2026 SPRING ISSUE

Informing, serving and celebrating the lake region

L H N

ake opatcong ews

SPRING 2026 VOL. 18 NO. 1

ICE

Breakers

the magazine

SCHOOL FUNDING BATTLE

IN THE LIMELIGHT

WATER QUALITY UPDATE

CHURCH MILESTONE

Landscape Landscape

Supply Supply •

Dumpster Dumpster

Rentals Rentals •

Recycling Recycling

Facility Facility •

Paver Paver &

Outdoor Outdoor

Living

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SCHOOL FUNDING BATTLE

Editor

Karen Fucito

editor@lakehopatcongnews.com

973-663-2800

Contributing Writers

Kathleen Brunet

David Chmiel

Michael Daigle

Mario Marroquin

Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika

Columnists

Sam DeAlba

Caitlin Doran

Marty Kane

Barbara Simmons

Joe Wohlgemuth

Editing and Layout

Maria DaSilva-Gordon

Randi Cirelli

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advertising@lakehopatcongnews.com

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Lake Hopatcong News is published seven times a year between

April and November and is offered free at more than 200

businesses throughout the lake region. It is available for home

delivery for a nominal fee. The contents of Lake Hopatcong

News may not be reprinted in any form without prior written

permission from the editor. Lake Hopatcong News is a registered

trademark of Lake Hopatcong News, LLC. All rights reserved.

From The Editor

This issue begins the 18th year of publication for Lake Hopatcong

News and my 14th as its editor. I’m always excited to begin a new

year and to see what interesting stories pop up along the way.

When I began as editor, I had already decided on the kinds of content

I wanted to see in the magazine: coverage of local events, lots of

feature stories and at least one profile piece in every issue. I knew I

wanted you, the reader, to get to know your neighbors.

What I wasn’t going to do, though, was chase news, something I had done for 20 years while

working at the Daily Record. The shifting nature of most news stories can be a challenge for a

monthly publication. Staffing is also an issue. I can’t be in two places at once, and chasing news is

time-consuming.

How many of you remember Snake in the Lake in 2014?

Against my better judgement (and admittedly bowing to media peer pressure), I chased that

story all around the lake, dropping everything multiple times to check out a reported sighting.

It was a lot.

Was it a big story? At the time, yes. It was all anyone was talking about. Was it an important

story? Turns out, no.

But right now, there are two very important news stories unfolding in our community.

In Roxbury, a warehouse slated to become a controversial ICE detention center in the Ledgewood

section of the township has polarized the community. (See story on page 22.) In Jefferson, there’s a

David versus Goliath situation brewing, with the township school district fighting for its academic

life against the state’s behemoth formula-based school aid system. (See story on page 6.)

Both situations are fluid, with new details emerging almost weekly and with outcomes still

uncertain. And, just like the sinkhole story that ran in the Fourth of July issue last year, we have

put together a comprehensive look at both of these matters. When writing about unresolved

issues in a publication like Lake Hopatcong News, there’s always the risk the printed version will

not reflect the current situation. Assuredly, each story was updated up to the time the magazine

was sent to the printer.

This issue also marks the addition of four new columnists.

One is Joe Wohlgemuth, who began writing stories for the magazine about two years ago. Joe

will be introducing us to the local theater scene: previewing performances and featuring actors,

directors and production crews. He comes with the credentials, holding a master’s degree in

theater from Montclair State University and an extensive resume of performing and directing.

(See his column, Behind the Curtain, on page 20.)

Then there’s Sam DeAlba. Last year, Sam was featured in the Memorial Day issue on the I AM…

page. We first crossed paths at the monthly Lake Hopatcong Commission meetings, where he

would share weather statistics during the public comment.

I was drawn to Sam because he is a weather expert and has a popular social media site dedicated

to Lake Hopatcong called Weather & Wakes, where his writing really shines through. As a former

forensic meteorologist, Sam speaks with authority. Although initially not amenable to writing a

column for the magazine, my persistent begging paid off. (See his column, On My Radar, on page

12.)

The last column, called Naturally Speaking, takes the place of retired columnist Heather Shirley.

(See page 38.) Caitlin Duran and Patrick Krudop, both with the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, will

be taking turns writing the column. Because I have a very comfortable relationship with the

foundation staff, I get two writers for the price of one. I only asked that they not get too technical

and that they let their personalities live through their writings.

If you’ve met either of them, you know what I mean. Big personalities.

Maybe I should rethink this...

—Karen

On The Cover

Debbi Heditsch from Ledgewood is one of

hundreds who protested the proposed ICE

detention facility slated to open in her Roxbury

neighborhood.

—photo by Karen Fucito

L H N

Informing, serving and celebrating the lake region

ake opatcong ews

ICE

SPRING 2026 VOL. 18 NO. 1

Breakers

the magazine

4

LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Spring 2026

BORN INTO MUSIC

WATER QUALITY UPDATE

CHURCH MILESTONE

Lake Front Homes by Christopher J. Edwards

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Succasunna, NJ 0

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Hopatcong, N.J.: ‘We Call It Lake Life’

Jefferson Township Schools Fight for Financial Support

by MICHAEL DAIGLE

New Jersey has a habit of pitting two

important societal goals against one

another, hoping for the best.

Broadly, starting in the 1970s, it was urban

school funding and the need for statewide

affordable housing that left urban and

suburban regions of the state in general

opposition. Court cases that resulted from

those conflicts opened racial and social

divides that colored the state political debate

for decades.

Now in 2026, it’s school kids versus clean

water.

It’s a story that began in December, with

community outrage, as local schools faced

searing budget cuts and the potential loss of

favorite programs like sports, based on the

current state school funding plan in place

since 2018.

But another target of concern arose: A law

designed to protect drinking water, 2004’s

Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act,

that also shut off the development pipeline,

leaving towns unable to grow and afford the

local government and school costs.

How to fix it?

Perhaps like this. By late March, regional

state legislators had introduced four bills to

expand funding for the 88 Highlands region

towns and schools through additional direct

funding in the proposed 2027 state budget,

6

Photos by KAREN FUCITO

Assemblyman Mike Inganamort (right)

addresses Jefferson students after leaving the

March 25 budget committee meeting.

(Photo courtesy of Sara Fasano)


Jefferson Township students react to speakers during a March 7 rally at the high school.

alterations to existing watershed funding

programs, and changes to core language in

the existing school funding laws to provide

potential fairness across the region.

Additionally, Governor Mikie Sherrill

proposed in the 2027 budget a $370 million

increase in state school aid to $12.4 billion.

Caution. It’s early in the state budget process

and the answers might not come until that

process ends in June, if it emerges at all.

“All we’re asking from Trenton is fairness,”

Jefferson Mayor Eric Wilsusen told those at

a March 7 rally. “Fair school funding for our

students, and our fair share of Highlands

Impact Aid so our communities can remain

financially stable while we continue protecting

the state’s most important resources. This is

about the survival of our community.”

The law in question: The School Funding

Reform Act of 2008, deemed constitutional

by the New Jersey Supreme Court and

subsequent amendments, was formulated

to redistribute aid to underfunded schools.

The new formula was designed to more

fairly allocate state aid based on factors

like enrollment, the number of low-income

students and how much a district can raise

through taxes.

Jefferson schools now serve 2,600 students,

down from 3,400 in 2012-13. Since 2017-18 the

district lost $45 million in state aid.

The 2004 Highlands Act was passed to slow

development in certain areas of its member

towns to protect an aquifer that provides 860

million gallons of water daily to 70 percent of

New Jersey residents.

It’s a circumstance that rallied parents and

officials to form online support groups,

host a 500-person save-the-school event at

Jefferson Township High School on March

7 with other Highlands towns, and turned

students into Zoom warriors as they beamed

into legislative budget committee hearings to

make their case for renewed local school and

watershed aid.

Basically, they want to be paid for protecting

the water the region ships downstream.

In March, Wilsusen and school Superintendent

Jeanne Howe also led delegations of students

and parents to attend budget hearings in

Trenton. Two of those parents, Tom and Sara

Fasano, have been instrumental in creating a

groundswell of support from the community

and beyond.

“We think it is critical for Trenton to hear

Highlands voices directly, and we know the

message we carried there was heard and

acknowledged. Now it’s time for them to join

the fight for fairness,” said Tom.

Why does the history matter?

Because the current school finding scheme

that has placed more than a reported 170

school districts in financial distress, was

a result of the decades-long effort by

legislators to tweak state funding for school

by correcting what had been in place at the

time.

In March, Jefferson schools introduced a

2026-27 budget of $69 million that showed a

$2.9 million deficit, said Howe. Even though

the district received a $308,000 state aid

increase for the budget, to $5.449 million,

and significant cuts were made, there was

still a shortfall. Howe said presenting a deficit

Representatives from Jefferson’s Highlands Impact Aid Now listen

as Jeanne Howe, township superintendent, testifies during the

March 25 budget committee hearing in Trenton. On the dais, from

left: Rita Orocho Giacchi, business administrator; Tom Fasano,

parent leader; seventh-grade student Emily Henderson and Mayor

Eric Wilsusen.

(Photo courtesy of Sara Fasano)

budget would mean the state education

department would have to become involved

in the budget process.

Howe said before the preliminary budget

was introduced, the budget shortfall was an

estimated $4.8 million and could threaten

popular programs like sports.

While Howe said she understands the state’s

need to balance school aid by using student

population as a factor, she questioned why

Jefferson’s aid dropped 60 percent while

student enrollment dropped 29 percent.

The drop in student population opens up

the other part of this equation. And it’s a twoparter.

