PARSIPPANY — Michael L. Strumolo, 65, longtime resident of Lake Hiawatha passed away on Saturday, October 21 at St. Clares Hospital in Denville.
Mike was born in Orange and moved to Lake Hiawatha in 1956 where he has lived all of his life.
He owned and operated Hiawatha Towing in Lake Hiawatha for many years.
Mike was a councilman in Parsippany for many years as well as past chairman of the Parsippany Republican County Committee and a former member of the Parsippany Board of Education.
He was a member of Saint Peter the Apostle R.C. Church in Parsippany.
Mike was predeceased by his parents, John Sr. and Anna Marie (nee-DeJohn) Strumolo.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy (nee-Passalaqua ); his son, Matthew; his brothers: John Jr., Louis P. and his wife, Debbie; his sister, Anna Marie Ocascio and her husband, Julio; his nephews: Joey and Louie; Michael is also survived by his 3 sister-in-laws, brother-in-law and their families.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 26 from the Par-Troy Funeral Home. 95 Parsippany Road. With the Liturgy of Christian Burial to be offered at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Peter the Apostle R.C. Church, 179 Baldwin Road. Entombment: Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Funeral Home.
PARSIPPANY — GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) property located at 1500 Littleton Road was sold on October 6, for $8,500,000.00. The deed was recorded at the Morris County Recording Office on October 18.
The sign leading onto the property has the name taped over in white tapeThe main entrance of the building. The sign has white tape covering the letteringThe orange barricades were at the entrance to block off visitors last week, then removed and put in the back of the building not to draw attention to the sale of the property
The buyer is listed as Parsippany Littleton, LLC. The office address is listed as 820 Morris Turnpike, Short Hills. (click here to view corporate formation)
The property consists of all the land together with the appurtenances thereto, being known as Block 181, Lot 19 on the Tax Map of the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills.
According to property tax information (as of January 10, 2016) listed with the State of New Jersey Transparency Center, the land is listed as 25.950 acres, with a property class of Commercial. The land value was listed at $10,435,000 and the building value was listed at $12,713,200 for a total of $23,148,200. The annual property tax $665,000.00 is listed on the Parsippany-Troy Hills website.
Zygi Wilf
Also listed at the address of 820 Morris Avenue is Garden Homes. Garden Homes is owned in part or wholly by Zygi Wilf. Zygi Wilf is the Owner/Chairman of the Minnesota Vikings (click here for additional details).
Wilf joined the family business and became head of one of the company’s affiliates, Garden Commercial Properties. Wilf has grown the company from four shopping centers in Northern New Jersey to over a hundred properties, including several large malls. In addition to the commercial properties, the Garden companies also own and manages 90,000 apartment units around the country. In Parsippany, Garden Communities consists of Powdermill Heights, Knoll Gardens, Mill Run at Parsippany, Redstone Gardens, Ridgeview Gardens, Redstone Apartments, Vail Gardens and Westgate Apartments.
Garden Homes is also involved with Forge Pond, a new townhouse development with a price tag ranging from $435,000 to $535,000; Puddingstone Ridge, single family homes with a price tag of approximately $825,000; In Budd Lake, Lakeview Homes, single family homes with a price tag of approximately $600,000; In Fairfield, The Reserve at Fairfield, with homes ranging from $829,000 to $1,014,000. Mazdabrook Commons is listed as one of their past projects.
Other projects of Garden Homes is located in Bergen, Essex, Monmouth, Morris, Somerset, Warren Counties and Hartford Connecticut.
Garden Communities offers apartment rentals throughout New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. They offer 1, 2 or 3 bedroom units, studios, townhouses/duplexes, luxury apartment rentals, affordable housing or 55+ active adult communities. Their properties offer residents access to extensive shopping, entertainment, the best schools in the area and recreational activities for all ages.
