PARSIPPANY — During the January 19, 2016 Parsippany-Troy Hills Town Council meeting, mixed between routine resolutions, was the confirmation for Mayor Barberio’s re-appointment of engineering firm Adams, Rehmann & Heggan Associates (ARH).  While most members of the public in attendance paid little attention to the vote, ARH was ousted by the Council by a vote of 2-2 with one abstention.

ARH came to prominence during the 2015 Republican Primary after Parsippany Focus uncovered that the firm had donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Super-PAC America’s Future First.  It was later learned that America’s Future First was created in order to try to oust Councilman Paul Carifi, Jr., from office by spending nearly $200,000 on the June 2015 primary supporting Mike dePierro, Loretta Gragnani, and Vincent Ferrara.

Paul Carifi, Jr., came in first place in the race and Vincent Ferrara lost the primary.

Parsippany Focus made several unsuccessful attempts to contact ARH for comment.

PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council approved a “Person-to-Person” transfer of a Plenary Retail Consumption Liquor License on Tuesday, January 19.

The license was previously owned by Ruby Tuesday (inactive Pocket License) and is being transferred to 1515, LLC. The owners of the property of 1515 Route 10 plan to build a total of 45,000 square feet of restaurant space and will most likely need a liquor license on the site.  The Ruby Tuesday license was the only available license in Parsippany.

In April 2015, the Township Council voted on a resolution to designate 1515 Route 10 (Lot 1.2, Block 200) as an Redevelopment Area pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-1 et seq.

In the proposed development it contemplates a 50-room hotel, 90,700 square feet of retail space, 45,000 square feet of restaurant space, 61,500 square feet of office space and 180 one bedroom units and 62 two bedroom units.

The project is projected to generate revenues of approximately $1.6 million annually that are anticipated to accrue to Parsippany Township, which is close to 2.5 times greater than the existing revenues.

According to their proposal the residential development is projected to generate 410 new residents including 12 school-age children. This reflects the number of total units and the number of proposed bedrooms within the project.

An affiliate of Stanbery Development, LLC and the developer/owner of The Shoppes at Union Hill in Denville acquired the complex.

PARSIPPANY — The appointment of Parsippany resident Khaled Madin as Acting Township Clerk passed by a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Michael dePierro casting the lone vote against Madin.

Councilman Michael dePierro voted no, saying he was not part of the process of selecting a clerk to replace Yancy Wazirmas, who left the position in the fall. Business administrator Ellen Sandman has covered the clerk’s duties in the interim. Paul Carifi, Jr., the previous Council President formed a search committee and Vice President Robert Peluso and Louis Valori were appointed to the search committee.

“We did have a number of certified township clerks that applied, we had one local applicant that applied, one applicant that was a former deputy clerk in town, so we had fully certified people that were willing to take this job,” dePierro said. “And yet we hired someone who had no certifications and no experience as municipal clerk. I’m opposed to that.”

Councilman Paul Carfi stated “I would like to congratulate Mr. Madin. I am sure he will do a great job as our town clerk and I look forward to working with him.”

Khaled, who is currently employed at the Office of the Attorney General, Division of Consumer Affairs, will take the reins effective Monday, January 25.  He has been with the Attorney Generals Office since September 2012. Prior to that he was an associate attorney at the Law Office of Peter C. Ioannou.

He is a 2005 graduate of William Paterson College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a 2012 Graduate of Western Michigan Cooley Law School with a Juris Doctor, Cum Laude.

He is admitted to the bar in three states: New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Council Vice President Robert Peluso pointed out, “Khaled has a  strong customer service background, has managed four boards with over 39,500 licenses and has managed a staff of ten people.”

“After an exhaustive search we identified an ideal candidate for the Municipal Clerk position.  Mr. Madin has diverse experience from his previous employment as Executive Director with the Division of Consumer Affairs, as a licensed attorney in three states, and a front office manager working directly with the public. His skills and education are important, but equally important is his exceptional customer service skills that are sometimes ignored in the public sector. Mr. Madin, a graduate from Parsippany School District and resident understanding our diverse community.  I am confident that Mr. Madin will provide responsive leadership for our entire community,”  said Mr. Peluso.

Khaled said “I believe my legal background, management skills and administrative experience, particularly my familiarity with working with the public, fit well with the job requirements. I have extensive experience in many of Municipal Clerk duties, including but not limited to all aspects of licensure and permits for four State of New Jersey Boards, handling Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) requests, issuing public notification of all official activities and meetings, preparing minutes and agendas, maintaining and updating records and responding to requests for information from the public and other legislative offices.”

Madin will replace Business Administrator Ellen Sandman who has been acting clerk since September 2015 when Township Clerk Yancy Wazirmas resigned.

The Township Clerk serves as Secretary to the Township Council, Custodian of Government Records, Election Official and Registrar of Vital Statistics.

Mayor James Barberio failed to respond for comments for this story.

PARSIPPANY — Residents of Parsippany and surrounding communities can receive low-cost, high-quality medical care from Zufall Health the first and third Tuesdays of each month at NewBridge Services in the Troy Office Centre on Route 46.

NewBridge, a nonprofit provider of counseling services, housing and educational programs, has partnered with Zufall Health, a fully licensed, Federally Qualified Health Center to bring Zufall’s Highlands Health Van to Parsippany.

“We are proud to partner with Zufall to make primary medical care and counseling services convenient and affordable in the community,” NewBridge CEO Robert L. Parker said.

“There’s great mutual respect between Zufall and NewBridge,’’ Zufall President and CEO Eva Turbiner said. “We believe that integrating primary medical and behavioral health brings benefits for all,” she said. “This patient-centered, collaborative approach is designed to improve health outcomes.”

The 37-foot van, staffed by an advanced practice nurse and other medical professionals, has two exam rooms and an intake/waiting area. Zufall performs checkups, treats illnesses and injury, does preventive care, offers health education and counseling, and makes referrals to specialists.

Medicaid, Medicare, Family Care, and private insurances are accepted, and patients without insurance pay on a sliding scale based on income. Appointments are available between 12:00 Noon and 5:00 p.m. and walk-ins are welcome.

“I don’t have a regular physician, but I wanted to get a physical,” said Daniel Buckley, a NewBridge client who had an appointment at the van last month. “Everyone here is so nice, and I got what I needed,’’ Buckley said.

NewBridge opened its large, centralized Parsippany center in August to better serve Morris County residents. Located near the crossroads of routes 80 and 287, the 15,320-square-foot space  has 20 counseling rooms and spacious group therapy rooms, as well as a drop-in center for clients. It’s also the new home of NewBridge Jobs Plus, a free program that has helped more than 3,000 young adults earn their high school diplomas and prepare for careers.

The NewBridge center has the capacity to serve residents quickly, so they don’t have to endure long waiting lists to get the care they need, Parker said.

Zufall has been providing high-quality, affordable, compassionate medical and dental care to patients at locations in Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon, Warren, Somerset, and Essex counties for more than 25 years.
Residents can schedule an appointment for the Zufall van by visiting NewBridge’s Parsippany center at 1259 Route 46, Building 2, or by calling (973) 316-9333. The program is supported by a grant from Johnson & Johnson corporation.