Eighty-eight percent of Jefferson is within

the Highlands preservation zone. And some

of that land is hilly property preserved as

recreation and wildlife protection land,

such as Morris County’s 3,500-acre Mahlon

Dickerson Reservation and land owned by

Newark and Jersey City to protect their own

water sources.

The township has also preserved with

partners hundreds of acres as recreational

spaces, such as the 835-acre Baker-Firestone

property, preserved in 2012. Instead of being

a place of 400 houses, the land is part of the

township’s growing eco-tourism trail system.

Like the school funding laws that piled

up changes based on past practices, the

Highlands Act was a reaction to the pervasive

development sprawl that was eating up

property along the Interstate 80 corridor.

It declared virtual no-growth zones in parts

of 88 towns. For Jefferson, the location of

the soon-to-be-closed Cozy Lake School in

the preservation zone, could complicate a

possible sale or reuse of the building, Howe

said.

What the Highlands Act

helped create for Jefferson

was a relatively stagnant tax

base, with growth relying

on appreciation, not new

development.

The last of Jefferson’s

buildable lots was claimed in

2024 for a 107-unit residential

project called Jefferson Place

on state Route 15.

A 2025 Morris County

report, based on U.S.

Census data about housing

trends from 1980 to 2024,

supported the notion that

development slowed.

Morris County saw 18,631

houses built between 1990

and 2000; 15,467 between

2000 and 2010; 7,880

between 2010 and 2020; and

3,876 between 2020 and 2024.

A second report on new construction

residential sales from 2003 to 2024 illustrated

the impact of this building slowdown in

Jefferson.

In that period, Jefferson saw the completion

of a total of 423 single-family homes, when

219 were completed in 2003 and 2004, and 155

were completed in 2005 and 2006.

From 2007 to 2024, only 49 single-family

homes were built in Jefferson.

A companion chart in that report showed

there was no new-construction, single-family,

attached (townhomes) sales in Jefferson

between 2003 and 2024.

Further, the report noted, there was no newconstruction,

multifamily sales in Jefferson in

that period.

Another indicator of the slowdown can

be seen in the Morris County Abstracts of

Ratables from 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025.

The abstracts record real detail assessment

values and tax information for each town and

the county as a whole.

In 2018, Jefferson’s total land and

improvements were assessed at $2.647 billion.

In 2020, it was $2.705 billion.

In 2023, that total was $2.823 billion.

And in 2025, it was $2.906 billion.

The assessed value of the entire township

grew by $259 million in seven years.

Comparatively, Roxbury’s total assessment

grew from $2.044 billion in 2018 to $3.635

billion in 2025, and Mount Arlington’s total

assessment grew from $715,493 million in 2018

to $1.063 billion in 2025.

More numbers: Jefferson has 24,080 acres

in the Highlands preservation zone and 3,303

acres in the planning zone; Roxbury has 4,303

acres in the preservation zone and 9,738 acres

in the planning zone. Mount Arlington has 172

acres in the preservation zone and 1,663 acres

in the planning zone.

In 2023, Jefferson developed an economic

development plan aimed at attracting new

business to the township as a way to stabilize

the property tax rate for residents. The

plan was seeking a vibrant, diverse business

community.

Here’s the other wrinkle.

The Highlands Act called for 88 towns in the

Highlands region to receive compensation for

the water protection they offered through

the law.

The state legislature never fully appropriated

the money.

Ben Spinelli, executive director of the New

Jersey Highlands Council, which implements

the Highlands Act, said in February’s

Highlands council report, the funding through

continued on p. 8

Kinnelon Mayor Jim Freda, right, gets the crowd going at the March 7 rally at Jefferson High

School. He is joined on stage by, from left: Anthony Rossi, mayor of Vernon Township; Michele

Dale, mayor of West Milford; Jamie Landis, mayor of Ringwood; Eric Wilsusen, mayor of Jefferson;

Senator Anthony Bucco and Chris Brown, board of education president in Jefferson.

lakehopatcongnews.com 7

Schools Fight

(continued from p. 7)

the Highlands Protection Fund is not evenly

applied across the region. Jefferson receives

$192,794 annually through this fund.

West Milford and Vernon currently receive

annual allocations of $757,687 and $294,455,

respectively.

An effort in 2025 to apply the Highlands

funding to towns in the 800,000-acre region,

but not in line for state aid, was not funded

by the legislature, he said.

Comparatively, towns within New York’s

Catskill/Delaware watershed receive $165

million annually from varied sources to

compensate for the loss of development in

watershed lands, he said.

“Highlands communities need some measure

of financial support to account for the

resource protection actions they take at the

local level,” Spinelli said.

That is the intent of legislation filed in late

March by a host of lake region legislators.

Assemblywoman Aura Dunn of the 25th

District began the effort with a bill (A4456)

calling for a special allocation of $4.8 million

for Jefferson schools to close the expected

2026-27 budget gap. The school board

trimmed the proposed budget after Dunn

Tom and Sara Fasano, at the March 7 rally.

filed her bill.

She followed that up with an Assembly

concurrent resolution (A126) calling for

revisions of the 2008 School Funding Reform

Act that precipitated the budget crisis for

Jefferson and other schools in the Highlands

region.

Sen. Anthony Bucco of the 25th District,

filed a companion Senate resolution (SCR108).

“It has baffled so many of my colleagues in

the Legislature and myself that districts like

Jefferson are considered over-funded yet

must resort to closing and selling off school

buildings, and cut programs, extracurriculars

and staff to balance budgets year after year,”

Dunn said. “Further cuts simply cannot be

made without jeopardizing our children’s

futures.”

The resolution noted that S-2, a 2018 bill

designed to amend the 2008 school funding

act, eliminated a provision in that older

school funding act that was intended to hold

districts harmless against a steep loss of state

aid.

That shift, combined with limiting

development aspects of the Highlands Act,

leave Highlands region towns with less ability

to raise local taxes to offset the loss of state

aid, the resolution said.

The goal of the resolution, Dunn said, is to

revise the 2008 school funding law to reduce

the possibility of what just happened to

Jefferson. There was “an abrupt cut in state aid

that prevents districts from recovering from

the millions of dollars they’ve lost over the

years. Our school districts deserve a fair and

equitable distribution of aid, but once again

communities like Jefferson and West Milford

are left to deal with significant shortfalls,” she

said.

“Districts in the Highlands region don’t have

the ability to make up these gaps locally,

which means students and families will

ultimately feel the impact through cuts to

activities, programs and curriculum,” Bucco

added.

Next, Bucco and Dunn filed companion

bills to increase the amount of aid sent to

8


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Highlands towns for hosting watershed lands.

Bucco’s bill (S4041) and Dunn’s with cosponsor

Assemblyman Michael Inganamort

of the 24th District (A4770) call for raising the

watershed moratorium offset aid to $92 per

acre from $47 per acre.

The bills also would codify the watershed

moratorium so that land designated for water

protection could not be sold.

The bill would further require that any

municipality receiving state watershed aid

would use 25 percent of the money for

school funding purposes.

Last, the bill would require a boost to the

Highlands Protection Fund, collected annually

from state realty transfer fees, from $5 million

to $12 million annually.

The state in 2025 collected $300 million in

realty transfer fees used to support affordable

housing and environmental programs and

other general tax relief efforts.

The final bill (A4860) attempts to apply a key

element of state education funding, in place

since the 1980s when the landmark lawsuit

Abbott vs. Burke was decided, to the towns

in the Highlands and Pinelands regions.

The bill is sponsored by Dunn,

Assemblywoman Marisa Sweeney of the

25th District, the lone Democrat on the bill,

and Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia and

Inganamort of the 24th District.

Also co-sponsoring the bill is Assemblyman

Alex Sauickie, who represents many Pinelands

towns in the 12th District.

The New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve

is a 1.1-million-acre wetlands preserve in

South Jersey, designated in 1979. It includes

55 municipalities and provides water to about

one million state residents.

Sweeney said she joined the bill to provide

protection to the Highlands towns and

recognized that Pinelands towns face the

same financial challenges due to development

restrictions.

Dunn said at the bill’s release, “These

communities are doing the right thing, not

just for themselves, but for the entire state.

Our school funding system has failed to

account for the economic impact of these

environmental burdens that limit a town’s

ability to expand their tax base in the same

way that urban districts are limited by

municipal burdens.”

“Municipal burden” results when a school

district in a community has high public service

needs and low property values that restrict

the district from raising adequate local funds

to support schools, the bill announcement

said.

The term was coined by the New Jersey

Supreme Court in its rulings on the Abbott

school cases that resulted in additional state

aid to poor urban school districts, which,

despite high tax rates, struggled to provide

essential services.

For Dunn, the situation for Jefferson and

other Highlands towns, growth-restricted

while providing essential protection for a key

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water supply, is similar as the Abbott school

districts.

It was a deliberate choice to model the

Abbott language, she said.

The Highlands development impacts were

created by state law and the current school

funding plan does not fully account for that

factor, she said.

“This legislation ensures that students

in northern New Jersey and Pinelands

communities are given the same opportunity

as others who live in towns that also cannot

expand their tax base,” she said

That’s the message the Jefferson contingency

hoped to deliver to members of the budget

committee during the March 25 trip to

Trenton. The students, said Sara Fasano,

“carried themselves with remarkable dignity,

maturity, and pride. Their presence clearly

left an impression on the committee. Our

hope is that when the budget numbers are

finalized, they [the legislation] remember that

behind every line item are Highlands students

who have been unfairly funded for years and

deserve the same opportunities as every child

in New Jersey.”

James J. Leffler

Realtor

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On My Radar

Story and photos by SAM DeALBA

Winter’s Last Word and Spring’s Quiet Takeover

Winter didn’t exactly sneak out the back

door this year.

