$5.95 million purchase is sealed; much work lies ahead
By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY It’s official. The township now owns the 256-acre former North Princeton Developmental Center and the accompanying sewage treatment plant, with township officials having closed on the $5.95 million property on Tuesday with state officials, including Deputy Treasurer Robert Smartt of the state Treasury Department.
"It feels good," said Deputy Mayor Louise Wilson, who served as mayor for much of the negotiations for the site with the state. "We definitely have turned a page, and can really now focus on the transformation of the site, which will entail an enormous community effort."
There is still a vast amount of work to be done on the site, said Ms. Wilson, including the cleanup of asbestos-laden pipes and possible arsenic on the site.
"The cleanup work still has to be done and we need to create a health and safety plan," she said. "And then there is the redevelopment and planning for the uses and long term viability of the site as a place that is attractive to people and to whatever businesses form the economic anchor and the economic engine of the place."
Ms. Wilson noted that there may be a strong health and wellness theme as part of the redevelopment of the site, with several hospitals including University Medical Center at Princeton showing interest in a satellite facility. In addition, she said a lot of interest has been expressed about dining options and other recreation and leisure facilities.
Art and cultural amenities will also be part of the planning, she said.
No matter what is on the site, she said, the overall vision has been maintained: that of a cultural, recreational and educational hub in the township.
On Tuesday, with the signing of the deal having taken place between the township and state, the township’s $9.81 million environmental liability transfer agreement contract with Weston Solutions Inc. also took effect, officials said. That contract includes all the insurance for the site, the environmental cleanup, the restoration of the seven-acre Sylvan Lake and the rebuilding of the lake’s dam.
The township has authorized the borrowing of funds to pay for the site and the contract with Weston.
"We are not going to issue long-term bonds until we know what our ultimate costs are," Ms. Wilson said. "In the short term, we are financing through short-term bond anticipation notes."
She said the township needs to have a more comprehensive sense of the redevelopment planning, the selection process for developers and what the township is going to recover through the sale of land and leases before it conducts long term borrowing.
As part of the agreement with the state, 140 acres of the site are deed restricted for open space, education and civic use.
The sewage treatment plant on the site is going to be upgraded over the next "couple of years," said Ms. Wilson, and the cost for the upgrades will be offset by the connection fees that are paid by users of the plant.
The township will be holding a series of meetings over the next few months with the Village Elementary School and the Orchard Hill School community as well as a public meeting at the Otto Kaufman Community Center on Feb. 13.
Ms. Wilson said a great deal of the work on the site will occur during the summer months so as not to disturb Village Elementary School which is located in the northern section of the property. Not all of the work can be done in the summer, she said, however.
Cleanup on the site will take about two years, and the demolition should take about four to five months.
"But we will be working to make sure that the work that needs to be done closest to the school will be done in the summer," she said. "It will probably start at the school and work out. We are extremely sensitive to the concerns of parents who have children in the schools."
Ms. Wilson added that the township needs to continue on the project and not lose time so that much of the work can be done in the summer.