Trying to take advantage of the final weeks of summer? Ready for fall to begin? As summer winds down and many prepare to return to school and busier lives, Princeton Perspectives brings you a closer look with The Inside Scoop – What’s Happening Around Town. From the realities of paying your property taxes to back-to-school news, we also are sharing some more in-depth detail on the things you see or pass on your way around town.
Though we try to include a lot, we can’t cover everything in one issue. So, we asked locals what is something they’d like to know more about Princeton? You can watch their responses in this month’s Pulse of Princeton and see if you agree.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “…in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” And it is tax time! There are a lot of different line items, and many things that your property tax dollars pay for. In the article Pay Princeton Taxes? Where Does All Your Money Go? we went to the source, asking Mayor Freda and Tax Assessor Neal Snyder how things are valued, what everything costs and why people are paying higher taxes.
As regular as the tax cycle is, the school year is fairly predictable. With Labor Day approaching in just a few weeks, families are gearing up to go back to school. The article Another Year, More Changes, As Students Return to Area Schools gives you the lowdown on what has been happening throughout the summer, and what your student should be prepared for upon their return.
On your way to or from school, or when you’re heading out for dinner, you’ve likely seen the seasonally changing murals on Spring Street, the “Love” mural at Princeton Shopping Center, and other artwork as you traverse around Princeton. Whether you want to try and create your own or enjoy works of others, we’ll tell you how and where in the article Art is More Accessible Than You Realize in Princeton.
You’ve also likely driven by Princeton Cemetery, at the corner of Witherspoon and Wiggins Streets. So, we wanted to know, You Pass This Cemetery Daily – Do You Know Who’s Inside? This article gives a little peak at some of the amazing people buried there.
There is clearly a lot to see and understand around town, and Princeton Perspectives is working hard to enlighten you. We hope that you enjoy our August issue and have a great “unofficial” end to summer! We’ll be back with a new issue in September!
Lisa Jacknow spent years working in national and local news in and around New York City before moving to Princeton. Working as both a TV producer and news reporter, Lisa came to this area to focus on the local news of Mercer County at WZBN-TV. In recent years, she got immersed in the Princeton community by serving leadership roles at local schools in addition to volunteering for other local non-profits. In her free time, Lisa loves to spend time with her family, play tennis, sing and play the piano. A graduate of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, Lisa was raised just north of Boston, Massachusetts but has lived in the tri-state area since college. She is excited to be Editor and head writer for Princeton Perspectives!
To understand how municipal tax bills are formulated, it is important to first understand who is paying taxes. Princeton is home to numerous schools, charitable organizations, cemeteries and there is a lot of property in the area owned by the town or state. Those, in addition to disabled veterans, senior and affordable housing and other exempt entities, bring a lot of important value to Princeton – but they do not bring in tax money. While there are some payments in lieu of taxes given to the municipal coffers, the exemption of 882 entities means the tax burden is split amongst the 7,991 properties that make up the tax base.
The 2024 municipal budget is $74,514,097, and only 54% of that comes from taxes. As the Budget Newsletter details, there is other revenue from “parking and traffic enforcement fees, sewer fees, and fire and housing inspection fees.” Additional monies come from reserves, state aid, grants and payments in lieu of taxes (including Princeton University’s contribution), as well as from some of the nonprofit and other entities mentioned above. Princeton is currently sitting on a surplus that has increased $3.5 million, so why isn’t more of that used to keep taxes lower?
Summertime is when families enjoy a break, relax, maybe get away. It’s often a slower time of year, where students can give their brains a rest and even enjoy time at summer camp, with friends and loved ones. Conversely, in the weeks between late June and early September, school administrators find little time for relaxation as they work to review the past year, make changes for the upcoming year and get major construction and enhancement projects completed before Labor Day hits and the new influx of students arrive.
Princeton Public Schools likely had a longer “to-do” list than others, as it encompasses six schools and their buildings (plus the administrative building on Valley Road). With predicted enrollment for 2024-2025 at 3,651, it is the largest school entity in town. The district had to not only do the usual annual upkeep and adjustments but also complete a list of items remaining from the previous referendum (before a new referendum is expected to go to voters in January 2025).
The major construction projects of summer are currently underway at Princeton High School, where new security vestibules are being built at both the Tower and PAC (Performing Arts Center) entrances. Simultaneously, crews are making upgrades to the high school cafeteria, which include redesigned food stations, new furniture, better acoustics and, by creating more usable square footage, hoping to offer more seating options as well. These are anticipated to be completed just before school opens for the fall.
