We’ll drink to that: BYOB gets boost from Morristown council; so does biker/pedestrian policy

Morristown residents have testified at recent meetings that the downtown is awash in alcohol and something must be done.

But residents asked for more alcohol on Tuesday, and the council unanimously obliged them.

By a 6-0 vote, council members introduced a measure to allow people to bring their own beer and wine to sidewalk cafés of restaurants that do not have liquor licenses.

Right now, owners of these restaurants can be fined for allowing patrons to drink their own alcoholic beverages at sidewalk tables–even though it’s legal for patrons to consume these same beverages inside such establishments.

“It didn’t seem logical,” said resident Ken Isaacson.

Resident Don Kissil praised Mayor Tim Dougherty and the council for moving to reverse the rule, saying he had been shocked to learn that his favorite Chinese restaurant got a ticket for allowing patrons to bring their own alcohol to sidewalk tables. That situation is even more unthinkable with other cuisines, he said.

“It’s against the law to not have a glass of wine with an Italian dinner,” Don told the council, to laughter. He urged council members not to tack any fees onto the new ordinance.

‘COMPLETE STREETS’

The council also adopted a “Complete Streets” policy, which basically says town planning and engineering departments must consider interests of cyclists and pedestrians as part of any new transportation and development project.

“It’s a great action for Morristown to take. It makes us more competitive when applying for [state Department of Transportation] grants,” said Phil Abramson, the town’s planning consultant from Jonathan Rose Companies.

The guidelines are modeled after a state DOT policy. Morristown is the third Morris County town to adopt it, after Dover and Denville, and the 27th town statewide, said Councilman Stefan Armington, who worked with the Mayor’s office for its enactment.

“This establishes a process for [present officials] and future administrations,” Stefan said.

There are no enforcement provisions, and the policy can be bypassed in cases where it proves too expensive or is detrimental for environmental or other reasons. The policy provides a checklist for town officials involved in approving projects. Councilwoman Alison Deeb successfully argued to add a checklist item that requires evaluation of whether speed limits are posted prominently.

Text of the Complete Streets policy, and other measures adopted Tuesday by the council, can be read here.

BIG BOND ORDINANCE, NEW STREET NAME, STIFFER TRASH PENALTIES

The council also approved bonding $1.7 million of capital improvements. The lion’s share–more than $1.2 million– is for road improvements. Town hall will get roof- and plumbing repairs and upgrades to its climate control and fire alarm systems, among other things.  Tennis court fences and the town pool at Burnham Park are scheduled for some fixes and the public works department is due for some new heavy equipment.

In other business…

• Restaurants cited for sloppy storage and removal of garbage soon may pay through the nose. An ordinance  introduced Tuesday would up the $100 fine to $500 per violation.
• The council authorized the town to collect donations for a gazebo and other improvements to the J. Robert Tracey Veterans Memorial Park, which was renamed on Independence Day to honor retired Postmaster Bob Tracey, veteran of two wars and an advocate for wounded veterans.
• Center Street, meanwhile, soon will be renamed Bishop Nazery Way, to commemorate a hero of the Underground Railroad, an African American who served as first pastor of Morristown’s Bethel A.M.E. Church.

And organizers of the Morris County St. Patrick’s Parade have donated $11,000 to the town for municipal overtime associated with the March event, according to the council agenda. That’s down from $15,000 in 2010.

“All charitable organizations continue to experience a downturn in donations and we are no different,” wrote Willie Quinn, president of the trustees of St. Patrick’s Day of Morris County Inc. “For the past several years our parade revenues have been down while costs continue to escalate. The good news is we are on solid financial footing.”