Eagles, Uber and dirty snow: An eclectic night for the Morristown council

A young bald eagle visited Foote's Pond in the fall of 2015. Photo by Keith Survell.
A young bald eagle visited Foote's Pond in the fall of 2015. Photo by Keith Survell.
3

By Kevin Coughlin

The Morristown council on Tuesday introduced a measure to waive registration fees for taxi companies, to help them compete against the unregulated Uber ride service.

“It’s really a symbolic gesture,” acknowledged Mayor Tim Doughterty, explaining that the relief amounts to about $200 a year for taxi companies. “We’re trying to give them a little financial help.”

Taxi businesses operating in town still must be licensed and inspected, he said.

Last April, a taxi company owner asked the council to impose taxi rules and regulations on Uber drivers, who use their own personal vehicles to fetch passengers who summon them via a mobile phone app.

Town attorney Vij Pawar  said the administration has not crafted any regulations for Uber because state lawmakers are studying the issue, and any rules they devise will supercede the town’s.

Dougherty did not have details about the number of taxi companies serving Morristown,  or about how much annual revenue the town will forego if the council adopts his proposed ordinance amendment on April 12, 2016. He said he has not used Uber.

“I use Uber. It’s a great service,” said Councilman Bob Iannaccone, who suggested it has saved lives by transporting young people who otherwise might drive after visiting local bars.

Nevertheless, Iannaccone joined the 5-0 vote  to introduce the taxi fee exemption. Council President Stefan Armington and Councilwoman Michelle Dupree Harris were absent.

DIRTY SNOW, DIRTY RIVER, AND A BALD EAGLE

In other business, the discussion shifted to environmental matters.

Constituents of Fourth Ward Councilwoman Alison Deeb joined her in pressing the Mayor and council to allocate funds to dredge and maintain Foote’s Pond. They described the pond as a vital catch-basin that spares nearby neighborhoods from flooding. Over the years, it has filled with silt and now is only about 13 inches deep, according to resident Brian Sullivan.

image
A young bald eagle visited Foote's Pond in the fall of 2015. Photo by Keith Survell.

He contended that the town should be held to the same standards as developers, who are mandated to maintain retention basins of their projects.

“If we require that of developers, why don’t we require it of ourselves?” Sullivan asked.

Another resident, Keith Survell, shared a photo of a bald eagle that he observed at Foote’s Pond last October.  New Jersey is an important stopover for many birds, including eagles, he said.

“They like open water that’s deep enough to have fish in it,” Survell said.

The Mayor said he worries about hawks plucking his little dog from his backyard.

Concerns also were raised on Tuesday about the health of the Whippany River.

Some 50 volunteers — including Boy Scouts, members of the local Presbyterian and Redeemer Episcopal congregations, and the executive director of the local water utility–showed up last weekend to clean the stretch near Bethel AME Church, Deeb said. They filled 45 large trash bags with 2,700 pounds of trash, she said. Items removed from the waterway included a VCR, a radio, a bike, a lawn chair, tires and a mattress.

But they may have to do it all over again this fall, Deeb said, because a mountain of dirty snow from the winter blizzard, deposited nearby by the town, is likely to leach some nasty stuff into the river as it melts.

The councilwoman asked the Mayor if the town can haul its snow elsewhere next winter. But Dougherty said Morris Township denied the town’s request to use a dead-end near the Burnham Park pool.

“There is no other place to put it,” the Mayor said of the snow. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the land. I wish we did, but we don’t.”

He said his proposed budget will ask the council to approve the purchase of a “snow-eater,” a machine that he said grinds snow into shavings that melt faster than hard-packed mounds.

Morristown also has run out of space for high school seniors. Or rather, for their cars.

Kylie McCabe , a Morristown High senior, said she and about 50 classmates who pay for public parking will be out of luck in a few days when their lot is closed for construction of apartments, for the second phase of the Speedwell Avenue redevelopment.

McCabe asked town officials to allow students who bought these parking passes to park with impunity on streets with two-hour limits. The Mayor said the request was reasonable, and he promised that officials would speak with the Morristown Parking Authority and respond to the student.

3 COMMENTS

  1. The comment about the Town not having sufficient open space to deposit snow after storms, demonstrates once again the the town is nearing its redevelopment saturation point unless it can preserve more open space to offset that development. As an example, the area around Elm Street and the train station has already becomes more and more gridlocked, any future development in that entire area must be offset with more open space and parkland. That open space could also be used for storing snow after storms.

  2. The residential parking restrictions near the High School were put in place after years of complaints from residents and businesses near the high School, who would find their driveways blocked, parking spaces taken and multiple other abuses by student parkers. The Baord of Education has embarked on multiple expansions and improvements of the High School without addressing the need for parking. Since students in Town are in walking distance and Township residents having bussing, it appears that taking a car to school is not a necessity. Perhaps parking permits could be awarded for good grades, or to upperclassmen only. In ancient times when I attended the High School crowding in the front hall was controlled by only permitting seniors to use the main staircase.

    Biking is another alternative, that would be healthier and less costly to everyone and better for the environment.

LEAVE A REPLY