Before I start, I’d like to ask: How many of you know that West Windsor is one of the 13 national Olympic training sites in the USA? Or that Princeton Junction is one of the top 10 busiest train stations in the country? That the Martians landed at the Grovers Mill Pond in 1938? That in 2009, AOL ranked West Windsor as the best community in the country in which to raise a family? That we were the first town recognized in New Jersey as Greentown USA; one of the top 10 best municipal websites in the state; a bicycle friendly community at the national level; and we have been rated by the Standard & Poor’s rating agency as one of the few Triple A bond-rated communities in New Jersey since 2007? Tonight I hope to celebrate the good that is West Windsor.
First, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to those who were involved in managing one of the worst storms in West Windsor history — Hurricane Sandy.
Hurricane Sandy was an unprecedented disaster and it is fortunate that the Township was spared the destruction and devastation that New Jersey shore communities suffered and continue to suffer while they rebuild. The timely preparation for the storm and prompt response and clean-up afterwards is due to the emergency management efforts of West Windsor police, fire and emergency medical services personnel, volunteers, public works, Senior Center personnel, and township officials. Everyone working together helped to keep residents safe and make it through the hardships and inconvenience caused by the storm.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) did pre-storm leaf and brush collection from neighborhood streets and stormwater outlets to prevent flooding. It also assisted the Police Department with road closures; moved downed trees to open streets and assisted residents by collecting and disposing of storm-related debris. The DPW handled several hundred downed tree incidents and collected a record amount of brush and yard debris resulting in 35,475 compacted cubic yards during 2012. Almost two-thirds of this volume came from the three-month long storm clean-up effort performed by DPW as road crews worked extended hours, six days a week.
The Police Department led the coordination of emergency operations among township departments and volunteer organizations. Operation Lighthouse, created by Lieutenant Robert Garofalo, proved to be a vital, dependable connection to our residents and surrounding communities. It was the “source” for communicating storm-related information, alerts, and updates through Facebook, Twitter, and Nixle on a 24-hour basis. The Police Communications Center, staffed by three dispatchers, answered over 2,500 calls and for a while was answering 911 calls for Lawrence and Robbinsville townships.
Firefighters and emergency medical personnel, most of whom are volunteers from Princeton Junction Volunteer Fire Company, No. 1, West Windsor Volunteer Fire Company, No. 1 and Twin “W” Volunteer First Aid Squad, responded to many emergency calls, which included homes struck by falling trees, electric wires down and sparking, reports of structure fires, and medical incidents. Twin “W” Volunteer First Aid Squad crews stayed at the station and had an ambulance at the Clarion Hotel to cover the west side of the Township.
The Emergency Services Division staffed a fire engine and ambulance and responded to emergencies together with volunteer forces. This division also helped to set up and monitor portable generators at the homes of residents who required power to their oxygen generators, and picked up items for the Senior Center. Hundreds of residents visited the center to recharge electronic devices, warm meals in microwaves, and rest in a warm and comfortable environment.
Tonight I am happy to announce West Windsor has an emergency warming center. With a new emergency back-up generator and a dedicated natural gas line at the Senior Center, it will serve as a reliable location for our residents experiencing power outages. Currently, the municipal building is equipped with Wi-Fi, which allows residents and visitors to use laptop computers and tablets inside the building. Consultants have been retained to develop a proposal and plans to upgrade the municipal complex into a green complex in order to reduce utility costs and promote accessibility for services. For example, the annual utility bill at the current municipal building currently costs more than $84,000 a year. However, with new energy saving technology, we anticipate at least 30 percent or $28,000 in savings of the utility costs per year in the future. No direct costs will have to be paid from tax dollars. This is what non-recurring revenue like liquor licenses should be used for — better investments in capital improvements to save expenditures in the municipal budget thus reducing taxes.
Last year the township finalized the reconstruction of Penn Lyle Road, turning it into a more bike/pedestrian friendly roadway. This same concept will be used for other roadways in West Windsor. You may be wondering how priorities for roadway improvements are determined. It is very simple. The township engineer makes decisions based on: 1). roadway conditions; 2). budget constraints; and 3). connection with the overall traffic circulation from a township-wide perspective.
At present, the township’s open space preservation inventory includes more than 50 percent of the 27 square miles of West Windsor. We are still looking for more to preserve. We intend to buy more open space using open space tax money as well as county and state grants. In addition, we continue to negotiate contributions of open space from developers.
Last year, after a thorough review and analysis of the financial status of the open space program, both Friends of West Windsor Open Space (“FOWWOS”) and the Environmental Commission agreed that a reduction of one penny from property taxes for open space was justified. Starting this year, the open space property tax is reduced from 3 cents to 2 cents.
As for property taxes, this is the sixth year of the “Property Tax Levy CAP” initially enacted by the state in 2008 and the third year of the CAP limitation of 2 percent with specified exclusions. The property tax levy CAP calculation allows for a 3.67 percent increase this year; however, the proposed tax levy represents a 1.88 percent increase or about $400,000 less than statutorily permitted. Even with our continued growth, we remain a full-service municipality with emergency services, and brush and waste collection included in the municipal tax rate.
