To the Editor:
Outsourcing Makes Sense for Janitors
Mr. Calabria (12/18 ed Views and Opinions) is right on the mark. The signs around town are nothing but scare tactics, and when you examine the issue more completely the facts support outsourcing.
I downloaded a copy of the study report from the WWP Regional School System web site, and the facts are that the custodial and maintenance staff receive pay and benefits far in excess of competitive industry and that outsourcing would save over $1.5 million each year with an increase in staff and efficiency.
The personnel would be thoroughly screened. It is a significant step in holding down our very high taxes in years to come. I strongly support this action.
J. Thomas Boyer
25 Van Wyck Drive
Pedestrian Struck on 571 Speaks Out
I have a suggestion for improving the safety of pedestrians attempting to cross Princeton-Hightstown Road (Route 571) in Princeton Junction. It is based on the experience of my children, one of whom is special needs, and both of whom walked to High School South by crossing Route 571.
It is also based on my own experience. Two weeks ago, I was struck while crossing Route 571 at the Wallace-Cranbury and 571 intersection. I was returning from work from the train station at about 6 p.m. I was crossing in the crosswalk (on the Acme side of the road), at the proper time, and although it was dark, I was wearing a reflector vest. The driver that struck me just wasn’t looking to see if anyone was in the crosswalk. I assume that the driver was looking either straight ahead to see if someone was making a left turn from Cranbury on to Hightstown, or looking left to see if anyone was running the red light on Hightstown, as sometimes happens.
There is only one way to make crossing the street safe for pedestrians. There must be some segment of time in which no cars are allowed to drive through the crosswalk. And the only way to create that time is with colored arrows. In other words, we need arrows that control turns. The system should be set up so that you can turn left (right) if and only if the left (right) turn arrow is green.
A system of colored turn arrows would also reduce the number of car crashes, many of which I am sure are caused by the game of chicken that is played when someone is trying to make a left turn, say from Route 571 onto Wallace Road. And I think it is possible that with the use of sensors the system could improve the flow of traffic by allowing long queues of cars waiting to make left turns to empty.
Hugh Rockoff
Princeton Junction
Department of Economics,
Rutgers University
Rein in Motorists
in West Windsor
I write in response to a letter (December 18) by Sandy Shapiro, a trustee of the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance.
I read the letter with sadness and anger, for it mentioned the incident on Route 571 in which a pedestrian was hit by a car. I would like to alert the Alliance to another bad intersection in town: Scott Avenue and Alexander Road near 3 Brothers Pizzeria. The red-brick pavement there gives pedestrians and cyclists the impression that they have the right of way. Yet, motorists zoom right through the intersection. I recommend that we have four-way stop signs there.
I suggest that West Windsor pass an ordinance to double the fine and penalty of any moving violations in town that involve pedestrians and cyclists. It takes a lot more conviction than painting several cyclist lanes on roadways for them to be considered pedestrian-friendly. I’d rather see the name of West Windsor splashed on the front page as the most pedestrian and cyclist-friendly town than to be called a dangerous place for pedestrians and cyclists.
I hope council can act before any more similar tragedies happen.
Joseph Sun
West Windsor
Invisible Progress in Princeton Junction
I am happy to report that progress is being made on West Windsor’s new town center. After attending the public open house this past week at borough hall, during which engineering road plans were presented for Route 571 (the stretch of Princeton-Hightstown Road between Clarksville Road and the train overpass), I came away feeling quite encouraged about our town center. Although driving through this area and seeing the boarded-up buildings and empty Acme store day after day is disheartening, the activity that is taking place behind the scenes is very encouraging. The beautiful town center that many of us envision is shaping up.
For those of you who didn’t attend the open house this week, the new roadway design is for a three-lane road, with one lane moving in each direction and a center turn lane. The center turn lane will alleviate traffic congestion and allow access to all the driveways along this stretch. The new design includes six-foot-wide bicycle lanes on both sides, with curbing and sidewalks, making it a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly design. This will be a huge improvement in the downtown in terms of traffic flow, pedestrian and bicycle access, and aesthetic appeal.
In other developments, I am pleased to report that discussions are well underway with RiteAid, which owns the boarded-up buildings on the right side of the road just before the train overpass, to start planning for construction of new buildings on that site. In addition, the owners of the Acme site are now moving ahead with their environmental assessment, which needs to be completed before the site can be sold and/or developed. On the other side of the tracks and still in the redevelopment zone, final approvals are in process for a new mixed-use office/retail building, and parking garage discussions with NJ Transit and other parties are ongoing. This is all good news for residents.
Thank you, Mayor Hsueh!
Lindsay Diehl Lott
Residents Deserve Mayor’s Time
For the past three months, I have attempted to arrange a one-on-one audience with the mayor of West Windsor to express my profound disgust regarding the appalling state of disrepair that has become Plywood Junction. None of my six calls to the mayor were returned by him personally, and his secretary (and her stand in) initially told me that the mayor had no available slots to see me during October or November but that he might be able to see me on one of two unspecified days in December.
Having given his secretary my landline and cell phone numbers and my E-mail address, I expected the courtesy of a response from him (or her). At the beginning of December, after still no response, I made yet another call to the mayor’s office to be told that the mayor was no longer seeing homeowners on an individual basis.
