MORRIS COUNTY —  The Morris County Board of Freeholders received a detailed briefing last night on the need and specific reasons for consideration of a potential expansion and renovations to the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown.

Morris County Superior Court Assignment Judge Stuart A. Minkowitz, Sheriff James M. Gannon, County Law and Public Safety Director Scott DiGiralomo, and County Engineer Christopher Vitz each made presentations that detailed specific issues related to legal, public safety, and security shortcomings of the current courthouse.

Morris County Courthouse Expansion Considerations

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Public comment may be offered to the Freeholder Board at its January 23, 7:00 p.m., meeting in Morristown and submitted electronically for the next month.

Providing adequate court facilities and securing those facilities are the sole responsibility of each respective county in New Jersey. Previously, the Morris County Freeholder Board commissioned a Space Needs and Facilities Assessment pertaining to the judiciary and county government. That Space Needs Assessment identified a significant shortfall in criminal, family and civil court facilities.

At a December 12 meeting, the Freeholder Board, by a unanimous vote following a public hearing process, adopted two capital ordinances totaling $5 million that could finance a design of the proposed new and expanded court facilities.

Updates on the project, including information of future meetings or actions, will be posted by clicking here.

In Morris County, the county government, the state courts, and related nonprofit organizations currently operate from the Morris County Courthouse, the Morris County Administration and Records Building, and the Schuyler Annex Building in downtown Morristown, with additional state‐level court services housed in leased space.

Over time, as the needs of the county and the state have grown, so has the need for more secure and accessible facilities from which to operate. Morris County has attempted to meet these needs on a project-by-project basis, utilizing available facilities and space in the most efficient manner possible.

In late 2016, it became apparent that an analysis of existing available space was needed, coupled with a comprehensive and long‐term examination and evaluation of current and future space needs. In early 2017, Morris County retained a team of consultants led by consulting firm Dewberry to undertake this needs assessment and master planning effort.

The study was scoped with addressing the capital facility needs of Morris County for both county government and state court functions, looking at least 20 years into the future, and developing a capital facility master plan level strategy to meet those needs.

Following months of data gathering, interviews with key officials and stakeholders, in‐depth analyses, and development and evaluation of optional solutions, several key findings emerged that defined the recommended solution.

MORRIS COUNTY — Freeholders Douglas Cabana, Thomas Mastrangelo, and Kathy DeFillippo today announced their candidacy for re-election in 2019. All three will run together as a team in the 2019 Republican primary in June.

In the last three years Cabana, Mastrangelo, and DeFillippo have worked with the other members of the Freeholder Board to bring lower taxes, reduced debt and improved infrastructure to Morris County. Their experience and broad backgrounds have allowed them to bring innovation and accountability to county projects and financial decisions.

“I look forward to running for re-election with Kathy and Doug in 2019. We have worked well together over the last six years and hope to have an opportunity to continue the successes of the last six years,” stated Mastrangelo.

While serving together, the team has guided the county to annual fiscal responsible budgets including multiple ZERO tax increase budgets and reduced the county debt by tens of millions of dollars.

“We have demanded accountability and responsibility from everyone involved in county government, beginning with our own Board. It is imperative that we continue to ensure that taxpayers get the most from their hard earned tax dollars,” stated DeFillippo.

Doug Cabana, the longest serving of the three, reflected on the new challenges that face Morris County:

“When I first was elected to the Freeholder Board, many of the technologies available today were in their infancy. By working with county employees and vendors to integrate new technology into county government we are able to improve services while being more economically efficient.”

Cabana, Mastrangelo, and DeFillippo will be opening their campaign headquarters in January and look forward to getting started on the 2019 campaign.

MORRIS COUNTY — Rocky is an eight-month old Beagle Pug mix, also known as a Puggle. He currently weighs 23 pounds and will not be much bigger.

It doesn’t get more perfect than Rocky! Along with his cute, squeezable wrinkles, he has the sweetest personality! He loves to give kisses to everyone he meets! He enjoys being the center of attention and receiving lots of pets!

Rocky LOVES to play and explore! He is up for any activity involving the great outdoors, but is just as happy playing indoors as well! Some of his favorite hobbies include chasing tennis balls and proudly carrying his collection of toys around the house.

He would make a wonderful companion for an active family who will keep him entertained. When he is not busy playing, he enjoys lounging on the couch watching television, ideally snuggled up next to you.

Because Rocky is still a puppy, he needs a home that will provide him with proper obedience training and structure. He is working on crate training and potty training and has been improving day by day. He is very quiet and rarely barks. He does amazing with other dogs and can live with children 13 and up! Especially when they will play ball with him!

