Town to provide parking permits for Morristown High School students

Morristown High School
6

By Kevin Coughlin

Some Morristown High School students will get a break from their daily game of Musical Cars, thanks to parking permits from town hall.

Approximately 50 free permits will enable students to park on designated residential streets between 7 am and 4 pm on weekdays without getting slapped with $47 tickets for violating two-hour limits.

Administrator Jillian Barrick discusses Morristown High School parking situation, as Mayor Tim Dougherty listens. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Administrator Jillian Barrick discusses Morristown High School parking situation, as Mayor Tim Dougherty listens. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“Students were leaving class every two hours to move their cars,” town Administrator Jillian Barrick said at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Barrick studied the situation over the summer with officials from the Morris School District and the Morristown Parking Authority.

The goal, Barrick said, was to strike a “fair balance” that ensures student parking does not infringe upon residents’ ability to park in their neighborhoods.

“Nothing will change for the residents. There will just be a few more people parking on the streets,” said Council President Stefan Armington.

Those streets are:

  • Atno Avenue, entire length
  • Clinton Street, entire length
  • Colonial Road, entire length
  • Early Street, entire length
  • Harrison Street, entire length
  • Hazlett Street, entire length
  • Kenmuir Avenue, entire length
  • Mills Street, from Washington Street to Kenmuir Avenue
  • Milton Place, entire length

The town will create permits specific to each street, as early as next month, and high school officials will determine which students receive them. Permits can be revoked if students fail to behave according to a high school code of conduct when parking in neighborhoods, Barrick said.

Morristown High SchoolSix council members voted to introduce the parking ordinance on Tuesday. Councilwoman Michelle Dupree Harris, a teacher in the district, abstained.

Barrick acknowledged that this move won’t solve the high school’s parking crunch.

Although she lacked an exact number of students who drive–a moving target, as juniors reach driving age throughout the school year–an estimate of 300 was mentioned at a June meeting attended by Mayor Tim Dougherty, Police Chief Pete Demnitz, parking authority members, parents and students.

For years, students parked at the town’s public works site, across Atno Avenue from the school. That lot was eliminated by construction of the Modera 44 apartment complex.

The parking authority has offered students a special $40 monthly rate to park in the Dalton garage, on Cattano Avenue about a block from the school. That option has found few takers, according to Barrick.

Early Street resident Steven Pylypchuk is not looking forward to the new plan.

“All our taxes are going to unused busing. [But students] are driving to school,” he said.

Pylypchuk  contended his Morristown neighbors unfairly are bearing the parking burden created by students from Morris Township. And he objected to special treatment of students in general, noting that he enjoys no preferential street parking near the train station for his daily commute.

“Why is the high school different?” he asked.

Acknowledging the resident’s concerns, Barrick said, “I personally walked to school…but the reality is, students do drive. And they’ve chosen not to take advantage of the parking authority garages.”

A year from now things may improve somewhat. The high school plans to add 100 parking spaces, for a total of 150 on the school grounds, according to Principal Mark Manning.

IN OTHER BUSINESS: BARS, A HOUSE,  TREE REMOVAL

Ignoring a threatened lawsuit by a  tavern association, the council, after months of tinkering, introduced an ordinance defining restaurants and bars.

It’s meant to give town officials tools for controlling future growth, to prevent proprietors from pitching bars as restaurants.

John Visconi,  a lawyer representing the Morris Licensed Beverage Association,
raised technical objections and reiterated a threat to sue.

“This ordinance has several contradictions and is legally unenforceable. If you adopt it,  it will be challenged,  you will lose, and you will pay counsel fees,” Visconi said.

“I’m always amused when attorneys come up and threaten lawsuits and legal fees,” said town Attorney Vij Pawar, who said the ordinance will receive a thorough once-over from  the planning board before it  returns to the council for a final vote.

The vote was 6-1 to introduce the measure, with Harris in the opposition.

