Washington Avenue could use some improving, according to residents concerned with the number and speed of motorists there.
So a consulting firm was hired Tuesday to recommend improvements.
The Morristown Council voted 6-0 to retain Arterial LLC of Montclair to develop a “corridor improvement plan” for Washington Avenue, similar to one it’s completing on Martin Luther King Avenue.
Arterial will be paid $8,800, and the study may take six months, said town Administrator Michael Rogers.
Several residents spoke in favor of the study at the council meeting. Washington Avenue traffic has become a hot subject in recent months at the town zoning board, where a developer seeks approvals for a daycare center proposed for the intersection of Madison Avenue and Normandy Parkway. Opponents contend spillover traffic will exacerbate problems on Washington and other neighborhood streets.
NICE KITTY
In other business, the council voted 5-1 to adjust its pet licensing fees. Annual fees for dogs and cats that have been spayed or neutered will decrease from $15 to $10. And fines for unlicensed dogs and cats will jump from $50 to $100, said the town’s code enforcement director, Joe Costa. The changes will bring the town’s animal control code more in line with state law, he said.
Councilman Michael Elms, a cat owner, voted against introduction of the ordinance, which requires a second reading. Councilwoman Raline Smith-Reid was absent.
The council also fielded some requests from the audience.
Members of the Chatham Citizens Opposing the Oil Pipeline urged the council to pass a resolution opposing a 178-mile oil pipeline proposed to extend from Albany, NY, to Linden. Chatham Borough residents warned that a leaky pipe could foul aquifers serving residents across North Jersey, endangering health and property values. The Chatham organization is aligned with the Coalition to Stop Pilgrim Pipeline.
Council President Rebecca Feldman said the council would review the issue.
SHADY TREES?
Resident Karen Kiehn, meanwhile, complained about three Saw Tooth Oak trees planted by the Shade Tree Commission on Lafayette Avenue, between Olyphant/ Jardine Road and the Staples Shopping Center, in December.
These trees interfere with sidewalk lighting, road signage and utility lines, and will destroy the sidewalk and curbing, Kiehn said. Falling leaves and acorns will create hazards for motorists, and the trees will attract nuisance animals, too, she warned.
Kiehn suggested relocating the trees to Burnham Park for Arbor Day, or moving them to Acorn Hall, which is trying to replace four acres of trees destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. The Morris County Historical Society has scheduled a “Giving Trees Gala” fundraiser for April 20, 2015, at the Westin Governor Morris.
Mayor Tim Dougherty said three trees won’t make much of a difference behind Acorn Hall. But he promised to present explanations about the plantings from the Shade Tree Commission and the town arborist at the next council meeting.
In an unrelated matter, Alfaro Garcia of Morris Plains asked the Mayor and council for help securing a vendor’s license for the Morristown Green. Garcia had operated a food truck for someone else for the last two years; that relationship ended, he said.
“I have a couple of kids in college,” he said, beseeching the officials to help him.
Noting that the topic of vendors around the historic town square has been touchy with the Trustees of the Green and the Morristown Partnership, Feldman asked Councilman Michael Elms, liaison to the Partnership, to take their pulse on this matter.
The Mayor also asked town Clerk Kevin Harris to investigate whether any vendor licenses are going unused.
And resident Bill Byrne continued his crusade on behalf of the developmentally disabled, by asking town officials and residents to sign a pledge to stop uttering the terms “retarded” and “retard,” which he said are hurtful to people with intellectual deficits and those who love them.
