Letters to the Editor, April 27

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, April 27

Cut Princeton’s school budget
To the editor:
   Superintendent Judith Wilson of the Princeton Regional Schools has missed the point of this defeat entirely. She says, "I hope that this result will fuel greater change in property tax reform."
   I say, "I hope this will result in our school board reviewing how to lower the budget instead of automatically raising it."
   Are any administrators superfluous? Can any administrative salaries be frozen? Is every program worthy of the expense?
   The board and superintendent must truly review the budget and do their part in helping us suffering taxpayers.
   Don’t pass the responsibility to Trenton. Do your part for us all.
Grace Gambino
Harrison Street
Princeton
Princeton schools do not need cuts
To the editor:
   
Despite some years of effort I cannot pretend to understand the Princeton Regional School budget or where and how it might be cut. Neither, however, do I deem Alan Hegedus, Michael Mostoller, Charlotte Bialek, Walter Bliss, Jeffrey Spear, Mia Cahill, Rebecca Cox, and Joshua Leinsdorf dolts, dupes or lacking in spine. They unanimously adopted it.
   (Even Helmut Schwab, a good man with as sharp a pencil as any, is reported saying he would vote for it.)
   The budget they adopted called for a 2.9 percent increase for 2007-08, less than inflation. They already had trimmed $1.3 million in worthwhile initiatives. Regrettably, I think, they deferred some maintenance costs. It was not a budget for bargaining purposes.
   No one carries a brief for financing the school budget from the property tax, but it should be noticed that the Princetons, with Trenton, have the lowest school tax rates in the county. The rates will be substantially lower after reevaluation in 2009.
   Of the oft-cited "frills" we are told the pool already pays for itself and the performing arts center is expected to do so soon.
   Administrative costs at 14 percent are below the 16 percent limit, which other districts push.
   Brilliant people — of which Princeton has not a few — may never appreciate what a struggle learning is for some and the resources required. Wise people, however, will prize the achievement by the tortoise as well as the hare and recognize the stake our nation has in achievement by all.
   I want our municipalities not to cut the school budget. They don’t have to. I want them to affirm the teachers and students and the miracle of learning that is happening in our midst.
John L. Powell
Snowden Lane
Princeton
HKT defends downtown project
To the editor:
   
Two recent letters to the editor from long-time opponents of Princeton’s Downtown Redevelopment Project were so flawed in their facts and analysis that a response is needed to correct the record for your readers.
   There is no question that the project was delayed as a result of the financial problems our general contractor experienced in 2005. But Nassau HKT, the Borough’s partner in the development of the project, addressed those problems head on, and at its considerable financial expense. We posted $2 million in additional cash with the Borough in 2005 to protect the taxpayers from any of the risks associated with our contractor’s problems. All the lawsuits with the subcontractors were settled by us last year. Despite claims to the contrary, we have always been, and remain current on all land rent and tax payments to the Borough for Phase I of the project.
   We experienced problems with water seepage in the lower level of the garage shortly after it opened in 2005, and immediately took steps to assess the cause of the problem and then paid from the developer’s funds to have the problem corrected by installing additional anchor "tie downs" to stabilize the slab.
   While the corrective work was being done, we agreed with the borough to defer the closing of the Tulane Street surface lot (and thus delay the start of our second residential building) to insure that the downtown would have sufficient parking during the period of the corrective action. The corrective work is nearing completion this week, and we anticipate the lower level of the garage will reopen to the public in the next several days. As additional protection to the Borough’s taxpayers, we have agreed to provide the Borough with an extended warranty for the garage slab, secured by a cash bond.
   One critic would have your readers believe that during this period the garage was not self-supporting from project revenues, and that the taxpayers were subsidizing the development. In fact, as the Borough Administrator’s recent financial report confirmed, the revenues from the garage, land rent for Witherspoon House (our first apartment building) and our payments in lieu of taxes for 2006 (the first full year of project operations), exceeded the operating costs and debt service for the new garage and plaza by $384,000.
   And over the coming decades, the financial results of this project for the Borough’s taxpayers are only going to get better. We are ready to break ground on the construction of our second building on Spring Street which will contain 53 apartments (including 10 units reserved for low and moderate income tenants). When this final element of the project comes on line next year, it will generate an additional annual revenue stream to the Borough of $388,000, with escalations built into the agreement that will grow that figure substantially over the long term.
   The opponents of the project several years ago predicted darkly that few people would actually use the new garage, that the project was too big and unattractive for the downtown, and that it would not pay its own way.
   We see now that all those arguments were wrong, and that the Mayor and Council which had the foresight to move forward with the development were entirely correct in their vision for the next stage in the development of our downtown.
   The garage, by all accounts, has been extremely well received by the public, and has dramatically eased the parking pressures historically experienced by our residents and visitors. And as anyone reviewing the recent utilization figures for the garage can see, that structure, over the next 50 years, may well become one of the Borough’s most valuable financial assets, as revenues continue to grow, but costs remain relatively flat.
   The downtown project, of course, was more than just about addressing a parking problem or generating cash flow to the Borough.
   The new public library has been a resounding success, has received national acclaim, and is now a valued and integral part of the fabric of our downtown. Let’s not forget that this magnificent new library is here today in large part because the Mayor and Council took the tough steps five years ago to create the additional parking which was a pre-condition for the library to remain in the central business district.
   And the plaza next to the library has in many ways become the new center of town, especially on sunny spring and summer days, as hundreds of citizens and visitors gather there to talk, have a sandwich, and enjoy the views. (And yes, the pergola is finally on the way. After 18 months of wrangling over the removal of a telephone pole in its alignment, we are finally ready to install the final piece of this marvelous public space.)
   We’re proud of the results we have achieved downtown. We hit some rough spots two years ago, but we did not walk away. We have stood by our commitments to the Borough and are committed to the successful completion of the project.
Bob Powell
Jack Morrison
Nassau HKT
Urban Renewal Associates, LLC
Pine Street
Princeton
Hillier’s WW plan ‘doesn’t add up’
To the editor:
   
