|
January 2022: Morris Township News Update
Hello Neighbors,
COVID-19 cases are rapidly rising rapidly in our community (just as they are across the northern part of our country) as many activities move inside with the cold weather. I encourage everyone to get their booster shot. And if you have not yet been vaccinated, now is the time to finally get the vaccine to protect your family and others around you by helping to reduce the spread of the virus.
Included in this newsletter:
- First 2022 Regular Meeting of the Morris Township Committee this Wednesday. You can find the agenda and Zoom link below.
- Free COVID testing site open at County College (reservation required).
- Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King.
- Other helpful information and news from around town (make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom!).
Please read this entire newsletter to get fully informed and then please share it with your family and neighbors.
Upcoming Township Committee Meeting:
Wednesday, January 19
The Township Committee will hold its next Regular Meeting this Wednesday at 7:00pm. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom Meetings as has been the practice since the start of the pandemic. The agenda can be found HERE.
To participate in the meeting, click on the following link:
If you are more familiar with Zoom, you can access our meeting via the “Zoom Meeting” app or webpage:
Alternatively, you can dial in with a traditional phone call:
- Phone: (929)-205-6099 or (301)-715-8592
- When prompted, type in the following numbers:
Webinar ID: 843 5812 1300
Passcode: 318078
Morris Township Reorganization Meeting
Held on January 5, 2022
The Township Committee held its annual Reorganization Meeting the first Wednesday of the year, as is tradition in our town. You can read the agenda HERE.
As a reminder, video recording of each of our Township Committee meetings can be found on Morris Township’s YouTube page.
As you may know, in our “Township Committee” form of government we do not have a Mayor elected by the public. Rather, the public elects the five members of the governing body who then select from amongst themselves who will lead them, and bestows upon one member the title of Mayor and another member the title of Deputy Mayor. For this reason, the Mayor (and Deputy Mayor) usually changes from year-to-year in our town.
The first order of business at the Reorganization meeting was to certify the election and swear in the winners. Next up was selecting a Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2022. Mark Gyorfy garnered the support of the members of the governing body to appoint him as Mayor in 2022. This past year Mark was our Deputy Mayor.
Cathy Wilson was then appointed by the Township Committee to be the Deputy Mayor in 2022. You can read more about both Mark and Cathy in this article from Patch HERE. Congratulations to both Mark and Cathy!
Next on the agenda was the annual address by our new Mayor. I encourage everyone to watch the video of Mayor Gyorfy’s speech HERE.
There were no ordinances for introduction at this meeting.
The meeting then continued with the Township Committee voting on 11 RESOLUTIONS. The full text of each resolution can be found HERE (scroll down).
The meeting closed with a benediction by Mr. Thomas Gaylord, Chaplain, Hillside Hose Company.
VIDEO recordings of Township Committee meetings are available on the township’s website! You can find the link on the municipal website’s “agenda center” (click on the camera icon) OR you can go directly to the Township’s YouTube channel HERE.
Red Bulls Soccer Team Project Proposal
The Red Bulls, a Major League Soccer team, announced that they intend to build a new state-of-the-art training facility on a portion of the former Honeywell site off of Columbia Road. The Red Bulls are proposing to purchase the two remaining commercially-zoned lots totaling 81 acres on the former Honeywell site, which have stood dormant for many years. This proposal will be a relatively low-impact use of this large property and is anticipated to generate minimal traffic.
At their December 21 meeting, the Township Committee approved the rezoning ordinance that would allow this proposed project to be built on the Honeywell parcels. Public hearings were begun at a Special Meeting held on December 2, and the hearings were continued on December 8. Both meetings had significant public participation. Read the summary article from the MorristownGreen news service HERE.
If you would like more information on the Red Bulls proposal, the following materials are available to view:
At the Special Meeting held December 8, a representative from the Red Bulls addressed the community. You can find this section of the meeting at the 3:11 mark in the video posted on YouTube.