Garden Commercial Properties also is listed at 820 Morris Avenue. Some of the properties in that portfolio include Parsippany’s Arlington Plaza, among over a dozen other shopping centers in New Jersey. Rutgers Village, Powder Mill East Shopping Center, and Powder Mill West Shopping Centers are part of Pineview Homes, which is a subsidiary of the Wilf empire.
The Carriage House’s structure was saved by former Mayor Michael Luther and Mimi Letts
This former GSK site, located at 1500 Littleton Road in Parsippany-Troy Hills, was originally the site of a country estate called Spring Side built in 1877 by Peter H. Ballantine. Ballantine descended from the owners of a successful brewery in Newark, which was known for its famous Ballantine beer.
During the latter half of the nineteenth century, this area housed country homes for many of the wealthiest families in New York and New Jersey.
At this time, it was common practice amongst the wealthy to have a summer residence in the country to escape the heat and dirt of the big cities. According to reports, Isabelle Ballantine, Peter’s widow, was the last member of her family to use the mansion as a residence.
When she died in 1946, the estate passed to her nephew, Congressman Peter Frelinghuysen, who then sold it to a developer and used a portion of the property to build the Sedgefield neighborhood. These are the residential properties that now border the GSK site.
The Texas-US Chemical Company purchased 26 acres of the property in the late 50s, and used the mansion as office space while they built a new research and development building. The mansion was demolished in 1962. The original office building, now called Building A, housed GSK’s main reception lobby.
In 2010, the Carriage House’s structure was in disrepair and in danger of collapsing. GSK conducted a study to determine the feasibility of repairing and restoring the structure. Following the study, approval to convert the building into a training center was granted, and Phase 1— the structural stabilization of the building— began in 2011. The interior renovation was completed in 2013, and the Carriage House Training Center officially opened on July 15, 2013.
The Carriage House, gazebo and stone wall running along Littleton Road are all that remain from the Ballantine estate. The original carriage house door location was converted into the new main entrance, which includes a steel and glass vestibule enclosed behind reproduction barn doors. A timber found in the first floor framing had the scribed date of “1803”. As a tribute to the original historical elements of the building, the “1803” barn beam was re-used above the entry to the main training space. The original wood from the Carriage House was removed, refinished and re-installed where possible throughout the building. The Carriage House’s old stables serve as accessible toilet facilities. The toilet stalls are in the location of the original horse stalls. The exposed trusses of the main training space are the original structure of the Carriage House. They remain exposed to capture the historical essence of the space.
The future of the property remains in the developer’s hands.
In 2016, Parsippany Focus reported Mack-Cali is repurposing office buildings in the Mack-Cali Office Complex, which is located diagonally across the street. Focus was told by a representative of Mack-Cali, “Apparently, 1633 Littleton is being repurposed. Nothing on the other property.” (Editors note: The other property in question is Two Campus Drive, which is vacant and directly behind 1633 Littleton Road.) Roseland Residential Trust, Mack-Cali’s multi-family subsidiary, acquired Two Campus Drive in Mack-Cali’s Business Campus for approximately $5.5 million. The strategic acquisition will pave the way for the execution of the mixed-use master plan for the Campus in Parsippany. Click here to read full story.
PARSIPPANY — Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills announced the annual “Trunk or Treat” will be held on Tuesday, October 31 at Veteran’s Memorial Park from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
They are providing a safe and fun place for Parsippany children to “Trick or Treat.” The children will go trunk to trunk instead of door to door!
Decorate your vehicle and join in the fun!
For admission and registration information:
• Admission is NOT FREE. No registration needed: You MUST bring at least 1 bag of candy per child with at least 50 individually factory sealed treats to the event. Candy donations will be used to resupply vehicle registrants with candy so all children participating will receive candy.
• Due to the high demand of participants in 2016, any participants that arrive without the candy admission fee will be asked to leave and come back once they have the candy.
• Parking: Behind Houlihan’s ONLY. There will be no “Trick or Treater’s” parking within Veterans Park. Please follow “Event Parking” Signs.
