From the dredging of Grovers Mill Pond to the construction of the Alexander Road bridge and roundabout, Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh recalled various township projects that have been completed over the last four years in his inauguration speech on July 1.
While the subject of redevelopment was mentioned in his address, which was given during the Township Council’s annual reorganization meeting, it encompassed only a small portion on the list of initiatives the mayor said he plans to continue over his next four years in office.
In addition to the completion of the Alexander Road bridge and roundabout and the reconstruction of the Grovers Mill dam and the dredging of the pond, Hsueh also announced that the senior center, which is undergoing construction for expansion, will have a grand reopening around Labor Day. In addition, “we have made tremendous strides in restoring the Schenck Farmstead to honor West Windsor as the farming community it once was,” said Hsueh. “And we have constructed the Trolley Line Trail and Pig Town Bridge, which has provided access to Community Park for those living east of the Big Bear Brook.”
Hsueh also said the township has accomplished “a balance of needs and wants” by ensuring its aging sewer and road infrastructure is maintained while its parks and recreational offerings expand. He said the township also received grants to establish more sidewalks and bike lanes and to repave major connector roads. Hsueh mentioned the public-private partnerships with sports organizations to develop new playing fields and grants that have helped to provide activities for residents, including the skate park, dog park, basketball courts, and new walking trails.
Regarding township finances, Hsueh said he would “continue to manage our township economically by striving to have the lowest municipal portion of the property tax rate in the county, along with maintaining our Triple A credit rating for bonding our capital improvements.”
Hsueh campaigned on maintaining the township’s Triple A bond rating during the election season — which overlapped with the township’s budget season — when his opponent, Councilman Charles Morgan, proposed cutting the surplus by $2.45 million to lower the tax rate in this year’s budget by 4 cents. Morgan advocated cutting back the $7.6 million in reserves by $6.65 million all together, leaving about $982,832 in the fund balance.
“We will control and manage growth that enhances our interests and needs, yet does not negatively impact our blue ribbon schools,” Hsueh said.
To that end, Hsueh said the redevelopment around the Princeton Junction train station would be done “in such a way that provides a town center, additional parking for our residents, and appropriate housing for our young professionals and seniors, while avoiding the development seen at Metro Park of a massive parking complex with little else.”
Turning the topic toward the future, Hsueh said the township will continue implementation of bike lanes and sidewalks — including projects to add sidewalks along North Post Road to the train station and around Wallace Road and Route 571 this coming year — and increase its open spaces and recreational facilities. He also said he will continue implementation of the township’s sustainability plan and its efforts to preserve established neighborhoods and historical sites.
Among the major projects scheduled for the next few years are the Meadow Road and Alexander Road S-curve projects. The contract for reconstruction of Meadow Road has already begun, and the township is nearing approvals for the S-curve reconstruction, “which we need to time carefully with the Meadow Road reconstruction,” Hsueh said. In addition, work will begin soon on the old firehouse on Alexander Road, which will be transformed into an arts center for West Windsor residents, he added.
In addition, “I will look to lobby the NJ Department of Transportation to move forward with the Route 1 Penns Neck EIS improvements, and both the Department of Transportation and the county to upgrade and integrate Route 571 into the surrounding neighborhoods,” Hsueh said. “We will also seek to improve the intersection of Harrison Street with Route 1 to facilitate emergency services’ access to the location of the new hospital under construction” in Plainsboro.
He also thanked the township staff, including former business administrator Chris Marion, who resigned last month to take a new position as town manager in Scotch Plains, and said that Acting Business Administrator Robert Hary will be able to maintain the stability of the township.
