LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, May 28
Arts Council plan on verge of win/win
To the editor:
Contrary to your May 25 editorial criticizing The Arts Council of Princeton for presenting a revised site plan to the Planning Board, I suggest that The Arts Council provided an ideal model for how applications should proceed when they displayed a revised design that incorporated the constructive but tough criticism their application had evoked.
I urge all interested parties to review these revised plans at the Planning Board office before judging their merit. I expect they will discover that we are on the verge of a win/win resolution to this contentious application.
Reducing the size of the building was an appropriate and direct response to the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Association’s insistence that the addition’s size be minimized, and that the existing historic building be visible from Witherspoon Street. The reduction was a simple subtraction from the building plans as originally submitted, with useful green space, four new street trees and other landscaping added in its place.
By carefully reviewing what minimum size is required for their program, The Arts Council has also made it clear that the Planning Board’s decision on this application will determine whether The Arts Council can remain on this site.
Presentation of the revised scheme was equally appropriate as a response to 12 specific changes that the Site Plan Review Advisory Board recommended. These were aimed at increasing the prominence of landscaping over building and identifying the building as a tribute to Paul Robeson. Michael Graves & Associates, with their landscape architect, accommodated all 12 suggestions in the revised plans; so I did not hesitate to speak for the advisory board Thursday night in recommending that the Planning Board approve the application as revised.
The application as submitted last August had already eliminated the major issues raised by The Arts Council’s first application. It is significantly smaller, maintains existing setbacks from its abutting neighbor, maintains the existing auditorium at its present capacity and will most certainly reduce its traffic on Green Street. The revisions constitute a refinement to the application that keeps all these positive attributes. The architects have subtly adjusted the scale and materials of the addition to better compliment the older building and clarified the distinction between the historic and new portions. The Arts Council, its architects and also its neighbors should be praised for their diligence, rather than asked to start this site plan application process over for a third time.
The alterations to the main corner entrance are among the best features of the revised scheme. At last the forcefully dramatic cylindrical lobby makes sense; with an enlarged Paul Robeson monument centered right in front and the words "Paul Robeson Center" over the entrance. The Arts Council of Princeton’s new home will be seen as a tribute to the great performance artist and spokesman for social justice, appropriately residing in his neighborhood of birth.
William Wolfe
Chairman
Site Plan Review Advisory Board
Hawthorne Avenue
Princeton
Limiting size of homes also limits tax revenue
To the editor:
I read with interest your article on the Borough Council’s efforts to contain taxes and also Roger Martindell’s ideas for the council if he gets elected (The Packet, May 25). I am stunned that there is so little dialogue about the Zoning Amendment Review Committee proposal currently being considered by the council.
If this proposal passes, the council will have effectively and dramatically eliminated the only easy way for the borough to get more tax revenue from its residents: property improvement. Princeton Borough has two buildable lots left, according to Frank Slimak at the May 2 Borough Council meeting. Half of its land is tax-exempt. This means the only way for the borough to meet ever-rising budget demands is to increase taxes or to have homeowners improve their homes. (The proposals discussed to solve the tax problem, such as increasing parking rates or trying to get more money from Princeton University, seem feeble and unpersuasive.)
The ZARC proposal seeks to limit, almost by half, the amount of space a homeowner can build or add onto their home. This translates to an instant decline in property value, directly affecting the diverse economic population which the ZARC proposal avowedly seeks to help.
When we improved our home last year, our taxes went up $9,000. That’s $9,000 less that my elderly neighbor doesn’t have to pay to stay in her house. Under the ZARC proposal, renovations of this magnitude will become unlikely.
As a resident of Princeton Borough who would like not to get taxed out of my home for the next 50 years, I propose the following:
1) Calculate and publish the lost tax revenue on every property associated with each property’s reduced improvement potential.
2) Ask each homeowner if he or she is willing to donate that lost value of his or her property to the borough. Or prepare a plan to compensate the homeowner for the lost value, as the State of New Jersey does with the Green Acres program, which purchases the development rights from the landowner.
I oppose this ZARC proposal and hope that my neighbors, potential councilmen and community will dialogue, with full disclosure as to its hidden costs, on this issue.
