No Community Center At First Aid Squad Site: Princeton Council

PRINCETON, NJ — The Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad building might not “necessarily be the best place” to house a community center, councilmembers said.

An interfaith coalition of Princeton residents circulated a petition a few weeks ago, asking the Town Council to turn the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad (PFARS) properties into a community center, serving the township’s vulnerable population.

At the council meeting held last week, Councilmember Dwaine Williamson said a few members got together “to examine that possibility.”

“The former PFARS site may not necessarily be the best place to house that [community center],” he said.

“We have some empty structures, and we have a need in town. It is presumed that because of these two existing things, we should necessarily place it there.”

Williamson said that most of the services requested in the petition are already being provided by different departments, like housing and human services.

He also noted that the PFARS site is part of a “broader conversation” about what the council was planning to do with certain facilities in town.

The PFARS building is currently vacant. The property includes the building and two houses near the site. All these properties are owned by the municipality.

In their letter to the council, the interfaith coalition said they envisioned the space as a hub dedicated to community educators and social workers funded by the municipality.

“Despite being a world-famous town of plenty, we have neighbors who occupy the margins of society,” the letter said. “Too often, we send these vulnerable neighbors elsewhere like Trenton that are saturated with many of the issues Princeton and similar communities export their way.”

Williamson acknowledged that “there are some human services issues" that the town could do a better job of addressing. "We are certainly going to address those," he said.

“And we do plan to figure out what to do with the former PFARS site and the two houses... So, we're listening to the community. But as it stands right now, it appears that the PFARS site will not be the best place to consolidate all these services.”

Councilmember Mia Sacks said she would like to clear misperceptions some residents had about the site — many believe the town has decided to sell the property.

“We have not discussed whether it should or shouldn't be sold,” she said.

Although the PFARS site is included in the township’s redevelopment investigation, there is no indication yet on whether it will be sold.

“The reason why the PFARS site is included in the redevelopment site is because we are trying to plan for the entire area as a whole,” said Sacks.

Councilmember Michelle Pirone Lambros said she had a “preliminary discussion” with Williamson and councilmember Leticia Fraga to discuss setting up a task force that will look into creating a community center.

Fraga said that Princeton Human Services is in the process of putting together a “needs assessment survey.” This survey will determine what the needs of the community are, and “not just assuming what would be good to have in our community.”

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