LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Feb. 13
Committee responsible for cotillion’s success
To the editor:
This year’s Princeton Cotillion proved to be a wonderfully memorable event for the town’s secondary school students.
Everyone was thrilled to have the opportunity to socialize, dress up and enjoy the beautiful decorations, fabulous music and wonderful refreshments that unfailingly characterize the cotillion every year.
However, the success of this year’s event would not have been possible without the hard work of the 2007 Princeton Cotillion Committee, which my mother, Sandy Beslity, bravely chaired for the first time this year. I witnessed first-hand the immense amount of planning and coordinating that it takes to pull off an event of this size, and would like to take this opportunity to especially thank the following women for all of their efforts: Dorothy Ames, Mary Bell, Sandy Beslity, Kathy Colicchio, Lesli Godfrey, Theresa Kreider, Sandi Krywopusk and Liza Morehouse.
Also, thanks to all of the parents and faculty from the schools that helped to distribute tickets and chaperone the event. The cotillion would not be possible without your willingness to volunteer every year.
James Beslity
Princeton High School
Class of 2007
Greenway Terrace
Princeton
Reinstate free parking for library patrons
To the editor:
My husband John and I love the new library and are members of the Friends of the Library. I recently heard that the funding for the free garage time for the library had been stopped as of Feb. 5.
We are very upset with the township and the borough budget proposal that eliminated the funding for the parking at the Spring Street garage. We have lived in the township for 13 years and have been very aware of the building of the new library and the promise that we, as township residents, would have subsidized parking in the new garage.
I feel that this cut in the funding for the parking is a broken promise to all the people that supported a library in the center of town. I and many others I have spoken with are very distressed with this blatant disregard for the library patrons. I enjoy going to the special programs in the evening and the many things our library offers.
Many of the surrounding towns have free and easy parking for their patrons. Our taxes here have increased 60 percent and we want to remain in our townhouse through retirement. I also want to support the downtown district, but feel that the added burden of parking fees is detrimental to the businesses.
We are also members of the Arts Council and hope that the parking situation is going to be addressed for the members of this organization. Our town needs to encourage young and old to be part of the downtown cultural community.
I would hope that more people gather together to change this unreasonable elimination of the free parking from the budget.
Carol Marsland
Neil Court
Princeton
Work ethic, quality are what truly matter
To the editor:
Have you ever wondered if your building project would go more smoothly, with fewer setbacks and headaches, if you chose a more sophisticated (expensive) builder?
Paying a premium price doesn’t necessarily get you premium treatment in Princeton. Like many other people, my husband and I are busy raising our family and working hard to live "the American dream." We are immigrants, I should add. We came to the United States at the invitation of a research institution in Princeton 10 years ago with 10 boxes and 10 suitcases, and we never left.
Last summer, we decided to renovate one hall bathroom. Our ambitions were modest. We wanted plain fixtures and tiles nothing fancy, but solid workmanship. The builder we chose was recommended by a friend with his construction signs all over Princeton. He came to look at our house, and my husband and I were impressed with him.
We made a down payment in June. He gave us the impression he would be done before the start of the school year, which was important for us since we have four school-age children. The contract stated the job would be complete within six weeks, but he didn’t start the project until October.
It is now February, he is still not done and solid workmanship is not what he has delivered. Our lead carpenter has usually been on the phone (discussing one of the many job sites he has to supervise), has never once come prepared, and always has to "run out and get something."
When I’ve asked our builder about the slow pace, he has offered various explanations: "Your bathroom is so small, I can only send one guy." "Don’t worry, my foreman has done so many bathrooms, he knows what he is doing. They are all the same." And my favorite, when things went from slow to sloppy: "Your bathroom is really special and nothing on this job is easy."
Maybe nothing has been easy because nothing on this job has been done properly the first time. Outlets were against code and had to be moved; the window wasn’t installed right. The countertop, sink and fixtures have all had to be reordered. We are now waiting for our fifth shower door. The first four were all measured incorrectly. I can’t get over feeling deceived and betrayed. My husband tries to comfort me by stating: "It’s nothing personal; it’s only business." But anyone who has ever had construction in their home knows there are few things more personal.
We wouldn’t be immigrants if we gave up now. In January, we hired a small construction company to build some shelves and a closet in two bedrooms. We are thrilled with their work ethic and their workmanship. When I asked that owner why I had not heard of him, he answered: "My English is no good. I don’t dress nice. People around here don’t like that." I almost started to cry. I think we have finally found a wise and honest builder.
Brig Gebert
Ober Road
Princeton