Lynette Hull
Linden Lane
Princeton
While others talk, Freda gets things done
To the editor:
I am writing to share my thoughts on the upcoming Democratic primary for Princeton Borough Council. This primary is on June 8. My wife and I will be voting for Mark Freda.
I first met Mark when he joined the Princeton Fire Department in 1974. I have known him ever since. Mark was an officer in the fire department for 11 years, rising to the position of chief of the department. For an almost matching period of time, he has been a member of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, serving five years as president there.
He has lived in the borough all his life. He has been active in many local organizations. But I think one of his best services to our community were his 13 years on Borough Council from 1986 to 1999. I and many others always saw Mark as a voice of reason on council someone who used common sense, logic and a lifelong knowledge of the community and its residents to resolve problems and get things done. While others talked about it, Mark did something about it.
I want someone on council who really reflects my feelings and thoughts. I want someone on council who will listen to me and make sure my viewpoints are considered.
That is one promise that Mark makes to us, and I know it is a promise that will be kept.
Jack Rhubart
Leavitt Lane
Princeton
Martindell raises compelling questions
To the editor:
During his years of service on the Princeton Borough Council, Roger Martindell has consistently shown the courage to challenge assumptions, raise compelling questions and present innovative alternatives to benefit the residents and taxpayers of the borough. He was the member of council who most rigorously questioned the financing and traffic impacts of the downtown redevelopment with the premise that the taxpayers deserved a better deal than the one first offered by the developers.
In the past several years, Roger has repeatedly sought ways to temper the unsustainable growth of the municipal budget and its alarmingly increasing burden on the taxpayers. He has repeatedly called upon Princeton University and the Princeton Theological Seminary to contribute their fair share to support the municipal services that their students, faculty and staff all enjoy at taxpayer expense. He has also championed a significant increase in sharing services with the township to improve efficiency and to save money for the residents of both municipalities, particularly in the police and public works departments.
Fluent in Spanish, Roger has assisted many of Princeton’s Hispanic immigrants with legal and social issues that can be difficult for them. He has also shown leadership in working on regional issues affecting all the residents of Mercer County.
In the coming years, budget, governance and diversity issues will be paramount in the borough, and Roger’s experience, courage and vision will contribute greatly to addressing these for the benefit of the residents and taxpayers.
Clifford W. Zink
Aiken Avenue
Princeton
Neumann brings new ideas to table
To the editor:
I am writing in support of Anne Neumann’s candidacy for Princeton Borough Council. Anne has the perspective of having grown up in the borough and of one who has lived as far away as Australia. She is a scholar who brings new ideas to the table.
Anne is aware that it takes a great deal of time and effort to be an effective member of Borough Council. It is indeed wonderful that we as borough residents have four candidates willing to commit their energies to the betterment of all of us.
Creative thinking, tempered by discussion, is always an asset. We would all prosper if there were more affordable housing for seniors as well as for transient workers who come to Princeton to live and work. Anne has proposed some new thinking on this subject. This is just one of Anne’s interesting ideas.
Please consider a vote for Anne on June 8.
Barbara Trelstad
Westcott Road
Princeton
State must act on NPDC site
To the editor:
The following letter was sent to Gov. James E. McGreevey:
I am writing to you on behalf of the children and families of Montgomery Township regarding the North Princeton Developmental Center property located in the center of our town.
We respectfully ask that you allow Montgomery Township to acquire the NPDC property under terms that are fair to the township and the state. The property consists of 240 acres with more than 100 acres designated as critical land (wetlands, stream corridor) and a sewage treatment plant. There are environmental liabilities and threats to public safety including 102 abandoned buildings, 70 of which have serious structural, asbestos and lead issues.
The site was originally created as the New Jersey Village for Epileptics. The facility then became the New Jersey Neuropsychiatric Institute in the 1950s and later became known as the North Princeton Developmental Center. Despite the fact that the state used, contaminated and abandoned the NPDC property, the site remains at the heart of our community. All of Montgomery’s public schools are located in the immediate vicinity of NPDC. The property surrounds our Village Elementary School, which was built several years ago with the understanding that the property around it would be cleaned up, fixed up and sold to Montgomery Township. So far this has not been done.
