Mayor’s plan for ‘Bucket of Blood’ brings councilwoman’s to a boil in Morristown

The Morristown council voted 5-2 to introduce a $330,000 bond ordinance to buy the former 'Bucket of Blood' bar. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
In 2016, the Morristown council voted 5-2 to introduce a $330,000 bond ordinance to buy the former 'Bucket of Blood' bar. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Video: Site of former Bucket of Blood bar is flooded by Irene in 2011

By Kevin Coughlin

On the surface, it sounds intriguing : Buy a long-abandoned bar in Morristown’s Second Ward and convert it to a center offering pro bono legal advice to disadvantaged residents.

Or maybe, transform the 2,021-square-foot structure on Martin Luther King Avenue into a minority business incubator. Or a “cultural/civil rights” center.

The Morristown council voted 5-2 to introduce a $330,000 bond ordinance  to buy the former 'Bucket of Blood' bar. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
The Morristown council voted 5-2 to introduce a $330,000 bond ordinance to buy the former ‘Bucket of Blood’ bar. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“This is a great opportunity for Morristown to acquire a piece of property that’s been vacant for decades,” Mayor Tim Dougherty told the town council, which on Tuesday introduced a $355,000 bond ordinance to purchase the old “Bucket of Blood” bar.

The problem is, the building is likely to sit below the surface — of the Whippany River, when it overflows its banks, as it did during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, Councilwoman Michelle Dupree Harris noted angrily.

Apartment dwellers in that neighborhood had to be rescued via rowboats.

“You don’t want to put a building in a floodway,” said Harris, who voted against the ordinance along with Republican Councilwoman Alison Deeb.

THEN AND NOW: Former 'Bucket of Blood' bar, center right, after Irene in 2011 and in February 2016. Photos by Kevin Coughlin
THEN AND NOW: Former ‘Bucket of Blood’ bar, center right, after Irene in 2011 and in February 2016. Photos by Kevin Coughlin

Deeb suggested seeking grants to acquire the property as parkland.  Harris, who has vowed to challenge the Mayor in next year’s Democratic primary, said Dougherty should have presented feasibility studies first, to prove the building will be safe from floods and mold contamination.

“We would not put anyone in any danger,” the Mayor countered in a testy exchange. “I think I made myself clear. Any environmental issue would be addressed. This is an opportunity to do something forward-thinking and visionary.”

Mayor Tim Dougherty and Councilwoman Michelle Dupree Harris. Photos by Kevin Coughlin
Mayor Tim Dougherty and Councilwoman Michelle Dupree Harris. Photos by Kevin Coughlin

Dougherty first floated the idea last October, as a council race was heating up in the Second Ward.  On Tuesday he reiterated his pitch for a center to help people straighten out their past mistakes.

“So many young kids get in trouble, and they could benefit from good legal help,” the Mayor said.

Rear of former bar on MLK Avenue. The town is moving to buy it. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Rear of former bar on MLK Avenue. The town is moving to buy it. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Renovating the former bar, empty for 30 years by his estimate, also would fit with a beautification project planned for the neighborhood, he said.

Newly elected Councilwoman Hiliari Davis, who represents the Second Ward, expressed support for the acquisition.  Creation of a park would dovetail with town plans for open space and recreational uses for the flood plain, said Council President Stefan Armington. 

The property at 95-97 MLK Ave. is one of three lots with 370 feet of combined frontage along the river, Armington said.  Environmental rules would prohibit erecting any new structures there; renovating the existing dilapidated building is the only way to put anything functional on the site, he said.

Rex Properties LLC of Newark paid $225,000 for the property in 2004, according to tax records. The site’s assessed value is $352,300.  The town purchase price is $330,000, according to Tuesday’s council agenda.

The council could enact the ordinance at its meeting on Feb. 23, 2016.

