Sri Ram, a resident of Quail Ridge Drive, spoke during public comments at the June 27 Plainsboro Township Committee meeting to raise awareness of persecution, attacks, and hate crimes that he says have occurred against practitioners of Fulan Dafa meditation — the most recent example stemming from an incident in San Francisco in mid-June. Ram distributed pamphlets to members of the township committee and spoke briefly about his meditation group’s meetings held every Sunday morning from 7 to 9 a.m. in West Windsor, in a field at the intersection of Clarksville Road and Route 571 across from High School South.
Ram, who has lived in Plainsboro for the past 10 months while working for Dow Jones, submitted reports and documents to the township committee and asked for its help in the form of a resolution condemning the persecution that has occurred against this group.
Deputy Mayor Neil Lewis, acting as mayor in the absence of Mayor Peter Cantu, accepted the materials from Ram and said he recalled a similar request by followers of Fulan Dafa who attended a committee meeting two or three years ago. Business Administrator Robert O. Sheehan also said he remembered a similar request, but the township has not taken any official action on it.
Ram told the township committee that people with connections to China’s Communist Party are the prime suspects in the San Francisco attack. He also brought up an incident that occurred in Flushing, Queens, last year. Another person who is involved with Falun Dafa meditation attended the meeting with Ram, but they chose to remain anonymous.
Committee Member Narun Nabi, chairman of Plainsboro’s Human Relations Council, approached Ram after the meeting to discuss what occurred in San Francisco. Nabi told Ram he was aware of the issues followers of Fulan Dafa faced in China, but he had not heard about incidents on U.S. soil before.
Also at the June 27 committee meeting, ABC (alcoholic beverage consumption) licenses were renewed for the following establishments: the Wyndham Hotel & Conference Center, the Westin Princeton Hotel, and Tre Piani restaurant. The licenses are in effect from July 1 of this year to June 30 of next year.
At the Wednesday, July 11, township committee meeting a public hearing will be held on an ordinance amending the township’s salary and wage plan, including that of the police chief/director of public safety (held by Guy Armour). For 2012, the amended full-time salary would be $140,558. In 2013 it would increase to $143,369. Another public hearing scheduled for July 11 pertains to a 2012 bond ordinance to implement the capital budget items in the 2012 budget. The Township Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal courtroom.
Resolutions on the agenda for July 11 include the following:
— The refund of recreation fees for three campers and a refund of two canceled applications for summer camp run by the township
— Accepting performance bond and inspection fees for Princeton Fitness and Wellness, which Sheehan said is planning to open later this year.
— The release of developer review fees for Mary L. Alden, a property owner on Perrine Road.
— The release of developer review and inspection fees for BMR, One Research Way.
— The release of inspection and performance guarantee fees for Krek Construction Corp. and Brickman Group.
— The release of cash performance bond for DSK Woods.
– Authorization of “E-waste subsidy” with Middlesex County, allowing the township to recycle electronics.
– Approval of the Opticon traffic signal pre-emption control for the intersection of Scudders Mill Road and Dey Road.
– Allocation of state funds for the following: child passenger safety, $4,000; aggressive driver regulation, $6,000; alcohol education, rehabilitation, and enforcement, $4,000; and the Click It or Ticket campaign, $4,000.
In other news, Township Committee member Ed Yates announced that once Mayor Cantu returns from his trip to Maine, two Alternate I two-year appointments will be finalized: one to Plainsboro’s Planning Board and another to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Township Administrator Robert Sheehan said that furniture is being delivered for the new recreation center adjacent to the municipal building. Landscaping work was scheduled to begin outside the facility on Thursday, June 28, and some issues with the operation of fire alarms still need to be worked out. Committee Members Narun Nabi and Michael Weaver said they will tour the facility with Sheehan before the Fourth of July holiday.
