BEACON EDITORIAL, Aug. 17
By:Hillsborough Beacon
In another two months, with some small amount of fanfare and hoopla, Hillsborough will unveil its new post office on Amwell Road, complete the township’s own ZIP code.
From what we’re told, this new post office will help build a sense of community. We’re a little fuzzy on how a new ZIP code and a new post office facility are supposed to accomplish that.
Hillsborough all told is 54.7 square miles, making it the largest municipality in Somerset County. And although it’s one municipality, it consists of a handful of separate "towns," including Belle Mead, Neshanic, South Branch, Flagtown, Clover Hill and Black Wells Mills, each with its own flavor and character. It’s not surprising that residents of rural Neshanic have a hard time identifying themselves with built-out Belle Mead.
Creating a central post office is unlikely to encourage such solidarity. Nor, we think, is it likely to stop people from visiting their accustomed post offices in Belle Mead, Montgomery, or Neshanic Station, Branchburg, any more than it will stop them from thinking of themselves as residents of one of those communities.
If fostering a sense of community is one of the goals for the new post office, we’d like to suggest a few ways to go about it with more success:
‡ Continue with plans for the proposed Town Center between Amwell and New Amwell roads. Picture Main Street in Somerville, Main Street in Manville, or Nassau Street in Princeton Borough. A downtown known for pedestrian friendliness and for a small-town appearance will draw plenty of customers tired of oversized box stores and malls, and will do a lot to establish a sense of "This is Hillsborough."
‡ Groups such as the Historic Commission should aggressively document and preserve Hillsborough’s living history. Erect markers at historic sites. Set up displays at the library, and let people know all about the township’s past so they develop an attachment to it and see a need to preserve it. Begin registering historic buildings before developers announce plans to bulldoze them.
The commission also should provide the Township Committee with a draft ordinance detailing what styles of architecture and sizes of building match the historical character the township seeks to preserve. This is especially urgent given the prolific development the area has seen in recent years.
‡ Take advantage of Hillsborough’s assets. Not every community has a local airport like Central Jersey Regional Airport, and not every community has a theater the caliber of Somerset Valley Players, and those are only two of the township’s attractions. In-between are any number of interesting and original businesses and nonprofit organizations that serve Hillsborough, Somerset County and broader areas. Each is a tremendous commodity, and the township should take advantage of them.
Want a sense of community? The post office is a start, but it won’t go nearly as far as taking pride in all the township already has to offer.