Residents press council on preservation, parking and noise; mayor proclaims Gun Violence Awareness Day

A range of residents used Morristown’s public-comment period on May 28 to press the council on preservation, parking, neighborhood noise and an honorary street-name placement.

Deborah Ryslaine presented a petition urging the council to preserve the building at 23 Spring Street and to consider facade retention rather than demolition, saying the town risks losing “the fabric” that gives Morristown its character. Several commenters — including Steven Zach Lukiewicz and long-term tenants — asked for clarity on demolition contingencies, tenant notification and parking provision for existing residents.

Residents Ezra Teitelbaum and Judy Bayard raised neighborhood impacts from trail-related parking at Foote’s Pond Lane and asked whether an unused former water-house parking lot could be used instead; Teitelbaum also urged the council to consider rules on backyard fire pits because of smoke and allergy issues. Bayard asked about outreach on leaf-blower noise and offered volunteer help for community flyers.

A speaker read a letter from Anita Barber supporting placement of an honorary street sign for William 'Butchie' Barber Jr. at Martin Luther King Avenue and Flagler Street; some council members said they saw merit in that location but noted flooding concerns had shaped earlier placement discussions.

In a separate item, the mayor read a proclamation declaring Friday, June 7, 2024, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Morristown. Diane Drysdale, representing Moms Demand Action and the National Council of Jewish Women, encouraged residents to attend local events and urged federal legislative action on background checks and assault-weapons restrictions, calling gun violence “the number one cause of death for children in the United States.”

Council members responded to public-comment topics by explaining process steps: administration said the planner and administration would be available to answer technical questions at hearings and reiterated the town’s intent to require preservation language in redevelopment agreements where appropriate.