Letters to the Editor, April 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, April 7

Whining no substitute for decision-making
To the editor:
   
I would like to advise Sylvia Nini (Letter to the Editor, The Packet, April 4) that the traffic from Princeton to Plainsboro goes over the same route(s) as that from Plainsboro to Princeton.
   A few years back, I was driven over the Harrison Street potholes, coming from Plainsboro to the Princeton Medical Center within an inch of my life. According to Ms. Nini, I should have been a goner without a ramp between the two towns. I survived thanks to the exceptional diagnostic skills of my family physician, Jory Goldberg.
   It didn’t occur to me to promote a move of the hospital my way. The drive in that direction came from the hospital’s neighbors, and from the cries of outrage of another Princeton area — Canal Pointe — at the very suggestion that the hospital might relocate to their vicinity.
   Serious decisions are made by serious people, not by the whiners who go shooting at every civic suggestion in sight. Where are these whiners? Just count them in the letters to the editor, and you’ll be appalled by the tone and content of the squabbles over everything from building sidewalks to reducing deer overpopulation.
   With property taxes in Plainsboro almost quadrupling in the last 12 years, we do desperately need every tax dollar we can get. Yet I have yet to hear a cry from Plainsboro against another tax-exempt institution coming to town. We are a welcoming bunch.
Jasha M. Levi
Marion Drive
Plainsboro
Millstone Bypass rears its ugly head
To the editor:
   
West Windsor Township has just issued a redevelopment Request for Qualifications. This has been sent to planners who might be interested in designing the Princeton Junction redevelopment zone. The RFQ contains the following paragraph:
   "Millstone Bypass: This proposal as West Windsor conceives of it would provide additional east-west circulation, bypassing the Penns Neck area of the Township with a new two lane roadway starting at the railroad bridge at the base of Washington Road, traveling to the north side of the Sarnoff site, crossing Route 1 just south of Harrison Street."
   Nowhere in the document is there an acknowledgment of the December 2004 Penns Neck Area Final Environmental Impact Statement, which denied federal funds for a road through the northern part of the Sarnoff property. The RFQ does not mention the FEIS preferred alignment for the roads in Penns Neck, including Washington Road going over a depressed Route 1 with frontage roads alongside the highway.
   The FEIS found that there were major impediments, both archeological and environmental (runoff from a road into the Millstone River; disturbance of threatened species; as well as the concern that disturbing the contaminated soil of the Sarnoff property could cause the TCE, chlorinated hydrocarbons, to migrate to the Millstone, a source of drinking water), to building a roadway through the Sarnoff property. Studies showed that an east side connector road (i.e., the road through the Sarnoff property) would induce more traffic into what is proposed to be downtown West Windsor.
   Some West Windsor residents and officials have steadfastly stuck to the original plan for a bypass road despite years of open roundtable discussions and studies. While West Windsor needs and wants a downtown, it cannot operate in isolation, deciding what is best for the region without input from the rest of the region.
   The relocation of the University Medical Center at Princeton to Plainsboro will require the completion of all of the elements of the FEIS — including an overpass at a reconfigured Harrison Street, depressed Route 1, frontage roads and the Vaughn Drive connector road.
   The impact of traffic to the entire region from the redevelopment zone and from a relocated hospital cannot be overstated.
Sandra Shapiro
Wycombe Way
West Windsor
Cahill backed for Princeton board
To the editor:
   
On April 18, Princeton Township voters will have a choice between candidates for the open seat on the Princeton Regional Board of Education. I will be putting my support and vote behind Mia Cahill.
   I have known Mia both professionally and personally for nearly five years. Mia was lecturing part time in the School of Management and Labor Relations on the campus at Rutgers, where I teach. Upon meeting her, I was impressed both with her clarity of speaking style — her lectures are lucid her logic clear — and her impressive organizational skills. It’s clear that Mia was more than just listening in all the classes she took to obtain a JD/Ph.D. in law and sociology; she was also learning, and understands the art and balance that goes into good education
   Mia has been a parent at the same school as my children for the past five years. Mia’s support of education as an involved, hands-on parent is of the best category. She is active at all levels, contributing both time and ideas. She also has a remarkable ability to listen and weigh a situation to judge the best path forward and then proceed along the well-considered path to bring events to their best outcome. Her involvement in the PTO has been outstanding for the both the vision she lends and smoothness with which she makes it happen.
   Mia has been a member of the Princeton community for much of her life. She understands the town and the people as much as she understands the process of education. It is important to remember that the position of school board member requires an understanding of the community, an understanding of the education process, the ability to negotiate and the ability to listen, weigh the options and choose the best to outcome for our schools. Mia has all of these of skills and brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. She has my vote.
Elisabeth L. Sikes
Jefferson Road
Princeton
Rubinstein endorsed in Montgomery race
To the editor:
   
