Only in West Windsor can 1.5 acres of open space create such controversy! Mayor Hsueh’s plan to create an Asian-themed cultural garden with bridges, gazebos, and pagodas might have seemed like a good idea, but it has stirred up a hornet’s nest not only among residents but also between Council members. Let’s all take a deep breath. No one who lives here and loves this town should be criticized simply because they may object to having an ethnically themed park on public property.
Our town is a melting pot — and is thriving because of it. Personally, I am thankful that our town benefits from a heavily Asian influence that emphasizes traditional values such family, education, and self-improvement. There is no need to dedicate a park to it, however. In our striving to make a good life for our families and ensure that our children acquire the skills, knowledge, and sense of personal responsibility they will need to get along in life, we all have adopted Asian values in one way or another. But we also have attributes from European, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Latin American, and a host of other cultures in this town equally deserving of recognition.
Though I had mild reservations about imbuing the park with an ethnic theme, I really take exception with the way the plan was created. As is typical of this mayor, the concept was sprung upon the community as a fait accompli, without input from the residents or the Town Council. I will acknowledge that Mayor Hsueh backtracked a bit following a burst of protest. But there is no sign that he will seriously consider any other plan than the one he unilaterally came up with.
I would, however, like to suggest an alternative. Instead of dedicating the pocket park to a race or ethnic culture, I think we should dedicate those 1.5 acres to the brave men and women who have served this country and given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. THEY are the heroes who make it possible for the rest of us to carry on with our lives — and argue about trivial things like a pocket park.
Finally, the mayor says that the park will be paid for completely with private funds. This is not true. As I understand it, $300,000 for the Princeton Junction Park Development (aka the pocket park) has been set aside in the capital budget. I, as a taxpayer, would be much more willing to foot the bill for a Veteran’s Park than for a “cultural garden” of any ethnic persuasion. However, if the mayor insists on building what he wants with my money, I would hope that he would indulge me and put into the park something from my Irish ancestry — a replica of the Blarney Stone. He is, after all, full of blarney for promising that this would not cost the town a single penny.
Jim Solloway
West Windsor