If anything, it made sure we remembered it.

By the time the last patches of ice on Lake

Hopatcong finally disappeared around St.

Patrick’s Day, we had experienced one of the

more memorable winters in recent years.

Area snowfall totaled about 47 to 52 inches,

roughly 6 inches above normal. That alone isn’t

extraordinary for our area, but the consistency

of the snowpack was.

From January 18 through March 7, there was at

least 0.5 inches of snow on the ground every

single day; 49 straight days. That ranks as the

14th longest snowpack stretch in roughly the

past 90 years. (Though still well behind the

record of 109 days set during the legendary

winter of 1962-63.)

Another rare stat from the season: December,

January and February each delivered over 12

inches of snow to the region. This is a feat seen

less than 10 times in the last 112 years based on

regional climatological records.

March, thankfully, didn’t continue that trend.

Even though the month typically averages

about 8 to 9 inches of snowfall, this year it

behaved more like a transition month than a

winter encore.

The snow told one part of the story. The cold

told another.

January and February combined to produce

the coldest stretch in about 20 years, which

helped the ice on area lakes to establish itself

early and hold firm. Ice began forming its long

run in mid-December and persisted straight

through mid-March.

Top right: A view of Woodport as seen on March 13.

Above: A view of Raccoon Island one month earlier.

12


The most dramatic example came during the

Lake Hopatcong Elks’ Leap in the Lake on March

7. Held annually at Hopatcong State Park, event

coordinators had to cut through nearly 18 inches

of ice just to create an opening for participants

to take the plunge into 36-degree water. It was

a reminder that winter still had a solid grip on

the lake even as the calendar pushed toward

spring.

In a way, we were fortunate that March started

off warm. Had those early-month temperatures

stayed colder, ice could have lingered well

beyond St. Patrick’s Day.

While winter left its mark in snow and ice,

another longer-running storyline quietly

continued in the background: drought.

February marked the 10th consecutive month

with below-normal precipitation across the

region. That kind of deficit doesn’t disappear

overnight. Fortunately, March brought

above-normal rainfall, which helped the Lake

Hopatcong refill get off to a decent start after

the ice finally melted away.

But drought recovery is rarely quick. One

average month doesn’t erase 10 dry ones.

Typically, it takes either one significantly wet

period or several months of above-normal

precipitation to truly shift the balance. It’s

something I tend to watch most closely during

the summer and fall, but drought doesn’t follow

the calendar. It can build—or fade—at any time

of year.

Which brings us to what’s on my radar now.

Everyone has a favorite season. For many

people around the area, that’s summer. I’m in

that group, too. But a very close second for

me is the stretch we’re entering right now: true

spring. Not the March version, where winter

and spring wrestle for control, but the April

and May version, when it finally starts to feel

consistently good to be outside.

By late April, the sun is already delivering nearly

as much energy as it does in mid-August. That

increase in solar power changes everything.

Snow melts faster, the ground dries out more

quickly and water temperatures begin their

slow climb.

Even so, lakes warm more slowly than the air.

Water resists temperature change, which is why

the first warm days of spring can feel almost

summery while water remains stubbornly cold.

Around late April, average air temperatures

typically sit near 63 degrees during the day and 41

degrees at night, while lake water temperatures

usually range somewhere between 50-60

degrees. By the time we reach mid-May, those

averages climb closer to 70 degrees and 49

degrees, and water temperatures often settle

into the upper-50s to upper-60s range.

One milestone many people notice arrives

when the lake approaches 60 degrees. That’s

when boating activity increases, fishing picks up

and the lakes starts to feel alive again after the

quiet months of winter.

There’s nothing official about April 24 being

the start of “lake season.” But for me, it’s around

those last 10 days of April when it begins.

The die-hard anglers have already been out for

weeks. Hikers and cyclists are finally enjoying

comfortable conditions. One by one, boats

start emerging from their shrink-wrap cocoons

and returning to the water. And with each

passing weekend, the lakes, especially Lake

Hopatcong, become just a little bit busier.

Nature is changing, too. Around this time of

year, trees begin their spring leaf-out, when buds

suddenly open and the landscape transforms

almost overnight. One week the hillsides look

gray and bare. The next, they’re glowing with

that unmistakable early-spring green.

Other small milestones arrive quickly after

that.

By May 6, sunset pushes past 8 p.m., giving us

those long evenings that feel like a preview of

summer. By May 12, the average daytime high

temperature finally reaches 70 degrees, another

psychological marker that winter is truly behind

us.

And then comes one of the community’s

favorite traditions: the Lake Hopatcong Block

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Winter may have taken its time leaving this

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Annual Water Quality Report:

Lake Hopatcong Continues to Heat Up

2025 but never reached the elevated densities

that have been observed in recent years. It’s

a positive sign that cyanobacteria densities

decreased during the peak of the summer.”

Rising temperatures also affect one of the

by MICHAEL DAIGLE

To counterbalance the rising temperatures, the important game fish: trout.

commission investigated two possible projects. For their sustained management, all species of

L

One was an oxygenation/aeration system that trout require dissolved oxygen concentrations

ake Hopatcong breathes.

could pump oxygen into the deepest part of of at least 4.0 mg/L or greater. However,

Because the organisms that occupy its the lake, which annually is anoxic, or lacking the state’s designated water quality criteria

water breathe, feed, live and die; the fish

seek cooler water; and weeds prosper, are cut

and removed, then grow again. Bacteria and

algae compete for space in a nutrient-rich

environment fueled by the increasingly warmer

water.

Humans devise plans and build structures to

slow the spill of pollutants into the lake and

the actions change the lake again.

The tiny organisms react, the fish react, the

humans react.

And the lake breathes.

The lake has been under a restoration plan

since 2006, with a long-term goal of reducing

oxygen. The other was the use of alum, a

neutralizing chemical spread over 987 acres of

the main lake.

The issue with the oxygenation/aeration

plan is the cost—more than $2 million for the

system and $75,000 a year to operate it, Smith

said.

“No one has the money in their budget,” he

said.

Doran said while the alum treatment is “low

tech,” it is effective.

Some examples from the water quality report:

The results from the alum treatment funded

showed a significant reduction in soluble

to sustain a healthy, aquatic ecosystem is a

concentration of at least 5.0 mg/L, the report

said.

Optimal brown trout habitat was present in

the upper 9.0 m of the lake on May 30, but

by June 26, optimal brown trout habitat was

reduced to a total of 3.0 m at mid-lake present

from a depth of 3.0 m through 5.0 m; water

temperatures exceeded 78.8 degrees in the

upper 2.0 m, resulting in no carryover habitat

at the surface.

There was barely any trout habitat present at

the shallow stations in June other than a depth

of 3.0 m at Henderson Cove.

the amount of phosphorus—a key pollutant reactive phosphorus concentrations and There was also nearly no optimum trout

that fuels weed and bacterial growth.

In 2021, the 2006 Restoration Plan was updated

with funds provided by the New Jersey

Highlands Council into a more comprehensive

Watershed Implementation Plan. Funds are

being used to select, design and implement

additional watershed-based projects, said

a 2025 Water Quality Report prepared by

Princeton Hydro LLC for the Lake Hopatcong

Commission.

The result is a wider application of funds to

create strategic programs around the lake.

And while that is continuing, the lake water

heats up.

Both Ron Smith, chairman of the Lake

Hopatcong Commission, and Caitlin Doran,

cyanobacteria densities at Station 2, the middle

of the lake.

Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP)—the form

that is both released from the sediments and

the most important for limiting algal growth—

was significantly lower in 2025 than recent

years.

Water clarity during the 2025 season increased

significantly at Station 2 (mid-lake) relative to

2024. Station 2 had a seasonal mean (visibility)

depth of 1.1 m in 2024 and 1.5 m in 2025.

The increase in clarity at Station 2 was likely

influenced by the alum treatment that was

conducted in the fall of 2024, as data from 2025

shows that the internal dissolved phosphorus

load was significantly reduced, resulting in

habitat on the lake during the peak of

summer. It returned in August as temperatures

moderated, the report said.

Another key in-lake project being planned

is the beneficial reuse of material from the

bottom of Landing Channel in Roxbury

to replenish Floating Island into a wildlife

attraction.

Doran said she is excited that the local

beneficial reuse of the material, a process

formerly known as dredging, would result in

the restoration of a local island.

Other key lake projects included the completed

pesticide treatments in Crescent Cove in

Hopatcong and Ashley Cove in Jefferson, and

the continuation of a stormwater management

director of development at the Lake lower cyanobacteria densities.

project at Whitten Park in Hopatcong. These

Hopatcong Foundation, noted separately the

reported rise in water temperature. Rising lake

temperatures make lake restoration a moving

target, Smith said.

Overall, the report said, “Cyanobacteria

densities were higher early in the season in

projects have been completed or, like Whitten

Park, a work in progress.

Last year’s water quality report said “there has

Lake Hopatcong July Surface Temperature, Mid-Lake

been a statistically significant increase in July

surface water temperatures at Lake Hopatcong

over the past 35 years. These data provide

evidence that climatic change is impacting

Lake Hopatcong. In turn, increasing water

temperatures makes the lake more favorable

for larger and more frequent harmful algal

blooms.”

A chart with the annual report showed these

results: Average surface temperature, 1987: 73.4

84.2

82.4

80.6

78.8

77

75.2

73.4

degrees; 2005: 83.5 degrees; 2025: 87.9 degrees.

