Volume LXXVII, Number 7
Meet The Top Agents Pages 34-48 ARB’s Giselle Makes Classic Work More Relatable . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Annual Oxtail Fest Benefits Black History Museum . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Once Upon a Time in Antioch . . . . . . . . . . 14 With Cook Taking the Helm, New Era Starting For PU Women’s Lax As it Hosts Virginia . . 22 Zullo Leads the Way as PHS Boys’ Hockey Advances to MCT Final . . . . . . . . . .28
Jeff Lucker Retires After 53 Years at PHS . . . . 10 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 20 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 33 Home & Family . . . . 24-25 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 21 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 32 Performing Arts . . . 15-16 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 9 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Eisgruber Highlights PU Accomplishments, Technology Challenges In his annual State of the University letter to faculty, students, and staff on January 31, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber celebrated an abundance of University accomplishments and emphasized the profound impacts of rapidly developing technology. In addition to a slew of prestigious faculty, student, and alumni awards; an impressive picture of the University’s finances, with record sums raised and significant increases in graduate stipends and undergraduate financial aid, as well as dramatic progress on “the most ambitious building program in the University’s history”; Eisgruber highlighted the Princeton University community’s full return to campus in person for academic, extracurricular, and athletic activities three years after the initial appearance of COVID-19. “Our campus again pulses with vital energy, personal interaction, and creative inspiration,” he wrote. “Classes are meeting without the restrictions needed last year. Workshops, lectures, and colloquia are well attended. Crowds are welcome at performances, sporting events, and other gatherings.” Most of his 16-page letter, however, he devoted to discussion of the changing current world of technology and “what these changes mean for Princeton as a University steadfastly committed to the ideals of liberal arts education and curiosity-driven research.” “Computer science, data science, online media, and machine learning are rapidly changing how we read, write, learn, think, communicate, and socialize,” he wrote. “They are affecting what students want to study, how research is conducted, and what topics scholars can explore. They are altering the world’s capacities and problems, and, with those, the issues that universities must address to prepare students for the future and deliver the research that our society needs.” Eisgruber pointed out some lessons learned from the pandemic, how important the residential teaching model is to Princeton, and how difficult it is to teach effectively online. “To be sure, the experience of online teaching during the pandemic broadened familiarity with what could be done online,” he wrote. “The knowledge may Continued on Page 7
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Wednesday, February 15, 2023
PPS Prepares to Meet Rising Enrollments Enrollment at Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is growing, with an increase of 324 students or 9.5 percent over the past 10 years and an anticipated increase of 433 students, from 3,721 to 4,154, by the 2027-28 school year. At the February 8 PPS Board of Education (BOE) meeting, Michael Zuba, a certified professional planner and the director of public education master planning for SLAM, a planning firm for educational entities, presented a report on the anticipated impact on enrollment of new housing in Princeton. His report included information about housing developments that are planned or in progress, the largest of which is Avalon Princeton Circle on Thanet Road, which will consist of 221 apartments and townhouses. There was an enrollment peak of 3,855 students in the 2019-20 school year, followed by two years of declining enrollment during the pandemic. The data presented at the meeting was consistent with the two most recent demographic studies in 2020 and 2021. BOE President Dafna Kendal reflected on the impact of the growing student
population and discussed steps the BOE might be taking to address that growth. “We will proceed thoughtfully and deliberately,” she said. The updated demographic report will be the focus of the March 21 BOE meeting, she added, and in the meantime, “We’re waiting for recommendations from the administration, which we expect to get in early March, and those recommendations will inform our decisions.” Noting that demographic projections
are just one data point, Kendal acknowledged the challenges and opportunities. “What struck me is that we’re going to have 1,100 new housing units in Princeton,” she said. “That’s a lot. Obviously with 1,100 new homes that’s going to be more children, more school-age children.” She continued, “We are always excited to welcome new children to the district and excited that the district continues to grow. We think that is a reflection of our reputation for excellence.” Continued on Page 9
Council Backs Ordinance to Acquire Land on Franklin Avenue for Development of Mixed-Rate Housing
Princeton Council introduced an ordinance at its meeting on Monday night seeking to acquire land on Franklin Avenue from the Princeton Housing Authority for the development of affordable and market-rate housing, at a price of $1,720,000. The municipality already owns two other lots on the street, across from the AvalonBay community. The town proposes to develop the new apartment complex of 160 units with a private developer. A
public hearing on the matter is set for February 27. As part of the public hearing portion of the meeting, Council voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance authorizing the acquisition for $1 of more than 34 acres of open space between Ridgeview Road and Cherry Valley Road. The property forms part of Princeton’s “Emerald Necklace,” and will be added to its preserved open spaces “to be used by the general public for passive recreation and conservation Continued on Page 11
NO SNOW YET: Children enjoyed playing outside in Marquand Park on Sunday. Residents and visitors share their thoughts on the lack of snow this winter in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)