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Residents urge tree plantings, leaf-blower outreach and parking fixes at Morristown council meeting
Summary
Public commenters and the Shade Tree Commission asked the council to support reforestation, Bud Park plantings and outreach on a local leaf-blower ban; a resident raised a parking shortage at a corner apartment and the mayor flagged safety concerns about fast electric bikes on sidewalks.
Several community items drew sustained attention during the Sept. 10 Morristown council meeting, from tree-planting plans to neighborhood parking and sidewalk safety.
Kristen Ace, chair of the Morristown Shade Tree Commission, told the council the commission missed a $200,000 Arbor Day pass-through grant but is applying for a $50,000 reforestation grant to fund plantings at sites including Mill Street, Jacob Ford and Jersey Cottage. Ace said reforestation work will begin after an invasive-remediation phase, explained that Mill Street will receive about 64 trees, and described plans to invite resident or business sponsors for small green spaces. She also reported ongoing vandalism — unauthorized cutting — and urged residents to report incidents to police.
Resident Judy Byard urged the town to include information about the local leaf-blower rules as an insert with the year-end sanitation and recycling calendar so all households receive notice; she offered to volunteer to produce a flyer and noted a pending state bill (recorded in the meeting as S217) that could affect local rules. Town staff confirmed the administration intends to include an insert in the sanitation calendar to inform residents about the new rules.
Ramon Rodriguez (through a translator) asked the council to install signage to reserve residential parking near his corner unit on New Street and said non-residents frequently occupy spaces used by building residents. Council members said property-maintenance and zoning previously addressed an illegal garage-use repair operation that had contributed to extra parked cars and that staff would follow up on parking management.
Mayor and council also raised a public-safety concern about high-speed electric bikes and small motorized bikes operating on sidewalks; the mayor said police and administration will explore ordinance options to address the issue before it becomes more widespread.
Next steps: Town staff will include leaf-blower information in the sanitation calendar distribution and property-maintenance will follow up on the parking complaint; the Shade Tree Commission will pursue reforestation grant opportunities and volunteer outreach.
