The much-debated Princeton Junction Pocket Park is slowly moving forward, but not without a new dose of controversy. A seemingly straightforward plan to offer naming rights to elements of the park in return for donations became a point of contention at the March 31 West Windsor Council meeting.
Council President Bryan Maher and Vice President Linda Geevers objected to using individual donations to help fund the park, saying that it went beyond the scope of the mayor’s powers.
Said Geevers, “We need a policy discussion on this, and we [the Council members] need to be involved with this. It is a policy, how donations are to be handled.”
Maher reacted vehemently. “The mayor is not thinking things through. His behavior is quite curious. If he wants to work collaboratively with us, then we will work with him. Otherwise he is wasting his time. We know what he is trying to do here — he is acting circuitously, trying to bypass us when making these decisions. Suppose a new mayor came along and wanted to change the names? This is a ridiculous idea.”
Township attorney Mike Herbert noted that under West Windsor’s form of government, the administration manages township property and has the authority to offer naming rights. Further, Herbert said, the mayor has the right to manage and dispose of such property, and presumably can decide that people who make donations to fund improvements on such township property can have something named after them.
Said the mayor, “I am not in any way trying to circumvent the council. My staff is simply trying to come up with creative ways to obtain donations for improvements to the pocket park. This was actually a staff idea and I didn’t even get too involved with it, because this is similar to how we have obtained donations for other projects, such as the 9/11 Memorial at the Ron Rogers Arboretum.”
The park, which is located adjacent to the 7-Eleven, Valero gas station, and the entrance to the Gables senior living complex, on the corner of Route 571 and Alexander Road (across from PJ’s Pancake House), occupies approximately 1.5 acres. Its development coincides with the redevelopment of the east side of the Princeton Junction business district.
“The Valero station will be donating benches and a picnic table, and they should be arriving soon. In addition they have committed to finishing the sidewalk in front of the park, so that everyone will be able to take advantage of this beautiful space,” Hsueh said. “In addition, the township will be beginning the grading process, to avoid soil erosion, and to allow grass to be planted.”
“We will begin planting in some sections of the park this spring,” Hsueh said, “because donations of trees and flowering shrubs have already been secured, and these need to be planted in early spring.”
The pocket park had been originally envisioned by the 2003 Open Space Utilization Task Force as a park with lawn games, a fountain, gardens, and possibly a pavilion or storage building. A second document, known as the Sustainability Element of the Township Master Plan, which was developed in the fall of 2009 and approved by both the Planning Board and Township Council, included a recommendation to “create a cultural garden that celebrates and demonstrates the different inspiration, philosophy, style, and techniques of ornamental gardening in other cultures to cultivate a respect and understanding of the diverse cultural background of residents.”
This vision of the pocket park calls for residents, as well as visitors to the area and customers at nearby businesses, to have a walkable place to sit and enjoy the gardens and other elements.
“However, not everything at the park will be completed over night,” said Hsueh, confirming that little to no township money will be spent to build the park. “We are counting on donations to pay for many of the park’s design amenities, not taxpayer money. It takes time to raise money, although we have been receiving donations already. Also, the plantings have to settle and take root. We do not expect that the park will be completed this year, but it will certainly be usable. And residents will be able to enjoy it very soon,” he said.