The next step in the process is for the Red Bulls to present formal development plans to the Planning Board to seek site plan approval. There will be multiple public hearings by the Planning Board in the coming months to review the site plan proposal. The first Planning Board meeting will not be set until the formal site plans are submitted to the Red Bulls, which could take a couple of months.
COVID Testing Site Opened at County College
Morris County is now offering no-cost, in-person COVID-19 testing (LabQ Diagnostics nose-swab PCR) at the County College of Morris. Testing is available 7 days per week by appointment ONLY. No walk-ins will be accepted.
Get more information and schedule your appointment HERE.
Additionally, the NJ Department of Health and Vault Medical Services have partnered to offer a free, at-home COVID-19 PCR Saliva test kit that is available to every New Jersey resident who thinks they need a test. Learn more and get a free test today! You can also visit Pixel by Lapcorp to buy an at-home COVID test. Test results are generally available 1-2 days after your sample is sent to the lab. Follow the instructions on Vault and Pixel by Labcorp’s websites for more information.
Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King
This past Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday. This day was established to honor the life and legacy of this great man and to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities (something we should do every day!). It is now almost 53 years since he was murdered in April 1968
Dr. King taught us much, and unfortunately some of his lessons still need to be learned. He had many powerful speeches and quotations that I greatly admire. I would like to share two quotes that I believe are relevant for these times:
"Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."
From his November 1967 "The Domestic Impact of the War in Vietnam" speech
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
From his 1963 book, Strength to Love
Morris Township Updates
Read the Municipal Messenger Monthly Events Newsletter
Each month’s update includes a tremendous amount of useful information about Morris Township. You can read it HERE.
Sign up for Environmental News You Can Use!
Morris Township Environmental Commission (EC) is doing some great work in our town! Read their “Environmental news you can use!“ newsletter HERE.
From solar energy and electric vehicles to backyard composting and native plants, the Township Environmental Commission's monthly newsletter gives you a local angle on global issues. Published monthly, the newsletter features tips and tricks, helpful resources, links to educational webinars, and much more. Click here to subscribe.
You can read past issues on the Environmental Commission’s webpage on the municipal website.
Morris Winter Farmers Market Opens Ninth Season at Venue in Morris Township
The Morris Winter Farmers Market presented by Grow it Green Morristown is back for a ninth season, in an exciting new location for the 2021/2022 winter season. The market is moving to the Convent Train Station parking lot with more space, more vendors, greater access and more free parking. The market will be open from 9:30 am – 1 pm on Sundays until March 27, 2022. Read more about this on the Morristown Green news service HERE.
Other Helpful Information
- The 200 Club of Morris County’s Scholarship Program
This scholarship provides assistance to high school seniors entering college or a post-high school educational or vocational school program. Eligibility is limited to high school seniors who volunteer as a first aid squad/EMS department member or who volunteer as a firefighter in a fire department in Morris County, or whose parent/guardian is actively serving in or retired from first-responder agencies in Morris County. You can find more info HERE
- Sign up for Morris Township’s “Municipal Messenger”
In order to keep updated with news and information related to Morris Township, I encourage everyone to sign up for “Municipal Messenger” email notifications by clicking here:
https://www.morristwp.com/915/Municipal-Messenger
The Municipal Messenger is an invaluable tool to receive important information from the municipality.
Upcoming Township Committee Meetings
This month’s Regular Meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 19.
Looking ahead, next month’s Regular Meeting of 2022 will take place on Wednesday, February 16.
Contact Jeff…
I will continue to communicate with the public by e-newsletter on a periodic basis. However, if you ever have a question or an issue you would like to discuss, feel free to contact me by e-mail. I will respond to e-mails sent to Jeff@JeffGrayzel.com.
Please feel free to forward this e-mail news on to others. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to future issues, please have them contact me at Jeff@JeffGrayzel.com
Please remember: Stay SAFE by continuing to WEAR A MASK whenever you are in a crowded indoor location!
Your neighbor,
Jeff
Disclaimer: This is a personal communication from Jeff Grayzel and does not represent an official communication from our local government or any other local authority.
© 2022 - Jeff Grayzel
1/18/22
|