• Handicap Parking: Handicap Parking will be provided at Veterans Park. Please proceed to the entrance of the Park and have your State Issued Handicap Parking Placard visible and staff will direct you to the correct lot.
• Trick or Treater’s will walk down the path from the event parking lot, cross the bridge into the park and hand in candy to receive their wristband and walk to the lot to participate. Follow Signs.
If you are participating with your vehicle:
• No Fee.
• MUST register online at pthreconline.com or at the Recreation Department Office by Thursday, October 26 by 4:30 p.m..
• Event Check in – 3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. only.
• Vehicles will NOT be allowed in after 3:45 p.m.
• Vehicles MUST remain until the end of the event. Once the Police notify us of the all clear, vehicles will be allowed to leave.
• Be sure to decorate your vehicle as much as possible!
• Reminder: If your child is participating, you must have at least ONE bag of at least 50 individually factory sealed treats per child.
• During the event, staff will be distributing treats to replenish your supply of candy with the donations from the trick or treaters.
To my former neighbors and commercial property owners, the biggest scam perpetrated by Mayor Barbiero has been the transfer of monies from the sewer surplus ($7,000,000 to $8,000,000) to the Township General Operating Fund.
As you know for seven years I have expressed my consternation about this theft. I held a petition signing at town hall in April 2011 and I contacted state officials, because clearly Mayor Barbiero is circumventing the 2% tax cap.
Remember 11 years ago, there was a 52% increase in sewer charges and a $25,000,000 bond issuance? When Barbiero ran for mayor three years after that increase went into effect his campaign flyer “Light At the End of the Tunnel” referenced that 52% sewer rate increase by the previous administration and implied he would offer relief. Since then the Mayor saw the pot of gold and could not stop from helping himself to it.
Well, two months ago I had an epiphany, “What about starting a class action lawsuit?” The case would hinge on the fact that the invoices sent to sewer ratepayers does not state that the payments would be used for sewer charges AND the general operating fund! I believe there is a real case there.
We, the users, have been scammed for seven years and no matter how Mayor Barbiero spins it this transfer is wrong.
What happens 5-10 years from now when the sewer treatment plant needs an upgrade or major repairs, where will the money be? It is the equivalent of someone saving over time to pay for house repairs but instead taking all the money to Atlantic City and gambling it away, then having to get a bank loan to pay for the repairs. You’re too smart for that right? Well apparently Barberio isn’t. Or maybe he’s doing what he needs to do to feed the bloated government he’s created while still conning residents into believing he hasn’t increased their taxes.
Oh by the way, the problems Barberio has created are already starting to cost residents money. In the 2017 Budget, the mayor bonded (took out a long-term loan) for $10,000,000 money you’ll be paying back.
Wake-up Parsippany! You’ve been fleeced. Montville, which uses Parsippany sewer treatment services is threatening OR has filed a lawsuit to be reimbursed for the money diverted from the sewer fund. Don’t let this administration continue to rob you. Get out on November 7 and vote.
PARSIPPANY — Mr. Roberto Peon, 86, Parsippany, was traveling on Route 46 and entered the intersection of Baldwin Road (on either a green/amber signal) when it struck a vehicle driven by Mr. Fabian Martinez, 36, Parsippany, who was traveling on Baldwin Road and crossing over Route 46.
Witnesses at the scene state that Mr. Martinez failed to observe the traffic light and the collision occurred due to driver inattention.
Both drivers were transported to area hospitals, and both vehicles were towed from the scene by Eagle Towing.
Mr. Peon was driving a 2003 Hyundai Elantra, and Mr. Martinez was driving a 1997 Mercedes E32.
No summons were issued at the time of the report.
The 2003 Hyundai Elantra was towed from the scene by Eagle Towing.The 1997 Mercedes E32 was towed from the scene by Eagle Towing.
