Firm that designed Princeton Township municipal complex will partner with The Gale Company as development consultant
By: Hilary Parker
Located just one block away from the Princeton Regional Board of Education’s Valley Road property and with extensive local experience, KSS Architects of Princeton architects of the Princeton Township municipal complex has been awarded a contract to study the current and future uses of the Valley Road building.
Despite board member Joshua Leinsdorf’s heated opposition to the district’s continued ownership of the building "It’s a white elephant. It’s an albatross. It’s extremely expensive," he said and to the study itself, carrying a maximum price tag of $58,500, the board voted, with only Mr. Leinsdorf dissenting, to award the contract to KSS on Tuesday.
Michael Mostoller, school board president and Facilities Committee chairman, and board members Alan Hegedus and Walter Bliss voiced disagreement with Mr. Leinsdorf, contending that the Valley Road building should not be sold and its care and use are the district’s responsibility.
Given the sometimes contentious past between Princeton Township and the district over the site, they said a third party was needed to determine the best possible uses of the currently underutilized facility, much of which is vacant.
Mr. Mostoller said KSS was chosen because of extensive local and regional experience, as well as an interesting partnership with a development consultant.
"They addressed what we felt were the needs of the community and the needs of the district," Mr. Mostoller said.
Edmund P. Klimek will serve as KSS’s partner in charge of the project and Merilee Meacock, an associate in charge of the firm’s school projects, will also be on the team. As time progresses, other staff members with expertise in the evaluation of older structures will contribute, Mr. Klimek said.
Noting that the study is in its earliest stages, Mr. Klimek said first steps will include a "facilities evaluation" to assess the current building, including those systems already in place, and determine both short- and long-term needs.
After the facilities evaluation, KSS will enter into a partnership with The Gale Company of Florham Park with local experience at Princeton Forrestal Village and Princeton Corporate Center to serve as a development consultant on the project.
"We think we not only need to bring our design skills to (the project), but also the skills to position the building in terms of a market," Mr. Klimek said, with The Gale Company possessing the skills to offer "a different point of view." Mr. Klimek stressed that the partnership will be established to consider all options fully, and does not in any way indicate development of the site is a foregone conclusion.
As the board sought to consider low-cost improvements and ways to generate revenue from areas within the building not used by the district while taking the community’s opinions and needs into account, KSS will involve the community as the project proceeds, Mr. Klimek said.
Prior to the 2002 move of the township offices to their current KSS-designed location across Witherspoon Street from the Valley Road building, the municipal offices were based in the Valley Road building, which now houses the district’s administrative offices.
"We’re very excited about the project," said Mr. Klimek. "We’re glad to see our work in this area come full circle," he said, and grateful for the opportunity both in terms of the building itself and "because we are just down the block and we’re a part of this immediate community."