Morristown plans to scrap Lidgerwood Park pickleball courts that cost the town more than $132,000 to build, and start from scratch at an undisclosed location. That news emerged Tuesday at a council meeting where homelessness also got a lot of attention. There is a connection, of sorts. A resident who lives behind the Lidgerwood courts told the council that individuals have been sleeping and urinating behind them ever since sound-dampening screens were added.
“So since that plastic has been put up, we have noticed people sleeping behind the courts, people urinating behind the courts, and I’ve had a couple of issues walking dogs, because when you’re walking on the pathway, you can’t see who’s coming right at the corner of that pathway,” said Amelia Nunn.
Although the special fencing muffles pickleball noise somewhat, Nunn said, pickleball players sometimes move onto the tennis courts on busy days or when the pickleball courts are locked. The tennis courts are not lined with any sound-dampening fencing.
Nunn’s neighbor, Stella Su, said pickleball “causes a lot of noise pollution that is becoming a nightmare, a headache in the community.” Police are aware of people sleeping behind the courts and are keeping an eye on the park for any “nefarious” activity, town Administrator Jillian Barrick.
Last month, the council quietly introduced a “camping” ordinance that essentially would have criminalized homelessness, empowering police to arrest people for sleeping on public property and imposing fines of up to $2,000. Facing a public backlash, Mayor Tim Dougherty asked the council to withdraw his measure two days later.
In brief remarks to the council on Tuesday, Michael Callahan, director of the Office of Homelessness Prevention in the state Department of Community Affairs, said his office has reached out to the town administration and they are collaborating in a “30-60-90-day sprint” to find near-term solutions to homelessness in Morristown. Callahan said the state will provide resources–he did not specify what kind–for emergency sheltering, with an eye toward permanent housing and supportive case management.
His office also will explore the Municipal Court’s role, he said, and how to deploy 24-hour street outreach teams that partner with law enforcement, instead of “turning police officers into social workers.”
As a model, Callahan cited a joint effort by nonprofits and local and state officials last year to close a Toms River homeless encampment and relocate its occupants. Asserting that homelessness is a county-wide problem, Councilman Robert Iannaccone urged Callahan to coordinate solutions with Morris County, not Morristown. Iannaccone praised Morris County government for its responsiveness, and also pointed to Bergen County as an example of efficient, centralized management of homeless programs.
Substance abuse is a major contributing factor to homelessness, Iannaccone continued, saying it’s imperative to connect this population with behavioral- and mental health services. Homeless individuals come to Morristown because it’s the county seat and has many services nearby, the councilman said.
Morristown has the most homeless people in Morris County–by a wide margin. That’s according to a January 2024 survey by Monarch Housing Associates. The federally mandated one-night sample counted more than 12,000 homeless persons in New Jersey, a 24 percent increase from 2023, and identified 680 individuals experiencing homelessness in Morris County, a 32 percent rise from the previous year. Morristown had 247 homeless persons and another 206 in homeless shelters. The next closest Morris municipality was Morris Plains, with 60 homeless and 57 in shelters. Dover was third with 38/16.
Source: https://morristowngreen.com/2025/03/12/pickleball-and-homelessness-converge-at-morristown-council/