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Morristown Daily Record

Some of the world's largest corporations have moved their home bases out of Parsippany in recent years, leaving behind what are now mostly empty office parks in the Morris County town. Many of those buildings have already been demolished in favor of redevelopment,

But the Jolly Green Giant, Molly McButter and Mrs. Dash — now known just as "Dash" — are staying put in Par-Troy, along with dozens of other favorite brand-name foods collected under one corporate banner.

B&G Foods Inc., currently headquartered at Gatehall Drive in Parsippany, announced on Monday that it had signed a nearly 16-year lease to relocate to another township office property at 8 Sylvan Way.

Commercial real estate company JLL said it brokered the deal on behalf of site owner Orion Properties to lease 46,000 square feet on the second and third floors of the site to B&G. Terms of the lease were not released.

The Sylvan Way property is currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation that will include adding a test kitchen and product development space for B&G, the real estate firm said. Orion has already leased 56,000 square feet of the site to law firm Day Pitney LLP, which will move in in September.

B&G plans to make the move before the end of the year, according to JLL's announcement. Representatives of the food company did not respond on Wednesday to a request for comment.

Pickles, progress

B&G's name originated with one of its signature products, B&G Pickles, first sold by the Bloch and Guggenheimer families on the streets of New York in 1889. It is just one of many popular grocery store staples now under the B&G corporate banner

The B&G Foods holding company, founded in 1996 and taken public in 2004, includes some products that date back to 1822. Two centuries of launches, acquisitions and mergers molded the current corporation, which had net sales of $1.9 billion in 2024, selling more than 50 brands.

The business grew rapidly over the past 29 years, aggressively acquiring what are known as legacy or "orphaned" brands whose former companies had ceased production, such as Vermont Maid syrup and Brer Rabbit molasses. The company seeks to leverage the name recognition of such products to reposition them for the modern market, it says.

B&G has also made larger acquisitions over the years, including the $765 million purchase of Green Giant brand vegetables from General Mills in 2015 and a $365 million acquisition of a British spice and seasonings company in 2016.

B&G has also sold assets, including the 2023 unloading of a "shelf-stable" line of Green Giant Products to Seneca Foods, in which B&G retained the Green Giant trademark and frozen food products. Terms of that deal were not disclosed.

Currently, the B&G product line includes such grocery mainstays as B&M baked beans, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, Cream of Wheat, Ortega Mexican foods, Victoria sauces, Bear Creek soup mixes, Underwood canned meats and Polander fruit spreads.

Renovations lure new tenants

B&G plans to consolidate its North American operations on the second and third floors at 8 Sylvan Way, which is comprised of two three-story buildings connected by a glass atrium.

“Orion is pleased to welcome another distinguished tenant to 8 Sylvan Way as we advance our property’s comprehensive redevelopment plan and continue to find innovative ways to meet the demands of today’s tenants seeking office, research or laboratory space,” Orion Investment Manager Steve Palmesi stated in the announcment.

The space was previously home to the Medicines Co. a drugmaker that moved its executive offices into the Parsippany location in 2009. The Medicines Co. left at the end of its lease in 2023 after it was acquired by pharmaceutical giant Novartis, which bases its U.S. operations in neighboring East Hanover.

Another 26,000-square-foot space in the building remains open for leasing.

"Orion envisioned 8 Sylvan Way as a space where top-tier tenants would want to plant their flag," JLL's David Stifelman said in the announcement. "In a market flooded with outdated products, the property has been reimagined from a one-tenant asset into a superior multi-tenant destination. With two major leases now signed, momentum is building for the remainder of the space, and we anticipate further announcements soon.”

This May, 10 towns across Union and Morris counties will join forces to promote mental health awareness through the “Paint the Town Green” campaign.

Led by the New Providence Mental Health Advocacy & Education Committee, in partnership with the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation, the Rotary Club of MH Advocates, and the Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ), the initiative aims to engage students, businesses and citizens in fostering support for mental health during Mental Health Awareness Month.

The NJ Cross-Town Mental Health Coalition -- which spans New Providence, Berkeley Heights, Fanwood, Summit, Mountainside, Scotch Plains, Westfield, Chatham, Madison, and Long Hill Township -- will participate in a monthlong initiative to demonstrate that “mental health matters and that no one is alone in their struggles.”

Throughout May, residents and businesses will take part in a variety of programs designed to spread awareness and encourage open conversations about mental health. While each town may have its own unique spin on what “Paint The Town Green” means, they are united in force strengthening the message.

