Discussion Topics:
1. Lawrence Listserv
The Listserv has not yet been updated, so some new residents have not been added and some former residents have not yet been removed. Olivia is waiting for the correct information, and is in the process of making the update happen.
2. Parking lot lines
Some of the lines in the parking lot near New Lawrence are not clearly visible. Olivia is talking to Chris Warkala about having the lines re-painted, but there is no date about when this will happen yet.
3. Security concerns
A) Garden lock: During the summer, there were some thefts in which produce was stolen from gardeners’ plots. Olivia is now aware of this situation and she will talk to the University about getting a lock on the garden.
B) Bicycle Thefts: Some bikes are missing and have been stolen. Residents should note that these thefts should be reported to public safety so the bikes can be recovered. The University also encourages U locks instead of chain locks.
C) Building 1 Foyer: There have been some trespassing issues of individuals from outside of the University utilizing the unlocked space in the foyer of Building 1. Some people have suggested added either a lock or a code to the foyer in building 1 door to prevent trespassing. Olivia is following up with public safety to see if this is a possibility.
4. Shopping carts
Some of the shopping carts are missing from the communal locations. If this situation persists, the committee might contact residents about returning any carts they may have accidentally adopted into their own space. Someone suggested hanging a nice sign encouraging residents to return carts and snow shovels to communal spaces.
5. EPA site on Basin Street
The issue:
There is a fenced off site on Basin street. There was a recycling facility there that closed in 2003. Serious soil contaminants were detected (lead, flame retardants, etc) in this area from the time during which this space was used as a recycling facility. The EPA is working on removing contaminants. It will take the rest of the calendar year to remove contaminants in the soil.
Note: There is a meeting at 7pm in the Lawrence 14 common room on Wednesday September 9th to address concerns.
A member of the Lawrence Committee plans to attend this meeting to learn about the situation and ask questions.
A resident, Julia Wittes, who is also the GSG Facilities Chair, plans to attend the meeting and is willing to compile list of questions from any residents who wish to contact her at jwittes@princeton.edu.
Some additional notes:
The work itself is an EPA initiative, not a University one. However, the EPA contacts Lawrence residents through the University (specifically Housing Operations). Also, Princeton’s office of EHS (Environmental Health and Safety) will be present at the meeting on 9/9.
This contamination issue was discovered very recently, and the clean up began immediately, hence the short notice given to residents.
6. Crowding on the Saturday Shopper
Two lines used to run for the Saturday Shopper, but these lines have recently been combined into 1 with the opening of Lakeside and the closing of Stanworth and Butler. The bus thus becomes very crowded, so riders have to stand while carrying groceries. This situation can become dangerous because the bus has to drive quickly on Rt 1.
It is possible that the bus is very crowded now because people are doing move-in shopping. Crowds may dissipate. In the meantime, Olivia (omartel@princeton.edu) offered to email her colleague about issues regarding the bus safety.
7. Social community-building
The Lawrence Committee is discussing whether it would be feasible to have individual committee members lead some social efforts to build community in Lawrence. Examples of ideas that are being brainstormed for community building include organizing a trip to Broadway, community game nights, or movie screenings in the common rooms.
In the past, the committee has hosted BBQs, an Oscar’s party, pumpkin carving, etc. Constraints on events have included space during the winter when events must be indoors, and funding. We are brainstorming new ideas and calculating potential budgets to determine if it is feasible to sponsor new additional events.
Suggestions for how to develop ideas were discussed, including:
sending out an open ended poll to residents
sending a structured poll to residents
viewing a list of Undergraduate social events and using these as inspiration
Attendance
Sema Berkiten
Lauren Anllo
Katie Riggs
Olivia Martel
Allison Chaney
Burcin Cakir
Nareman Amin
Brian Jo (proxy for Dima)
Julia Wittes
Alice Christensen
Russell Weiss-Irwin
Shekeima Dockery
James Park
Lin Fei
Vladimir Kirilon