PARSIPPANY — In May 2010, owners of a home on Pigeon Hill Road in the Powder Mill section of Parsippany, contacted Town Hall to report that water was flowing onto their property and flooding their backyard. When an employee of the Township’s Engineering Department came to their home to investigate their complaints, he performed a test strip on the water. The homeowner claims the test strip revealed the presence of chlorine.

After conducting the test strip, the Engineering Department ordered the Township’s Water Department to shut off the main water supply to Pigeon Hill Road and nearby Skyview Terrace. However, the Water Department identified no problems or breaks in the water lines and turned the main water line back on.

The following month, with flooding continuing onto their property, the homeowner once again contacted the Engineering Department but was advised that further testing revealed that in actuality, no chlorine was found in the water on the property and the water in the yard was ‘natural spring water’ and that ultimately the water problem was the homeowner’s responsibility.

Almost three years after registering their original concern about the water flooding their property, in March 2013, the homeowner once again returned to the Engineering Department to complain about the incessant flooding of their property that by now had continued for almost three years.  That same month, they were told by a Sewer Department employee that the water appeared to be coming from a retaining wall on a neighboring property on Skyview Terrace but the surface water was still attributed to the natural groundwater.

Flooding continued throughout 2013 and into the following year and after one particularly heavy rainfall on April 30, 2014, the homeowner again contacted the township Engineering Department to request that someone come to the property to investigate the cause of flooding.

Two days later, an engineering department employee came to homeowners property and reiterated that the water was natural spring water.

However, on May 9, 2014, nearly four years after the flooding had begun, the water stopped flowing on the property and the flooding problem was completely resolved, as if someone had shut off a water valve.

The next day the homeowner learned that there were two township water main pipes that had been broken and were fixed on May 9, 2014, four years after first learning of the leak.

The homeowner has since filed a lawsuit seeking damages against the Township. Attorney Vijayant Pawar of Morristown is currently representing Parsippany and in court filings, denies the accusations the homeowner claim.

Parsippany Focus asked several members of the Township Council if they were aware of the lawsuit.  All admitted they were not aware of nor ever told of the situation.

Mayor James Barberio did not answer a request for comment.

(Article was sourced through court documents filed in Morris County Superior Court)

CEDAR KNOLLS — After we published this article, we were informed that Sargent returned back to Cedar Knolls Mall, and has been reunited with its owners.

Thank you for your support.

Lost Dog, urgent, please help. “Sargent” went missing from Cedar Knolls Mall. Please don’t chase, call (862) 219-1946.

Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab Mix. Red, neutered rescue dog adopted from a shelter in Colorado.

PARSIPPANY — The longest-serving member of the board of directors of the Brookside Housing Corporation is Susan P.  Strechay.  She started on the board in 1975 and served until August 2015 when she and her husband, Bob, moved to be near her son and grandchildren.

In appreciation for all of her years of service, on September 26, 2015 the board of directors of Brookside named the community room in her honor.  On hand for the recognition ceremony were her two of her sons, Rob and Dan along with their wives and children.  Also present were members of the board, as well as Alan Rich who has served as the attorney for the board since 1978, as well as the PRD Management team who oversee the management of the building.

Her husband, Bob Strechay,  served as the Township’s business administrator for many years.

The Brookside housing complex, with 192 units of affordable senior housing, was the culmination of a volunteer effort by the Parsippany-Troy Hills Senior Citizen Housing Corporation.  This organization started in 1970 when Mayor Jack Fahy appointed a committee to look into providing affordable housing for senior citizens.  The building opened in June of 1982.

The project development was financed by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.  HMFA provided the funding to acquire the property, to construct the building and provide all the site improvements.  The rents for the apartments are subsidized by the Federal Housing and Urban Development Agency’s Section 8 program.

For a period of time the project was stalled due to the fact that all new Federal Section 8 rent subsidy funding was frozen by the federal government. Without subsidy funds, the NJ HMFA would not provide the construction funding.  The board was therefore very grateful that the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills purchased the property and held it until the Section 8 funds were restored at which time the HMFA provided funding for the Board to buy back the property from the town.

Under Sue’s leadership as President of the Board and a dedicated board member, Brookside has remained an attractive, pleasant and well maintained complex.  It has been given many awards for the quality of the maintenance and managements of the building.

Brookside Senior Citizens located at 1111 Parsippany Boulevard is an independent living community. They provide safe and easy-maintenance living for seniors who can still live independently, and enjoy engaging in social activities with other seniors.

Current board members are Mr. Bruce T. Benson, Mr. & Mrs. Robert De Guarde,  Ms. & Mrs. Steven Dilluvio, Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Garbarino, Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Huss, Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Merola, Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Rockland, Mr. & Mrs. John Schlitt and Mr. & Mrs. Elliot Warm.

For more information about Brookside Housing Corporation call (973) 299-1620 to speak with a local Care Advisor.