71.6

“The July 2025 temperature decreased relative

1987 1992 1997 2002

to the record high in 2024, but it was still the

4th highest July surface temperature on record,”

Year

2007 2012 2017 2022

the report said. Source: Princeton Hydro Water Quality Report 2025

16


Temperature ( o F)

Roxbury is also home to a significant off-lake

stormwater management project.

Last year, Roxbury and the lake commission,

with the help of the Lake Hopatcong

Foundation, secured a $367,000 grant from

the New Jersey Department of Environmental

Protection. The grant will be used to retrofit an

existing stormwater detention basin between

King Road and Mount Arlington Boulevard with

a series of green stormwater infrastructure

improvements designed to slow, capture and

naturally treat stormwater runoff.

The project includes a $200,000 local match

from the commission, Roxbury Township and

the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, and an initial

$98,000 planning grant awarded by the New

Jersey Highlands Council.

That basin, the grant award said, was identified

in the 2021 Upper Musconetcong River

Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) as a

priority project to reduce non-point source

pollution and improve water quality before

stormwater enters the lake at King Cove.

The largest off-lake project, one called the

most important environmental project for

the lake, is the proposed $94 million Jefferson

sewer system, planned for that township’s

lakeside community.

The project received a $750,000 boost in 2023

when then-Rep. Mikie Sherrill secured a grant

to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to

begin a study of the area.

Jefferson Mayor Eric Wilsusen said the

construction funds were included in an

appropriations bill, but that bill has not been

passed by Congress.

The water quality report twice mentions that

the lack of sewers in Jefferson, and the reliance

on septic systems is a factor in the turbidity of

the shallow lake waters north of Brady Bridge.

Ron Smith, the lake commission chairman

who is also a Jefferson resident, said Jefferson

is included in the Musconetcong Sewerage

Authority and has reserved system capacity.

Records from the sewerage authority show

that in 1968, when the system had a capacity of

.50 million gallons a day (MGD), it completed

construction of a secondary treatment plant

and installed a 36-inch line to accommodate

the future needs of Roxbury, Mount Arlington,

Hopatcong and Jefferson.

In 1996, with a capacity of 363 MGD, system

improvements were completed to allow for

the future needs of Jefferson and Hopatcong.

In Trenton, Sen. Anthony Bucco refiled a

bill to secure an additional $250,000 for the

lake commission to be paid from power boat

registrations. The commission now receives

$500,000 annually. Bucco’s bill was referred in

March to the Senate Environment and Energy

Committee.

At the April 14 Lake Hopatcong Commission

meeting, the commission voted to accept a

monetary settlement from Weldon Quarry.

In 2023, it was determined an incident at the

quarry resulted in slurry making its way into

Lake Hopatcong. Part

of the terms of the

settlement will be a

$500,000 payment to

the commission that

will be earmarked for

the weed harvesting

program.

Police patrols on

the lake last year

conducted 1,256 boat stops and issued 917

violations, New Jersey State Police Sgt.

Anthony Buro reported at the commission

meeting in February.

There were nine boaters charged with boating

under the influence and 53 noise violations,

said Buro, who added that hundreds of noise

complaints were resolved.

Marty Kane, president of the Lake Hopatcong

Historical Society, said the severe winter

weather did some damage to a portion of the

museum building.

Initial repairs will allow the building to open in

April. Kane said complete repairs are expected

to take until 2027.

The work at Lee’s County Park Marina in

Mount Arlington is ending, said David Helmer,

“DIG DEEP

The largest off-lake project,

one called the most important

environmental project for the

lake, is the proposed $94

million Jefferson sewer system,

planned for that township’s

lakeside community.

executive director of the Morris County Park

Commission.

The stormwater management, parking and

landscaping project was delayed by weather,

he said.

The pavilion is

expected to open this

spring, he said. The

structure is redesigned

to be an event space

for meetings and

weddings, similar,

for example, to

the building at

Frelinghuysen Arboretum, he said.

So, with another year, it’s clear the lake is

changing. Important stuff is being done to

address important issues.

Then there is this, what the science catches

and we all miss: What happens to the lake

when we’re not looking.

From the water quality report: “Dissolved

oxygen concentrations are generally measured

during the daytime when concentrations are

highest. Concentrations are lower at night

when photosynthesis ceases, but respiration

continues.”

When photosynthesis ceases.

But respiration continues.

The lake breathes.

The lake lives.

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Stanhope United Methodist

Celebrates Milestone Anniversary


It’s early spring in New Jersey, which means

the weather alternates between warm and

sunny spring days and dreary rainy days. But

the vagaries of the weather mean nothing

to the stalwart stone church facing Lake

Musconetcong. Through sun and storm, it

has stood for more than 100 years, known

historically as the Church in the Glen for its

scenic spot by the water.

Officially named Stanhope United Methodist

Church, it has served generations of families

in Stanhope, Netcong, Byram and beyond.

On a Sunday leading up to Easter, more than

50 members of the congregation gathered to

worship and to share fellowship.

Like churches of many denominations,

the service began with announcements of

upcoming activities. That included a list of

Holy Week services, the Palm Sunday pancake

breakfast, the deadline for ordering Easter

flowers, the needs of the thrift shop and the

long-awaited, often postponed date for the

church’s 105th anniversary celebration.

(The church’s centennial anniversary in

2020 was stalled by COVID-19. The 105th has

changed several times due to weather. At

this point, it’s technically year 106, but the

commemorative booklets have already been

printed.)

The 105th anniversary celebration on Sunday,

April 12, was specifically for the church’s

current building. The congregation’s history,

however, dates back to 1835 and has occupied

two prior church buildings.

“Stanhope United Methodist Church has

stood in this location for 105 years because

people cared enough to tend it, preserve it

and pass it on,” said Lynn Zaremba, church

pastor, during her celebration remarks.

Lifelong member Lynn Owens of Hopatcong,

79, agrees.

“I have the connection of my baptism. My

parents brought me here and I’m still here

many years later. It feels comfortable and

safe,” she said, adding that her children and

grandchild also attend services.

Stanhope United Methodist currently has 275

members and averages about 75 worshipers

each Sunday. This includes older members

who have been part of the congregation for

decades, couples and families with children

ranging from toddlers to teens. The teens are

active in the church, taking part in Sunday

readings, playing musical instruments and

18

by BONNIE-LYNN NADZEIKA


attending Sunday school with the

younger children.

The church hosts year-round

activities for the community,

including the popular Spring Tea,

a Brunch & Baby Shower—which

benefits Birth Haven in Newton—

and the annual Strawberry Festival

in June. It also serves members

of the community, most notably

through its Food Pantry in the Glen and

Hope’s Hidden Treasures thrift shop.

The congregation began as the Lockwood

Methodist Episcopal Church in 1835. This

original church was located in the Lockwood

section of Byram, approximately where the

car wash is on U.S. Route 206 today. A second

church was built in 1843 on Linden Avenue in

Stanhope.

The current church was built on land

donated by Abraham Drake in 1915. Drake

was Netcong’s first postmaster and mayor.

Now located in Netcong, the church retains

its Stanhope name as it stands close to the

border between the two towns.

In 2013, the structure was added to the

National Register of Historic Places for its

architectural significance. The church is

referred to as being part of the Tudor Gothic

tradition in architecture. It was designed

by Floyd Yard Parsons, an architect with

experience in designing churches, including

several in northern New Jersey.

The exterior truly reflects its designation

as the Church in the Glen, made from the

fieldstones found nearby, not quarried or

shaped. Northern New Jersey is abundant in

these stones. They were rounded and made

smooth by being carried beneath glaciers in

the last ice age.

The church was built by Gallo Brothers

Construction, a Netcong-based company

that specialized in masonry. In the late 19th

century, Italian immigrants settled in Netcong,

many of them stone masons. (Today, there

are still four businesses specializing in stone

masonry listed online.)

A distinguished feature of the church is

its bell tower. According to church history,

the bell was donated to the Linden Avenue

church in 1844 and later moved to its current

location. While it is still functional, it is not

currently used. In addition to the bell, the

church has added carillon chimes over the

years, which broadcast at noon and 6 p.m.

The church sanctuary was heavily influenced

by the Gothic style, with pointed arches

indicative of that style. Arches can be found

Top: Stanhope United Methodist Church on Ledgewood Avenue in Netcong.

Above: Palm Sunday service in March.

in the pews, along the tops of the stained

glass windows and around the organ.

Most of the windows do not depict biblical

scenes, the exception being the windows

on either side of the organ, which depict

“The Good Shepherd” and “In the Garden.”

Above the church entrance is the “Jesus in the

Clouds” window, which is partly visible behind

the choir loft at the back of the narthex.

The church ceiling is covered in beadboard,

filling the space between the wood beams.

The beadboard curves in several places, as

it meets the sanctuary walls, framing the

stained glass windows and above the organ.

The organ is the focal point behind the

pulpit. It was dedicated in 1921 and expanded

in the 1970s. It still retains its shipping label

from the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western

Railroad.

Music is a significant part of worship at the

church with Angelo Benincasa playing hymns

on the organ or Roxie Benbow on the piano.

Adults as well as younger members of the

congregation play various instruments at

different services. For decades, there was a

bell choir known as the Bells of the Glen, but

like many things, it was not revived following

the pandemic.

Scott Lefurge, a music teacher in Bedminster,

and his wife, Rosalie, also help with filling the

sanctuary with music, creating many themed

services. Since 2011, the couple has organized

a Jazz Worship Service.

“Jazzy hymns and tunes,” he said. The service

also functions as a fundraiser for disaster relief

and has raised over $8,000 since its inception.

“The Jazz Worship event is one of my favorite

church traditions,” said Zaremba, the pastor.

