2009 Landscape Committee Meetings

During 2009 the FVCSA Landscape Committee will meet on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm, except in January, August and December. Meetings will be held at The Smith House and are open to the community. We are now posting meetings and other community events on the Princeton Landing News calendar. Bookmark this blog and the calendar and check both regularly to find out what's happening in our community.

Happy Thanksgiving

We wish all of our Princeton Landing neighbors a Happy Thanksgiving. Buon appetito!

Princeton Holiday Events

Living in Princeton Landing we always enjoy the wonderful holiday festivities in Palmer Square. This year's events will include the Annual Tree Lighting on November 28 in front of the Nassau Inn, the Annual Hanukkah Celebration on December 22 on Palmer Square North Plaza in front of Mediterra restaurant and Christmas Eve Caroling on December 24. On weekends throughout the holiday season there will be old-fashioned carriage rides, strolling musical entertainment and a strolling Santa Claus. For details, click the title of this post to go to the official Palmer Square website.

New Princeton Landing Calendar

We sometimes hear that Princeton Landing doesn't have an online calendar that is kept current. So today we added a community calendar to this blog. To see it, click the title of this post or use the "Calendar" link in the column to the right. Entries start with December 1, 2008. We will be posting more to it soon and hope to keep it up to date throughout 2009. Use the arrows in the upper left of the calendar to find the month you want to see. Click an event on the calendar for more information.

Let us know if there is an event or meeting you think should be posted. Please spread the word in our community about this blog and the new calendar.

Association Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Forrestal Village Community Services Association, Inc. will take place at The Smith House at 7:30 pm on December 2, 2008. The meeting is open to all Members of the association. Members include owners and lessees. The agenda for the meeting includes approval of the annual operating budget and announcement of the results of the election for the Board of Directors.

Princeton Landing 2008 Election

Check your mail! If you live in Princeton Landing, you've just received your ballot for this year's election for the Board of Directors. When you vote, be sure to choose the candidates for fiscal responsibility:

Paul Nolting

Mari Molenaar

Rich Ciarciello

Scroll down to meet the candidates and read our campaign statement. We are committed to maintaining both the physical and the fiscal attractiveness of our community. Please support us!

The deadline for voting is 4:00 pm on Monday, December 1, 2008. The voting instructions that came with your ballot explain how to cast your vote. Follow them carefully to be sure your vote counts. If you did not receive a ballot or have misplaced it, contact the management office at The Smith House for a replacement. Contact information is in the right hand column of this blog. You can also click Ballot to go to a copy that is posted on Google Docs.

Thank you for your consideration

Statement of the Candidates

As candidates in this year's election for the Board of Directors, Paul Nolting, Mari Molenaar and Rich Ciarciello support the following statement :

Princeton Landing is a special place. We have a distinctive architectural style and landscape that sets us apart from the cookie cutter design so common in other communities. To maintain this unique character, we have to deal with three challenges:

1. In this difficult economy, we must keep any further increases in monthly fees to an absolute minimum. Our monthly fees are among the highest in the area and must be controlled. Substantial increases would make it more difficult to market our homes and may reduce property values and our equity.
2. We must face the fact that homes in Princeton Landing are now old enough that roofing, paving and other major components will need repairs or replacement in the foreseeable future. We must build our capital reserves to meet those costs.
3. We must continue to provide maintenance services and landscape care that meet the high expectations of our residents and preserve the character of our community.

These challenges impose conflicting demands on our Association’s finances. The first two will limit the amount of money we have to meet the third. The need is therefore obvious: we must control our operating costs. In the short term, our Association must get good value for every dollar it spends. In the longer term, we must plan and manage more effectively and reduce what it costs to operate and maintain the property. With better fiscal responsibility and strategic thinking, we can work to minimize our expenses and still achieve our community goals. As members of the Board we will focus on finding ways the community can operate more efficiently.

Meet the Candidate: Paul Nolting, Parcel VI

I have lived in Parcel VI since 2001 and have been a member of the Board of Directors since 2006. In 2008 I served as Vice President of FVCSA. Before joining the Board, I had served on the Covenants Committee and the Management Selection Committee where I helped run a successful competitive bidding process that led to the selection of Signature Property Group at a significant reduction in cost. I graduated from Columbia University and New York University School of Law, and I am admitted to the bar in NY and NJ. As Assistant General Counsel for Verizon Communications, I lead negotiations on complex agreements involving financial, engineering and technical issues, insurance and risk management questions, and the purchase of goods and services. I also have had responsibility for major real estate and construction matters, multi-million dollar financial transactions and the settlement or litigation of disputes involving significant liability risks. My wife Karen is an author and editor.

Meet the Candidate: Mari Molenaar, Parcel VII

Princeton Landing has been my home for 16 years. As Parcel VII Chair for the last seven years, I’m well acquainted with Princeton Landing and its governance. A regular attendee at the board meetings, I am also aware of the issues and concerns of residents and the responsibilities of board membership. After 25 years, I retired as Senior Research Analyst for the NJ Department of Education in special education. I continue to consult with NJ school districts on special education issues. I conducted a year-long research project on special education finances for the NJ School Boards Association. Recently I completed nine years on the board of the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. I also served as founder and president of the Steinway Society for 11 years and am currently studying the piano. My husband Warren Fioretti is a professional jazz musician.