Examples include:

Berkeley Heights Township Mayor Angie Devanney said, “Mental health awareness is a priority for Berkeley Heights. Part of our happiness event in March was to ensure wellness through the Mayor’s Wellness Committee teaching the SPIRE (spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational & emotional) elements. It has been a pleasure working with Debbie Merrick and the coalition to send a strong message from so many communities which will normalize mental health discussions.”

Debbie Merrick, chairperson of the Mental Health Advocacy and Education Committee said, “It is deeply rewarding and encouraging to see our committee’s vision of engaging more towns to “Paint the Town Green” come true.

Merrick continued, “I hope our communities embrace this unified message and begin open discussions with each other working on their own wellness and mental health. Everyone has something. Let’s help each other! I am also excited to see where this collaboration of deeply passionate and dynamic individuals goes!”

For more information on how to get involved or to support the campaign, contact Merrick at debbie.merrick@gmail.com."

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Submit Union County community news to union@njadvancemedia.com.

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Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Make a right turn at the corner of Lombardi Avenue and Gross Avenue and you step into an unassuming neighborhood packed with fresh-cut lawns, minivans, cul-de-sacs and “children at play” signs warning you to slow down.

It’s your typical midwestern suburbia... minus the massive NFL stadium in the foreground.

Make no mistake, though: Green Bay, Wis. — the smallest NFL market by far with a population of 107,000 — can handle their crowds. They’ve dealt with Packer game days just fine for 105 years.

But is this tiny town ready for Thurday’s 2025 NFL Draft, which is expected to draw a whopping 250,000 attendees (roughly three times what a Packers home game draws)?

Some locals are dubious.

“This feels like the calm before the storm — and I don’t want to know what the storm looks like,” Wisconsin native Colin Smith told NJ Advance Media before gluggling his “Spotted Cow” beer at Kroll’s West, a dive bar located 15 minutes away from Lambeau Field.

That’s not to say the Tuesday pre-draft crowd was out of control. In fact, most surrounding bars, like The Bar on Holmgren Way and D2 Pub just outside of Resch Center, only saw a slight uptick in business since the NFL wrapped a gate around the stadium’s perimeter to flex their security muscle ahead of Round 1.

But as you meander the friendly sidewalks, you can’t shake the ineffable feeling that the crowds are coming soon. The town has taken steps to prepare for this.

Austin Straubel International Airport, Green Bay’s 12-gate airport which typically only has direct flights to Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis (plus one flight to Atlanta each day), now has additional trips to each city this week, according to The Athletic. American and Delta also added a direct, round-trip flight to New York, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Orlando.

OK, fine, people can get there. Then there’s the question of lodging. Green Bay has about 4,300 hotel rooms. Nearby Appleton, Wisc., about 40 minutes away by car, has roughly 5,000 rooms. Around 1,000 Brown County citizens are renting out their homes for draft attendees (for upwards to $100,000 for five nights, according to Rent Like a Champion).

How on Earth will all of these people fit in Green Bay?

“It’s gonna be a driving draft,” said Gabrielle Valdez Dow, Packers vice president of marketing and fan engagement, via The Athletic. “But I think how people park and walk in, it’ll be great.”

Parking is the next great hurdle. There are no parking garages at or near Lambeau Field. The parking lots will be sold out and packed with local vendors. To combat this, residents of the adjacent Beaumont neighborhood set up makeshift lots in their driveways and lawns (NJ Advance Media saw three houses on Gross Avenue charging $100 per car).

One local trio, Karen, Karina and Kasey Venegas, found a creative solution to potential parking hiccups. Six months ago, the Venegas purchased a pedicab bicycle from Chinese website, Alibaba, with the intention of driving around drunken fans at the draft for a few extra bucks. They decked it out with green lights, a speaker that blares “Bang the Drum All Day,” Green Bay’s touchdown song, and a fitting name — “Go Pedal Go!”

“All the people here and small businesses needed to adapt,” said Karina, who says it will cost $40 per ride. “That’s what we did. We see others doing that too.”

It might not be last year’s Detroit draft, which broke all-time attendance records, with over 775,000 fans attending the three-day event, but the people of Green Bay seem more than ready to host the most unique drafts in NFL history.

Some hope a successful draft week can be parlayed into a pie-in-the-sky dream:

“We’re a draft city! Let’s bring the damn Super Bowl here next though” said Kari Jennings, an Uber driver from just outside Green Bay.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.

Ryan Novozinsky may be reached at rnovozinsky@njadvancemedia.com. You can follow him on X @ryannovoNFL

New Jersey American Water wants to replace 2,000 lead or galvanized pipes throughout Maplewood, beginning in April, and to conduct tests on 3,000 with unknown composition to determine if they, too, must be removed. The process will take through the end of the year and could extend into 2026.

