Town Not Taking Burnham Pond Disturbances Lightly

Morristown is not messing around when it comes to town property being destroyed.

A letter to homeowners in the vicinity of Burnham Pond, on the border with Morris Township on Washington Street, made it clear that any desecration of town property will not be tolerated, Morristown Attorney Vijayant Pawar reported during the Towns Council's meeting on Oct. 26.

The letter, sent to about 10 to 15 Morris Township residents in late September and early October, indicated there had been some complaints about vegetation being cut back from around the Morristown-owned pond and town property being destroyed, according to Pawar. The correspondence also reminded residents that the town will take any complaints seriously, he said.

The administration had received complaints from members of the Burnham Park Association about vegetation being cut, said Pawar, adding that town officials examined the area and found some homeowners had what appeared to be drain pipes running into the pond. One homeowner was very cooperative and contacted the town after receiving the letter, disconnecting the pipe, while another resident requested a meeting, Pawar said.

Vegetation purifies the water going into the pond, said Pawar, so any violations will be taken seriously. Now the question is how to allow the vegetation to grow back without interference, whether to let it grow back naturally or perhaps look into installing some type of fencing.

Mayor Timothy Dougherty suggested during the council meeting that some fencing may be installed while Pawar said the Environmental Commission also will offer some recommendations to the administration.

Burnham Park was donated to Morristown in 1911 by the Burnham family and features a bronze statue of Thomas Paine, dedicated in 1950.