Parsippany Awarded $20,000 for Sustainable Energy Project

Frank L. Cahill
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Parsippany Awarded $20,000 for Sustainable Energy Project

PARSIPPANY — Sustainable Jersey announced that the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills has been awarded a $20,000 Sustainable Jersey grant funded by the Gardinier Environmental Fund. Two $20,000 grants and seven $10,000 grants will be distributed to support proposals for implementing innovative energy projects. Projects range from planning and implementation for energy efficiency and sustainable energy systems to exciting educational projects such as the installation of a solar/wind power streetlight and a school greenhouse demonstrating energy and water-saving design. Most of the projects selected also include comprehensive community engagement, education and outreach components that help ensure that lessons learned and benefits from the project are widely shared.”

“Sustainable Jersey, the Gardinier Environmental Fund, our citizen Green Team, and our administration have done tremendous work to bring sustainability and environmental protection to the forefront in Parsippany,” said Mayor Michael Soriano. “In pledging to continue our Township’s movement towards sustainable practices, Parsippany is working to lead by example on these important issues for the region. This grant will assist our town tremendously in making sustainability in Parsippany a reality.”

“There is growing momentum to make 2021 the action year for sustainable energy,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “Energy efficiency in buildings, renewable energy, sustainable cooling and heating, and electric vehicles are key to New Jersey’s future. The grant recipients demonstrate leadership and a commitment to advancing climate action.”

“The Gardinier Environmental Fund is committed to conserving the Earth’s energy resources and enhancing renewable energy measures,” said Gene Wentzel, president of the Gardinier Environmental Fund. “We are proud to stand alongside Sustainable Jersey and to continue to fund worthy projects that support our mutual goals in New Jersey.”

Since 2009, Sustainable Jersey has distributed over $5.9 million in grants to participating municipalities and school districts to help make their communities more livable, environmentally friendly, and prosperous.

Known as The Crossroads of Northern New Jersey, Parsippany is the largest municipality in Morris County, with over 53,000 residents and counting. Adopting sustainable and environmentally conscious practices to address climate issues could have considerable impacts on adoption by other municipalities in the region. Increased focus on sustainable living has shown improvements to community health, neighborhood aesthetics, and many other higher standards to living.

About Sustainable Jersey
Sustainable Jersey provides tools, training, and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. Currently, 81 percent or 457 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities are participating in the municipal certification program and 356 school districts and 978 schools are participating in Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification program. Website: www.SustainableJersey.com; www.SustainableJerseySchools.com

Rainbow Lakes Volunteer Fire Company Fish and Chips was a success

Frank L. Cahill
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Rainbow Lakes Volunteer Fire Company Fish and Chips was a success

PARSIPPANY — Rainbow Lakes Volunteer Fire Company’s District 2 annual fish and chips fundraising event held on Friday, February was a success despite the challenges of COVID-19.

They had changes and challenges due to COVID safety concerns but they achieved their financial goals, served 290 hot fish meals and 70 tasty chicken dinners without delay in two hours.

Thank you to the staff of Argyles for preparing the meals, the Parsippany Health Department, and Fire Prevention Bureau for your assistance in ensuring the safety, and most importantly to the volunteers from the Rainbow Lakes Volunteer Fire Company who made this event possible.

If you want to be part of this community first responder team visit the firehouse any Monday evening.

Rainbow Lakes Volunteer Fire Department is located at 1 Rainbow Trail, Denville (Parsippany).

Kiwanis Club Prepares Dinner at Homeless Solutions

Frank L. Cahill
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Kiwanis Club Prepares Dinner at Homeless Solutions

MORRIS COUNTY — Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany continues to prepare dinner at Homeless Solutions for the clients.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany President Laura Wohland with Olga Tsiavos and Ron Miller from KW Metropolitan volunteered on Saturday, February 27.

Olga has been a member of the club since October 1, 2020, and has participated in many of the service projects of the club.

Following all COVID-19 protocols, the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany has been serving food at Homeless Solutions and providing food for residents affected by the pandemic.

