Mayor’s report: Snowfall total, master plan, trees, street sweeper

The snowy scene at Burnham Park. Photo by Heidi Killen
The snowy scene at Burnham Park. Photo by Heidi Killen
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How tough was Morristown’s winter?

Try 67 inches of snow.  That’s how much was recorded at Morristown Municipal Airport,  Mayor Tim Dougherty reports in his latest newsletter,  released on Monday.

THAT'S WHY FIRE HYDRANTS HAVE FLAGS! Buried hydrant on Maple Avenue after the Feb. 13, 2014, snowstorm in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Some 67 inches of snow fell in Greater Morristown during the winter of 2013-14, reports the Mayor. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

There were 12 snowfalls of two inches or more, and the public works department removed snow from 90 streets, the report states.

Where to put it all posed serious challenges. The deposit of snow, laden with road salt and other debris, near the Whippany River has raised concerns  among some environmentalists.

A part-time sweeper, meanwhile, has been hired to clean the central business district five mornings a week, between 3 am and 7 am. This will free up a full-time sweeper to spend an extra day per week cleaning residential streets, the Mayor said.

Some 54 trees also will be planted in public rights-of-way and on town properties in this month as part of a 2014 tree program, according to the newsletter.

Morristown Moving Forward, the town master plan approved last week by the planning board, “confirms the town’s strongly held commitments to: (1) strengthen residential neighborhoods, (2)
preserve historic resources and (3) enhance our historic charm and character,” while encouraging innovative approaches to pedestrian safety, reduced traffic congestion and mixed-use development around Morristown’s train station, the Mayor’s newsletter said.

Next, the town council must review and amend present zoning laws “to encourage development that is attractive, appropriate and focused on those areas where we want to see growth and revitalization,” the newsletter said.

Finally, the Mayor said, an implementation committee will determine how to put all of this into action.
The committee will consist of town staff members, elected officials and representatives the planning board and board of adjustment, the newsletter said.

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