Lawrence label sought for 08648

A resident with a Trenton address would like his ZIP Code to reflect where he lives — Lawrence.

By: Lea Kahn
   When township resident Robert Kuser typed his address — "Green Avenue, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648" — into his new global positioning system device, it came up blank.
   But when he typed in "Green Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08648," the GPS device returned results for that address — and that’s why Mr. Kuser approached Township Council last week to lobby for "08648" to be used only for Lawrence or Lawrenceville designations.
   Lawrence Township residents receive mail addressed to them in Trenton, Lawrenceville or Princeton, depending on where they live. Trenton and Lawrenceville mailing addresses are reserved for the southern and central parts of town, while the northern part uses the Princeton mailing address.
   "We are a large township of 35,000 or 40,000 people," Mr. Kuser told Township Council at its June 19 meeting. "I submit the time has come for the ‘08648’ ZIP code to be renamed ‘Lawrence’ or ‘Lawrenceville.’ ‘Trenton’ is inappropriate, (and) it is downright confusing."
   Mr. Kuser, who served on Township Council in the mid-1980s, said Hamilton and Ewing townships now have their own postal identities. For many years, residents in those townships received mail addressed to them as "Trenton," but now mail is addressed to Hamilton or Ewing.
   Mr. Kuser said automated systems, such as those used by UPS and other carriers, send items to "Trenton, NJ 08648" because that’s what pops up when the ZIP code — but no town — is entered.
   "If you do it online (to check the weather) and put in ‘08648,’ you get the Trenton weather report," Mr. Kuser said after the meeting. "Trenton weather isn’t different from Lawrence weather, but the ZIP code is identified as Trenton."
   "About 75 percent of people in Lawrence are affected by this," he said. "It’s like the dripping faucet. It’s annoying. It affects the perception of schools — Trenton versus Lawrence. It’s part of civic pride. It’s the right thing to do, to name the town where you live."
   Mayor Gregory Puliti agreed, and said he would contact U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, D-12th Congressional District, for help. Mayor Puliti lives on Bunker Hill Avenue, in the southern part of the township.
   "I think it’s a good idea," Mayor Puliti said. "I have heard concerns about it in the past. Given the size of the town and how it has grown, it’s time to take a more serious look at this and lobby the federal government (to make 08648 a Lawrence-only ZIP code)."
   Mr. Kuser said he was not concerned about changing the ZIP code so that it would include residences in the northern part of the township. Those residents have Princeton mailing addresses.
   Councilman Rick Miller, who lives on Carter Road in the northern part of the township and who has a Princeton mailing address, said he supported Mr. Kuser’s proposal to make the 08648 ZIP code reflect Lawrence or Lawrenceville, and not Trenton.
   Mr. Miller said he didn’t know how much support there would be for changing a Princeton mailing address to a Lawrence or Lawrenceville mailing address, however. He said he had not spoken to any of his neighbors about the issue.
   "I am proud to say I am from Lawrence," Mr. Miller said. "I have lived here all my life. I make my tax bill payable to the Lawrence Township tax collector."
   This is not the first time that Lawrence Township officials have lobbied for a change in the mailing address and for Lawrence to have its own postal identity.
   In 1969, township officials fought for a unified mailing address for Lawrence Township. Then-U.S. Rep. Frank Thompson tried unsuccessfully to convince U.S. Postal Service authorities to grant a "Lawrence" name tag for the entire township, according to a file on the matter at the municipal clerk’s office.
   Four years later, in 1973, voters approved a nonbinding referendum to petition the U.S. Postal Service to adopt a single municipal post office address known as Lawrenceville for the entire township. The effort failed, and so township residents still receive mail addressed to them in Trenton, Lawrenceville and Princeton.