With a generous donation from Chick-fil-A Morris Plains and food donated by Restaurant Depot, Wohland was able to shop at Costco to purchase the items needed to prepare the dinner.

The guests enjoyed homemade Baked Ziti, Meatballs, Tossed Salad, Fruit Salad, and dessert.

The Kiwanis Club has been providing meals to Homeless Solutions for the past 19 years and has served over 7,000 meals. Members volunteer their time to shop, cook, and serve dinner.

Ron Miller wrapping up dinners for the clients of Homeless Solutions
Olga Tsiavos and Ron Miller from KW Metropolitan

Homeless Solutions, “Providing a Hand Up, Not a HandOUT.” They offer shelter, services, and supportive housing to the homeless and working poor in Morris County, New Jersey.

Interested in learning more about the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany, contact President Laura Wohland, by emailing law4pres@gmail.com. Click here to view the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany website.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany will be participating in a “FREE Food Distribution” on Sunday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m. at Parsippany High School, 309 Baldwin Road.  Interested parties please sign up by clicking here.

DeCroce Bill Requiring State to Stockpile PPE Supplies Advances to Governor

Frank L. Cahill
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DeCroce Bill Requiring State to Stockpile PPE Supplies Advances to Governor

PARSIPPANY — A shortage of personal protective equipment at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic proved to be one of the state’s biggest public health challenges. A bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, preventing such a crisis and encouraging equipment manufacturing to increase supplies is making its way to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk.

The Assembly recently voted unanimously in favor of the bill (A4803) that requires the Office of Emergency Management to maintain a stockpile of equipment and establishes an approval process for businesses to transition to manufacturing protective gear.

“Without the proper protective equipment at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, our essential and frontline workers were put in precarious positions,” said DeCroce (R-Morris, Essex, Passaic). “We need to make sure this never happens again by making the process easier for manufacturers to start producing equipment and creating a plan to stockpile critical life-saving equipment.”

Under the bill, the state must create stockpiles of federally-approved equipment and New Jersey Office of Emergency Management-approved equipment. It will also allow the agency to grant approval to businesses to create PPE equipment.

New Jersey manufacturers like Suuchi Inc., a supply chain platform, and Eclipse, which makes mattresses, retooled operations to produce masks, gowns, gloves, and other protective gear during the pandemic. However, many other businesses were not able to transition to making protective equipment due to a lack of federal approval.

“We shouldn’t solely rely on the federal government to approve New Jersey businesses transitioning from manufacturing one type of product to producing much-needed personal protective equipment during emergencies,” said DeCroce. “We have capable and successful manufacturers that can produce those supplies in New Jersey. We should be helping keep them in business so people can stay employed.”

During public health emergencies, equipment in the stockpiles will be made available without charge to the state, municipalities, public schools, non-profit private and charter schools, and state hospitals and nursing homes.

The remainder will be available for purchase by businesses at market or cost price, whichever is higher, and non-profits at 75 percent of the market price or cost price, whichever is higher.

In December, the legislation was passed unanimously in the Senate. It now goes to the governor.

Letter to the Editor: 138 days in office. What’s Happening with LPPOA

Letters to the Editor
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parsippany focusDear Editor:

March 1, 2021, will be 138 days since the new board members were installed, following the September election.
Most of the new additions to the board lived in the lake for years and enjoyed the well-maintained lake’s beauty.  Many of the new board members ran on the platform, stating they could better manage the lake than those involved and committed long-term members. Members who have volunteered for years where no one else would.  The membership voted in favor of this new administration.

Let’s see how they are doing at 138 days in office.
To date: All of the staff has quit.

Two dedicated board members have resigned.

Created instability and propagated divide amongst the board. This was evident when the president gave his last-minute version of the budget.  It appeared to contradict what the board had already agreed to present.  His version was not presented during the board meeting and published in the news and views.

Two thousand twenty-one invoices have not been published or sent. They should have gone out on or about January 1, 2021.

Collections have stopped.

The approved budget is still in jeopardy as the fees presented can’t cover it.