I was further instructed to attend the Township meeting regarding Route 571 developments since this would be a good opportunity for me to express my concerns. I had a prior commitment and was unable to attend that meeting, which had nothing to do with cleaning up the current mess that is now Plywood Junction but one convened to discuss future widening plans to the Princeton-Hightstown Road.
As a tax-paying homeowner for the past 25 years, I have every right to discuss with the mayor what has become a devastating eyesore. The unsightly mess that sadly is now being called Plywood Junction is turning away prospective home buyers and causing realtors to avoid approaching West Windsor via the railroad bridge and the unsightly boarded-up stores along Route 571.
In 25 years, Princeton Junction has gone from good to bad to worse, and house values are starting to suffer. In the same time period, Plainsboro has become a beacon for sensible and creative development with its attractive village center — a center that is not on top of one of the busiest train stations in the Northeast. At a previous meeting with the mayor, I was told that Plainsboro was able to make such successful improvements because Mayor Cantu had been in office for 18 years! Does this mean that we will have to wait for the incompetent mayor of West Windsor to be in office for 18 years before we can see any improvements?
Plywood Junction is a disgrace, and the mayor should be ashamed tobe presiding over a township that has fallen into such a distressing state of disrepair. No future large-scale developments should take place until the current mess has been cleaned up and improved. Forget about the Village Transit Center (how much money and time have been wasted on this project?) and widening Route 571 until we have gentrified the half-mile strip between the unkempt railroad bridge and the ugly gas station at the Alexander Road intersection — and made the area vastly more pleasing to the eye.
First, let’s tear down the plywood, raze the empty buildings, put in pedestrian sidewalks and bicycle paths (for safety as well as beauty), plant more trees and flowers, build a fountain or two — and a mini plaza — and encourage the arrival of attractive boutiques and bistros so we all have a town center with character and heart that we can be proud of. In other words, put our high property taxes to work on sensible and necessary projects — and not on white elephants intended to leave the mayor with an uncalled for legacy for his time in office. If we can’t get rid of the five banks, three gas stations and those ghastly telegraph poles, then at least give us something else of quality to look at.
If you read this Mr. Mayor, please give me the courtesy of allowing me to see you personally to discuss these issues. Refusing to see a long-standing homeowner and tax payer is not the way to run what has now become one of the most unattractive townships in Mercer County. I look forward to receiving your call and seeing you personally in January 2010.
As if this urban travesty is not enough, my attempt to buy a parking token from the machine at the train station last night resulted in a devoured $5 bill and no token — and no response when calling the advised phone number in the event that the machine does not perform this simplest of operations!
Richard Moody
28 Norchester Drive
Mayor Hsueh responded: I met with Mr. Moody last year and will continue to meet with all residents having issues and constructive suggestions. I have also scheduled open town hall meetings every two to three months and respond to all questions and issues raised.
Route 571 Plans
Concern WWBPA
I request that the West Windsor Council receive a formal response from the engineers and/or consultants as to the comments submitted by the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance regarding the initial Route 571 design recommendations (see story, page 11). Since a technical response is deemed necessary, the engineers or consultants may be in the best position to give answers. In addition, they may even want to consider meeting with a WWBPA representative.
As WWBPA second vice president Jerry Foster wrote, “the design doesn’t reflect current state policies and guidelines that balance capacity, safety and usability for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.” This is a strong statement that needs to be addressed, along with the recommendations from the WWBPA.
I applaud the county for having its consultants host an open house in West Windsor to give a brief presentation on the initial design work and to receive input from local residents. The improvements to this area are a critical element in the Township’s redevelopment and master plans, and particularly vital from a safety perspective for our citizens who ride, walk, and bike through this area everyday. Linda Geevers
Member of Council, West Windsor
MLK Celebration Set
The West Windsor-Plainsboro African American Parent Support Group (AAPSG) will celebrate 25 years of success as a non-profit advocating on behalf of African American children and children of the African Diaspora who attend the WW-P Regional School District with a number of events as part of its BUILD campaign.
On Monday, January 18, the AAPSG will hold its Third Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration at the West Windsor branch of the Mercer County Library from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The theme of this year’s program is “What Dr. King’s Legacy Means to Our Youth and How We Can Carry Out His Legacy in Our Community.” Youth from WW-P and the central New Jersey community will participate in an engaging conversation.
On Monday, February 8, at 7 p.m. the AAPSG will co-sponsor with the New Jersey Council for the Humanities a film screening of “A Place Out of Time: Bordentown.” The viewing of the film will be followed by a public discussion facilitated by a noted scholar at the West Windsor branch of the Mercer County Library. We are excited about providing the community with a critical examination of the issue of equal access to a quality education, regardless of race or ethnicity, through film during this Black History Month celebration.
On Thursday, February 18, the AAPSG will hold its Annual Black History Program at High School South at 7:30 p.m.
During January and February, there will be a Black History display in the lobby of the West Windsor Municipal Building lobby at Clarksville Road and North Post Road.
Barbara Edmonds
WW-P African American Parent Support Group (AAPSG)
Kajia Greenberg
Director, West Windsor Library
A Job Well Done
The mayor and the township crews are to be applauded for the remarkable cleaning of the roads following the snowstorm on Saturday and Sunday morning, December 19 and 20. We drove on Sunday morning on ice-free and snow-less roads, in sharp contrast to those in Princeton.
John and Betty Hartmann
