Tree-filled escape

Marquand Park a gem that advocacy group believes could use a bit of polishing

By: Allison Musante
   Every Princeton resident knows the horrors of Nassau Street traffic. One sits in the car, coasting at 2 miles per hour, surrounded by brick, pavement and bustling people crossing the street. A turn onto Lover’s Lane, however, leads a weary driver to Marquand Park, a 17-acre arboretum and blissful escape from the Princeton busyness.
   Here under the canopy of many ancient, towering trees, one can find over 200 kinds of trees and plants including eight of the largest trees of their species in New Jersey and many over 200 years old. Also in the arboretum’s collection is a Dawn Redwood, an evergreen thought to be extinct until 1944, red and silver maples, tulip trees, and brilliant wildflowers.
   Although Princeton Borough is responsible for routine maintenance and safety of the park, the Marquand Park Foundation, established in 1955, oversees the planting and maintenance of the arboretum.
   "Its primary purpose is to preserve the vision of the Marquand family," said Sam deTuro, chairman of the Marquand Park Foundation. He refered to the Marquand family vision that the 17-acre property should be used as "a public park, playground and recreational area for the benefit of the people of the Borough of Princeton and its environs."
   The foundation supplements the borough with funds that it raises through an annual fund drive where it solicits donations from friends of the park. The foundation also raises money by sponsoring international horticultural trips.
   Recently, however, foundation members have voiced concern about the condition of the pathways and parking lot.
   Sean Burns, who works in the engineering office of Princeton Borough and is a member of the Marquand Park Foundation board of trustees, said that the park has fallen into some neglect.
   "The borough hasn’t paid much attention to this park due to our budget crisis," Mr. Burns said.
   "And sometimes the Borough assumes that the Foundation has the resources and money to maintain the park," he added.
   He explained that other parks in Princeton, such as Pine Street Park and Harrison Street Park, receive more attention because they are smaller and easier to maintain than Marquand.
   He said the borough plans to pave the pathways later this year.
   "They have assured me as of January that they do have this (paving paths) in the budget for next year," Mr. deTuro said. "Now will that happen? Well, I would hope so."
   The foundation’s goal to maintain the arboretum includes tasks like keeping the trees alive and healthy through pruning and protecting the tallest trees from lightening. Sometimes the foundation uses the services of professional arborists such as Woodwinds in Princeton, headed by Mr. deTuro.
   The foundation, which is tax-exempt, grants scholarships to horticulture majors at Cook College at Rutgers University and Mercer County Community College.
   The park has a sandbox, a baseball diamond, and a large open field perfect for kicking around a soccer ball. However, part of the park’s vision is encouraging passive recreation.
   "We want to raise people’s consciousness about passive recreation," said Pam Machold, a member of the foundation’s board. "People always seem to want fields for playing baseball or lacrosse or whatever sport, and don’t know how nice it is to just sit or read under a tree in a beautiful arboretum."