The Princeton Council has approved a $10.2 million bond ordinance, paving the way for the purchase of playground equipment, a new fire engine, e-bikes for the Princeton Police Department and basketball court repairs.
The bond ordinance, which was approved at the Princeton Council’s June 22 meeting, allocates $27,000 for basketball court resurfacing, baseball field improvements and turf maintenance, and $163,700 for other items that include backboards and rims for the basketball courts and age-appropriate playground equipment for the Harrison Street Park.
It also earmarks $298,000 for the replacement of a five- to seven-cubic-yard dump truck with a snow plow and sander, and $25,000 for a variable messaging board for community messaging. Three pickup trucks with snow plows will be purchased for a total of $150,000 to replace pickup trucks in the Department of Public Works fleet.
There is $1 million set aside for construction of a central Department of Public Works facility and administrative offices on town-owned land on River Road. Police training facilities will be located at the River Road site.
The DPW facilities are spread out among three sites. The administrative office is located at the Witherspoon Hall municipal building at 400 Witherspoon St. The main DPW garage is located at 27 North Harrison St., which is the former Princeton Hook & Ladder Co. firehouse. The DPW annex is on John Street, near Community Park.
The Princeton Fire Department is in line for a new fire engine at a cost of $1.4 million. It will take about three years to order and build a new fire engine, so money has been set aside now to cover the cost. The National Fire Protection Association recommends a 25-year cycle for replacing fire engines. The fire engine that is to be replaced is almost 30 years old.
Personal protective equipment for firefighters, such as boots, jackets and pants, and other fire equipment are included in the bond ordinance. It sets aside $89,000 for those items.
For the Princeton Police Department, $218,500 is earmarked to pay for updates to the police officers’ body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, tasers and electric bicycles for community policing. A taser is a less lethal option than deadly force for police officers to use when dealing with violent offenders. It prevents injuries to the officer and the offender.