The back of the former Bucket of Blood bar borders the Whippany River. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
The back of the former Bucket of Blood bar borders the Whippany River. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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The Whippany River behind Martin Luther King Avenue property that Morristown seeks to purchase. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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This stream channel runs alongside vacant building on MLK that Morristown seeks to acquire. Photo by Kevin Coughlin.
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Interior of vacant structure once known as the ‘Bucket of Blood’ in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Inside long-vacant structure on MLK Avenue in Morristown. The town council is moving to purchase the building. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

13 COMMENTS

  1. I’m from that area born and raised! That bar has a lot of memories for me and many! The owner is deceased. It has always been a flood area and for council to have even considered putting anything there is truly ridiculous! Hasn’t our once beautiful community been damaged enough! The whole structure of the town I once called home is no more! And it saddens me to the core that there sits a building on Clyde Potts Dr that sits vacant 90% of the time because people in the community can’t afford it! Someone you higher ups help me to understand that!

  2. Who is advising the administration on this? Did they just have a “dream” one night and were told to spend $330,000 on this?
    I recall the theme ” This administration will be open and transparent” so the question is who had this idea? And why? Was it a town resident? A taxpayer? Friend of the administration?
    Thank you

  3. Hi Helen– that’s the name that was cited at a council meeting, by the Mayor, if memory serves. Could the place have gone by different names over the years?

  4. Are we speaking of the old bar that was named Castanzos…..I do not think the forementioned name is correct. It might present confusion for some residents as to where the location is, based upon the name.

  5. There’s a facility in the Manahan Village that could occupy the legal site the Mayor has in mind. This facility has plenty of space available. The “Bucket of Blood” building has been empty since 1990. It’s an eye sore to the community in a flood zone. Please demo the building for park space and save that money for a more constructed project.

  6. It seems to me that borrowing $330,000 for a building in a flood zone is inappropriate.
    The idea of a legal center is fine but not in that location. There are several lots in the area that aren’t affected by the floods. The owner should be notified to conform to the code. Why is it allowed to stand as it is?
    Why not condem it? It’s an insult to the residents of the town. How long would that building stand if it were located on South Street.?

  7. Its understandable that the mayor is trying to “beautify” our town but to waste money on a space that is not only a landmark for most Morristonians, but in the middle of flood territory is ridiculous. The town can’t even get our flooding issue in control. Its bad enough that every time it floods the town ends up replacing Cauldwell playground equipment, fences, powerlines, half jobs for residentials areas, and the list continues. Maybe our town doesn’t really realize that there are about 17 law firms alone from NorthPark Place to Community Place. Morristown is starting to become the town of broken promises and unfinished projects. We have forever been HISTORIC MORRISTOWN,not MODERN MORRISTOWN. So lets keep it that way.

  8. This is a complete waste of money. We should not encourage building or the renovation of buildings in floodways – this is against what the State has been doing. If you want to create a space for people to have good legal pro-bono council, there are lots of other spaces that can be rehabilitated (or simply rented!) – or how about housed at our giant Town Hall? Meanwhile, the town could use State funding for blueways and green space to buy the building and knock it down. There’s a reason that no one has bought that building – it floods. This is the most ridiculous idea I’ve heard in a long time. Why are we bonding for this when there are so many other needs in the community?

  9. come to think of it, the entire Speedwell Avenue area is ripe for redevelopment… Oh, that’s what the town fathers said when they built that monstrosity that is Headquarters Plaza in the 1970’s.

  10. It flooded in Irene, it had flooded before, and it will flood again, probably more frequently than in the past. The town should be trying to get rid of structures in flood areas, not putting money into new buildings that will flood.

  11. The town should invest in storm water mitigation and reexamine the area for potential flooding before building anything and certainly before we change the redevelopment plan. Affordable Housing and the development of a community center is what the area is currently zoned for.

    As for a “law Library”, everything is online now. Whatever needs to be researched can be done through our current Library in Morristown.

  12. Removing an eyesore with a long sad history may be the best idea for this site and improve flooding conditions in that area. Keeping the building makes no real sense.

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