Members of the Princeton Borough Council and Princeton Township Committee will meet on Monday night to make decisions on two very important issues.
One is whether to put a question on the ballot this November recommending that residents of the two municipalities vote to consolidate into one, united community.
The other is whether to go ahead with the recommendation of the Joint Recreation Board to replace the Community Park Pool with a new concrete pool rather than some other material such as steel or a mix of the two.
The boards should vote to do both.
The Joint Shared Services Consolidation Commission did an extremely thorough study over months and months before coming up with its recommendation.
Its members found about 3 million reasons for their decision. That’s $3 million in potential savings from a consolidated, more-efficient government.
Not everyone is going to agree the savings are worth it. Some like things the way they are now. They don’t want to be “absorbed” into a single Princeton.
But there are others who think the timing is right and the reasoning is correct.
Both groups should have the chance to vote on the issue in November.
And that’s really all the joint boards have to decide on Monday whether to give voters that chance.
That should be a very easy decision.
As for the new pool, let’s hope the decision is just as easy. But the fear is that this issue, which has been talked to death, will not be let go by some people.
The Joint Recreation Board met last month to examine and vote on eight bids of various construction types that were submitted. It recommended the least expensive of the concrete pool bids $5.8 million.
The Borough Council and Township Committee earlier this year voted for a $6.1 million bond to pay for the project.
So that’s $300,000 to spare.
The other concern about not making a decision on Monday to go ahead with the project is that the new pool might not be ready to open by next summer due to construction timetables.
Imagine a heat wave like this week’s with no pool.
Accept the Rec Board’s recommendation and you wont’ have to think about it.