Calm Council Discusses Changes to Park Signs

Tuesday night's Township Council meeting was remarkably free of conflict for the first time in months. That's because this agenda meeting focused on its stated purpose—finalizing the items to be discussed and perhaps debated during next week's business meeting.

Among the matters for next week is the reintroduction of a and replace it with a new Municipal Open, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historical Preservation Trust Fund. The new law would expand the uses of open space dollars to include the items in its title. 

According to Township Attorney John Inglesino, the ordinance change is not being proposed to ease the way for the town to use open space money to fund the estimated $4.5 million high school turf field proposal. Some residents who question that plan say they believe the new law is designed to turn the Open Space Trust Fund into nothing more than a slush fund for projects supported by Mayor James Barberio and his administration.

The  at its March 20 meeting when opponents pointed out that different versions of the law appeared on the township's website, in the Daily Record (the council's official newspaper) and in the text distributed at the meeting, a violation of state statute.

Inglesino said the measure would be prepared again in accordance with the law. True to the attorney's word, the rewritten proposal—which now includes the word "floodplains" in its title—appeared at Tuesday's meeting. It is scheduled for reintroduction and debate next Tuesday.

Councilman Michael dePierro started an off-agenda discussion regarding his concern over signs in Parsippany parks that say the properties are closed from November through April.

"These parks should not be closed," he said. "We should change the signs to read 'Parks Not Maintained—Use at Your Own Risk.'"

Lawyer Inglesino said he had looked into the issue and determined that despite the signs, the parks really were not closed. He said it is perfectly legal for people to enter a park on a nice day in fall or winter.

"Previous administrations didn't have the authority to close the parks," he said, adding that the signs likely were intended to dissuade people from using them during off-peak times of the year and to keep the township from being liable in case someone was injured while in the park. 

The attorney said Parsippany-Troy Hills is protected under law unless there is a dangerous situation the town knew of and did nothing to correct or if negligent work was done by a township employee.

"It is a reasonable position for the council to take to change the signs as Councilman dePierro suggests," Inglesino said, adding that no council action was necessary.

"I believe the township will heed the councilman's suggestion."

The meeting also featured a brief presentation by an organization called Special Homes of New Jersey. The nonprofit group, which exists to provide affordable housing for developmentally disabled people, is looking to develop such a group home in Parsippany.

The council agreed to give the matter consideration.

The Town Hall gathering began with a moment of silence for . 

Fields of Dreams discussion, usually the source of vitriolic debate, was muted for the most part, as public comments on the subject were largely limited to statements from a few residents who praised the council for their open support of the turf plan and reiterated the reasons they believe the project would be good for Parsippany.

Resident Terry Corigliano said the proposal is a "clear example of how towns and school boards can work together for the benefit of the community without raising taxes."

"Anyone who would not support it has other motives than what is the best for our children and our community," she said.

Resident Julia Peterson voiced a concern about news that the . She pointed out that the posting of meeting minutes to the town website, a responsibility of the clerk, has not happened since November.

"We're coming up on a primary [election] in June and the clerk is responsible for that," she said. "I'm concerned that the primary is supervised in a way that is just."

Peterson also shared an opposing view regarding the turf proposal. She handed council members a graph showing that if the ceded 51 percent of field control and use of the high school football fields to the town, which would have to happen if open space funds are to be used to finance the turf field plan, school teams would not have enough time to use the fields.

Michael Pietrowicz of the Recreation Advisory Committee pointed out that school teams don't use the fields very much.

"The fields have not been used since November," he said in defense of the school board handing 51 percent of field use to youth sports groups and residents. "Those fields will not be used again until August, when football begins its mini-camps. That's a city asset that gets used so little of the time—for practice in August and maybe 12 times a year."

The next Town Council session will be a regular business meeting. It is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at Town Hall.