Governor, have you driven through the site lately? Besides the very obvious signs of neglect everywhere including broken glass, boarded windows and doors (that have now been pried open) and collapsing balconies and staircases there are also serious threats to public health and safety and to the environment including several hundred feet of exposed, flaking asbestos-insulated pipes, buried steam pipes encased in asbestos, a powerhouse landfill that was never secured, possible groundwater contamination, soil contamination and a structurally unsound dam. Furthermore, NPDC has become a destination for teens and other thrill seekers. No one wants a dangerous nuisance like this in their community.
I have heard estimates that since the property was declared surplus in the mid 1990s, the state has spent approximately $11 million of taxpayers’ money to maintain it. The sad irony of that is that it has not been maintained at all. It has been completely neglected.
Montgomery has a plan for this property. The site is zoned for public parks and education. The township wants to deed restrict more than half the property for open space, park/civic/cultural uses and schools. We would like to restore and adapt for re-use some of the historic buildings there if it is not too late to save them. Many of us also want to see careful, limited redevelopment on a portion of the site.
Governor, it is time to enable Montgomery Township to acquire the NPDC property. It has become a dismal, dangerous place and a wasted resource for our children and our community. The residents of Montgomery are signing petitions and stand ready to visit you in Trenton to show you pictures of the NPDC property and jumpstart the negotiations again. We need your help. The time to act is now.
Valerie Smith
Kemper Lakes Court
Montgomery
On Memorial Day, remember the fallen
To the editor:
Memorial Day has been observed for nearly 140 years and is dedicated to remembering those who sacrificed their lives in the defense of our country. This observance originated during the Civil War and affords us the opportunity to recognize those who have died so that we may live free.
The willingness of men and women to make the supreme sacrifice is most evident in the actions of Pat Tillman, who left a life of fame and fortune as a professional football player to join the military because he believed so strongly in the principles of freedom and democracy. Unfortunately Mr. Tillman made the supreme sacrifice when he was killed in action on April 23, and he is now among those we will remember on Memorial Day.
Members of the military understand the need to preserve the security that allows us to exercise the many freedoms we enjoy and too often take for granted. They do this knowing that they, too, could pay the ultimate price.
Members of The American Legion will sponsor and participate in Memorial Day ceremonies throughout New Jersey and in Washington, D.C., where the national World War II Memorial will be dedicated. They will do so to honor and remember the men and women who died safeguarding liberty and freedom.
I encourage all New Jersey residents to attend a local ceremony or to simply fly the American flag on Memorial Day as a display of recognition and gratitude for the sacrifice of those who have given their all for the greatest country in the world.
Marshall "Ted" Behr
State Commander
American Legion
West Hanover Street
Trenton
Food drive comes at needed time
To the editor:
On Saturday, May 8, letter carriers in communities across America collected nonperishable food for the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Donations left at mailboxes or brought to post offices locally were transported to the Mercer Street Friends Food Cooperative and from our food bank, the donations are being distributed to local food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens.
The response to the food drive was overwhelming and filled our warehouse from wall to wall. On behalf of the Mercer Street Friends Food Cooperative, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to the letter carriers of NALC Branch 380 (Trenton) and Branch 268 (Princeton) and the food drive co-sponsors U.S. Postal Service, AFL-CIO community services network and the United Way for joining together to gather this food for families in need.
Times are tough for people who live at or near poverty. When earnings or incomes are not enough to cover monthly living expenses, food shortages occur. This is why the food collected by the letter carriers comes at such a needed time and will help our food bank to channel food to people in our community who experience the pain and indignity of hunger.
A lot of planning and logistics is required to run a food collection of this magnitude and I wish to particularly thank Mark Van Wagner, president of Branch 380; Jesse Davis and Sharon Roman, Branch 380 Food Drive co-chairs; Ray MacDonald, president of Branch 268 and Jim Buonanno, Branch 268 Food Drive coordinator. Our gratitude goes to Trenton Postmaster Joseph Sautello and his staff for providing the trailers that transported the food to our warehouse; and the volunteers from the NALC, Mercer County Central Labor Council, and Lawrenceville School who unloaded the vehicles and moved the food into our warehouse. Lastly, thank you to all the people who so generously donated food to help feed families in need.
Phyllis C. Stoolmacher
Director
Mercer Street Friends
Food Cooperative
Mercer Street
Trenton