Food also plays a strong role in the church

community. There are pancake breakfasts,

community church dinners and trivia events

with food and live music. Every Sunday there

is a coffee hour following the service. More

breakfast spread than simply coffee, there

can be everything from carrot cake to an egg

frittata.

Following the service in March, seventh-grade

members Kara Nester, Paizley Broadfield and

William Broadfield gathered at a table talking

and laughing. They are just as passionate

about their participation in the church as they

were with the readings of the day.

Kara was teased for picking the longest

reading. “I like doing the readings. It’s a good

opportunity to practice public speaking,

which is very important,” she said. She also

likes church because she gets to see her

friends and family, including her grandmother

and cousins.

William, who has been coming to the church

with his family since he was 5 or 6, said the

songs are fun to sing. Paizley said her favorite

Left to right: The parade of palms during a March service.

Lynn Owens with a framed history of her membership. Pastor

Lynn Zaremba at the pulpit during the anniversary celebration.

part of the service is the children’s time at the

altar, talking directly to the pastor.

Dorothy Wolfe is at the other end of the

age spectrum and has been a full member

of the church since 1961. She taught two

generations of Sunday school children, she

said, adding that the very first baby baptized

in the church, Marion (nee O’Brien) Rush, lived

to see the church turn 100. Rush was born on

October 21, 1920, just four days before the

church was dedicated. She died two weeks

after her—and the church’s—100th birthday.

The anniversary celebration included

viewings of home movies taken by Dr. Frank

Bird in the 1920s and 1930s. According to event

coordinator Leigh Ann Von Hagen, Bird was a

prominent physician and banker in Netcong.

The celebration also featured three speakers,

who shared historical context around the

church. The speakers were Marty Kane,

president of the Lake Hopatcong Historical

Museum, Tim Roth, vice president of the Canal

Society of New Jersey, and Kurt Hirschberg,

architect and historic preservation specialist.

Hirschberg, who has been instrumental in

helping keep the historic building in good

condition, was complimentary of past

generations of church members.

“They planned well. Much like what was

done in the past,” he said, “we look to do the

same for the future. Plan well.”

For more information about the church’s

food pantry and the thrift shop, go to

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Behind The Curtain

by JOE WOHLGEMUTH

From Script to Stage: The Director’s Role

Theatre has been at the core of my

identity for as long as I can remember.

It all started when I saw my mother perform

in shows at the Assumption Theater in

Morristown throughout the 1970s. She

would come out into the audience after

a performance in her stage makeup and

costume, and I was mesmerized.

Not only did my mother look glamorous,

but she was riding high on the exhilaration

of performing. At that young age, I felt the

magical pull of the theatre, which, thankfully,

pulled me away from the wide world of

sports.

My three older siblings all excelled in sports,

and I tried to follow suit. Unfortunately,

borrowing a line from A Chorus Line, “I

couldn’t catch a ball if it had Elmer’s Glue on

it.”

Not only couldn’t I catch a ball, but I was

also terrified of them. When someone throws

something at me, my inclination is to duck,

and that didn’t bode well for my short career

in sports. So, theatre became my refuge—my

safe space—along with all of the other misfits

who daydreamed in left field and closed their

eyes when they swung the bat.

So many of us have found our tribe in

theatre folk. Our happy place is not a baseball

diamond or a basketball court, but the stage.

Lori Lawrence, standing center, leads a table read of

Nate the Great: The Musical.

20 LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Spring 2026

What’s the draw of theatre? Is it the triple

AAAs: Attention, Applause and Accolades?

Maybe. But it’s more than that. Theatre is

communal—it gives those of us who feel

like square pegs in a culture that emphasizes

athletic ability a place to belong in this world.

For the past few decades, I’ve been directing

youth theatre and have spent a little time on

stage. So, when Lake Hopatcong News editor

Karen Fucito approached me about writing a

column, the angle I wanted to take came easy.

In each issue, this column will explore the

invisible forces behind the curtain that

support the cast on stage. Upcoming local

performances will be profiled through the

lens of a production staff member (director,

choreographer, costume designer, lighting

designer, etc.), giving them the opportunity

to discuss their craft and how it relates to the

overall production.

To kick off this inaugural column, let’s begin

with the captain of the ship—the director.

In a nutshell, the director’s job is to interpret

the script, cast the show, provide the blocking

(the actors’ movement on stage), come up

with an overall vision and oversee all other

elements of production design (set, lighting,

costumes, etc.). Two local directors, Allison

Ognibene of Sparta and Lori Lawrence of

Hackettstown, believe that communication

and collaboration are key to directing,

especially when helming a musical.

Ognibene is the director of Clue: The

Musical at Sussex County Community

College in Newton and Lawrence is

directing Nate the Great: The Musical at

The Growing Stage in The Palace Theater

in Netcong.

Lawrence attends all music and dance

rehearsals and stressed the importance

of constant communication with the

musical director and choreographer. She

said her job is to “steer the ship” and to

ensure her vision of the production is

cohesive with all of the other production

design elements.

Ognibene shared a similar sentiment. “It’s

not just my role. I have the music director.

I have the choreographer. And anytime I

direct a musical, all three of us are together,

and we have a say—together,” she said.

Coincidentally, both musicals offer audience

members the opportunity to sharpen their

amateur detective skills.

Clue: The Musical is based on the popular

board game and is an interactive show in

which the audience participates in identifying

the murderer. “The audience gets a slip of

paper, and they get a pencil and they have six

suspects, in six rooms, with six weapons—and

they have to decide,” Ognibene said.

The source material for Nate the Great:

The Musical is the first book in the series of

children’s books of the same name by Marjorie

W. Sharmat. It features a boy detective, Nate,

who has a knack for investigating and solving

mysterious cases. Lawrence shared that

audiences can expect to go on a journey with

Nate and will have a great mystery to solve

with some surprises along the way.

Ognibene graduated from DeSales University

with a major in theatre and Lawrence

received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in

theatre from Drake University. Lawrence also

attended the prestigious National Theater

Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater

Center. Both Ognibene and Lawrence started

out as performers and were involved in many

facets of theatre production before trying

their hand at directing.

Lawrence honed her skills as a director

through her many years at The Growing Stage,

where she is also director of educational

programming, and views each show she

directs as a collaborative journey with the

cast.

“I always look forward to working with a new

cast and seeing what we can create together,”

she said. “I’m a big believer in collaboration,

and I know that I have to put the whole puzzle

together to make it cohesive—but I have to

remain open to what the actors bring as well.”

When directing a musical, Lawrence has a

clear rehearsal process. “I like all the music to

be learned up front. And then we’ll block, and

then we’ll go into our choreography stage,”

she said. “And it’s really important to me that

the actors get the books out of their hands

as quickly as possible, so that we can create.”

Lawrence’s goal is to bring the script to

life and make it fresh and organic so that

to audiences, it seems like the actors are

performing the show for the first time.

Ognibene aced a few directing courses while

at DeSales, but she didn’t start directing

until she helped found the North Star

Theater Company, based in Sussex County,

in her 40s. Currently, she is the theater lead

faculty adjunct professor at Sussex County

Community College, where she directs most

of the Performing Arts Center’s shows.

Allison Ognibene left, directs Forest Winegar, of

Hopatcong, in a scene from Clue: The Musical.

Ognibene is also an accomplished performer.

I had the pleasure of working with her when

she starred as Countess Lola Montez in A

Cruise to a Kill, a murder mystery I wrote and

directed for Lake Hopatcong Cruises that was

performed aboard the Miss Lotta.

Ognibene likes to begin the rehearsal

process with some improvisation exercises to

help get her actors moving like the characters

they’re portraying. She encourages her actors

to float and glide across the stage to help

them figure out the relationship between

their physical bodies and the acting space.

And because Ognibene describes Clue as

a physical comedy, she needs her actors to

be comfortable with their bodies. Once the

actors feel comfortable with their characters’

movement, she then asks them to think about

how their voices connect to their bodies. “It’s

all interconnected,” Ognibene said.

Ognibene’s overall vision for Clue is simple—

she wants the production to be fun and over

the top, and she wants her actors to be free

and silly. Lawrence is aiming for Nate the

Great to have an old-school detective, noir

atmosphere because she feels that Nate is

very serious about what he does.

Ognibene is convinced that Clue is just what

audiences need now. “We need humor—we

need things that are hokey, because you turn

on the news, and it’s just dreadful,” she said.

“This is a hokey but fun show.”

Likewise, Lawrence is optimistic that

audiences will have a good time at Nate the

Great.

“It’s a fun story. I think it’s one that our

young audience will really enjoy—and there’s

puppetry involved—which I love,” she said.

Clue: The Musical runs April 23-25 at the

Sussex County Community College Performing

Arts Center. For tickets and more information,

visit sussex.edu/pac.

Nate the Great: The Musical opens May 1 and

runs through May 17 at the Palace Theatre

(The Growing Stage) in Netcong. Tickets can be

purchased at growingstage.ludus.com.

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operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. All offerings are subject to errors, omissions, changes including price or

withdrawal without notice. Equal Housing Opportunity.


by MARIO MARROQUIN & DAVID CHMIEL


Debbi Heditsch lives in the Ledgewood

section of Roxbury Township and has

never participated in any sort of protest.

Until now.

After the federal government purchased a

Ledgewood-based industrial warehouse, with

the purpose of using it as New Jersey’s third

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

immigrant detention facility, she could no

longer stay home or stay silent.

On a sunny day in February, Heditsch was

among more than 1,000 people who lined a

section of U.S. Route 46 in Ledgewood—

about a mile from the facility’s entrance—to

voice her opposition not only to the future

detention center but to any detention center.

