Plan solves cars vs. playing fields at Princeton High

Architect finds way to put fields and parking into crowded campus.

By: Jeff Milgram
   By tweaking the site plan for Princeton High School, the school board’s architect has found a way to restore a playing field and create parking spaces for 370 vehicles.
   "Fortunately, the architect has pulled a rabbit out of a hat," said the Rev. Frank Strasburger, a school board member.
   The Princeton Regional Board of Education’s Facilities Committee publicly unveiled the new site plan Wednesday at an informational presentation at PHS. District officials, school board members and several residents first saw the new plan at a meeting on Tuesday.
   The site plan may go a long way to settling a debate over which was more important: the athletic fields or parking.
   "We have a pretty good situation here," PHS Athletic Director John Curtis said Wednesday night. "When I saw this at the table yesterday, I came out smiling."
   He wasn’t the only one who was pleased.
   "I think it’s the best situation for the confined site we have. It’s the solution for a difficult situation. I’m happy with it," said Princeton resident Bob James, who has urged the school board to restore the playing field.
   Neighborhood activist Phyllis Teitlebaum also applauded the plan, calling it a "win-win situation."
   "There will be individuals who will be upset about this," she said. "It’s as good as it’s going to get in this tiny, tiny site. It’s the best possible solution in this difficult situation."
   On May 15, voters overwhelmingly approved an $81 million referendum that will fund a renovation and expansion program for the district’s six schools.
   As part of the project, PHS will get a new performing arts center and math and science wing. An indoor pool will be built at the John Witherspoon Middle School, located across Walnut Lane from PHS.
   At the same time, the board had wanted to deal with a chronic shortage of parking at PHS. The combination of new construction and the desire to increase parking had forced the board’s architect, The Hillier Group, to eliminate one of seven playing fields, which had angered some parents, who felt the school’s athletic program was being given short shrift.
   Under the new site plan, there will continue to be seven playing fields, including the football stadium, at PHS and John Witherspoon.
   One field, however, will have drainage problems during heavy rains, Hillier architect Paul Pezzutti said.
   The board plans to cover the football field with a synthetic turf that will make it usable as a practice field, which will free up a field for some other use.
   One tennis court was eliminated in the new site plan. The school will now have five courts, not six as originally planned.
   Not everyone in the audience was pleased by the plan. One woman was upset that a new parking lot will be built next to her home. She asked Mr. Pezzutti to find a way to move the lot.