By a unanimous vote, the council gave final approval for the town’s $490,000 purchase of a  house on Headley Road, former site of a home for troubled youths.   Authorities had received scores of complaints there in recent years.

Barrick said  the town  aims to close on the purchase within 45 days, and then auction off the property,  for use as a single-family dwelling, in 60 to 90 days.

“As a  realtor, I feel it’s a very fair price. I think it’s a good move that will be beneficial,” said Councilman Michael Elms.

The council also heard a presentation about the two powerful storms that knocked out power in July.

A spokesman for Jersey Central Power & Light said the utility offers free tree inspections, and trimming and removal of residential trees that jeopardize power lines.

Mayor Dougherty encouraged residents to contact the town at 973-292-6670 or PublicWork@TownofMorristown.org , or to reach out to JCP&L at FirstEnergyCorp.com/Service  to arrange an inspection.

 

 

 

 

6 COMMENTS

  1. I don’t see the reason residents that live near the Morristown High School need to make concessions for students to be able to park. If you are old enough and mature enough to drive, you need to play by the rules everyone else does. A solution where a discounted rate for parking at the local parking garage was offered. Just because students didn’t jump at this opportunity, people feel that a different solution needs to be provided. I say let’s move on to the next issue. Students can park at the garage or take the provided bus.

  2. Because I bought a house close to the town and MHS, I should expect my neighborhood to be the supplemental parking for the high school! My opinion should be discounted and that the kids will be totally respectful of the neighborhood in which they park. It is that type of attitude that shows the kids that they are entitled to a parking spot. I have experienced the kids walking in the middle of the road when I am trying to get to work and not moving. I have experienced parking so badly on both sides of the road, that an emergency vehicle or garbage truck could not get through. I have experienced partially blocked driveways. I have seen kids speed around the corner because they are late and need to find a parking spot. I have seen two accidents in the past two years with HS kids backing out and hitting cars. I have experienced having to walk with my groceries, because I don’t have a spot near my home to park. I have seen water bottles and garbage left by cars. We also pay quite a bit more in taxes than the county, so we are doing our part as a community to alleviate this situation. As someone stated in the article, he needs to pay to park to take the train to work, why are we accommodating MHS because they encourage kids to drive with no regard to where they will park. And if you call the HS or town council, they will tell you to call the police. They are actually encouraging residents to call the police on kids! This is a matter for the School and the Town Administration. It should NOT be an issue for the residents or for the police.

  3. BTW, strikes me that the “Authorities” that have been involved in a decades worth of development and growth in the downtown area could have accounted for and negotiated something with developers that would have helped to address the MHS parking issue. Perhaps the enormous projects across the street from MHS were a missed opportunity? It’s a question of priorities from the Mayor down and including the MPA. No one cared to make MHS a priority, I’m assuming because better ( more lucrative) deals were made elsewhere.

  4. Marge- MHS has no control over the number of students that it is required to accept, they take all comers based on the population of the community. That said, the community, which includes all residents and local authorities, have a responsibility to work collectively and collaboratively to solve the problem. That sort of cooperation is what makes a community great. A small poplulation of residents, who bought homes near a HS, then complain that there are too many kids around, can be discounted. As can Authorities that have an adversarial view when it comes to working collectively to solve a community issue.

    What exactly is your role with the Morristown Parking Authority? And why do you feel MHS and the students that attend MHS are not your problem to solve? You do serve the community as whole correct?

  5. MHS really needs to begin addressing the parking needs of their students when they plan their projects, instead of expecting Morristown residents and authorities to solve the difficulties they created. School officials should set an example for their students in taking responsibility for their own problems.Perhaps they could also teach many of their driving youth, the health benefits of walking to school.

  6. This is a great idea and will be a huge help for all the kids that have no where to park today. We’re lucky to have such a healthy population at our HS, and all good kids, every town should have such problems!

    I’m confident the MHS kids will be totally respectful of the surrounding neighborhoods, and the small poplulation of neighbors opposed to this idea will realize that they had nothing to fear.

    Nice work to all involved.

LEAVE A REPLY