Council discusses new alcohol law

Chip Meara of the Mercer Council on Alcohol and Drug Addiction presented a proposal for the underage drinking law to the Council. He said the law had been passed by nearby town governments, including those of Hopewell, Ewing and Lawrence.

Councilman David Goldfarb voiced his support for the law, saying that he has “always been advocating passage of [a similar] ordinance in the Borough.”

The Council considered the ordinance in fall 2000 and spring 2001, following the passage of a state law in June 2000 permitting municipalities to enact legislation allowing police to cite underage drinkers on private property. During discussion of the ordinance at that time, Councilman Roger Martindell called the eating clubs the “motivating factor” behind the ordinance.

The law would impose fines of up to $250 for a first offense and $350 for subsequent offenses. In addition, it would allow the courts to mandate community service or suspend driving privileges. Second-time violators would also be required to complete an alcohol counseling program.

Meara told the Council that he has been speaking to Borough Police Chief Anthony Federico about the ordinance.

Meara explained that without additional municipal regulations, there is “a loophole in the state law. If you’re under 21, you can’t drink in a park or public area. But in private property, the police’s hands are tied.”

“Other college towns have this law on the books,” Meara said.

Citizens bargain for cheaper sidewalks

Later in the meeting, the Council heard complaints from residents about the new sidewalks the Borough is installing. While the Borough is paying for half the cost through a bond ordinance, the remainder of the bill will be picked up by the residents with houses bordering them. A number of residents expressed their discontent with the price the Borough named.

One resident unhappy with paying the fee was Peter Rapelye, husband of Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye. Rapelye said that he purchased his house after the sidewalk ordinance was passed, but was not notified that he would need to pay the fee until 10 days ago.

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“Shouldn’t we have been notified before we purchased the house?” Rapelye asked. “I don’t have any problem with the sidewalk; I have a problem with how the ordinance was used. I was supposed to receive notification, but I didn’t.”

Goldfarb responded that it was Rapelye’s lawyer’s responsibility to find out about the sidewalk ordinance. “When you bought the house, your lawyer should have seen if there were any assessments,” Goldfarb said.

Goldfarb also argued that Rapelye will benefit from the sidewalk as much as any other resident. “I don’t see how your situation is significantly different from people on the block who have been living there the whole time,” he said.

Borough may ask U. for parking spaces

Arch Davis GS ’69, a member of the Borough’s traffic and transportation control committee, told the Council that the parking shortage in the Borough is getting worse.

“If and when Building C goes up, we’ll lose another 200 parking spaces,” Davis said, referring to a new building that will be built near the Princeton Public Library. He added that many of the parking spaces on Prospect Avenue are now reserved by the University.

Davis said that he has been speaking with the University about providing parking on land the University owns near Route 1 behind the Exxon gas station.

“The land … isn’t going to be a place for a dormitory or a work space,” Davis said. “You could get close to a thousand parking spaces there.” Davis proposed running a shuttle between that area and the center of town.