“It’s a very big endeavor,” said Maplewood Township Administrator Patrick Wherry during the Township Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 18. “We just found out about it last week.”

Watch the discussion about the lead service line replacement program here, beginning at the 1:20 mark and ending at the 1:35:20 mark.

NJAW will bring in four crews to work in different parts of town, Wherry said, working on one block at a time. Each crew comes with a significant amount of equipment — trucks, a backhoe, and an excavator — and the construction will require road closures. The more emergent work will be done on a separate contract from planned work done around Maplewood’s road-paving schedule.

“The benefit is that they could be done with all of this by the end of the year,” Wherry said, but the work could stretch out longer if more pipes turn out to contain lead, he said.

A public meeting will be held on April 2 at 7:30 p.m. People can attend either in person at Maplewood Town Hall, 574 Valley Street, or virtually, Wherry said. More information about NJAW’s plan to move water meters curbside will also be presented at that meeting, he said.

Additionally, he said, “We have started to work with NJAW’s communications team to get information out to the public” and residents will receive notifications both from NJAW and the township about the work [see a March 21 press release below]. NJAW will also visit each affected home to drop off information about the lead line replacement program. Notices will be distributed in multiple languages, Wherry said, and NJAW is partnering with the township to ensure that every resident receives notices that they can understand. Residents will receive at least one week’s notice about a crew working in their area.

The testing program will not affect water service in affected homes, Wherry said, in response to a question from Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams. But in the event that pipes are found to contain lead, “there will be continued contact” with the residents to alert them about the removal process, which will affect their water service and require them to flush the lines after replacement occurs and to follow certain protocols once the lines are replaced.

Township Committee member Deb Engel asked if information about the health risks associated with lead water pipes could also be distributed, because such information has not previously been included with NJAW’s line replacement plan in Maplewood.

Wherry said that residents could check their addresses on NJAW’s website to determine whether their property-side and curb-side lines were known to be lead, not lead, or unknown. Residents can also follow simple instructions on the website to self-identify and self-report lead pipes to NJAW, he said.

Additionally, Wherry said, when lines are replaced, federal law mandates that NJAW send a photo to residents of the replaced line. Maplewood was the first town in New Jersey to benefit from this program, he said.

Township Committee member Vic De Luca asked if only residential addresses were affected, and Wherry said no, “This is everybody.” De Luca then suggested letting the two business districts reach out to their members as well.

“This is massive and is going to go on for months, until next year, possibly” said Township Committee member Dean Dafis. “I have reservations” about the planning process, he added, asking if a map existed of the affected areas. Wherry said that NJAW “haven’t developed that yet, but that was a conversation the [township] engineer and I had with NJAW.” Wherry said that he hoped “both the benefit and impact would be spread throughout town.”

“We want to do everything we can to advocate for our residents and to make sure this is done with as little impact as we can,” Wherry said.

From Maplewood Township on March 21, 2025:

MAPLEWOOD TOWNSHIP PUBLIC NOTICE

COMMUNITY MEETING ON 2025 NEW JERSEY AMERICAN WATER LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM

On April 2^nd, 2025, New Jersey American Water (NJAW) and Maplewood Township will hold a community meeting to discuss NJAW’s 2025 lead service line replacement program. The meeting will be held at Maplewood Town Hall at 7:30 p.m., and residents can attend live or via Zoom (details below). The meeting will also be recorded and made available to residents.

First things first: Customers can still use their water as they normally would, as the water provided by NJAW continues to meet state and federal water quality standards, including those set for lead.

About the forthcoming meeting: In July 2021, the state of New Jersey enacted legislation that requires utility companies to replace utility-owned and customer-owned lead and galvanized service lines by 2031. In previous years, NJAW scheduled the replacement of lead and galvanized service lines in Maplewood at a rate that would meet the 2031 deadline. NJAW now wants to dramatically increase the pace of service line replacements and complete all of the necessary work within the next year – which means residents will see an increase in NJAW’s work around town.

In light of this, NJAW has coordinated with the Township to hold a Community Meeting to discuss the replacement program and answer resident questions. They are aware that this work requires robust communications with residents who may be impacted by the work associated with service line material identification, service line replacement, and overall construction activity. The Township will work with NJAW to ensure residents receive necessary communications before, during, and after the lead service line replacement program. To learn more about the program, including to find out if your service line is made of lead, please visit www.newjerseyamwater.com/leadfacts.