“Caging of humans is immoral, horrible and

inhumane, and especially to have it just down

the street is upsetting,” she said while holding

a sign that read: “Roxbury Needs Water, Not

ICE.”

The federal government’s $129.3 million

purchase of the 470,000-square-foot

warehouse for use as a detention facility has

been met with widespread protest.

The issue arose in mid-February after

published reports said the U.S. Department

of Homeland Security had purchased the

warehouse and that it would create 1,300 jobs

and generate over $39 million in tax revenue

for the township. That report was later

disputed by Roxbury officials.

Denials aside, on February 19, the federal

government closed the deal on the

warehouse—located at 1879 U.S. Route 46—


ICE Facility Draws Opposition

Sierra Winters sits next to her mother, Joann McEniry, at the March 10

Roxbury Township Council meeting.

purchasing it from Dallas,

Texas-based real estate

firm Dalfen Industrial.

Sean Dalfen is president

and CEO, but Goldman

Sachs is majority owner

of a fund that involves

“last-mile” warehouse

deals.

ICE currently operates

two other New Jersey

detention centers:

Delaney Hall in Newark

and the Elizabeth

Detention Center.

Public officials have

blasted conditions

after visiting the

facilities. The American

Immigration Council, a

nonprofit, nonpartisan

organization, reports that

last year’s H.R.1 budget

reconciliation bill passed

by Congress allocated

$45 billion in ICE funding

and is poised to operate 135,000 detention

beds through 2029.

Roxbury Mayor Shawn Potillo, the all-

Republican township council and virtually

every other state and local official and

resident, remain opposed to the plan.

“We have consistently voiced our concerns

through public statements, official meetings

and direct engagement with our state and

federal representatives,” Potillo said on February

24. “We have engaged with Dalfen Industrial in

good faith to explore opportunities to bring

more community-appropriate uses to this

property. It is deeply

disappointing that

those efforts did

not result in the

Protesters stand shoulder to shoulder along U.S. Route 46 in front of the Rox

solutions aligned

with the best

interests and values

of our community.”

Potillo added

that township

attorneys, including

Anthony Bucco, and

New Jersey State

Attorney General

Jennifer Davenport

are working together

to find the most

effective path to

oppose the facility.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill condemned

the deal for the new ICE facility.

Bucco, who is also a state senator (R-25th

District), faced ethics concerns about his vote

in Trenton to oppose a bill that would limit

cooperation between ICE and local police and

prevent ICE agents from wearing masks. The

state’s nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services

found no conflict by Bucco.

Sherrill sent a letter of opposition to then-

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on February 27,

decrying the agency’s “lack of communication

and transparency with Roxbury in its acquisition

of the site.” Sherrill went on to state that turning

a warehouse into a detention center of this

scale would raise concerns about environmental

impacts, public health and resource demands on

Roxbury and its neighboring communities.

Noem was fired by President Donald J. Trump

after a two-day hearing before Congress that

was marked by heated bipartisan criticism of

questionable DHS business practices and violent

ICE incidents under Noem’s watch. There is no

indication it will affect the proposed Roxbury

move.

New Jersey’s U.S. Senators, Andy Kim and Cory

Booker, have introduced legislation that would

prohibit DHS from using federal funds to purchase

warehouses for the purpose of converting them

into detention facilities.

Kim said the legislation is intended to work

alongside two other bills he introduced to

from Residents and Officials

bury Township municipal building on Saturday, February 28.

improve transparency and access to resources

for detainees, while addressing the needs of the

communities around new and existing detention

centers.

“These are pieces of legislation that are trying

to draw attention and highlight this problem

right now in Roxbury and are also happening in

other states around this country,” Kim said. “I am

trying to recreate that [bipartisan] coalition that

[Roxbury] has on the ground in the Senate.”

The Trump administration has backed down

and retreated, but only when it comes under

significant public pressure, he said.

Sherrill’s comments provide a stark contrast to

the actions and statements by U.S. Congressman

Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J. 7th District), who announced

on February 23 that he is the lead sponsor of a

new bill titled the “Local Taxpayer Protection

Act of 2026” to provide financial support for the

township of Roxbury. The legislation would create

a grant program administered by DHS to offset

the township’s costs for maintaining existing and

new detention centers.

The congressman, who is up for reelection

in November, raised no objections about the

mission or behavior of ICE officers.

The bill specifically states the grant program

would cover expenses, including lost property

tax revenue, increased demands for public

utilities and infrastructure upgrades needed to

support new and existing detention centers. The

legislation would approve five years of funding

and allow municipalities

to apply for a renewal

while the facilities remain

in operation. Kean, whose

actions drew swift and

near-total condemnation,

defended his proposed

legislation as a financial

decision.

“Federal agencies

operate in all 50 states,

and law enforcement

agencies have a

particularly important

job, one that often

demands a higher level

of resources,” he said

in a statement. “Local

taxpayers cannot be

expected to foot the

bill for federal facilities,

and towns like Roxbury

should not have to

absorb the costs.”

Sherrill also expressed

opposition to ICE’s

actions, writing, “Across the country, federal

immigration officers have trampled on basic

liberties and engaged in unconscionable acts

of violence against law-abiding Americans.

“I am also gravely concerned about ICE’s

treatment of the individuals in its custody. An

industrial warehouse—even if retrofitted—is

not suitable for human confinement… In short,

DHS’s treatment of human beings—citizens

and non-citizens alike—reflects a chilling

disregard for both human life and the rule of

law. New Jersey will not be complicit in this.”

The governor promised continued monitoring

and warned that “if DHS fails to do so, New

Jersey will not hesitate

to protect the interests

of Roxbury residents

and our communities

using every tool at our

disposal.”

In January, Roxbury

Township Council

unanimously adopted a

resolution proclaiming

the location was

not appropriate for

a detention center,

adding that DHS never

approached Roxbury

officials about the deal,

making it impossible

for them to make an

informed decision.

“The prior approvals of existing industrial

warehouses within the Township were, in part,

based upon the limited demand such facilities

have for water and sewer, and upon other

public resources and services,” the resolution

reads.

The proclamation also referenced a December

Washington Post story that DHS was planning

to convert industrial warehouses into

detention centers capable of accommodating

500 to 1,500 beds.

Senator Kim said he is also concerned about

the number of arrests that DHS can carry out

in Morris County, as the agency is limited

by the number of detainees it can house at

detention centers.

That number could increase when this

detention center finally opens in Roxbury, he

said.

“This is a community that only has 42 police

officers… and a volunteer fire department,”

Kim said. “I find it absolutely appalling that

there’s been such a level of disregard for the

concerns of the local community. I am going

to continue to try to lift them up and press

this administration to actually talk to the

local community and understand why this

detention facility absolutely should not come

into reality.”

Records from township council meetings

in 2022 show that the township and the

facility’s previous owner, Adler Roxbury LLC,

stipulated that the facility would require no

more than 12,000 gallons of water per day and

would not generate more than 11,700 gallons

of daily sewer waste. The latter agreement

continued on p. 24

Rallygoers on February 28 listen to speaker Guy Citron in the Roxbury

Township municipal building parking lot.


ICE (continued from p. 23)

also extended to the Borough of Netcong,

as the two municipalities are served by the

same sewage department, the Musconetcong

Sewage Authority (MSA). The agreement

mandates that Roxbury may not make any

new connections to this sewage department

without Netcong’s approval, and that the

maximum daily sewage waste from the

warehouse may not exceed 11,700 gallons.

According to local officials, the proposed ICE

facility—which would house 1,500 detainees

and about 400 staffers—would increase daily

usage by more than 16 times, requiring 192,000

gallons of water and 187,500 gallons of waste

flows. They say it would max out all currently

unused treatment capacity and pollute local

streams and lakes. In addition, officials say

the Roxbury water system doesn’t have the

capacity to meet the increased demand while

still serving its residents.

On March 20, New Jersey and Roxbury

Township filed a joint lawsuit in U.S. District

Court in Newark to stop the project. The suit

alleges that DHS and ICE are not complying

with several laws that require them to

coordinate with state and local officials to

thoroughly assess the impacts of the project

and whether it is appropriate given those

significant impacts.

Adler Roxbury sold the warehouse to Dalfen

Industrial in 2023.

Dalfen bought

another, in 2025,

in Lumberton,

Burlington County.

A report from the

nonprofit New

Jersey Monitor also

noted that officials

from Roxbury

condemned Dalfen

Top: Roxbury resident Steve Spotts speaks at the March 10 Roxbury

Township Council meeting. Above: People line up to speak during that

same council meeting in front of Councilman Mark Crowley, Mayor

Shawn Potillo and Councilman James Rilee.

24


Industrial for selling the property to the

federal government in February, after the

town offered support, including tax breaks, if

Dalfen maintained it as a warehouse. Dalfen

Industrial officials did not return a request for

comment.

Since the rally, DHS has paused its purchase

of facilities around the country. Meanwhile,

community opposition to the detention

center has been steady since word of the

potential purchase spread, with opposition

groups attending many area council meetings

and a Lake Hopatcong Commission meeting.

Notably, attendance has spiked at Roxbury

Township Council meetings.

Early on, some council members voiced

concern that outsiders, rather than residents,

were filling the seats at meetings. At a March

10 meeting, many attendees took umbrage

with the council’s declaration, waving signs

that read “Roxbury Resident” and speaking

during the public hearing portion.

One of them was Joann McEniry, who lives

in the Landing section of Roxbury Township.

Attending and speaking at that March meeting

was a first for her, she said. The 50-year-old

was prompted by the claims made by the

council, saying she “felt a civic obligation to

go on record” in her opposition to the facility.

“There’s such a fear of going public on a

polarized issue,” she said. “But the justice

component outweighed the fear. If I’m not

going to speak out, who is?”