There has been no published plan for badge distribution.

There does not appear to be a plan to replace staff.

No plan to open beaches.

Announced multiple committees. Only one committee has met, according to information reported at board meetings.  Most who have stepped up are long-term members.

Changed the news and views without even mentioning it to the board or the current Editors.

There have been no plans announced to do any repairs.

Water quality and landscaping seem to be the only thing that will continue for this year because there are 2-year contracts from the previous administration.

The redundant answer has been “we are new and learning.” Clearly, this contradicts the platform of “we know how to do it better.”   The LPPOA is a business, and focusing on only one thing is not how a company works.

The member survey results reported to the board were very eye-opening.  It seems all that responded want more offerings but have no interest in helping them become a reality.

Wake up, members. You need to get involved and stay involved, or our community will not survive.

Charlotte O’Connor
Lake Parsippany

Rosemary Becchi Relaunches Jersey 1st

Frank L. Cahill
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Rosemary Becchi Relaunches Jersey 1st

PARSIPPANY — Tax Policy lawyer and advocate Rosemary Becchi relaunched her non-profit advocacy organization Jersey 1st this week, with the goal of creating a voice for New Jerseyans. “I met a lot of hard-working New Jerseyans in the past year and they simply want a voice in our government” explained Becchi Founder of Jersey 1st.

“I talked to business owners, college students, moms, dads, veterans, members of the disabled community, and those who serve in law enforcement. They are all deflated right now- they feel that they have not been heard in Trenton or in Washington DC. The goal of Jersey 1st is to bring people together to advocate for better business policies, lower taxes, in-school learning, support of our law enforcement, and protection of our everyday freedoms. Our Jersey 1st team is rolling up their sleeves and ready to get to work on these issues.”

At the heart of Jersey 1st is its NextGen interns from throughout New Jersey who is dedicated to making a difference. These Jersey 1st interns are working to balance their new internships with their coursework from Seton Hall University, Ramapo College, Rutgers University, Rowan University, University of Michigan, Providence College, James Caldwell High School, Kushner Academy, and Newark Academy. They all share a vision of a new era of activism in New Jersey, with different dialogue. Weekly zoom meetings are centered around policy discussion and brainstorming about ways to promote their views and a new vision of open and non-judgmental dialogue about difficult issues. At the top of their minds right now, is the current remote learning models.

“Too many decisions are being made based on politics and not on science,” said Becchi. “It’s time to open our schools and get our economy going again. New Jerseyans need a voice— a voice to advocate for small businesses, for members of our disabled community, for our children who are suffering by not being able to attend school in person.”

The current economic and political climates present an extraordinary opportunity to capitalize on the momentum of millions of New Jerseyans who feel overtaxed, overregulated, and underrepresented. Jersey 1st recognizes the pivotal timing and the opportunity to effect change in New Jersey and will do so through a grassroots organization, targeted fundraising, effective policy advocacy, and the implementation of a multi-media campaign including a weekly Facebook Live segment on the Jersey 1st Facebook page on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m.

“It’s time to change the narrative of politics today and confront the destructive, hateful cancel culture that does more to divide than unifying. Our problems here in New Jersey are hard – and we need to work together to solve them” said Becchi. “It’s time to put the needs of New Jersey families and businesses first so that the next generation can afford to live in their home state and raise their children here. At the end of the day- that’s our motivation.”

Planning Board to Meet on Monday, March 8

Frank L. Cahill
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Planning Board to Meet on Monday, March 8

PARSIPPANY — Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills Planning Board will hold a meeting on Monday, March 8 starting at 7:30 p.m.

Click here to download the agenda.

Click here to access the meeting.

The approved Complex “The Morrison” Sold Prior to being Constructed

Frank L. Cahill
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The approved Complex “The Morrison” Sold Prior to being Constructed

PARSIPPANY — Accurate Builders and Developers has acquired a site on Cherry Hill Road that is fully approved for the construction of 325 upscale apartments, in a transaction handled by Cushman & Wakefield. The property is located at 100 and 120 Cherry Hill Road and Upper Pond Road and designated as Block 136, Lots 44, and 76 on the Tax Map of the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills.