The hastily devised Hillier plan ignores many of the conclusions from the Penns Neck Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which was based on years of study, data and analysis by state and federal agencies with public and private input.
   The Hillier group has created a massive plan for West Windsor’s redevelopment zone in a few months with only a token nod to the public and without the kind of thoroughness needed to assure the public that the plan would work.
   For example, in the latest Hillier drawings, the Vaughn Drive extension no longer uses the jug-handle to smoothly funnel traffic from Washington Road. Instead, Hillier would depend on a bypass going through the Sarnoff property, a bypass that the EIS deemed wrong for the region.
   Hillier claims that the bypass is necessary because of the extra traffic that the redevelopment zone will create. However, if its numbers are to be believed, the Hillier plan is supposed to yield fewer square feet of office, retail and residential space (less than 2 million square feet) than current zoning laws would allow (more than 3 million square feet) in the redevelopment zone.
   The Hillier plan numbers just don’t add up.
Sandra Shapiro
Wycombe Way
West Windsor
Hillier’s WW plan is ‘brilliant’
To the editor:
   
As a resident of West Windsor since 1959, and as someone who has participated in all the public meetings on the Hillier redevelopment planning for West Windsor, my carefully-considered opinion is that the most recent version, "The Plan," is a brilliant design solution to all the many considerations that have come to light from resident input on this complex endeavor:
   • the way the plan fully and attractively connects both sides of train tracks (especially via the terrific idea of the untunnel-like "bowl" to enable pedestrians and bicyclists to easily move from one side of the train tracks to the other);
   • the grassy "boulevard" on the west side, lined with mixed-use buildings leading to a public building to be configured for many community activities;
   • the compact but potentially very attractive and livable small-unit housing that would bring only a few more schoolchildren, not requiring any new schools;
   • the careful arrangement of the potentially functional and attractive retail and office spaces — ratables necessary to make the development economically feasible;
   • the various parking garages (and surface parking) to solve the increasingly urgent parking problems;
   • the skillfully reconfigured roads to improve traffic patterns and maintain the livability of existing residential neighborhoods;
   • the building of the new train station nearer to Route 571, making possible many of the above;
   • the inclusion of much open space including the well-placed "village green" and the large open Sarnoff tract;
   • the great accessibility and walkability of the whole redevelopment area.
   In all, the plan gives us, at last, a true Town Center for the fine township of West Windsor.
Jennifer S. Macleod
Canoe Brook Drive
West Windsor
WW doesn’t need a transit village
To the editor:
   
One thousand of anything takes up a lot of space. There are about one thousand cars parked at the Princeton Junction train station on any given day. Try to imagine double or triple that with the new Transit Village proposed for West Windsor.
   Then try to get your mind around rows and rows of multi-level housing units.
   Then imagine the school buses picking up multiple loads of children heading to the West Windsor schools.
   Then imagine a thousand or more cars competing with the thousands of cars already clogging the roads at "drive time" and other times too.
   Then imagine the seven story business tower.
   Who is this good for? West Windsor could do nicely with a parking garage and town center around the Acme supermarket area. Why this monstrosity? Who will call a halt?
Lynne MacKnight
Britt Court
West Windsor
Transit village would help WW
To the editor:
   
