Long-delayed Plainsboro nature center opens

Audubon Society facility to provide Central Jersey with outdoor education.

By: Gwen Runkle
   PLAINSBORO — After contractor problems last year, it seemed as though the township’s new Environmental Education Center in the Plainsboro Preserve might never open its doors.
   But Monday, nine months behind schedule, what appeared impossible became reality as township officials, residents and state and federal politicians celebrated the opening of the new center.
   "We did have some delays and problems along the way," said Mayor Peter Cantu. "But we were able to overcome adversity and are here today with a beautiful treasure for Plainsboro and the region."
   Plans for the 6,500-square-foot center were first unveiled in August 2000. After more than $1.3 million was raised through private and corporate donations, along with county, state and federal funding, the township broke ground for the project in the fall of 2001.
   The center was originally expected to open in July 2002, but during the summer, work was quickly put on hold after general contractor, DKD Construction Enterprises Inc., pulled out of the project. The contractor’s bonding company, St. Paul Surety, ultimately hired Consolidated Building Corp. to finish the job.
   Now completed, the center features an 18-by-30-foot two-story glass window overlooking McCormack Lake, along with ample classroom and office space, an outdoor deck-amphitheater and informational space where visitors can get maps or purchase items such as birdhouses and seed.
   On Monday, Mayor Cantu thanked everyone involved for being patient and supportive, particularly members of the New Jersey Audubon Society, who spent many months operating out of a cramped trailer.
   The Audubon Society is responsible for running the education center and helping to maintain the preserve at no cost to the township.
   "We have a long-term commitment to ensure that we have an education center within 70 miles of every student in New Jersey," said Tom Gilmore, president of the New Jersey Audubon Society. "With the opening of this center today, 90 percent of children are near one of our centers.
   "The other thing that makes our partnership and this center special," he continued, "is the tradition of environmental education in Plainsboro that started 60 years ago when students used to come from miles around to visit the Walker-Gordon farm. We are proud to be a part of continuing that tradition."
   Other speakers Monday included U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12); Helene Garcia, vice president of community leadership for Merrill Lynch Inc.; Kim Ricketts, assistant commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs; and Michelle Vitulli, a teacher at J.V.B. Wicoff Elementary School in Plainsboro.
   Rep. Holt helped secure $856,000 in federal funds for the construction of the center and praised the township for its continued work preserving open space and enhancing environmental education.
   "Every day when I’m working in Congress, I try and make a difference," he said. "But it’s not often when you can see something as tangible as this for your efforts."
   Ms. Garcia, invited to speak on behalf of Merrill Lynch, which donated $200,000 for the project, expressed similar sentiments.
   "Support of education is Merrill Lynch’s number-one philanthropic focus," she said. "Because of that and a belief that environmental awareness and concern is important, Merrill Lynch is honored to help with this excellent facility and impressive preserve."
   A representative for state Sen. Peter Inverso (R-Hamilton) along with state Assemblyman Gary Guear (D-Hamilton) and Greta Kiernan, a member of the township Planning Board and representative of Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro), each presented commemorative plaques to Mayor Cantu as well.
   The celebration ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the sealing of a time capsule created by Ms. Vitulli’s second-grade class last year. The students, now third-graders, will open the capsule when they graduate from high school in 2012.
   The Plainsboro Preserve is currently open from 7 a.m. to sunset. For more information about the preserve or Environmental Education Center, call (609) 261-2495.