In the past year West Windsor became the first township statewide to receive approval from the state to utilize $1.7 million from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. This trust fund is money contributed by commercial property developers. The money will be used to upgrade the utility systems in qualified affordable housing units in order to reduce residents’ utility bills. The decision to use the money for this purpose prevented the State from taking all of the money for the State Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
In reference to historical preservation efforts, I am proud to announce that the Schenck farmhouse constructed in the early 18th century and the Dutch/English barn that dates back to the 1750s are fully restored at the Schenck farmstead. Max Zaitz donated this 120-acre farm to the Township in 1991. Today, after spending $700,000 over 20 years for renovation of these two important buildings, plus a reproduction of a 1900 carriage house and the restored 1890 one-room schoolhouse, which originally stood on Clarksville Road, this compound will tell the story of West Windsor. Currently, the Township is in the process of constructing restroom facilities on site — an important addition for public use.
I would like to thank the West Windsor Historical Society for its involvement not only in the restoration and maintenance of these structures, but also collecting so many historical items including furniture, pictures, maps and farm equipment, which were used in and around West Windsor over the past 200 years. All of these are very important for future generations growing up in this community to better appreciate the agricultural roots of West Windsor.
The Township is also working on plans to open an environmental education interpretive exhibit within the barn.
You are probably wondering what happened to the Transit Village project we agreed to with the property owner. The reality is that since we lost the state funding of $178 million in 2008 for Route 1 improvements that included the Vaughn Drive Connector, we are still working with state agencies to develop traffic improvements in that area. Further, we are also conducting a regional stormwater management study to ensure that the redevelopment of this district will be part of the solution to relieve potential stormwater impact along the Little Bear Brook and Millstone River.
A new surface parking facility is currently under construction at the old municipal dump site right next to the Alexander railroad bridge. This is a joint effort between the township and the parking authority. We expect this project will be completed this summer. Hopefully, West Windsor residents on the waiting list for parking permits will all be covered soon after the project is completed.
As you know, Howard Hughes Corporation, the owner of the 658-acre property that used to be called “the Cyanamid property,” is talking about rezoning the property. We need to show our cooperation in working with Hughes to turn this area into a more productive property. Current zoning, which was enacted many decades back, is no longer desirable. This presents a tremendous opportunity for progress. We are looking for ways to get the most from new development and to maximize their investments.
I would like to see the property owner work closely with the community to adopt new zoning based on the guidelines provided under the municipal master plan and take into consideration the following: 1) school impact; 2) bicycle/pedestrian friendly design; 3) infrastructure investments; 4) traffic circulation (including mass transit); 5) public amenities; 6) a sense of community and place; 7) accessibility to employment centers; 8) environmental conservation; 9) public services/public safety; and 10) recreational opportunities.
West Windsor continues to grow its commercial and retail offerings as well. County Route 571 through Princeton Junction has seen a renaissance with the PNC Bank, Rite-Aid, and Chase Bank buildings. Windsor Plaza has been renovated with new stores and restaurants opening. MarketFair is being remodeled to provide new stores and restaurants. And, the Square at West Windsor is also providing new restaurants for the area. It’s good to see business investments being made in our Township in what remains a sluggish economy.
As we have been doing every year, tonight I would like to recognize two of the very unique, outstanding citizens of this town for their decades of volunteer services.
Mary Pierson-Schenck. Mary is the only Schenck family member staying in West Windsor. As many of you know, Schencks and Conovers are the two founding families emigrating from Holland in the 1700s. Today the Schenck Farmstead is still being preserved in West Windsor.
Mrs. Schenck’s great grandparents moved to West Windsor from Germany in 1890 and owned the farm on Meadow Road on which Mary’s mom grew up. Mary was born in West Windsor and met her husband Warren Schenck while attending school in West Windsor. They were married in 1945 and lived with Warren’s parents at the Schenck Farm until 1951. They had a house built on Village Road West in 1951 where they raised two children and where Mary still resides today.
Mary has been involved with the West Windsor Historical Society as a Founding Member since 1983 and is still very active in that organization. With her unique connection with the Schenck Farm, she has been one of the driving forces behind all the many historical items collected at the farmstead.
John Roeder. With a Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University, Dr. Roeder moved to West Windsor in the fall of 1973. He started to attend meetings of the West Windsor Environmental Commission soon after he moved in. John continued to serve on the Environmental Commission through 1995 and was its chair in 1989-1990. In 1995 he became a member of the West Windsor Zoning Board of Adjustment and became its chair in 2005.
Dr. Roeder also served as a member of the West Windsor Charter Commission, which recommended West Windsor’s present nonpartisan mayor-council form of government in 1992. John joined the Environmental Commission because of his experience in teaching which developed his interest in resource conservation and recycling. In fact, John was honored by Time Magazine, in 1991, as one of the best science teachers in the nation.
During his chairmanship of the Commission he became a very strong proponent of the West Windsor Green Belt program. The program has been included in the Municipal Master Plan and was recognized by the State Association of Environmental Commissions as a model program in the State.
I would like to close by thanking all of the volunteers and staff that have served this community. We do indeed have much to celebrate and enjoy as residents of West Windsor Township.