On April 2, the League of Women Voters moderated the debate between seven candidates seeking election to the Montgomery Township Board of Education. The event, organized by the Montgomery High School PTA, was held in the newly opened, state-of-the-art Center for Performing Arts at the high school.
   A wide range of issues concerning the district for the past year were discussed, such as transportation, the budget, curriculum, developing a better way of promoting our children so that they may gain entry into some of the more prestigious colleges throughout this country, and the qualifications that we expect to have in the next superintendent. Also discussed in the debate was a pet peeve of the our organization — A Parents’ Initiative for Every Child’s Education, or APIECE — the diversification among the five schools in the areas of administration, teaching and support staff.
   All of these issues are of great concern to the Montgomery Township citizens.
   It is the opinion of the APIECE organization that one candidate, out of seven, stood head and shoulders above the rest. His name is Saul Rubinstein.
   Mr. Rubinstein spoke very clearly, his answers were very direct to the questions asked, he never waffled, was very clear about including input from the entire community, taking the concerns and ideas of the community to heart. And he wishes to build coalitions throughout the district of Montgomery.
   The APIECE organization feels that Saul Rubinstein would be the first of many steps in the right direction for the district of Montgomery. He has an excellent background in education, as well as concerns for all in the community. For these reasons, he is our choice to fill one of the board seats here in this township. And so the APIECE organization will lend its support by being out there doing all we can to ensure Saul Rubinstein’s position on the Montgomery Township Board of Education.
Jerome and Renee Carr
Parsons Court
Montgomery
Re-elect Katz to WW-P board
To the editor:
   
The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District celebrates a national reputation for excellence. One of our highly dedicated Board of Education members, Stan Katz, has been instrumental in shaping our district for more than a decade. Stan was actively involved in the passage of the last two referendums, was a member of the 1994 strategic planning initiative and the 2005 committee (which developed the 1996 referendum) and has served on the board since 1997.
   Having worked with Stan for six years on our school board, I have found him to be quite impressive in the areas of statistical analysis and finance. As a retired member of the American Stock Exchange, Stan has incorporated his professional experience as chair of the district’s Finance Committee. He has also spent considerable time as a member of numerous negotiations committees. In an era of dwindling state financial support and uncertainty, Stan’s abilities will help us to improve upon our success.
   Whether the critical tasks have been superintendent searches, curriculum and policy reviews, strategic planning, oversight of construction at High School North, Thomas R. Grover Middle School, Village School and Town Center School at Plainsboro, Stan has done a remarkable job throughout the years. He is a champion debater, yet knows how and when to build consensus on the important issues.
   As you are aware, West Windsor Township is moving forward with developing plans for a new village center at the train station. Stan’s statistical computations of future enrollment trends and school capacities will be critical in future discussions. He will be able to lend his expert advice on forecasting district enrollment based on housing types and changes in development patterns.
   With no incumbents running in Plainsboro, it is even more critical that Stan continue to lead and integrate his historical perspective into the decision-making process. Stan’s dedication is unquestionable and his financial and statistical expertise is absolutely essential as the referendum projects commence.
   Please join me on April 18 in supporting the WW-P school budget and in re-electing Stan Katz to the Board of Education.
Linda Geevers
Hawthorne Drive
West Windsor
Although the writer is a former member of the WW-P Board of Education and currently a West Windsor Township councilwoman, this letter expresses her view as an individual member of the community.
In Plainsboro, vote for Gharpure, Fleres
To the editor:
   
In the upcoming election for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education, the voters in Plainsboro will have an opportunity to vote for two outstanding candidates: Anjani Gharpure and Anthony Fleres. Both these candidates are actively involved in the community and, if elected, they will bring many assets to the board.
   Anjani Gharpure has more than four years’ experience working for several nonprofit organizations. Anjani has also served on the measurement team during the WW-P strategic planning process. Anjani has volunteered for the High School North PTSA for the past three years, serving as secretary for the PTSA Executive Committee for two years and this year she is the chair for the Mini Grants Committee and Post Prom Corporate Fund Raising Committee.
   Anthony Fleres was co-chair and treasurer of the Citizens Referendum Team, a volunteer group that assembled to advocate approval of the schools referendum in January 2006. Anthony is president of the Gentry Homeowners Association board, and a member of the Grover PTSA and Town Center PTA.
   I believe both these candidates are committed to efficiently using community resources to improve our already excellent school district. With their diverse and extensive experience, these two candidates are very well qualified to represent Plainsboro residents on the board.
   In the coming years, the district will face many challenging issues both in budgets and program offerings. When facing any issue, Anjani Gharpure and Anthony Fleres will listen fairly to all sides before making their decision.
   I hope you will join me in voting for Anjani Gharpure and Anthony Fleres on April 18.
Uma Kher
Rutledge Court
Plainsboro