Township debating renaming SEPTA West Trenton Station Change to Ewing NJ Train Station
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being proposed
Monday, December 03, 2007
BY LISA CORYELL
EWING -- The township's never-ending quest to burnish its identity
took a new turn last week when the council debated the merits of
renaming the historic West Trenton Train Station the Ewing Train
Station.
In raising the proposal at a council meeting, Councilman Donald Cox
said the new name would accurately identify Ewing as the northernmost
stop on the SEPTA rail line.
"There is so much confusion about whether West Trenton is part of the
city of Trenton," said Cox, who proposed the change at a recent
council meeting. "By calling it the West Trenton Train Station,
people think they're traveling to Trenton and they're not. They're
going to Ewing."
The council has agreed to explore the issue but notes the idea is
already being met with public resistance.
"I don't think everyone is overjoyed with the idea of changing the
name," said Councilman Bert Steinmann. "There are people who live in
West Trenton who don't want it."
"There really should be a poll taken to see if the community is
amenable to having a historic site like that getting its name
changed," said Council President Les Summiel.
Ewing resident Jay Hersch, who uses SEPTA to commute to college, said
there's no need for a change. Hersch, a 26-year-old digital film and
video student at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, said West Trenton
Station is a fine name. "People have heard of Trenton," he said.
"It's more familiar and it's the capital of the state. Even though
it's become a run-down ... city, it's still a city."
Mayor Jack Ball said he's in favor of the change but wants to hear
how other residents of the township feel.
"I believe anything in Ewing Township should be named Ewing,
including the (Trenton Mercer Airport)," Ball said. Ball said he
spoke with county officials about the airport name, but doesn't think
it's likely the name will ever be changed.
The train station proposal is the town's latest attempt to
disassociate itself from its urban neighbor to the south.
Elected officials, residents and local developers have long theorized
that Ewing has suffered from its association with Trenton and its
social and economic woes. Fostering the confusion is the fact that
three of Ewing's four ZIP codes are based in Trenton.
Many people have complained that Ewing residents suffer higher
insurance rates due to the Trenton address. Prospective developers
and homeowners checking demographics linked to ZIP codes see the town
as poorer than it is, they say.
Although Ewing lost its recent bid to get its own postal ZIP code,
the U.S. Postal Service has agreed to change its database to
accurately note Ewing as a hometown where necessary.
"The postal service is not in the business of giving municipalities
identities but we were able to accommodate them on this," said George
Flood, a spokesman for the Postal Service. "We've adjusted the
database over the last couple months."
Councilwoman Kathy Wollert considers the change a victory.
"The important thing is that people will be able to have their town
identified properly," she said. "It's better for mail and for
business purposes. Large businesses looking at ZIP code demographics
will get an accurate picture of Ewing."
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