Attention, Morristown High drivers: The parking enforcers are back

two hour parking sign
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Mackey Pendergrast, superintendent of the Morris School District, addresses the Morristown council. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Mackey Pendergrast, superintendent of the Morris School District, addresses the Morristown council. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

By Kevin Coughlin

Sorry kids, it’s back to Musical Cars.

Enforcement of two-hour parking rules around Morristown High School will resume immediately, Mayor Tim Dougherty said at Tuesday’s council meeting.

two hour parking signThat means tickets for students who don’t move their vehicles throughout the school day.  The council shelved a measure introduced last month that would have created street parking permits for about 50 pupils.

UPDATE: Enforcement has been moved to Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, at the request of the town administration, Mark Axelrod of the Morristown Parking Authority said on Wednesday.

Notices will be distributed so “people can prepare the best they can till we solve this issue,” Mayor Dougherty said on Wednesday.

After hearing from residents at a public workshop last week, town officials opted to keep studying how to designate student street parking in ways that don’t inconvenience neighbors. Questions also remain about what will happen on snowy days.

More traffic counts are being compiled, according to Council President Stefan Armington, who said he hopes these issues can be resolved by next month.

The Morristown Parking Authority, which already offers discounted rates for students to park at the nearby Dalton garage, is ready to brainstorm with school officials, Dougherty said.

This crunch may ease somewhat in January, when 100 student parking spaces are added to the existing 46 on the high school grounds, Morris School District Mackey Pendergrast told the council.

Those gains probably will be short-lived, however.  Only 122 students are registered to park at the high school, but that number may double as youths reach driving age during the school year, said Pendergrast, after delivering a presentation about academic and athletic achievements in the district that serves Morristown, Morris Township and (high school only) Morris Plains.

Council members Hiliari Davis, left, and Alison Deeb proposed parking solutions for the high school. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Council members Hiliari Davis, left, and Alison Deeb proposed parking solutions for the high school. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Councilwoman Alison Deeb suggested the district erect a parking deck at the high school, which just added a new wing.

Tying parking privileges to academic performance might reduce the number of student drivers, proposed Councilwoman Hiliari Davis.

A deck would be expensive, Pendergrast acknowledged. Merit-based parking is “certainly something to explore,” the superintendent said, adding:

“Certainly, everything should be on the table.”

Students and parents came to the Mayor’s office last year complaining about parking tickets, Dougherty said. Now, the sticking point is “we don’t want neighborhoods overrun with parking” by students.

Yet the Mayor expressed confidence that solutions will be found.

“We’re a community that works together,” Dougherty said.

IN OTHER BUSINESS…

The council unanimously authorized renaming Rowe Street as Rev. Gordon Anthony Rogers Way,  honoring the father of the Rev. Robert Rogers, pastor of the Church of God in Christ.

Two of the six houses on the street are owned by the church, and residents have voiced no concerns about changing their addresses, said Councilwoman Hiliari Davis.

The council also re-appointed Marion Sally to a five-year term on the Morristown Housing Authority. Sally, the agency’s former director, was voted chairperson of the authority last month.

Her reappointment was approved by a 6-0 council vote, with Councilwoman Michelle Dupree Harris abstaining.

 

 

 

6 COMMENTS

  1. There are literally thousands of available spots in the near vicinity of the High School. The pilot program that is being discussed involves issuing a total of 50 permits, street specific and not to exceed 5 spots on any one street. So…..50 permits in total pool of thousands of parking spots. If the tiny percentage of people that are adamantly opposed believe they’re being reasonable, the numbers say otherwise. Think beyond yourselves…

  2. Ridge320 I completely agree with you. I live around that area and I don’t see anything wrong with them parking around. And Matt S, because the neighbors here baby about everything!!!!! Even the dunking donuts that wanted to open on Washington st couldn’t go through because neighbors complained about it..

  3. The very small percentage of neighbors that live near the high school and are 100% opposed to any compromise regarding the student parking are just selfish. Also important to note that they don’t own the streets or the parking in front of their homes, the streets and parking are open to the public!! People that buy homes near a high school, then complain that there are too many kids around, should be discounted from the conversations entirely.

    Let the reasonable majority work towards a manageable compromise and leave the NIMBY whiners out of it.

  4. Why not make the streets around the high school and these neighborhoods just free parking for whenever (besides snow)..Why 2 hours only???

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