1.  Honoring the Fallen

On Monday, members of the Township Committee joined the Memorial and Veterans Day Association of Morristown and Morris Township to honor those who lost their lives defending our freedom and way of life.

Twice a year, the Association organizes events at the Township Municipal Building and on the Green to commemorate Memorial and Veterans Days.

• At the service on the Green, sixteen local Korean War veterans were honored for their service.

• Keynote speaker, Jaechul Ahn, founder and president of The World Peace Freedom United and native of South Korea expressed his heartfelt thanks for their service.

You can see a recap of Monday’s services from the MorristownGreen.com here.

2.Recognizing Local Moms Demand Action Volunteers

At our May meeting, the Township Committee designated today, June 2nd as Gun Violence Awareness Day and recognized local volunteers from Moms Demand Action for their work advocating for public safety measures to protect people from gun violence.

As a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, I was joined by Deputy Mayor Cathy Wilson and Committeeman Jeff Grayzel (previous members of the coalition) to express our support for common sense gun safety laws. 

Why it matters: On average, 120 Americans are killed with guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded every day.

• Gun violence recently surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for American children
• Commonsense gun safety measures can combat this concerning trend

We are grateful and fortunate to have active volunteers within our community who have made it their mission to end gun violence.

3.Land Use Reform Bill Advances in State Senate

Last year, the Township Committee partnered with Senator Anthony Bucco and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn to introduce legislation in the statehouse to expand the notice requirements for land use applications to 21 days from 10 days.

While the Township can require a 21-day notice for redevelopment proposals that come before the Township Committee, notice requirements for Planning Board and Board of Adjustment applications are governed by the state and remain at 10 days.

On May 8th, Sen. Bucco’s bill took an important step forward by advancing through the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee.

Why it matters: Enhanced public notice requirements will provide residents the opportunity to more adequately review land use proposals, including commercial and residential, so that they can participate effectively during public hearings before the planning and zoning boards.

Dive deeper: The Township Committee agrees that residents deserve more time to study plans, especially when dealing with large-scale development proposals. In 2021, I worked with Deputy Mayor for Public Outreach, Cathy Wilson, to introduce our local land use reform package.  

4.TAC Annual Report

At our May meeting, our former and current chairs of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), Rick Bye and Jim Hunt, presented the Township Committee with the group’s 2022 report.

TAC’s mission is to explore, study, and recommend ways that the Township Committee can improve travel, circulation, parking and transportation, including walking, biking, and driving in Morris Township.

Why it matters: Recommendations from TAC help the Township make informed decisions when funding and planning public infrastructure projects to make our community easier to get around.

TAC is also organizing the following “Morris Township in Motion” events for residents to participate in over the coming weeks:

-June 3 @ 10 AM: Guided walk around the sidewalk and trail Fairchild Loop

-June 24 @ 1 PM: Guided hike in magical Jones Woods

-July 8 @ 1 PM: Guided hike around ADA-accessible Jockey Hollow Top Preserve tucked away near the National Park

Watch the recording to learn more about TAC’s work here.

5.Dangers of Improperly Handled Lithium-Ion Batteries

In May, Fairchild Fire Company hosted a joint training seminar for the Morris Township and Morris Plains Fire Departments for firefighters to learn more about the dangers caused by lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries are commonly found not only in cell phones and laptops, but electric wheelchairs, e-bikes, hoverboards, and power tools.

Why it matters: Fires started by lithium-ion batteries are doubling each year, mainly due to users not following manufacturers’ guidelines, and are increasingly fatal.

These fires spread much more violently than traditional fires and in less than a quarter of the time – posing a much greater risk of loss of life when they occur.

Dive deeper: Fire departments are increasingly warning residents of the dangers of not properly handling devices with lithium-ion batteries. Be on the lookout for further information from our Fire Department in the near future.

You can view a video shared by our Fire Department explaining the risks here.

Here are important guidelines from the FDNY:

• NEVER use aftermarket (or generic) batteries or chargers
• NEVER plug into a power strip or overload an outlet
• NEVER overcharge or leave battery charging overnight
• NEVER charge a battery or device under your pillow, on your bed, or near a couch
• NEVER leave e-bikes or e-scooters unattended while charging
• NEVER block your primary way in or out of a room/space
• NEVER place batteries in Trash or Recycling bin

Thank you for reading my monthly newsletter. Please be sure to follow Morris Township by signing up for our Municipal Messenger, liking our Facebook page and following us on Instagram.

Best,

Mark