In anticipation of the expected increase of their work around town, NJAW is strongly encouraging customers to update their contact preferences and opt-in for service-related notifications from New Jersey American Water at www.amwater.com/mywater. Customers can decide how they are notified – via phone, email or text – and can add up to three phone numbers and three email addresses.

Meanwhile, we welcome anyone who has initial questions to attend this joint meeting with NJAW and Maplewood Township, whether attending live or via Zoom.

COMMUNITY MEETING DETAILS:

April 2, 2025

7:30 pm

Maplewood Town Hall, 574 Valley Street

Join Via Zoom:

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:

https://twp-maplewood-nj-us.zoom.us/j/89984252017?pwd=UimBdmcV14Y1yJtwQbwaELAiZqSlut.1

Passcode:372589

Phone one-tap:

+19292056099,,89984252017#

Join via audio:

(929) 205-6099

Webinar ID: 899 8425 2017

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Putting green, bocce, miniature golf, walking paths, and more!

Petra Shaw, Community Contributor

Most mornings in warmer months, Pat Duplak is up to her elbows in soil as she happily tends to her plantings at Seabrook, the Erickson Senior Living Community in Tinton Falls, N.J.

"I've always had a garden. I was raised with a family that had nurseries and garden centers," says Pat, who serves as chair of the Seabrook Community Garden. "The garden, for me, is really a bonus to have here at Seabrook. It satisfies my soul to be out there."

The Community Garden is just one of the many outdoor activities and amenities promoting physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being on the scenic 98-acre campus. In fact, recent studies show a powerful link between access to green space and improved mental and physical health.

This is icing on the cake for Seabrook residents who enjoy spending time outdoors. Whether gardening, visiting the dog park, or embarking on a leisurely stroll along landscaped walkways, the opportunity to enjoy t a secure, serene environment is one of the many benefits of living at the popular community.

"Being outdoors, utilizing our beautiful spaces, getting the fresh air, it goes a long way," says Mark Maccaroni, Seabrook's resident life manager. "I always encourage residents to go outside, move around, and socialize."

Find out what's happening in Long Branch-Eatontownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Staying active

With a wide range of outdoor amenities on campus and a location just six miles from the Jersey Shore, Seabrook provides the perfect opportunity for residents to live their best lives.

When Pat and her husband Jim Pegg moved from Warren County nine years ago, it wasn't long before Pat rolled up her sleeves and joined the Community Garden.

The garden consists of 81 individual spaces residents can reserve. In addition to growing flowers, Pat cultivates tomatoes, beets, and cucumbers on four patches and a raised bed.

"I read somewhere that gardening, as a hobby, is probably better exercise than almost anything else you can do. Physically, it helps me keep up my stamina," says Pat. "It's great for your mental and spiritual health as well."

Prior to making her way out to the gardens, Pat often starts her day with an hour-long walk around the community. Sometimes, she'll follow one of the marked trails around the campus.

The trails and pond play host to a wide variety of wildlife, including Canada geese and merganser ducks; snapping, painter, and box turtles; and catfish. Deer and fox are often spotted during the twilight and evening hours. For its welcoming environment, the Seabrook Community Garden was named a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and the New Jersey Audubon.

A path with benches circling the garden offers residents and their visitors a chance to take in the beauty while socializing.

Socializing outdoors

Seabrook residents also enjoy additional outdoor activities, including the seven-hole miniature golf course--host of several competitive tournaments and the intergenerational golf league, comprised of grandchildren and great grandchildren competing alongside residents.

Golf enthusiasts also enjoy the professionally designed putting green, providing the challenge of PGA level slopes and angles, as well as the annual fall putting contest. And the resident bocce club, recently doubling in size, offers spring and fall league play.

"Even if I wasn't the chairperson, I would still be out by the gardens meeting people," Pat says. "Anytime I go by, if I see someone, whether I know them or not, I stop and have a chat with them. The garden gives me contact with people. It's very social."

Seabrook's various outdoor events also provide residents the chance to meet and mingle with their neighbors. On the Great Lawn, an outdoor amphitheater hosting concerts from early June to mid-September, residents enjoy the sounds of popular local music groups representing different genres. The Great Lawn is also host to group fitness classes, a well-being fair, and holiday celebrations.

"Our residents love being outdoors enjoying the mix of activities available to them," adds Mary Kaba, Seabrook's resident life director. "Whether they're looking to be physically fit, move around more, or feel the sunshine, being outdoors has great health benefits and it's a great way to make a connection with others."

These robust outdoor amenities are just one of the reasons to consider a move. Request more information today!

Written by Linda Esterson