Extra police and “creative cooperation” among downtown groups are the keys to answering residents’ concerns about problems from the town’s thriving bars, Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty said on Monday.
The Mayor said he wants bars to hire up to four off-duty Morristown police officers for foot patrols between 11 pm and 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays in the vicinity of DeHart, Market and South streets, to ensure orderly dispersal of patrons.
He also is exploring how the Morristown Parking Authority might assume late-night management of the privately owned Wells Fargo parking lot on DeHart Street, to boost security there and possibly generate revenue to hire extra police.
Taxpayers should not foot the bill for these foot patrols, the Mayor said. He contends details should be worked out by the town Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which is the town council. On Tuesday the council is scheduled to weigh complaints from at least four residents about rowdy behavior, noise, litter and illegal parking they blame on eight bars.
“I think an extra police presence walking the beat could only improve the flow of people exiting the bars,” said the Mayor. “I think it’s a wise choice. How they work it out is up to them.”
On busy bar nights, six Morristown officers are on duty, keeping an eye on some 1,500 bar patrons along with anything else happening in town, Police Chief Pete Demnitz told the council last fall. He predicted the Iron Bar, which opened a few weeks ago, could bring total bar patrons to 2,000 on weekends.
The Mayor praised Chief Demnitz as an expert on crowd control, and said police do a good job now. But sometimes they must respond to other incidents that take them away from the downtown bar scene.
As if to underscore the difficulties facing police, two women frolicked on the hood of a police car parked outside a bar while a crowd snapped pictures early Sunday, just after the bars closed.
Billy Walsh, whose family owns three bars named in residents’ complaints, testified this month that he supports the idea of bars collectively paying for sidewalk cleanups.
‘GOOD PROBLEMS TO HAVE’
Bars are part of Morristown’s resurgence, the Mayor said, and it’s imperative for all downtown businesses and government agencies to work together in a spirit of “creative cooperation.”
“It’s exciting. These are challenges. They are good challenges. These are good problems to have, because we have a vibrant downtown,” the Mayor said.
“It’s the responsibility of this administration and the (Morristown) Partnership and the Parking Authority and the ABC board and the council to make this the best possible situation for everyone.”
Luxury condos at 40 Park and the Vail Mansion have brought affluent empty-nesters into the downtown. At the same time, the bustling nightlife has been a magnet for young professionals who also benefit the local economy, the Mayor said. Striking the right balance remains a work-in-progress.
“It’s a wonderful thing going on in the community,” the Mayor said. “We want people to have a good experience coming to town.”
Towards that end, the Mayor said his administration has worked hard over the last year to encourage downtown businesses to tidy up their sidewalks, and to improve downtown trash collection. The Morristown Partnership, a pro-business organization, has been looking into purchasing a machine for removing gum from sidewalks, a pet peeve of the Mayor.
As an example of cooperation, the Mayor noted how he verified a resident’s complaints about cooking odors wafting from behind the Office restaurant. When he spoke with the restaurant’s new owners, they pledged to install a better exhaust system when they renovate the establishment this summer, he said.
The Mayor also offered to mediate ongoing disputes involving the Parking Authority, bars and residents over noisy trash collection and parking congestion in an alley that connects DeHart and Market streets. Different trash haulers serve bars and residents at 40 Park; the Mayor said it might be easier to coordinate pickups from that alley if one hauler could bid on contracts for both sets of customers.
George Fiore, executive director of the Parking Authority, said his agency is working on resolving the alley situation. And he is open to discussions about managing the Wells Fargo lot, he said.
Residents testified this month about bar patrons relieving themselves in public, making loud disturbances in quiet neighborhoods, and generally misbehaving in ways that threaten property values and public safety. Videos of testimony.
The Mayor characterized residents opposing the town’s renewal of bar liquor licenses as “very few” in number. But he also acknowledged observing “a lot of movement” on the streets when bars let out in the wee hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
By issuing warnings, and if necessary, tickets, extra police would put bar patrons on notice that bad behavior is a bad idea, the Mayor said.
“We want to make sure the message gets out that we’re a community that wants people to have a good time. But we will not tolerate behavior…sometimes, when people drink too much, they get a little wacky.”
This is just a smoke screen to approve yet another bar in downtown Morristown.
Out of town patrons, arriving at 11 pm, only drink to excess and don’t
patronize other businesses. Who you tryin’ to fool Mayor?
Dougherty, I hope you don’t make your best friend Jimmy Cavenaugh (the Iron Bar owner) pay a few extra dollars for clean up and extra security…. He won’t be able to pay his rent. That place is terrible.