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Merchants cast their eyes on long-awaited pergola

Early reviews are cautiously positive

By Nick Norlen, Staff Writer
   Despite positive reactions from Spring Street shop owners about the nearly completed pergola, a few concerns remain about the completion of the long-awaited structure on the Albert E. Hinds Community Plaza.
   Jill Carpe, who owns Shop the World at Salty Dog at 4 Spring St., has been the most vocal of the merchants with concerns about the impending installation.
   But she said Monday that she is pleased with what is there now — and said “it’s a long time coming.”
   She added, “I like it. I like it very much. I like the structure itself. It’s not how it was described to me. It’s in keeping with the library. I think that’s nice that it’s conforming, carrying that design through the town. If it was the only thing in town that looked like that, my opinion would be different.”
   But, she added, “I’m still waiting to see what’s going on.”
   In the past, Ms. Carpe has cited concerns include whether the screens planned for the structure will block her store.
   However, Borough Administrator Bob Bruschi said Monday that the borough still plans to install the screens, but on only three of the five planned locations, and will then assess whether the others should be added.
   Borough Engineer Chris Budzinski said he expects the screens to be added in a few weeks, and noted that measurements were made Monday for their fabrication.
   Ms. Carpe has also said she is worried that the pergola will cause the alley between the stores and the structure to be darkened — a concern shared by David Rosendorf, who owns The Frame Shoppe at 6 Spring St.
   ”There has to be a light there,” he said.
   Mr. Bruschi said the borough indeed plans to add some lighting to the structure, and Borough Engineer Carl Peters has said that there will be “ample lighting” in the alleyway.
   Though he said he “had a lot of concerns” before the pergola’s installation, Mr. Rosendorf called it “a vast improvement” Monday.
   ”I had seen the pictures of it like everybody else and I thought that it was going to be good,” he said. “It’s about time. I’m very happy with it.”
   Although the open-roofed arbor was originally scheduled to be complete for the plaza’s opening in June 2005, delays in acquiring the necessary easements and moving Verizon utility lines behind the Spring Street stores prevented the installation of the structure from being started until recently.
   Last week, a steel structure was added to the approximately 12 columns on the edge of the plaza adjacent to the Princeton Public Library.
   Mr. Bruschi said he hasn’t heard any concerns about the pergola since it was installed.
   ”No big ones and no little ones — none at all,” he said. “I’ve heard nothing from anybody — not a word.”
   Ms. Carpe said her only outstanding concern is whether plantings intended to complement the pergola will be maintained.
   Otherwise, she said she is satisfied with the structure.
   ”If they left it just how it is, I’d like it,” she said.