’s Historic Preservation Commission has recommended that With-
erspoon-Jackson should receive the designation. In an overview at Monday’s meeting, HPC chair Julie Capozzoli said the proposed district includes 395 properties, 281 of which are considered contributing. That means they contain buildings, structures, or sites that are more than 50 years old and retain their integrity. Noncontributing buildings are those built within the past 45 years and have been altered to such an extent that they don’t fit in with the neighborhood. An increase in teardowns and the con-
struction of large houses that many feel detract from the neighborhood’s architectural and historic fabric have heightened interest in designation. Many who spoke at the meeting stressed the sense of community among resident families, some of which go back six generations. Romus Broadway, who lives on Birch Avenue and exhibited collages he has assembled in the hallway outside the meeting room, listed the professions of many people who grew up in the neighborhood — architects, Continued on Page 10
Fenwick Hospitality Group Purchases Main Street Bistro, Cafe and Catering Fenwick Hospitality Group, owned by Jim Nawn, who also owns Agricola, the Great Road Farm, and the bar and bistro planned for the old Dinky train station, has purchased the Main Street Restaurant Group, including the Main Street Bistro in the Princeton Shopping Center, Main Street Eatery and Gourmet Bakery in Kingston and Main Street Fine Catering in Rocky Hill. Mr. Nawn, former owner of 37 Panera Bread franchises in New Jersey, stated
his respect for Main Street, which has been in the community since 1984. Mr. Nawn plans to move slowly with any future changes. “We’re not setting up another Agricola,” he emphasized. “I’m not wedded to any particular plan for Main Street. I want to do something that responds to the needs of the community, that guests will come to and enjoy. We are going to take this slowly and understand what makes each Continued on Page 10
BANNER DAY: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball players, from left, Craig Wrenn (No . 12), Chase Lewis (No . 3), and David Coit (No . 11) celebrate with teammates last Wednesday after top-seeded PDS edged third-seeded MorristownBeard 66-62 in overtime in the state Prep B final . It was the first state crown for the program since the Panthers won the Prep A title in 1999 . See page 40 for more details on the championship game . (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)