Morris housing program, Whippany flooding, WPU among 14 projects awarded $16M by feds

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill was in Morris Plains Tuesday to present a ceremonial check representing more than $1.7 million to Family Promise of Morris County, a homeless and housing support group that received one of 14 federal grants the Montclair Democrat announced this week.

The funding includes $1 million to support students at William Paterson University, $1.8 million to mitigate flooding in the Whippany River watershed and almost $3.5 million for improvements to a wastewater pump system serving the flood-prone Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany.

All were part of a $16.4 million package of grants for the 11th Congressional District included in the 2023 House Appropriations Bill, Sherrill said during a news conference at Family Promise headquarters.

With other Morris County officials on hand including Sherriff James Gannon, Sherrill said the money would fund the nonprofit's mission to combat homelessness and housing insecurity. The group saw a 400% increase in requests for assistance during the COVID pandemic.

Family Promise CEO Joann Bjornsen called the grant "a game-changer" and said the money would fund a new "Housing as Healthcare" program that partners with local medical providers.

"Lack of safe, affordable housing puts people at great risk for poor health," Bjornsen said. "Lack of preventive and ongoing healthcare puts people at risk for housing, homelessness and housing insecurity."

Through the new program, "the cost of housing and the cost of healthcare can work together and so we can work with these options, spend less money and address both needs together," she said.

Sherrill said this is the second year of a new initiative where the House Appropriations Committee invites members of Congress to request funds for "specific projects."

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"Often our appropriations cover broad swaths of the country, and yet each district is unique and has specific projects," Sherrill said. "Members of Congress, working with local leaders, know their districts better than anyone in the executive departments and agencies, which is why our Founding Fathers gave Congress the power of the purse."

This year's grants also include the following:

• $600,000 for security enhancements to the Boonton Reservoir as part of a larger effort to enhance and safeguard water quality in the reservoir, while creating recreational access with a 7.7-mile hiking trail.

• $809,000 to improve the flow of public safety data with a new fiber optic network that will aid the Chatham Township Police Department and county authorities to fight crime, including auto thefts.

• $760,000 to expand access to technology for individuals with disabilities for the Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled, based in Livingston and serving communities across NJ-11.

• $2,086,269 to support construction of a 44-unit, multi-family affordable housing development in Madison. Sherrill said it will feature "enhanced energy initiatives" that make it the first of its kind in New Jersey to meet Passive Housing/New Zero Energy Standards.

• $2,056,000 to rehabilitate and create resiliency in Rand Well in Montclair, which has unacceptably high levels of PFOS and perchlorate chemicals.

• $1 million for upgrades in technology and improvements in facilities in the Emergency Department at the Morristown Medical Center.

• $500,000 for reconstruction and improvements to Collinsville-Tucker Park in Morris Township.

• $1.2 million to design and construct a mini-roundabout at the intersection of McBride Avenue and Browertown Road in Woodland Park. The project will enhance traffic safety and provide new access to over 50 businesses and 3 schools in the Browertown Road area, Sherrill said.

• $3,452,972 for improvements to the wastewater pump system servicing the Lake Hiawatha area of Parsippany.

• $1 million for facilities and equipment at the Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston to expand and enhance their EMS Physician Training and Mobile Health initiative.

• $1 million in student scholarships to support William Paterson University students impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• $1.5 million for the Whippany River Regional Improvement Initiative, proposed by local officials in East Hanover, Hanover Township, Parsippany and Florham Park to take critical steps toward clearing obstructions and mitigating flooding.

• $300,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to determine the most effective options to mitigate flooding from the Whippany River that impacts the Morristown area around historic Bethel Church, as well as towns all along the river including East Hanover, Hanover, Parsippany and Florham Park.

Separate from the community grant program, the House Appropriations bill also includes a funding increase of more than $200 million for programs at Picatinny Arsenal, which is the district's largest civilian employer and "contributes more than $1 billion to the North Jersey economy every year."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Family Promise of Morris among North Jersey projects given grants