About five miles away, there is a brand-new STEM lab opening at 
Athletic improvements can also be found at 
If you drive up State Highway 206 and turn onto Edgerstoune Road, you will notice that a building has come down on 
There is new leadership at 
Not too far away, new talent is also in place at 
At 
With a Presidential election on the horizon, 
Another way to help its children become fully functioning members of society, 
It is summer, peak wedding season. As we attend, plan for or recall our own weddings, there is one common saying that comes to mind. It is from an old English rhyme, meant to provide for a future of happiness. As many begin their futures together this summer, we also look forward to a happy future for everyone around Princeton. So, we chose to incorporate this saying into the July issue of Princeton Perspectives, 
Sometimes old things demonstrate their strength and virility and other times, they show their weakness and frailty. Today’s old Northeast Corridor train line, which is America’s busiest line and runs in full 457 miles from Washington D.C. to Boston, was constructed between 1830 and 1917. Though the strength of its tracks enable it to still operate, it is very much showing its age – at least on the stretch between New Jersey and New York.
Something is not working right within the infrastructure owned by 
“We went through a period of 12 consecutive commutes with issues. Not just a small delay on the train but massive shutdowns where you have no idea if you’re getting home (or to work),” shares one local commuter, who has been commuting nearly daily since 2003. “A few years ago, NJT had what we recall as the ‘summer of hell’, but the difference there was a lot of the issues were planned work. Knowing an issue is coming, you can make alternate arrangements. This year these issues are unexpected; in many cases they start literally when you’re on your way to Penn Station.”
According to their statement, immediate actions being taken to try and resolve the issues include more frequent inspections of the tracks and overhead wiring structures between Trenton and New York City, installation of cameras to visually inspect the power connections, expanding inspections of overhead wire components through helicopter photography and a review of all of the issues with internal and external partners.
The customers, many of whom reside in this area, want more than just an investigation. How do they explain when the train “dies” just outside of NY Penn Station and commuters have to get out and walk the tracks to get into the station? As of last year, Princeton Junction Station was the 6th most populated station in terms of ridership, servicing more than 86,000 people. Princeton resident, Rob Ehee, is one of them. He has been community from there into NYC for 19 years, 3-4 times per week and says whether the problem lays with Amtrak or NJT, it is time to own up and fix it.
When problems are too disruptive, NJT cross honors tickets between its train and bus systems, hoping that will provide opportunities for commuters to get home. It also provides a link to help riders find options through 
With a Fiscal Year (FY) 25 operating budget gap of $106.6 million dollars, NJT says they had to work to prepare for growth, solve current and long-term funding needs and meet future demand. Using a three-pronged approach of trying to be more efficient, the fare hike and taking advantage of Governor Murphy’s Corporate Transit Fee, included in the FY25 State budget, they hope to get on better footing.
“The passengers are the ones who bear the brunt of it all. Frankly it’s inexcusable that NJT would continue to just blame Amtrak. Where is Governor Murphy through all of this? Where is all the money from the infrastructure bill? Supposed to be billions for Amtrak,” said a Princeton NJT commuter.
NJT also shared some additional longer-term plans to address the infrastructure which include “added resources to expedite testing of transformers in substations, pursuing additional grants to replace catenary, substations and transmission, signal lines, and to support capital renewal, as well as evaluating methods to expand overnight work windows with service adjustments to accelerate renewal and repairs.”
Triumph Brewery had been a well-known Princeton establishment. In fact, it was issued the very first brewpub license in the state of New Jersey when it first opened on Nassau Street in 1995. Through the years, additional locations in Red Bank and New Hope have found great success as well. But, as owner Adam Rechnitz looked to the future (and opportunity provided), he decided to relocate and take over the old post office building in downtown Princeton. His brand-new brewpub, now named 
The coordination meetings that Triumph had to engage in with Princeton engineering were due in part to a new hotel being built simultaneously nearby on Nassau and Chambers Streets. 
The Graduate hotel brand (found on or near over 30 college campuses across the country and UK) incorporates details from its nearby college or university into every aspect. The original structure that is housing Graduate Princeton was built by Princeton University as a student dormitory in 1918, so it provides an abundance of charm and history to pull from.
There is yet another opportunity that is rather new in Princeton but has been around elsewhere for a while – and that is 
On an outpatient basis, the center offers individual therapy, medication management and offers nursing services to link individuals to primary care needs they may have. It also helps people address housing needs and food insecurity, providing case management services. Around since 1971, Catholic Charities has over 60 Behavioral Health programs working to overcome the stigma of mental health treatment and provide help. Princeton is its newest location.
With eight people on site (including a psychiatrist, clinicians, office manager and those helping with housing and food insecurity), the center is there to help people on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9am-5pm and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9am-8pm. Telehealth services are also available for those that can’t or choose not to visit in person. All those seeking help can contact the access center at 800-360-7711.