By: centraljersey.com
The end of an era has come in Princeton Recreation. Jack Roberts, long-time director of Princeton Recreation, had his last of work on Friday.
After more than 41 years of service, Mr. Roberts has retired.
Recreation has always been a part of Mr. Roberts’ life; he got his start working on playground equipment for the Montclair Recreation department as a youth.
Mr. Roberts was hired as assistant director of recreation in Princeton in March 1970 and his primary job was to manage the pool and tennis operation. Back then, the recreation department was a three-person staff – Mr. Roberts, Director Don Barr and a secretary.
"I have a degree in psychology from college and I was not interested in going for graduate work because I was drafted into the Army," said Mr. Roberts, who served as a medic in the Army in Fairbanks, Alaska. "Coming out of the Army, I looked back at what things I liked to do best and what did I have the most experience doing – and that was recreation."
Princeton Recreation gave Robert Bruschi, borough administrator, his first public sector job in the summer of 1974.
"Princeton was at the forefront of recreation and park programs and development not only in New Jersey but recognized nationally; it proved to be a wise move for me professionally," said Mr. Bruschi. He worked in the office, at the pool, overseeing some senior programs as well as the summer playground program. "Shortly after completing the internship it led me to my first job in local government which was the director of parks and recreation for West Windsor. Because of my experience in Princeton I have always thought of Jack as a mentor. Even to this day I think of him that way."
Calling Mr. Roberts "one of the most dedicated professionals," Mr. Bruschi said Mr. Roberts’ passion for recreation has put Princeton on the map. "He is probably the biggest advocate for parks and recreation that I know. Princeton clearly would not have continued to have the state and national regard that it has without the decades of leadership that Jack has provided," said Mr. Bruschi. "Jack was able to accomplish so much because he was one of the originators of thinking outside the box – and did so way before it was a popular term. He would partner with just about any organization that would help him achieve the goals of providing park and recreation opportunities for every resident of Princeton.
"One thing I must say that I never as able to do was to beat him in platform tennis," Mr. Bruschi said. "While I only played against him twice, it wasn’t pretty either time, but I can still beat him in golf."
Mr. Roberts said one of his greatest accomplishments is the revolving trust account he developed and implemented to fund programs. "It was a particularly bleak budget year," he said. "The Township Committee came to the rec board and said ‘We’re going to have to cut your budget $90,000,’ which was about half the budget. We went back to them and said ‘If we can charge a user fee for all the programs we’re going to run and bring all that money in such a way that it pays for all the programs and takes it out of the tax burden, would that be OK?’ They said yes."
Since that time, most programs are self-funded. Full-time salaries and benefits of the employees are funded by taxpayers, but participants pay for programs. "This gives us the opportunity to charge less," he said.
Mr. Roberts is most proud of the new active recreation parks – Barbara Smoyer Park on Snowden Lane, Greenway Meadows on Rosedale Road and Farmview Fields on Great Road – in the Princetons during his tenure.
"We’re very short ballfields in this town, we’re very short facilities in this town, so those three acquisitions of parkland were a big help to the department," he said. "We built a skate park, which has been a tremendous success."
One of his greatest disappointments has been the Community Park Pool project, which does not have full funding in place yet.
At 66 years old, Mr. Roberts is ready for retirement, with a honey-do list of household projects and some plans for relaxation. "I like to golf and fish, and I don’t get much opportunity to do either," he said. "Its’ just time."

