Volume LXXVIII, Number 9
www.towntopics.com
Environmental Impact, Resiliency, Sustainability Underpin Town Projects
Pages 17-20 Theatrical and Cultural “Magic” on Tap at PPS . .5 Princeton Polestar to Donate Fire Blanket To PFD . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Pi Day Observances Focus On Signature Events . . 8 Richardson Chamber Players Presents Concert of French Chamber Music . . . . . . . 13 Theatre Intime Presents Pipeline . . . . . . . . . . 14 Fillier Stars as PU Women’s Hockey Tops Dartmouth in ECAC Hockey Playoffs . . . . 24 Shin Comes Up Big to Help PDS Boys’ Hockey Make NJSIAA Non-Public Quarterfinals . . . . . . . 30
Elizabeth Bishop Joins Billie Holiday in This Week’s Book/Record Review . .12 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .21, 22 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 34 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Obituaries . . . . . . .32, 33 Performing Arts . . .15, 16 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 9 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
“Sustainability,” “resiliency,” “stormwater control,” and “flood mitigation” are words appearing with great frequency in current media and engineering studies, and a look at descriptions of infrastructure projects underway in Princeton reveals the predominance of these environmental concerns. The February 26 Municipality of Princeton newsletter reports on plans to replace six old and out-of-date storm drains (culverts) in town. The project is in the early design stages and may take a year or two before it is completed. “These culvert replacements are part of our commitment to sustainability, stormwater control, and flood mitigation,” the newsletter states. “The holistic approach of managing runoff where the rain falls, maintaining a robust storm sewer system, developing storm water mitigation measures, and protecting our floodplain provides for a safer, cleaner environment for our residents (and everyone who lives downstream!).” This culvert replacement enterprise is only one of numerous projects currently in progress under the supervision of the Princeton Municipal Engineering Department. “Everything being done now is being done with an eye toward resiliency and sustainability,” said Assistant Municipal Engineer James Purcell. “For each one of the projects that we have going we look at the environmental impact and what we can do to be less impactful and reduce our carbon footprint.” He elaborated, “New regulations from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, that are long overdue, require that things be designed with the idea that climate change is here, so our stream modeling to determine the flows in the streams is going to be based on projected rainfalls 75 years from now. In the past, design was based on historical data, but now we’re going to be designing our stormwater management and flood plain management based on projected future data.” Before digging into details on several more of the municipality’s current infrastructure tasks, Purcell raised a warning flag concerning two potentially disruptive projects not under the auspices of the municipality: a PSE&G Continued on Page 9
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Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Council Hosts Eisgruber for Annual Talk At a meeting on Monday, February 26, Princeton Council held its annual discussion with Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber on the relationship and collaborations between the University and the municipality. The gathering allows members of the governing body to ask Eisgruber about specific areas of collaboration with the University, while giving him an opportunity to speak about the state of the University, its priorities, and higher education in general. On January 30, the University announced its plan to contribute more than $50 million over five years to the municipality, community organizations, and lower- and middle-income residents to support mutual community interests including college access, sustainability, diversity and equality, mass transit, municipal infrastructure, safety, and emergency services. The plan provides for contributions of $39.5 million to the municipality. The past year has been “tumultuous and demanding” for higher education, Eisgruber said, and especially challenging because of attacks on the University’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. “I take so much pride in the barriers that Princeton University has taken down,” he said, adding that the
University’s commitment to excellence is tied into its commitment to diversity and inclusion, attracting students and teaching talent from diverse segments of society. Councilman David Cohen brought up the question of missing middle housing, which he raised last year. While affordable housing regulations don’t allow the setting aside of units specifically for those who work in Princeton, the University does have the ability to build missing
middle housing specifically for members of its staff. “I think in the spirit of inclusivity, it would be a great thing if the University could create housing for them,” Cohen said. “We’d love to see the University take this on.” Eisgruber said the University is continuing the conversation on the issue, but it has to be considered in terms of the overall compensation framework. “There are trade-offs within that framework,” he said, adding that while some could be Continued on Page 10
Eateries with Diverse Culinary Traditions Participating in Restaurant Week 2024
For retailers and restaurateurs, postValentine’s Day is a traditionally quiet time of year. What better time, the creators of Princeton Restaurant Week thought four years ago, to jump-start the local culinary scene with seven days of special menus and reduced prices? The first Princeton Restaurant Week debuted in 2019 with a few participating eateries. Then the pandemic hit, putting the concept on a two-year hiatus. The event returned last year under the aegis of Experience Princeton, the nonprofit formed in 2022 as the Princeton
Business Partnership, a Special Improvement District (SID) dedicated to promoting and marketing the town. Some 40 restaurants signed on. As of early this week, 44 eateries are on board for Princeton Restaurant Week 2024, March 2-8. Isaac Kremer, director of Experience Princeton, is not surprised at the growth. “I think the most innovative towns are defined by a vibrant culinary scene, and we have that in Princeton today,” he said.” Last year’s Restaurant Week was one of the big initial projects for Continued on Page 9
FINAL TAKEOFF: Princeton High girls’ swimmer Kyleigh Tangen takes off to do the anchor leg in the 400-yard freestyle relay last Sunday as PHS battled Chatham in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group B state final at the Rutgers Aquatics Center. Tangen and the Tigers fell just short of a second straight state title as they lost 89-81 to the Cougars to end the winter at 14-1. For more details on the meet, see page 28. (Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)