McEniry credits her 31-year-old daughter,

Sierra Winters, with helping her get past those

uncertainties. Winters, a married mother of

two and lifelong Roxbury resident, has been

a consistent attendee at township meetings,

said her mom. McEniry has vowed she will

follow her daughter’s lead and keep speaking

out.

But this isn’t just a “Not In My Backyard”

(NIMBY) issue for concerned local residents.

At the February rally, the hundreds of people

gathered not only to

protest the proposed

Roxbury detention

center, but also to

oppose any detention

center, including

Delaney Hall and the

Elizabeth Detention

Center. In a show of

respect and support

for the state’s diverse

population, protesters

stood shoulder to

shoulder along U.S.

Route 46 in front of the

township’s municipal

building, stretching

down to the Quality

Amanda Roberts from Hopatcong voices her

opposition at the February 28 protest in Roxbury.

Inn and displaying a variety of signs opposing

detention centers and the ongoing treatment

of immigrants.

For Heditsch, the Roxbury warehouse is part

of her neighborhood. And while the phrase

“not in my backyard” could apply, she sees this

as a more global problem. She has vowed to

continue showing up at protests.

“It’s sad that we have to do this in 2026,” she

said.

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Roaring 20s Revived at the Windlass

‘

Story and photos by KAREN FUCITO

knock on the door. A secret pass phrase. Headbands. Beads. Cigars. Whiskey. And the soft sound of jazz.

A On Saturday, March 21 the Windlass restaurant held a themed event that transported guests back to

the Prohibition Era.

The evening began with Bryan Roth, assistant general manager of the Windlass, greeting guests on the other

side of a speakeasy grille. “I have an appointment with Miss Crabtree,” said guest after guest to gain entry.

Once inside, guests were treated to food reminiscent of the time: Caesar salad, Crab Louie, Chateaubriand,

aged prime rib. Beverages included the Gin Rickey, the Bees Knees and the Mary Pickford. Old Forester

whiskey—the only whiskey continuously sold before, during and after

Prohibition—was also on hand.

Willette Slocumb came all the way from Harlem, where historically there

were a lot of speakeasies, she said. She was excited to be reliving a bit of

history, adding that a favorite author, Agatha Christie, often included

speakeasies in her stories.

Slocumb attended with friend Mason Logie, a licensed tour guide for New York City. He

mentioned the only speakeasy left in Manhattan is The Back Room, located at 102 Norfolk

Street.

Donna Butler, events coordinator for the Windlass, said she appreciated the effort guests

took to look like jazz boys and flappers of the 1920s.

“We wanted to keep with the

history of 1920s Lake Hopatcong

by incorporating Lotta Crabtree into our password and creating

a truly unique event. Guests commented about there never

being a speakeasy in this area, so we were so glad to be able to

make a really enjoyable evening for all who attended.”

Clockwise from top left: Chris Hayden and Lori Catalono from Sparta with Doris and Dave Schneider from Lake Hopatcong. Francesca and Dennis

Tuorto from Roxbury. Diane and Alan Rothstein from Morris Plains. Lisa and Anthony Porfido from Roxbury with Elena and Harry Rusbach from Lake

Hopatcong. Lisa and Joe Pelino from Mount Arlington with Kristi and Joe Kayser from Roxbury. Alexis and Ryan Tracey from Hopatcong. Mason Logie

and Willette Slocumb from New York City. Eric and Amanda Marcazo from Hopatcong with Stacey and Michael Hornick from Hopatcong. Kaila Crawley

from Totowa, Chrissy Cifu from Fishkill, New York, Vanessa Guzman from Poughkeepsie, New York, Howard Janof from Wharton and Stacy Pearsall

from Kearny. Bryan Roth, assistant general manager at the Windlass.

30



Review

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman – Reviewed by Marilyn Kahn, Roxbury Public Library

Titles can be deceiving, and the book, Something in the Water, is an example. The main characters are a young British

couple, Erin and Mark. Erin, a documentary filmmaker, and Mark, an investment banker, are highly successful and have

been together for several years. It’s time for them to officially tie the knot and go on their honeymoon. They choose to

go to the exotic and beautiful Bora Bora.

A chance discovery while scuba diving leads to the moral dilemma of when to keep something a secret and when to

tell. While still at the luxurious resort, Erin and Mark must use all their wits to prevent staff from knowing their secret,

including taking some questionable measures. Upon their return to England, the couple faces serious career challenges:

Erin’s documentary project requires her to confront a variety of difficult individuals and issues while Mark searches for

new and scarce business opportunities.

The quandaries stemming from their honeymoon discovery continue to follow them. All the while, Erin and Mark must

appear to be happy newlyweds as they live with the looming fear that someone will make them pay for their actions. What should have been

the start of a wonderful life together becomes a precipitous downhill journey full of suspense and danger.

A tough book to put down!

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark – Reviewed by Kelly Beach, E. Louis Childs Library

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark centers on Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter who finds herself in a tough financial situation after

a scandal leaves her owing a lot of money. She needs a new book to ghostwrite but job offers have been scarce. She knows

she can’t be picky. That’s when she is contacted to ghostwrite for Vincent Taylor, a famous horror author who is also her

father. Dumont has spent her entire career hiding the fact that she is the only child of Taylor.

In 1975, Taylor’s two siblings were brutally murdered in their home. As the only surviving sibling, Taylor has never escaped

the whispers of accusations that he was the one who killed them.

Dumont accepts the ghostwriting offer out of financial need and curiosity. She moves into her father’s guesthouse and

starts to unravel the mystery of that terrible night so long ago. The Ghostwriter is dysfunctional family drama at its finest

and will leave you with twisty questions—in a good way.

This book is a perfect match for readers who enjoy family drama, psychological thrillers and suspense.

And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens – Seth Stephens, Jefferson Township Public Library

Chloe Fairway’s life is full of promise after she graduates from Oxford University, where she was voted most likely to

succeed. She imagines herself becoming an accomplished writer. Years later, Chloe isn’t where she wants to be. She is

stuck working as a production assistant—going nowhere, living with her parents, single and suffering from long-term

writer’s block.

Then she receives an invitation to her 10-year class reunion. Unable to share the truth of her disappointing life with her

friends, Chloe uses a dating service to find a date to accompany her to the reunion. Chloe gets matched with the perfect

date—perhaps too perfect. She is matched with Rob, an android equipped with artificial intelligence. Although Rob is

technologically perfect, he knows little about people and relationships.

Through her interactions with Rob, her old friends and John (her secret admirer), Chloe learns self-acceptance and truth

are preferable to technological perfection.

And Then There Was You is a warm and funny book about loving yourself and others, with wise commentary about the limits of AI.

Don’t Do It, Doug! by Maudie Powell-Tuck/Illustrated by Duncan Beedie

Reviewed by Tina Mayer, Mount Arlington Public Library

Don’t Do It, Doug is a warm and funny story about a hamster with impulse control issues, plain and simple. Doug feels

the urge to touch everything and finds himself in unusual situations, which usually results in chaos and regret.

As the story progresses, the young reader starts to see Doug channeling his impulses and destructive urges into

finding activities that satisfy his curiosity and keep him out of trouble.

This book is an excellent choice for parents to read with their children. The examples of Doug’s bad impulse control

choices and his better choices are simply illustrated and relatable.

32


LAKE HOPATCONG

BLOCK PARTY

May 16, 2026, 10 am - 4 pm

Hopatcong State Park ~ Rain or Shine

Hosted by the Lake Hopatcong Foundation

FREE entrance | $10 cash donation on-site parking | FREE off-site parking w/ shuttle

KICK OFF THE SUMMER SEASON WITH THIS FAMILY-FRIENDLY DAY AT THE LAKE!

Crafters ~ Businesses ~ Community Groups ~ Food Trucks ~ Entertainment

Children’s Area ~ Boat Rides ~ Characters ~ 50/50 Raffle

Dog Friendly ~ and More!

lakehopatcongfoundation.org/blockparty

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History

by MARTY KANE

Photos courtesy of the

LAKE HOPATCONG HISTORICAL

MUSEUM

Tunneling Into Lake Hopatcong’s Past

About one year ago, our lives were suddenly

upended as commutes, trips to the store,

and everyday errands became vastly different.

Our area’s history emerged in dramatic fashion

as a series of sinkholes opened on Interstate 80.

Just after Christmas 2024, the eastbound

shoulder along a section of I-80 between

Wharton and the Rockaway Townsquare mall

broke apart.

Crews from the New Jersey Department of

Transportation worked continuously. Within

four days, travel resumed as if nothing had

happened. However, this was just a precursor

of what was to come.

On Monday morning, February 10, 2025,

commuters were confronted with an 11 foot

by 11 foot sinkhole in the middle eastbound

lane of I-80 just 25 yards from the first

breach. Thankfully, no one was injured, and

I-80 East was once again closed. On March 19,

an approximately 15 foot by 15 foot sinkhole

opened in the median of the work zone. Further

repairs and extensive testing revealed a much

larger problem. A significant void was found

under the left westbound lane of I-80, resulting

in the closure of the entire highway just west of

Route 15 and east of Exit 34 in Wharton.

All traffic was detoured onto Route 15,

clogging local roads. What were previously

10-minute trips took an hour while morning and

evening commutes became agonizingly slow.

Local businesses suffered and residents were

exasperated.

Prior to the sinkholes, few people in the

area were aware that an extensive network

of mines once dotted our community. The

existence of local mines soon became a topic

of conversation as people looked back into

Morris County’s past. Arguably, mining shaped

the history and development of this area more

than any other single factor. For over two

centuries, iron mining was a major industry

in the county, influencing its economy and

infrastructure.

