Letter: Valley Road School Needs Immediate Repair

To the Editor:

In a recent speeches and news articles Superintendent Judy Wilson has commented that “the Valley Road Building does not need any attention; it’s been well-maintained and renovated in recent years.”

She seems to have forgotten the older portion of the building, which the School System still owns and is still responsible for as a community asset.

Valley Road School Community Center, Inc. (VRSCCI), a not-for-profit organization, would like to buy this portion of the building and convert it to affordable office space for nonprofit organizations – organizations that serve the Princeton community, need space, and would benefit from the reduced rent and the synergies of being with other nonprofits.  Currently Corner House and Princeton Community TV remain in this portion of the building, although they are slated to move to Borough Hall. Besides replacing them with new tenants, VRSCCI wants to install two new black box theaters and badly needed public meeting spaces. 

Historic Valley Road School has been suffering from neglect for decades. In 2002, the School System wanted to renovate the newer portion of the building and discovered that the property had been given in 1918 to the people of the Township of Princeton.  To make sure they had clear title, the School System purchased Valley Road School from Princeton Township for $1.

Over the past year the School System reroofed the newer portion of the building, but ignored the older portion and has demonized it by claiming it to be exorbitantly expensive, not worth repairing, or not relevant to the mission of education.

Recently a small roof leak has become worse bringing rainwater into both Corner House and Princeton TV’s offices. Officials have been notified and have been out to look. Why hasn’t this roof been repaired previously? Will it get repaired now before we get more storms? Why isn’t this asset included in the proposed bond issue? 

VRSCCI has developed a plan to separate the two portions of the building. 
This plan involves constructing a firewall and installing a new boiler and a new fire alarm.  In addition, we need to put on a new roof, repoint the parapet wall, replace the lintels over the windows and install new window systems. What we need now is a commitment by the School System to allow us to move forward. 

Valley Road School played a huge role in the development of Princeton Township. Valley Road School was the First Regional and the First Integrated School in the Princeton Area. During the 40’s and 50’s it became known around the country for its high performance and innovative curriculum.

Let‘s go green, recycle this wonderful asset, and work together to repair historical Valley Road School.  It is unimaginable that the people of Princeton would want a boarded up building right across the street from what will be our newly reconfigured municipal center. Clearly the School Board has no interest in maintaining the building and has not provided for it in its upcoming bond issue.  Assuming the bond issue passes, the School Board will be busy over the coming year with its implementation, while the roof on the older part of Valley Road School continues to leak and the building becomes vacant. Will the School Board do the right thing, sell it for $1 and let others in the community take on this project??

Kip Cherry

Princeton Township

President, Valley Road School Community Center, Inc.