Volume LXXVII, Number 37
Cadwalader Heights Historic House and Garden Tour . . . . . . . . 5 “Tigers on Strike” Panel To Discuss Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA Issues . . . 9 Taplin, Smith Book Talk At Princeton Library . 11 PU Football Heading to San Diego to Kick Off 2023 Campaign . . . . 23 With Famiglietti Helping To Key Defense, PHS Football Tops Haddon Township 23-0 In Improving to 2-1 . . 26
Today is the Birthday Of Composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), Who Painted This SelfPortrait in 1910 . . . . 14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 20 Art Appreciation . . . 17-19 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 21 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 33 Luxury Living . . . . . . . . 2 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 22 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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WJNA Meeting Crowd Participates, Challenges W-J Development Corp. The Witherspoon-Jackson Development Corporation (WJDC) was in the spotlight at a lively meeting of the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Association (WJNA) attended by more than 60 people on Saturday, September 9 at the Arts Council of Princeton on Paul Robeson Place. “The basic overall community opinion was that they want Witherspoon-Jackson Development Corporation to be more transparent,” said former Princeton Councilman and community leader Lance Liverman. He went on to mention the need for an improved website for finding information, adding, “We want them to do more reporting back to the community — what they’re doing, what they’re funding.” Princeton Councilman Leighton Newlin, who co-chaired the meeting, applauded the “great information exchanged” on Saturday, but noted, “There was definitely a call for greater transparency and accountability.” He added, “We’re at a crossroads and this is a critical time for homeowners in Princeton.” Of particular concern, and the subject of a number of questions from the attendees, was the home at 31 Maclean Street that the WJDC purchased in 2019 and intended to sell to a qualified buyer at an affordable price, but has not yet done so. The WJDC was originally established in 1975 with a mission “to preserve and maintain the quality of life and the integrity of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood.” After a long period of dormancy, it was revived in 2016 with the help of a $1.25 million grant from Princeton University, as part of a property tax lawsuit settlement. Target beneficiaries of WJDC programs include those who have suffered the impacts of rising housing costs, taxes, and gentrification. The WJDC website states, “WJDC is concerned about and focused on assisting the long-time W-J residents, their descendants or heirs, and those with deep roots in the W-J neighborhood.” “The organization is working to keep folks in their homes in the W-J area,” said Liverman, noting that the most important part of the meeting was the questionand-answer session, which followed an extensive and detailed update on the organization’s past, present, and future Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Care Center, DOH Dropped the Ball, Says Freda All 72 residents of Princeton Care Center (PCC) on Bunn Drive have been safely moved, at least for the time being, but shock waves from the sudden evacuation on Friday, September 1 will continue to resonate for the elderly residents, some now in nearby facilities and some more than 60 miles away, and dozens of Princeton emergency personnel and others who were on the scene assisting. “Allowing this to happen is just unbelievable,” said Princeton Mayor Mark Freda. “The ball was dropped by both Princeton Care Center and the New Jersey Department of Health.” The Department of Health (DOH) had
been following the precarious financial situation at PCC for many months, said Freda, adding, “The Department of Health contacted us on August 4 to say ’By the way, we’ve been watching these guys. They’ve been having a lot of financial problems. We’re putting a Department of Health person in the building to make sure that proper care is being given. They’re having trouble making payroll, paying their bills, etc., and the landlord wants his money — all those things.’” Freda said his office was informed repeatedly by the DOH that PCC, owned by mother and son Gail and Ezra Bogner, was in negotiations with other entities to
take over the facility and its residents. “The week before Labor Day weekend we had been updated by the Department of Health, saying that discussions between some entity and Princeton Care Center were looking really good and that the sale would go through — not a problem — don’t worry about it,” said Freda. He continued, “Then of course, on Thursday night, Princeton Care Center tells the Department of Health, ‘We’re going to evacuate everybody tomorrow.’” Freda discussed the DOH’s failures in the process. “The Department of Health could have been more actively involved, in my opinion, in the negotiations between Continued on Page 8
“Keep on Stomping” To Help Control Spotted Lanternfly
NEVER FORGET: The 9/11 Memorial Garden between Nassau Hall and Chancellor Green Hall on the Princeton University campus was the site of one of many area observances marking the 22nd anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)
In late August the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) informed New Jersey residents that they no longer need to report sightings of the spotted lanternfly. The invasive insect is now present in all 21 counties of the state, but in Princeton the numbers are diminishing, according to Princeton Municipal Arborist Taylor Sapudar. “I have not seen high populations in Princeton at all this year,” Sapudar said. “It’s much better than last year. I might have seen one or two adult lanternflies this year, but in years past I saw them everywhere.” Sapudar noted that when the spotted lanternfly first appeared in New Jersey in 2018 it was only present in a few counties bordering Pennsylvania. The NJDA wanted to have people report it so it could help control and prevent the spread and coordinate treatment resources. Foresters from Berks County, Pa., where the spotted lanternfly first appeared in this country in 2014, have been in communication with Sapudar, and have reported significant population decreases. “I suspect that it is a combination of residents removing the tree of heaven (ailanthus altissimo), the spotted lanternfly’s preferred food source, and residents treating host trees with insecticides,” Sapudar said. There is also some evidence that spotted lanternfly populations tend to increase in the first two years after their first appearance, then level off in the third year, and decline after that. Continued on Page 10
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