Disability Month, Pickleball Courts Topics At Morristown Town Meeting

MORRISTOWN, NJ — No ordinances or resolutions were on the agenda at Tuesday's Town Council meeting, but residents raised concerns ranging from disability funding to the future of the Lidgerwood Park pickleball courts.

Morristown resident Bill Burns spoke first to the council about equality for people with disabilities.

"People with disabilities should have the same rights as everybody else to live in the surrounding communities," he said. "So I ask you to please call your Congress people about our Direct Care staff wage increases because it's pretty bad when you have a shortage of staffing. It really gets us, the people [who] receive the services, [we get] ticked off because there's not enough staffing."

Councilman Robert Iannaccone echoed Burns' concern.

"Bill is absolutely right with what he's talking about with Medicaid, because the federal cuts to Medicaid - when it comes to people with special needs, those are federal funds where they match 7%," he said. "So if they cut that, there's going to be people suffering... [so we] really do need to speak up."

The topic then shifted to pickleball and the debate over noise levels from the Lidgerwood Park courts. This issue was also raised in the Town Council meeting on March 11, where residents expressed concern over homeless individuals sleeping behind the courts.

In the meeting on Tuesday, the discussion focused on the noise level and the relocation of the courts.

Members of the public on both sides of the issue stepped up to the microphone to express their feelings on the matter.

Resident Keith Sell expressed gratitude for the decision to move the courts to a new site, because he lives in proximity to Lidgerwood Park and experiences noise from the pickleball courts.

"I was very pleased to hear that there are plans to move the courts someplace else, someplace more suitable where the noise will be less disruptive to the community around it," said Sell.

Resident Ellen Seckler opposed this view and said she petitioned two and a half years ago to have courts installed in Morristown.

"I feel for you [with] the noise, but to be honest with you [there were no] nets put up until October [or] November I can't even imagine how many people could possibly have even played at the courts to make the noise volume that loud," said Seckler. "When I went to get my pass, I was told they were only going to sell 50 passes, so that's not a lot of volume out there."

Seckler finished by asking what the options will be for those who have paid to pay at Lidgerwood Park when the courts are moved.

4th Ward Councilman Chris Russo said he could see both sides of the issue. He explained the idea is to still provide pickleball courts for Morristown residents, but somewhere else in town.

Russo also stressed that there won't be a lapse in the ability to play pickleball, because the plan is to have the new courts up and running before the Lidgerwood Park courts are shut down.