Centerpiece Theater
One of the interesting aspects of living in The Principality is who pays for what.
The resplendent yet-to-be-opened 55,000 sq.ft. Library, for instance. It is facing a $491,000 increase in its $3.7 million budget, which is paid 71% by the Township and 29% by the Borough, even when it is in the Borough, and was to remain in the Borough for the sake of a "vibrant (Borough) downtown". The result is that "the Borough and Township are joined by the hip at the library", as a Township Committee member so accurately described in page 7 of today's newspaper's Library Budget is Centerpiece Of Township, Borough Debate.
Every year there are these rumbles, but this year the rumbles are louder since several large donors apparently gave money to the Library with the understanding that the Library would validate 2 hours' worth of free parking for its users. Now the Borough doesn't want to carry more than 29% of that expense: "the Borough had acted on its own". Still, the Township representatives voted conditionally to approve the budget, and "agree to meet several times before January 1 to discuss library parking".
No need to rush.
As it goes, the Library and parking-building-built-on-the-stream won't be opening until April 15, for now.
An article on page 2 tells us the "Library opening has now been moved three times . . . [it] can't move unless there's a driveway, and we won't open without the garage". The garage/parking-building-built-on-the-stream "is experiencing problems setting up electrical and phone line equipment". Since, from the looks of it, it's built on a giant French drain, let's hope it's also watertight.