While much of the talk surrounding the recent opening of the new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro has been focused on possible adverse effects, particularly traffic, one positive consequence was highlighted at a ribbon-cutting ceremony October 22 for a 32-acre park stretching from the Millstone River to Plainsboro Road.
The new Millstone River Park was dedicated as a public park of Plainsboro during a ceremony attended by commissioner of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection Bob Martin, Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu, and Princeton HealthCare System CEO Barry S. Rabner, who called the park “the largest ecological restoration project ever in our region.”
PHCS invested $8 million in the park, which is on the former site of FMC Corp. In keeping with the hospital’s sustainability goals, the park uses all natural plantings to avoid the need for pesticides or fertilizers. PHCS planted 1,700 trees to supplement the 100 already on the property and also added bike racks, benches, trash receptacles, and nearly a mile of pathways.
“We anticipate that our new neighbors in Plainsboro, our staff, and visitors to our hospital will enjoy for many years to come the quiet seclusion that the park provides,” Rabner said.
The park is located directly across from the medical center and has a small parking area accessible from Plainsboro Road.
The park is one of several green elements incorporated into development of the hospital and health campus. The Plainsboro Health Campus uses indigenous landscaping. The campus also features a system of walkways and bike paths and mass transit connections to nearby population centers, helping to reduce congestion in the region.
The hospital is powered, heated and cooled by an adjacent cogeneration plant-developed in partnership with NRG Energy Inc. of Princeton-that is twice as efficient as traditional energy plants. Photovoltaic panels installed in the hospital parking lot generate solar power for the hospital as well.
At the Plainsboro Committee meeting later in the week, Mayor Cantu pointed out that the park is not only a recreational resource for the town, but that it also provides an environmental buffer for the Millstone River.
