Volume LXXVIII, Number 44
Town Receives NJ Future Smart Growth Award for Terhune Harrison Project . . . 11 With Return of Juniors Stars Pierce, Lee, PU Men’s Hoops Primed For Big Season as it Hosts Iona in Opener on November 4 . . . . . . . . 22 Producing a Dominant Performance, PHS Girls’ Volleyball Rolls to Third Straight BCSL Title. . . 26
Shown here in 1920, Ezra Pound Is the Subject Of This Week’s Birthday Book Review . . . . . . . 14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 20 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 32 Fall Highlights . . . . . . . 2 Fall Living . . . . . . . . . 19 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 21 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 31 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
Two work sessions dominated the meeting of Princeton Council on Monday evening, October 28. The first was on the concept plan for refreshing Hinds Plaza, and the second was a discussion on removal and replacement of the two kiosks located on Nassau Street. After hearing a progress report from municipal staff and Arterial, Inc., the consultants on the Hinds Plaza project, Council members and Mayor Mark Freda offered comments and suggestions and aired some concerns. Regarding the kiosks, which are at the intersections of Witherspoon Street and Vandeventer Avenue, the governing body directed staff to remove them while tabling the question of whether and how they should be replaced. In his presentation, James Ribaudo of Arterial said Hinds Plaza is 20 years old and in need of refreshment and reorganization. The company has held three workshops with the steering committee dedicated to the project, as well as stakeholder meetings, and is compiling a plan based on feedback and their own observations. “The current structure of the plaza no longer matches the demands that are placed upon it from a daily basis, but more importantly the various programmatic events that take place there,” said Ribaudo. He added that the existing trees are at the end of their life span and need to be replaced, so each option in the conceptual design includes new trees. Extending the plaza to the edge of Witherspoon Street is among the ideas being explored. Other possibilities include moveable, sculptural seating;
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
PPS Plans for $89.1M Bond Referendum Princeton Public Schools (PPS) has been moving towards a $89.1 million January bond referendum for expansion and renovations, and a decision on that was anticipated at Tuesday night’s Board of Education (BOE) meeting, which took place after press time. The resolution on the table would call for Princeton voters to weigh in on January 28 on a proposal to expand and upgrade school buildings at Community Park and Littlebrook elementary schools, as well as expansion and renovations at Princeton Middle School (PMS) and renovations at Princeton High School (PHS). The proposed resolution comes in three parts, with a total tax impact estimated at $543 annually for the owner of a home at Princeton’s average assessed value of $853,136, after anticipated reductions through state aid. The referendum, if approved by voters, would address aging infrastructure and space needs as the town anticipates about 1,000 units of new housing in the next five to seven years with additional population growth and state-mandated development on the horizon. Most of the approved new housing is being built in the Community Park and Littlebrook school zones.
“District leaders and Board members put extensive thought into forming a plan that would create the space we need while preserving our beloved neighborhood schools for the community,” said Interim PPS Superintendent Kathie Foster. “if we don’t take steps to prepare for the additional students, we will face widespread redistricting and larger class sizes, and we might have to repurpose programming due to lack of classroom space.”
The proposal would be separated into three ballot questions with Questions 2 and 3 contingent on the passage of the previous question. If all questions are approved the state will pay 14.7 percent of debt service aid for the projects. The projects, sent to the New Jersey Department of Education in April, were recently approved by the state, along with confirmation of debt service aid eligibility for the proposed renovations and expansion. Continued on Page 10
Stormwater and Its Effects Are on Agenda At Municipality’s Oct. 30 Public Meeting
As climate change and its effects become a growing concern in the news and in the lives of Princeton residents, stormwater management is becoming an increasingly important challenge for municipal officials and individual citizens. The Municipality of Princeton has invited residents, business owners, and all stakeholders to a public meeting in the Witherspoon Hall Meeting Room at 400 Witherspoon Street. and on Zoom, on Wednesday, October 30 at 6 p.m. to explore the feasibility of a stormwater utility in Princeton.
Attendees will also learn about the work the town does to comply with stormwater regulations and the benefits of stormwater management. The Municipality of Princeton is currently in Phase 2 of a four-phase stormwater feasibility study, exploring the possibility of forming a stormwater utility to provide a dedicated funding source through user fees, similar to the sanitary sewer utility, to operate, maintain, and improve the municipal storm sewer system. Stormwater management, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Continued on Page 7
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Jamie Volkert is First Director of New Division Of Travel and Tourism . . 9
Council Hears Report From Consulting Firm on Revitalizing Hinds Plaza
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“Painter of the American Revolution” is in Spotlight At November 6 Event . . 5
www.towntopics.com
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Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday at 2 a.m. Turn clocks back one hour.
IRISH WAKE: Members of the Princeton High boys’ soccer team celebrate after they edged Notre Dame 1-0 in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament final last Saturday afternoon on Ackerson Field at Hopewell Valley High. PHS, now 14-2-3, got the winning goal against the Irish late in the second half on a header by Chase Hamerschlag off a corner kick by Aaron Thyrum. For details on the game, see page 25. (Photo by Bill Alden)