Rocky can’t wait to find a forever family to spend the rest of his days with!

If you are interested in adopting Rocky, please fill out an application by clicking here.

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Wise Animal Rescue (W.A.R.) is a 501c3 non-profit organization, located in Parsippany, is dedicated to the well-being of dogs of all breeds. We are comprised of a network of caring people with a grassroots approach working towards a world where no dog is neglected, abused, or homeless.

W.A.R. is dedicated to rescuing dogs of all ages and breeds from places where they are no longer wanted or are not being properly cared for. By partnering with veterinary practices that support our work, we are able to save dogs’ lives and restore them back to health.

Central to our mission is to ensure that all dogs are spayed/neutered, up-to-date on shots, and microchipped. Prior to adoption, all of our dogs are placed into responsible loving foster homes to be socialized and trained rather than put in a shelter environment.

MORRIS COUNTY — Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, the New Jersey State PBA and the Morris County Police Chiefs Association came together to celebrate the collection of hundreds of stuffed bears for juveniles that law enforcement personnel encounter in the line of duty.

The “Feel Better Bears” program helps children feel better during emergencies, giving them brand-new toys to hug during a time of need.

“It seems most fitting that it is today, on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, that we celebrate such a special program,” said Bucco (R-Morris). “In addition to the daily acts of heroism our police officers perform, they also comfort these innocent children in very difficult situations. It really helps underscore what makes these men and women so special.”

NJ State PBA President Patrick Colligan is enthusiastic over the difference the donations will make on the lives of children that receive them. “When dealing with emergency situations where a child is involved, having these toys will help an officer make a child feel safe. I couldn’t be more proud to be involved with the program.”

“The community support for this project was tremendous,” said Gannon. “I want to thank all the people that contributed to the program. I’m sure these bears will make a difference in the lives of a lot of children.”

“In situations like these, our officers are aware that there’s more to being a public servant than upholding laws. We are a part of the community, and always strive to make a difficult situation easier on children,” said Rockaway Police Chief Conrad Pepperman.

“As president of the Morris County Chiefs of Police Association, I am honored that Assemblyman Bucco has chosen to partner with our organization and our endeavors to support the Feel Better Bear Program,” said Chief Ciro Chimento. “Since this program directly affects our most innocent little ones, we appreciate Assemblyman Bucco’s compassion. We are happy to collaborate and know that this program will provide comfort to the children of Morris County.”

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Library is offering new Pop-Up Libraries that will offer folks in waiting rooms at four county government locations and at a homeless shelter for families a chance to access the library’s e-book collection on their smartphones or tablets.

Visitors to the Morris County Jail, Juvenile Detention Center, Youth Shelter, Family Justice Center and the Homeless Solutions shelter will be the first in line to be able to access and download library e-books, even if they are not card-carrying County Library members.

With the support of the Morris County Board of Freeholders, the County Library has invested $13,000 in the small mobile devices that are being installed at these five locations, allowing for access to a portion of the County Library’s e-book collection.

Morris County is the first library system in the state to employ Pop-Up Libraries, using innovative technology provided Baker & Taylor publishing company, which is the product distributor.

“This is an interesting use of new technology that can benefit our residents and visitors to county government by allowing them to read while they wait,’’ said Freeholder Heather Darling, the county governing board’s liaison to the County Library. “I commend our library team for their efforts to bring this technology to our county.’’

“The modern library is no longer constrained by brick and mortar.  The idea of ‘bringing the books to the people’ – instead of the other way around – is the best way to foster a lifelong love of reading while emphasizing the social need for public library services,” said Morris County Assistant Library Director Darren O’Neill.

The Pop-Up Library system allows individuals to access e-books within direct proximity, or about 40-feet, of a small device (about the size of a deck of playing cards) that generates its own Wi-Fi signal. Once connected, smart phone users can visit a website, which serves as the catalog, and download the e-content.

Not to worry, once a user leaves one of the connected Pop-Up Library locations she or he can continue to read the book. The e-content can be saved in the user’s cache for access outside the perimeter of the Pop-Up Library device for a period of about two weeks

The Morris County Library, in partnering with Baker & Taylor, initially will make about 335 titles (in English and Spanish) available for sharing. The e-content periodically will be refreshed.

For security reasons, the Wi-Fi signal generated by the device can only access the website for the e-content. It cannot connect to sites such as Google or others. Also, these devices will not interfere with any of the other Wi-Fi connections supported by the Morris County Office of Information Technology.

In connection with this new initiative, the County Library has purchased ten easy to use Kindle Fires for on-site use at the five initial Pop-Up Library locations for persons without smartphones or tablets.