There has been some debate about traffic implications stemming from the planned transit village at Princeton Junction.
   I agree it is a substantial concern, as Hillier reported that more than 22 percent of the people living here are rail commuters.
   I was pleased to hear a traffic expert address this important issue during the first workshop. He talked about how the train station now is bustling, with 7,300 people using the station each workday.
   Four thousand people are now on a five-year waiting list for a parking permit. For those without one – about 3,000 people – it means four trips are generated per day, per person, as someone has to drop them off and pick them up. No wonder there is so much traffic.
   By creating a transit village, we will take a huge step toward correcting the problem. Private developers would construct parking decks on the site, supplying the parking we need, and the people living and working in the transit village would reach the station on foot.
   Transit villages are designed to encourage people to walk or ride bicycles, and typically reduce vehicular trips by 10 percent or more and parking demand by up to 20 percent, according to the traffic report.
   Also, by constructing this transit village, developers will modify and expand roadways without the need for taxpayer dollars.
   For West Windsor, this appears to be the ideal arrangement to relieve our traffic issues at the train station. If we do not pursue this transit village opportunity, we are at the mercy of current zoning, which as any commuter can testify, is failing us.
Michael Manning
Banff Drive
West Windsor
Hillier’s WW plan is a ‘monstrosity’
To the editor:
   
This is my first time getting engaged in the business of the town. School budgets, new library, new fire stations, open space, etc. — I’ve trusted the government officials that we elected to do what is best for our community and to spend our hard earned tax dollars wisely. Now we have this monstrosity: the proposed West Windsor Transit Village.
   Before discussing this massive tax increase and decrease in property values and quality of life, let’s take a look at what matters for our town: quality schools, safety for our kids and families, open space for all to enjoy, traffic that is manageable, a parking space for the train if you need one, taxes that aren’t too outrageous, no eyesores, home values.
   Now for the monstrosity: 1,000 apartments and condos, additional 2,500 parking spots, up from 3,500; new seven-story office building, when we have five empty office buildings on Alexander Road; an 80-foot wide tunnel under the train tracks, which for some reason the developer calls a bowl; shops in an area a bit smaller than Palmer Square, a six-stall bus Station — Greyhounds to West Windsor?
   What does it cost?
   • $165 million West Windsor taxpayer financed construction;
   • $50 million for the new school needed for a projected 600 additional children;
   • $10 million for new fire station and equipment to manage a fire in a seven story building, second police station, ambulance and related equipment and facilities;
   • $10 million yearly cost for additional school children, andadditional township personnel to support the expanded area;
   • Sewer and other infrastructure impacts unknown. This could easily run into the millions of dollars.
   From a tax perspective – including the new residents – that is a tax increase of $4,000 per year. Yes, every family in West Windsor will have an average yearly tax increase of $4,000 to support this proposed monstrosity.
   In public meetings a rosy picture has been painted that the development will pay for itself. Well, let’s just say that four years ago Iraq was projected to only cost $25 million. Under this proposal the taxpayers assume 100 percent of the project risk. The combination of large risk, risky revenue assumptions, items left out of the financial impact analysis, and the timing of revenue receipts needs close examination.
   Are there some sensible things to do to achieve our objectives? Sure. How about some of these:
   • Create a large parking garage off Route 1 with a Dinky train stop. This could feed commuters to the train without them driving into the middle of our town. The commuters will also have a quicker trip because they will be on a main traffic artery. It also provides a side benefit of increasing Dinky train volume, which should mean more frequent Dinky trains. And get a private firm to pay for it.
   • Sidewalks along both sides of 571. Very needed and should have been done a long time ago.
   • Bury the utility lines along 571. They are an eyesore.
   • Create a parking garage in the Alexander Road lot with West Windsor residents guaranteed a parking spot.
   • Spruce up the business area on 571.
   • Build the long discussed road improvements.
   I hope the mayor and other supporters of the ‘transit village’ take a realistic look at the costs and impacts of the developer proposed monstrosity. And, for my fellow residents of West Windsor, what do we want — a nice place to live with a great quality of life or the second coming of Metro Park?
Mike Baxter
Landing Lane
West Windsor
Thanking fire department for storm shelter
To the editor:
   
Last week’s torrential rains wreaked havoc to area businesses and residents. The Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad was not immune to the storm’s onslaught and multiple leaks were detected in the Squad’s headquarters on Sunday afternoon. All of the leaks were in crew quarters of the building, with the most serious requiring us to disconnect electrical power after water was found dripping through the electrical panel.
   With our building temporarily uninhabitable, the squad’s crews needed an alternative location to stage between the numerous calls for assistance we received on Sunday and Monday.
   Princeton Fire Department’s Hook and Ladder graciously extended the use of their building and apparatus bay for our crew and first-line ambulance.
   Hook and Ladder welcomed us into their home, and extended our crews full use of their computers and bunk rooms. In addition, they offered the squad the ability to hold its general membership meeting in their meeting room.
   The squad extends its sincerest appreciation to hook and ladder for the hospitality they provided us during our time of need. Having a warm dry place to stay between calls was a huge asset for our busy crews during this disaster.
Patrick DeAlmeida
Frank Setnicky
Princeton First Aid
& Rescue Squad