Plans call for a two-building multifamily project known as The Morrison, with 65 units designated to serve low- and moderate-income renters. This is the former site of BASF, which was demolished about 15-20 years ago. BASF was a 120,000 square foot office building. There was also a prior approval for a 345,000 square foot office building, which was never constructed.

The Parsippany-Troy Hills Planning Board approved on January 6, 2020, to construct two five-story, 56,363-square foot apartment buildings. The buildings would hold a combined total of 325 dwelling units, with 162 dwelling units in one building and 163 in the other building. Twenty percent of the total units would serve as affordable housing.

They also approved the developer to install 608 parking spaces (with an additional 31 spaces to be banked). Of those 608 parking spaces, 268 would be indoors, on the first floor of the two buildings, and the remaining 340 spaces would be uncovered, surface parking.

C&W said each building is designed to provide four levels of residential units over ground-level parking. The site is in the vicinity of parks, lakes, and golf courses, along with retail and grocery stores, and is 10 minutes from downtown Morristown.

The Property is located in the Affordable Housing District 7 zone.

Plans To Open Tommy’s Tavern + Tap In Parsippany is Underway

Frank L. Cahill
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Plans To Open Tommy’s Tavern + Tap In Parsippany is Underway

PARSIPPANY — Plans to open the newest Tommy’s Tavern + Tap location in Parsippany are underway. This would be the first location in Morris County. April 1 is the anticipated opening date.

The restaurant took over the former Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar at 1900 Route 10 at Littleton Road, Parsippany.

At a recent Planning Board meeting, Tommy’s Tavern was approved to construct additional outdoor seating along Littleton Road. This will increase their outdoor seating from 46 to 114 for an additional 68 seats. The new outdoor area consists of  1,428 square feet and only be accessible from the interior of the building.

Tommy’s Tavern was approved to construct additional outdoor seating along Littleton Road

Tommy’s Tavern + Tap offers a variety of menu options including pizza, burgers, sushi, poke bowls along with beer, wine, and specialty drinks.

Other Tommy’s locations can be found in Freehold, Sea Bright, Princeton, Clifton, and Staten Island. They are also planning a location in Bridgewater and Edison.

To apply for a position click here.

 

Former GlaxoSmithKline to be Developed into Assisted Living Facility

Frank L. Cahill
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Former GlaxoSmithKline to be Developed into Assisted Living Facility

PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Planning Board will hear an application submitted by Parsippany Littleton, LLC. (Application No. 20:529) on Monday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. to  construct an inclusionary residential complex consisting of approximately 250 age-restricted multifamily units.

The property located at 1500 Littleton Road, the former Glaxosmithkline building and designated as Block 181, Lot 19 on the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills tax maps.

The Property is currently located in the ROL (Research, Office, and Laboratory) Zone District and the OVL-6 Affordable Housing Overlay Zoning District.

This Application seeks preliminary and final major site plan and variance approvals for the Property to construct an inclusionary residential complex consisting of approximately 250 age-restricted multifamily units (in a total of three buildings).

Parsippany Littleton, LLC., seeks preliminary approval only for an assisted living facility consisting of 120 units (in a single building). The site plan also contains associated site amenities and improvements, on the Property.

The Applicant requires the following variance from the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills Municipal Code (“Code”) for the Application: a variance from Code Section 430-345 to permit the disturbance of 36.1% of areas with 20%-24.99% slopes (where a maximum disturbance of 25% is otherwise permitted) and to permit the disturbance of 35.3% of areas with slopes greater than 25% (where a maximum disturbance of 15% is otherwise permitted). The Property also has certain pre-existing non-conformities which shall remain as part of this Application, including maximum driveway width and minimum side yard buffer. In connection with the Application, they are requesting a major soil movement permit in accordance with the Code requirements.

The meeting will be held virtually can be accessed by the public by clicking here.

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