LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Dec. 8
Affordable or not, senior housing lacking
To the editor:
In response to John Clearwater’s letter to the editor (The Packet, Dec.1) about Morgan Estates’ plan for senior housing, we were taken with the first paragraph stating that advocates for senior housing "trumpeted it as part of the solution for Princeton’s need to provide affordable housing in Princeton." Not true. Nowhere in letters or comments has anyone mentioned affordable housing.
We would like to assume Mr. Clearwater understands the difference between affordable housing and market-rate housing. Affordable housing is for families or individuals with low or moderate incomes. Market-rate housing is what the market will bear. Our emphasis has been that there is no market-rate age-restricted housing in Princeton.
There are seniors in Princeton who can afford market-rate senior places and want to have a choice to stay in Princeton. Currently, this is not possible because there is not one market-rate senior housing project in Princeton.
Eleanor Angoff
Coalition for Senior Housing in Princeton
Stonebridge at Montgomery
Hollinshead Spring Road
Montgomery
Arts Council regrets inconvenience
To the editor:
As the staff and board of the Arts Council of Princeton celebrate the progress of construction on the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, we are also conscious of the fact that the closing of the sidewalk adjacent to the construction site causes inconvenience to pedestrians, and in particular to our immediate neighbors. The closing of the sidewalk was necessitated by work being done by PSE&G and by the borough that relates in part to the widening of Witherspoon Street. Unfortunately, we do not control the timetable for this work.
We recently met with borough officials and have agreed that our contractor, at our expense, will assist the borough in removing debris in the area of Witherspoon Street where the sidewalk was closed. We are told by the borough that, barring any unforeseen delays, work should be completed within the next two weeks. At that time, we will move our construction fence and create a temporary asphalt sidewalk, also at our expense.
We regret the inconvenience, but hope this will remedy the problem.
Jeff Nathanson
Executive Director
Arts Council of Princeton
conTEMPORARY Arts Center
North Harrison Street
Princeton
Festival of Trees has strong roots
To the editor:
The success of the Festival of Trees Preview Party held at Morven on Dec. 3 was due, in no small part, to the generosity of our sponsors and the support of our community. We would especially like to recognize the following sponsors:
Underwriters: Borden Perlman Insurance, Merrill Lynch, Raynham Farms and U.S. Trust; Benefactors: Johnson & Johnson and PNC Wealth Management; and Gallery Sponsors: DrinkerBiddle, Glenmede Trust Company, Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty, the Mercadien Group and Volvo of Princeton, Long Motor Co.
Their support enables Historic Morven, Inc. to continue the preservation of Morven, a National Historic Landmark.
Special thanks go to the decorators of the auction and gallery trees done by business organizations, garden clubs and members of the community. These will be enjoyed by visitors to Morven until Jan. 7.
The members of Morven’s Festival of Trees Committee and the dedicated loyal staff of Morven have our heartfelt appreciation for their untiring efforts towards the success of this event.
Daphne Townsend
Vicki Trainer
Co-Chairs
Morven Festival of Trees Committee
Stockton Street
Princeton
Micawber Books will be dearly missed
To the editor:
Twenty-five years ago, on a sunny afternoon, I walked by the soon-to-open Micawber Books on Nassau Street. A young man was shuffling book boxes out front, and I stopped to inquire after a paperback that I wanted. He replied, "Hmmm. I think I saw that in one of these boxes." With that, he dived in and voila there it was.
I don’t remember the title of the book, but I remember the young man Logan Fox, the founder of Micawber Books. Several years ago, Logan kindly reminded me that I was Micawber’s first patron.
Anyone who buys books there will remember Logan or, rather, he will remember you. Evidently, he never forgets a face, a name or a book. And we will always remember the boyish, perpetual-motion man who may be busy stocking shelves from opened boxes at Micawber yet always has time for you.
Princeton book-lovers (and I am told there are a few) will dearly miss Logan Fox. Why? He’s a book man.
Carl Faith
Longview Drive
Princeton
United Way supporters help make a difference
To the editor:
As a result of United Way of Greater Mercer County’s annual holiday food drive and the generosity of many caring people, Thanksgiving 2006 was one of joy and promise for over 300 economically disadvantaged Mercer County families who were recipients of all the fixings for a traditional holiday meal including gift cards to purchase turkeys.
On behalf of the individuals whose lives have been touched by these acts of selflessness and kindness, I would like to express a heartfelt thank you. Thank you to our corporate, small business and individual partners for their donations of food, money and volunteer time.
We salute the following companies for their continued support of our efforts: Berlitz, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Convatec, Delaware River Basin Commission, Ortho-McNeil Janssen Pharmaceutical, JC Penney, Johnson & Johnson Consumer & Personal Products Worldwide, Klatzkin & Co., Lowe’s, Macy’s, Mercer Business, Merrill Lynch Hopewell Campus, Michael Baker, Jr. Inc., Monroe Township Recreation Track Coaches, Navigant Consulting, NRG, Rhodia Inc., Saul Ewing, Sean John, Stony Brooke Elementary School, Trane, UPS-SCS, Wachovia Wealth Management and Waste Management.
Thank you to Young Leaders United for providing much-needed volunteer help and to the local human care agencies that work daily to help foster self-sufficiency and assist individuals in moving beyond poverty. These are the folks that partnered with United Way to distribute the food to those in need. This very successful collaboration between United Way, community agencies and local businesses demonstrates the power of bringing people together to accomplish so much more than any one group could accomplish alone.
The goal of today’s United Way Community Impact Agenda is to engage the community in focusing on our most pressing needs, to create partnerships that will generate lasting solutions and to produce results that improve lives and neighborhoods. Everyone involved in this initiative was instrumental in helping to fulfill that goal. Together, we will create a more caring community. Together, we will make a difference.
Gene Marsh
Chairman
Board of Trustees
United Way of Greater Mercer County
Princeton Pike
Lawrence