In September, Money Magazine came out with its “Best Places to Live in America” list. Shockingly, Parsippany has lost significant ground, going from #5 to #33 in just one short year. Having been on the Money Magazine list at least five times going back to 2008, this is the worst rating the township ever has been given.
Some of the factors used to judge the best places to live are fixed and do not change from year to year. Parsippany is fortunate to be located at the crossroads of three major interstate highways, giving residents easy access to jobs, and as the largest municipality in Morris County, Parsippany contains an abundance of parks, golf courses, local theaters, restaurants, shopping options and recreation.
Other factors, however, vary from year to year. So where has Parsippany lost ground? It’s hard to pinpoint given the data provided.
According to Money Magazine, this year the greatest weight was put on economic health, cost of living factors, and public school performance. In order to understand Parsippany from a resident’s point of view, the magazine sent reporters out to neighborhoods to interview people about quality of life issues that can’t be determined by statistics. Perhaps the burden of ongoing lawsuits, which could effect not only the cost of living but an overall feeling of unrest in the township contributed to its crashing numbers.
“All I ever see in the paper and online is lawsuits and fighting within our local government, employees suing the town, development, like Waterview that nobody seems to want. I don’t feel that anyone is steering the town in a direction that residents want.”
PARSIPPANY — Rockaway Meadow School hosted a “Fall Festival” on Saturday, October 21.
The event started at 11:00 a.m. and ended at 3:00 p.m. at Rockaway Meadow School. There was a few dozen vendors, food, face painting and glitter tattoos, games crafts and inflatables.
Rockaway Meadow Fall Festival
1 of 10
Parsippany Phoenix Lacrosse team
Robert Peluso having fun on the slide
Laney Newell, 2, was having fun in the pumpkin patch
Landon Weiss making homemade folded book art
Jack Lips and Gianluca Fernicola, serving pizza from Parsippany's Best Pizza
Allie, 9, enjoying the beautiful day
Laura Lakshmi, LuLa Roe Fashions
Cathryn Smith, 8 and Bella Suppa, 7, informing the public on Bullying and selling items for Mallorys Army
PARSIPPANY — With only 16 days away to the General Election, you will have many visitors ringing your doorbell. On this warm Indian Summer day, The Petersons, were seen roaming around Lake Parsippany ringing the doorbells of area residents. Emily Peterson is a candidate for Township Council.
Peterson is on the Democratic ticket along with Janice McCarthy for Council and Michael Soriano for Mayor.
Get out and vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 7.
PARSIPPANY — On Wednesday, October 11 at approximately 8:45 p.m. Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department was dispatched to M & T Bank, 240 Baldwin Road on a burglar alarm. Upon arrival they discovered the big glass window was shattered.
Parsippany Rescue and Recovery was dispatched to the scene to board up the window. The premises were all secure.
Parsippany Rescue and Recovery was dispatched to M&T, 240 Baldwin Road to board up the window
PARSIPPANY — Northvail Elementary Girl Scout Troop 96713 has been very busy learning about politics and our local government in preparation for their work in earning their Bronze awards.
On Sunday, October 14, a number of the girls participated in Camp United Nations for Girls, a program sponsored by Girls in Politics in NYC. At this camp, the girls spent the day immersed in the work of the United Nations. There they learned about the history of the United Nations; its purpose, structure, leadership and rules of procedure. As part of the program, each girl was assigned a country, conducted research and wrote a position paper regarding issues relevant to their assigned country. They wrapped up the day with the General Assembly convening delegates presenting speeches, negotiating with the other delegates, caucus and proposing resolutions along with amendments.
Then, on Wednesday, October 18, Mayor James Barberio met with the entire troop to share his own experiences regarding what it is like to be Mayor. The girls were excited to hear about his interest in helping the community in which he grew up, the challenges the position entails; as well as, issues for which the troop might consider providing aid. At the end of the evening, the girls left feeling inspired to get to work on their project.
Mayor James Barberio met with the Girl Scout Troop
Dear Editor:
