Project Labor Agreements will Hurt Parsippany Taxpayers and Businesses

Letters to the Editor
-
0

parsippany focusDear Editor:

It may come as a shock for the taxpayers of Morris County to learn that Mayor James Barberio and some of the Parsippany Council are seeking to raise the cost of public works projects and discriminate against local Parsippany businesses and workers.  However, their recent ordinance that mandates costly Project Labor Agreements (PLA’s) will do just that.

This week, Mayor Barbiero introduced an ordinance that would mandate PLA’s on any public works projects exceeding $5 million. Presently, the town has discretion to use PLA’s or allow for open bidding on jobs by local businesses.

This ordinance runs contrary to the values of free enterprise, fair competition, and fiscal conservatism.  Parsippany deserves elected officials who protect taxpayers from such wasteful schemes and monopolies that drive up costs and take hard earned money and opportunities away from local businesses.

Government-mandated PLA’s are project-specific collective bargaining agreements unique to the construction industry, which are typically created without input from nonunion, or “open shop” contractors. PLA’s require contractors to recognize unions as the representatives of their employees on taxpayer-funded construction projects.

Further, they require membership or union fees for all nonunion employees, adherence to union work classification and hiring rules, and contributions to union benefit and multi-employer pension plans, which understandably discourage open shop contractors from bidding on these projects.

PLA’s Negatively Impact:
Stability and Predictability
PLA’s are not necessary to ensuring labor peace; keeping a project safe, on time, budget; or in compliance with laws. Unions leverage the threat of labor unrest to justify PLA’s, yet it has not stopped strikes on prominent PLA projects, calling into question the value of the agreements. Conversely, merit shop workers do not strike, yet are discouraged from working on PLA projects.

Diversity and Local Jobs
PLA’s discriminate against merit shop contractors. This particularly impacts women and minority-owned construction companies whose employees traditionally have been under-represented in unions. According to the BLS, only 26.9% of New Jersey’s private construction workforce is represented by a union, and 98% of minority construction companies are nonunion.

Training and Cost
Participants in both federal and state approved nonunion apprenticeship programs, along with non-registered industry and educational programs, typically cannot work on PLA sanctioned projects. This excludes many professionals from hometown jobs, ignoring a critical workforce pipeline as the industry faces a shortage of skilled labor.

Additionally, studies of taxpayer-funded construction projects, subject to prevailing wage laws, demonstrate PLA’s increase the cost between 12% and 20%, compared to similar projects not subject to PLA mandates by unnecessarily limiting the pool of qualified bidders and mandating inefficient work rules.

PLA’s are unfair because they require union rules which harm nonunion contractors, their employees, and taxpayers who pay the bill for the inefficiencies and higher costs they produce.

Everything about a PLA is averse to the free market mindset, yet we have fiscally conservative elected officials entertaining these agreements after construction labor unions have lined their pockets during election season at the expense of local businesses, women and minorities, Parsippany taxpayers and free enterprise.

Tell Mayor Barberio and the Parsippany Council to reject this ordinance that will raise the cost of public works projects and discriminate against local businesses and workers. E-mail Mayor Barberio and Council at to make your voice heard today.

Mayor: James R. Barberio; jrbarberio@parsippany.net

Council: 
Council President: Michael J. dePierro mdepierro@parsippany.net
Council Vice President: Loretta Gragnani lgragnani@parsippany.net
Paul Carifi, Jr. pcarifijr@parsippany.net
Frank Neglia fneglia@parsippany.net
Justin Musella  jmusella@parsippany.net

Samantha DeAlmeida
President
Associated Builders and Contractors of NJ

 

Zoning Board Denies Application of “Senior Living Facility” on Littleton Road

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Zoning Board Denies Application of “Senior Living Facility” on Littleton Road

PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-TRoy Hills Zoning Board unanimously denied the application of a “Senior Living Facility” to be built on a parcel to be subdivided from the property currently occupied by St. Christopher’s Church. The original application was filed in 2019 by GTP Acquisitions, LLC. The property is also known as Block 166, Lot 96 in a R-1 Zone.

The applicant submitted a Concept Plan/”D” variance for assisted/independent living apartments and cottages and memory care residents.

The local residents were against the project and the neighborhood surrounding the project had hundreds of signs posted
The house at 21 Rita Drive, next to Parsippany Hills High School entrance, was slated to be demolished and become the entrance/exit for the complex until the application was amended to move the entrance and exit onto Littleton Road.

The project was to be called “Thrive at Parsippany” and was proposed to include a total of 156 units (proposed and future). The project was to include 270 parking spots. 4 spots for Handicapped spaces; 205 spots 9′ x 18′ spaces; 19 spots 8′ x 20′ spaces; 21 garages and 21 driveway spaces.

The council chambers were packed with area residents opposing the “Senior Living Facility”

In 2021, the application has been modified and the access to the project has been revised. All ingress and egress shall be from Littleton Road. The previous design showed ingress and egress from Rita Drive. This has been deleted and is no longer a part of this application.

Proposed Senior Independent / Assisted Living Facility
     Assisted / Independent Living
     -One Story, Two Bedroom Cottages = 29 Units
     -One Story, Two Bedroom Cottages with Garages = 21 Units
     Assisted / Independent Living
     -One Bedroom Apartments = 38 Units
     -Two Bedroom Apartments = 12 Units
     Memory Care
     -One Bedroom Apartments = 28 Units
     – One Bedroom Apartments = 28 Units (Future Use)

The applicant agreed to include 20% of the units as Affordable Housing. But the members of the Zoning Board didn’t take that into consideration.

According to corporate documents filed with the State of New Jersey, the registered agent of GTP Acquisitions, LLC, is David J. Weiner, 171 Fifth Avenue, Paterson. Pike Construction Company is also located at the same address. David Weiner is a managing member and principal of Pike Construction Co., LLC and has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of the general contracting and real estate development business. Upon graduating from Hamilton College with a B.A. in Economics, David began his career at Pike in the field as an assistant superintendent, then project superintendent.

The site was surrounded by residential homes, Parsippany Hills High School and St.. Christopher’s Church.

Video: Parsippany-Troy Hills Council Meeting – Tuesday, September 20

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Video: Parsippany-Troy Hills Council Meeting – Tuesday, September 20

PARSIPPANY — Parsippany-Troy Hills Council Meeting held a regular meeting Tuesday, September 20.

Click here to download the agenda.

Click here to download the 2022 agenda schedule.

Mayor and Council

Mayor James R Barberio
Council President Michael J. dePierro
Council Vice-President Loretta Gragnani
Councilman Paul Carifi Jr.
Councilman Frank Neglia
Councilman Justin Musella

Main Street Business Loans Available Soon

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Main Street Business Loans Available Soon

MORRIS COUNTY — The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Board approved a revision to the Main Street Micro Business Loan, removing the requirement for personal guarantees from owners of micro businesses.

The Main Street Micro Business Loan, which succeeds the Micro Business Loan Program established by the NJEDA in 2019, is offered as part of the Main Street Recovery Fund—a $150 million suite of products created or expanded under the Economic Recovery Act of 2020 (ERA), signed by Governor Phil Murphy in 2021. This pilot product will provide financing of up to $50,000 to eligible micro businesses in New Jersey whose annual gross revenues are $1,500,000 or less and have 10 or fewer full-time employees at the time of application and three months prior to the date of application.  The NJEDA will start accepting applications for the program on Thursday, October 6, at 10:00 a.m.

“The Main Street Micro Business Loan will be a tremendous asset for small businesses that are working hard to grow their footprint in the Garden State,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “Removing the barriers to capital for our state’s smallest businesses is another step toward achieving Governor Murphy’s vision for a stronger, fairer economy, as more micro business owners will now have access to the financing they need to create more family-sustaining jobs and economic opportunities.”

Eligible for-profit and nonprofit businesses registered to do business in New Jersey, including home-based businesses, can apply for financing from the $20 million in funds allocated from the Main Street Recovery Fund to cover future operating expenses only such as inventory, rent, payroll, equipment (that does not require installation or construction work totaling more than $1,999.99), or any other working capital expense to fund business operating expenses. The loan will have a standard 10-year term and the interest rate will be two percent, with no interest and no payments due for the first year.

The Main Street Micro Business Loan has a substantial forgivable component as it helps reduce the burden on micro business owners who already have limited access to capital. Under program rules, the borrower is required to make payments from year two to the end of year five. To qualify for loan forgiveness, the applicant must have made their loan payments as identified in their loan agreement with no delinquency of more than 90 days, have no current default, be able to certify that they have used the loan for approved purposes only, and that they are still open and operating as detailed in the loan agreement.

To ensure equitable and inclusive access to the Main Street Micro Business Loan, of the $20 million in total funding available, $8 million will be set aside to support eligible entities located in New Jersey Opportunity Zone-eligible census tracts.

Eligibility requirements for micro businesses interested in applying for this program include:

  • Must have less than $1.5 million in annual gross revenue for the most current fiscal year (to the extent the business has annual revenues)
  • Must have no more than 10 full-time employees at the time of application and three months prior to application
  • Must be legally registered to do business in New Jersey, with a business location (including a home office) in New Jersey
  • Must have been formed at least six months prior to the date of application.
  • Must be in good standing with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection at the time of application
  • Must provide a current tax clearance certificate prior to approval to demonstrate the applicant is in good standing with the NJ Division of Taxation

The Main Street Micro Business Loan will not require collateral, as the underwriting criteria will be based solely on credit score. Only not-profit organizations will need to be fully underwritten and required to meet a 1.0 debt service coverage ratio. For all other for-profit entities, at least one owner must have a credit score of 600 or greater to be considered eligible. Personal guarantees from owners or principals are not required.

Applications for the Main Street Micro Business Loan will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date/time at which the Authority receives the completed application. Past recipients of the Micro Business Loan Program are eligible to apply for the Main Street Micro Business Loan.  Due to the favorable terms of this product only one application per EIN is allowed.

The NJEDA will host an information session on the Main Street Micro Business Loan on Monday, September 26, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. To register for this online session, click here.

For more information on the Main Street Micro Business Loan and the application process click here.

Ghost Walks Return, Haunting Historic Mount Tabor

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Ghost Walks Return, Haunting Historic Mount Tabor

PARSIPPANY — Mt. Tabor ARTs Collaborative annual ghost walks return on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15. The tour takes the daring throughout the neighborhood. Guides tell the area’s ghost stories, while actors portray entities inside the local homes.

Each walking tour lasts about 40 minutes, with time slots available from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (last tour begins at 9:30 p.m.) both days.

The organization advises people to purchase tickets in advance by clicking here. But card readings, horror makeup and horror mini-shoots will be available for purchase at the walks via cash, PayPal and Venmo.

Tours begin at the Tabernacle, 26 Simpson Avenue and begins every 15 minutes.

Vote for Julio Tatis of PHHS for the Morris/Sussex Football Player of the Week

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Vote for Julio Tatis of PHHS for the Morris/Sussex Football Player of the Week

PARSIPPANY — Julio Tatis of the Parsippany Hills Vikings is nominated for Morris/Sussex player of the week.  The winner will be decided after voting closes on Thursday, September 21 at 6:00 p.m. Julio is a Sophomore, Graduating in 2024 and is 5’9″ 160 pounds.

Julio is a Running Back for PHHS. He rushed 22 times for 149 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-14 win over Montville on Friday night. Tatis rushed for three of those touchdowns in the first half to grow a 35-7 halftime lead. Tatis also had an interception on defense for the 2-1 Vikings in their opener within the SFC Liberty Blue.

You can vote for Julio by clicking here.

Letter to the Editor: Lake Hiawatha Library New Building Project

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Letter to the Editor: Lake Hiawatha Library New Building Project

Dear Editor:

I would like to alert all Parsippany residents that our Town Council is facing a decision right now that will affect the quality of our lives for years to come.

In 2020, the Parsippany Library System was awarded a three million dollar New Jersey State Library Construction Bond Grant to build a new library in Lake Hiawatha. Matching funds were approved by Town Council and architectural plans were completed.

But COVID arrived at just the wrong time, causing the cost of construction to increase.

So, after exploring every other option available, Library Director Melissa Kuzma asked the Town to increase its share of the funding. She is currently waiting for an answer. As anyone who has been in the Lake Hiawatha Library knows, the building is very heavily used. The building is also falling apart and does not meet current construction code in multiple areas. It needs a new roof, fire alarms, and heating and air conditioning systems. But perhaps more important, the building’s design limits the ability of the staff to provide the services that are basic to a 21st Century Library. Adults and children in Lake Hiawatha will be left behind without these services.

I know that our Mayor and Town Council try their best to keep the tax burden on our community as low as possible. But I also believe that if our residents knew what was happening, they would tell them to do the practical thing, accept the grant funds, and build a Library that will have a positive effect on Parsippany for years to come. The opportunity to obtain one of these library grants is only offered every twenty years, and there is a waiting list of towns who want the money if we turn it down. In addition, costly repairs will still have to be made, but without the grant.

If you care about this issue, please let our Mayor and Town Council members know by speaking at a meeting or by contacting them. Their emails and phone numbers can be found by Clicking here.

If you would like more extensive information, a copy of Melissa Kuzma’s presentation to Town Council is available on the Lake Hiawatha Library Page of the Friends Website by clicking here.

I would guess that no elected official wants to be remembered for an expensive and short sighted decision, but they cannot know what you are thinking unless you speak up.

Peggy Smith
President, Friends of Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library

Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting 09-21-2022

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting 09-21-2022

PARSIPPANY — Zoning Board of Adjustment Meets 09-21-2022.

Click here to download the agenda.

Click here to download the Regular agenda.

Paul DeGroot Renews Debate Challenge to Mikie Sherrill: “It’s Been Over Two Months”

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Paul DeGroot Renews Debate Challenge to Mikie Sherrill: “It’s Been Over Two Months”

PARSIPPANY — Former Passaic County prosecutor and Republican nominee for Congress in NJ-11, Paul DeGroot, has renewed his debate challenge to Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill. He is calling for a series of debates, starting whenever Congresswoman Sherrill will make herself available. Paul DeGroot is willing to participate in a debate in each county in the district. He first publicly challenged Mikie Sherrill to a debate on July 12, 2022.

Paul DeGroot said “Mikie Sherrill, get off your mansion’s tennis court and face the voters. Congresswoman Sherrill is running from her record and using her millions to spread lies. She votes with Biden and Pelosi 99% of the time. With hard-working Americans STILL struggling from the pump to the grocery store, it’s past time for accountability. We still have no SALT relief, but she has continued relief from her stock trades…for which she has been fined. Crime is still high in CD11. That clearly doesn’t affect Money Mikie in her mansion, because she’s shown no interest in discussing it. It’s been over two months since I proposed one debate, at a minimum, in each county throughout the 11th. As I first said 70 days ago, voters deserve to hear where we stand on the issues and on our records. The Congresswoman seems to care more about lying to her constituents than debating me in front of voters.”

New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District consists of: For the 113th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2010 Census), the district contains all or portions of four counties and 54 municipalities.

Essex County: Bloomfield (part; also 10th), Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Montclair (part; also 10th), North Caldwell, Nutley, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell, West Orange (part; also 10th).

Morris County: Boonton Town, Boonton Township, Butler, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Denville, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Montville, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Morristown Town, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock, Randolph Township, Riverdale, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township and Victory Gardens.

Passaic County: Bloomingdale, Little Falls, North Haledon, Pompton Lakes, Totowa, Wanaque, Wayne and Woodland Park.

Sussex County: Byram Township, Hopatcong, Ogdensburg, Sparta Township and Stanhope.

Home Run Derby Competition to be Held at First Responder Day

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Home Run Derby Competition to be Held at First Responder Day

HANOVER TOWNSHIP — The 200 Club of Morris County announced that it will be holding a Home Run Derby Competition that will be open to the public at their First Responders Day on Saturday, September 24.

The event will begin with qualifying rounds at 1:00 p.m. The finals will be held at 4:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Morris/Sussex Sports.

You may be able to sign up on the day of the event, but in order to ensure a spont email Tom Ace Gallagher directly with all of your contact information to acegallagher@gmail.com.

The 200 Club of Morris County is hosting this inaugural event which will bring together first responders, their families, and members of communities throughout Morris County for a day of friendly competitions and fun for kids of all ages.

The event will be held on Saturday, September 24 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Whippany Park High School, 165 Whippany Road, Whippany.

1...168169170...1,163Page 169 of 1,163