By Charley Falkenburg, Special to the Packet
WEST WINDSOR About 50 people, including Councilman Kamal Khanna, joined Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh at Town Hall on Saturday to hear about developments, projects and other initiatives West Windsor will be tackling in 2013.
The mayor, along with Business Administrator Marlena Schmid, Community Development Director Pat Ward and Secretary Barbara Campbell, held an open forum that afternoon to update residents on commercial and retail developments, construction projects and other endeavors that will come to fruition this year.
One will be the completion of the renovated Windsor Plaza, locally known as the old Acme shopping center.
In just a few weeks, some of the stores such as Jack’s Wayback Burgers, will be opening informally. The mayor described the incoming retailers as “local stores” and not “big boxes like Shoprite and Kmart.”
To go along with the new plaza, will be the opening of the 650-parking space lot at the train station in the spring.
Alison Miller, a member of the Parking Authority, was in the audience and said residents could count on May, but be happily surprised if the lot opened in April. As promised, West Windsor residents will get first dibs, but Ms. Miller said there were plenty of spots left over for out-of-towners, who would pay extra to park there.
Next month, the Schenk Farm museum will be officially open to the public. Mayor Hsueh said it would be formally known as the Historical Museum of West Windsor at Schenk Farm, as homage to the Schenk family, which was one of the founding families of West Windsor in the late 1700s. The museum will also have a room filled with various ecological items.
”People will not only be able to see the items people used the past 300 years, but different biological species from the local areas,” added Mayor Hsueh.
Negotiations with the post office are expected to come to close soon. Under the current proposed contract, the post office would only use half of the building and be locked into the agreement for another five years.
Once the final contract is signed, the town is exploring the ideas of having either the Parking Authority or Emergency Personnel use the other half of the building.
Mayor Hsueh said he would continue with his goal to make West Windsor more bicycle and pedestrian friendly, complete sewer line renovations and bolster both senior and youth programs.
After Hurricane Sandy, the mayor thought it was necessary to focus on strengthening services for the senior citizens, particularly ones who don’t drive or need special medical care.
Dr. Jennifer Howard, a resident of 16 years, praised the town for supplying seniors with free flu shots at the Senior Center, which are reimbursed by Medicare.
”I appreciate how this township looks at vulnerable communities for the flu and offers those shots to the seniors,” she added.
Mayor Hsueh said he would also be working with the county and state Department of Transportation (DOT) to ease traffic congestion without taking away the jughandles. His goals include finishing the Vaughn Drive connection and widening the Stony Brook Bridge in Princeton and making sure Princeton’s incoming arts and transit village doesn’t impact traffic circulation on the West Windsor side.
He will also be writing a few letters this year to voice his disapproval on issues that would or are currently negatively impacting West Windsor residents.
One will go to the Board of Public Utilities, opposing a proposed rate increase that affects electric bills for those on the east side of town that use Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L).
He will also file an official complaint with the state in regard to the controversial solar farm at the Mercer County Community College (MCCC), which is already well underway.
Recently lawsuits were filed against the township and county to stop the solar farm altogether, but the judge dismissed the case since the college is a public institution of higher learning and can do what it wants with its property as long as it stays within its educational goals.
With its new sustainable program that is certified by the state, the solar farm was deemed to be in compliance with the state statute.
”Deep down inside, I wish there was more we could do, but unfortunately there are limitations on how far we can go,” said Mayor Hsueh. “I want to protect the town, but at the same time I don’t want to have any unnecessary lawsuits that would waste taxpayer money.”
Also underway is a new Asian-themed pocket park in the heart of Princeton Junction.
The proposed park recently sparked concerns for having an ethnic theme, but Mayor Hsueh said its purpose was to create something with a similar design to other parks, but to make it unique and cultural. He added that the theme takes into account input from various constituents, including the Chinese and Indian communities.
The park, which was already slated in the town’s Master Plan, has no budget and is strictly reliant on private donations, contributions and volunteers. Those who contribute via Friends of West Windsor Open Space will be able to get a tax deduction. The town has already received donations of trees, plants and flowers that will be planted in the spring to prevent soil erosion.
The mayor said residents can expect to see Black Pine, bamboo and flower trees, which are the basic components in Indian, Chinese and Japanese cultures.
”It will be an open area where you can picnic, maybe buy a coffee at 7-Eleven and enjoy lunch,” added Mayor Hsueh.
As the park continues to progress, he said there will be two open public meetings to discuss it and get more input from the community.
In addition to those meetings, there will be an open forum on Jan. 30 held by the Howard Hughes Corp., which aims to gather community input on how to redevelop the 660-acre former American Cyanamid site. The township-owned property, which was acquired in 2011, is adjacent to Route 1 and Quakerbridge Road. The forum is at 7 p.m. at the Mercer Oaks Golf Course Clubhouse in Princeton Junction.
The mayor also took the opportunity to further diffuse accusations that attacked his relationship with Gov. Chris Christie and alleged his Town Committee appointments were politically biased and devoid of Republican members. He reiterated his appointments are based on qualifications and that he never asks someone about their party affiliation.
In a previous interview, the mayor confirmed there were two Republicans and one independent on the Planning Board and that the chairs for Affordable Housing, the Parking Authority and the Shade Tree Committee were all Republican.
”I hope you come to me if you feel you have something to offer,” he told the crowd on Saturday. “I may not always have a position open, but I will do what I can.”
He also mentioned he attended Gov. Christie’s state speech and was reappointed by the governor to be on the state Water Supply Authority.
”That shows my relationship with the state,” he added. “West Windsor is getting more attention and we need to take that opportunity to work together to take West Windsor to the next level.”

