By Anne Levin
With a relaxing of the rules on gathering and mask-wearing, Princeton is opening up again. Municipal buildings, public spaces, and various venues around town are welcoming people back — all with some restrictions.
The municipal building at 400 Witherspoon Street is now open to the public on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for all routine services. Plans are to fully reopen some time next month. The Princeton Recreation Department has a separate schedule, and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For all services in the building, wear masks and maintain social distancing.
Community Park Pool will welcome back the public on Saturday, May 29, and be open weekends and holidays until June 19, when the schedule moves to seven days a week. As of current requirements from the New Jersey Department of Health, there will be a range of pandemic protocols in place, including how many swimmers can be there at a time. The pool’s staff has the right to limit entry on busy days, and temporarily close the gate if necessary.
Public swim hours are 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekends and holidays, and 12:30-7:30 p.m. on weekdays. For adult lap swimming, “senior dip” and the kiddie pool, hours are 9-11 a.m. weekends and holidays beginning June 5, and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. weekdays. You must have a membership to enter the pool complex for these programs.
Memberships are available to all Princeton residents, and to any non-residents who had memberships in 2019. Daily admission options are also available. For details, visit princetonnj.gov.
Princeton Public Library extended its hours this week in line with state guidelines for indoor spaces. Hours are now 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday (till 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday), and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday.
For those not ready to browse the shelves, contactless pickup remains available for materials ordered from the library’s catalog. They will be available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday (till 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday), and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. The Friends of the Library are now accepting book donations during operating hours.
Some of the furniture that was removed during the past year has been added, but social distancing guidelines remain in place. Groups who enter together are allowed to work together at tables in common seating areas. Study rooms are still closed, and room rentals are not yet available. No food and drink is allowed, and masks must be worn.
Plans have just been finalized for the reopening of the Princeton Garden Theatre, which will screen a new movie adaptation of the musical In the Heights starting June 11. Also on schedule is a mix of Hollywood classics.
“I think you wouldn’t be surprised if you saw Casablanca and His Girl Friday on our screen,” said Chris Collier, executive director of Renew Theaters, which owns the movie house.
During the pandemic, the Garden kept patrons engaged with a virtual film discussion program. Another one is planned for June 15, but details are still being worked out.
“We had a full set of guidelines in place, but then the CDC announcement caused us to step back a bit and see what others are doing,” Collier said. “But we do have reserved seating [in the theater] in place. There will be buffers. But things are changing all the time. We plan to follow all CDC guidelines and be on top of them as they change.”
Thanks to a gift from an individual who prefers to remain anonymous, upgrades have been made during the months the theater has been closed. One of the two screens is new. “It’s much larger, and will provide a better screen for classic Hollywood films,” said Collier. “We also plan to update the projector before the year is over.”