Ancient geologic forces here created large

deposits of magnetite, a heavy black mineral


with an extremely high iron content. New

Jersey became the leading iron-producing state

in the country in the late 19th century, due to an

ore vein that stretches from Randolph through

Roxbury, Mine Hill, Wharton, Rockaway, and

Jefferson. Native Americans knew about this

black stone. Indeed, the name Succasunna is

derived from a Lenape word believed to mean

“land of black stones.”

The earliest known use of iron dates back

to around 3500 BCE in Egypt. The practice of

extracting iron from ore and forging it into tools

and weapons became commonplace during the

Iron Age (1200 - 500 BCE), so iron ore was known

and valued by the time European explorers

and settlers spread across the Americas. These

new arrivals saw industrial potential in the ore

around Morris County.

While rough surface mining had occurred

earlier, the first recognized iron mine in the

county was established around 1715. Known

as the Succasunny Mine (later the Dickerson

Mine), it was located in today’s Mine Hill and

would become one of the largest in New Jersey,

reportedly producing over 1 million tons of iron

ore.

Morris County became a major mining region,

with hundreds of diggings and forge operations

of varying sizes. Local ironworks helped supply

the Continental Army with weapons and

supplies during the Revolutionary War. Many

local towns began as mining communities or

ports along the Morris Canal, a waterway built

to serve the iron mines of Morris County. The

peak of mining in the county occurred around

1880. Soon after, local mining slowed with the

opening of the Mesabi and other iron ranges

in Minnesota where iron ore could be mined

much more cheaply.

While not a leading source of iron ore, Lake

Hopatcong was deeply impacted by mining.

Although iron had been found and mined in

the area surrounding the lake, the difficulty

of getting it to market caused the industry to

languish. In the years immediately following

America’s independence, little development

occurred near Lake Hopatcong. Following the

War of 1812, the United States began an era of

canal building, which provided the means to

transport large amounts of cargo over great

distances in what was then considered to be a

short period of time.

Completed in 1836, the Morris Canal

connected the Delaware and Hudson rivers,

enabling the mines near Lake Hopatcong to

move large quantities of ore. These included

Jefferson Township’s Hurd, Weldon, Dodge and

Schofield iron mines, along with the Ogden

iron mine in Sparta and Sterling Hill zinc mine

in Ogdensburg.

In the canal’s early years, ore from the mines

was taken to the lake by horse and wagon.

Much of it was hauled to Wood’s Port (later

Woodport), the lake’s northernmost section,

closest to the mines. Here, ore was loaded onto

canal boats which were towed by a steamdriven

tug down the lake to the area where

Hopatcong State Park is located today. From

there, boats could access the Morris Canal and

finish their journey pulled by mules or horses.

Traversing Lake Hopatcong allowed local

mines to market their ore, but it was not an

optimum method of transportation. The need

to load ore onto wagons in order to reach the

lake greatly limited production. As railroads

Top: The Edison Mine located at Sparta Mountain,

circa 1890s.

Above: The Edison Mine showing the tower

containing the magnetic ore separators, circa 1895.

developed in the United States during the

l800s, the concept of connecting the mines

around Lake Hopatcong to the Morris Canal

through a rail link was advanced. Spurred by a

large increase in the demand for iron ore during

the Civil War, a rail link was chartered in 1864.

Just 10 miles long, the Ogden Mine Railroad ran

from Sparta Mountain past the various mines

in Jefferson and ended at Nolan’s Point on

Lake Hopatcong. Nolan’s Point was chosen as

the lake terminus because of its deep-water

location, allowing for ore-filled boats to be

easily pulled down the lake.

The Ogden Mine Railroad is a rare example of

a rail line built to support, rather than replace,

a canal. From its opening in 1866, this rail line

became the largest single source of cargo for

the Morris Canal. As railroads began to emerge

as the modern transportation alternative, it

became clear that a railroad to support iron ore

industry contained an unnecessary step—the

canal.

In 1881, the Central Railroad of New Jersey

entered a lease agreement with the Ogden

Mine Railroad and took over operation of the

line. A spur connecting the Central Railroad’s

main tracks to Nolan’s Point was completed in

August 1882. Ore from local mines could now

be sent to its destination without using Lake

Hopatcong or the Morris Canal.

Once the first iron ore was shipped via the

new Central Railroad service on August 18,

1882, railroad management quickly realized ore

was not the only profitable cargo that could

be transported. The former terminus of the

Ogden Mine Railroad was located directly on

New Jersey’s largest lake, just over one hour

from several large cities.

On September 6, 1882, the first passenger

service was conducted to Nolan’s Point. The

Central Railroad commenced regular passenger

service to Nolan’s Point on June 25, 1883, and

the iron ore boom soon gave way to the tourist

boom at Lake Hopatcong.

While lesser known and less productive, there

were even iron mines worked almost directly to

Lake Hopatcong’s shores. The Lakeview Mine

was located just off today’s McGregor Avenue

in Mount Arlington. It started about 1863,

closed for some time, reopened in 1882 and

featured three mine shafts, with the longest

reported to be 85 feet. Former mine holes and

waste rocks—rocks removed that don’t contain

economic amounts of mineral—can still be

found today in the woods near Chestnut Point.

Another small mining operation was located

directly on Nolan’s Point. Started before

1855, the Nolan’s Point Mine reportedly ran

a distance of some 500 feet of tunneling as

far as 45 feet below the surface. The exact

location of this operation has been lost to time.

Similar attempts to find workable amounts of

iron ore included the Gove Mine near Lake

Rogerine, with two 400-foot mine shafts; the

Silver Spring Mine near Reba Road in Mount

Arlington; and the Lawson Mine off Evergreen

Avenue in Hopatcong.

The largest commercial mine near the lake was

Hurd Mine, located along today’s Route 15 in

the area near Gatwyns II restaurant. Opened

before 1855 and worked until 1903, it produced

an estimated 500,000 tons of iron ore. This was

a major New Jersey mine that spread over a

wide area with a tunnel reportedly stretching

2,600 feet below the surface. Holes and waste

rocks can still be found, and there have been

several sinkholes and other issues in this

vicinity over the years. Weldon Road follows

the ore vein with the locations of former major

mining operations along its route, including

the Weldon, Dodge, and Schofield mines, and

ending with the Ogden (later Edison) Mine

on Sparta Mountain. In fact, the depth of the

former Weldon Mine has allowed it to be a

longtime major source of water for Jefferson

Township. New Jersey’s mining past has largely

faded into history, but a year ago we got a

strong reminder of what came before.

As for I-80, the repairs required a monumental

effort. Testing showed voids that basically had

to be bridged over. Manpower and money

poured in from the state as crews worked

around the clock.

Become a part of

the lake’s history!

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www.LakeHopatcongHistory.com

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Top: Loading Morris Canal boats with iron ore

at the Ogden Mine Railroad ore dock at Nolan’s

Point in 1882.

Above: The Hurd Mine in Wharton, circa 1910.

Two eastbound lanes of I-80 finally reopened

on May 21. On June 14, the community

celebrated as the highway was finally fully

opened in both directions. Months of misery

ended, and life returned to normal—until such

time that our history catches up with us again.

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Cooking With Scratch ©

by BARBARA SIMMONS

Photo by KAREN FUCITO

Baking with Oma

My favorite pastime in my retirement

has been spending time with my two

grandchildren. I am very fortunate that they live

close by, and I see them several times a week.

I love to do projects with them, and maybe

because of my teaching background, I feel I

always need to have some kind of lesson plan

for the days we spend together. If I don’t have

a plan, it quickly turns into a three-ring circus.

Baking lessons have been one of our most fun

activities.

I’ve always let Julien, 3, and Sadie, 18 months,

play with real stuff in my kitchen. After

checking for items with sharp edges or that are

breakable, I find there’s no need to buy plastic

play pots and pans. Real ones work just fine. My

extra-baking-stuff drawer is right at floor level,

and they love playing in there.

At about 17 or 18 months, Julien started to enjoy

playing in my kitchen sink. I would set him in his

highchair, with a towel draped over the edge of

the sink and give him plastic pitchers and cups

to fill and dump. I noticed how he could pour

fairly accurately, so I thought it might be time

to try some baking with him.

Banana muffins seemed to be a good recipe for

us to try since I always have a stash of bananas

past their prime in my freezer. In addition to

being pretty tasty, they are also fairly easy to

make. My baking supply inventory is usually up

to date and the other ingredients (milk, yogurt,

eggs, butter) are always in the fridge.

We had a few small disasters measuring out

some of the ingredients (5 pounds of sugar all

over the kitchen floor), but they provided more

opportunities to teach additional life skills, like

sweeping and vacuuming.

Julien loves the process of baking. After

putting on our aprons, we get our workstation

ready—a gigantic full-sheet baking pan on the

kitchen table to catch spills, the muffin tin

ready to be lined with the paper muffin cups,

all ingredients on the counter and the recipe

taped to the window at eye-level.

I showed him how to dip and sweep the flour

in the stainless-steel measuring cups and dump

it in the big mixing bowl. He loves the texture

of the flour! (I love it, too—it is so silky!) Hey,

sensory play is important—not just for kids.

I let him grate the nutmeg and sprinkle the

cinnamon, encouraging him to really smell both

spices before he mixes them into the flour. The

baking soda, baking powder and salt go into

the flour next. Then I let him whisk everything

together. He is a regular whisk wizard!

He chops the walnuts with his special plastic

kid’s serrated chef’s knife (these are worth

getting—they actually cut very well and are

safe for a kid to use). Then he cracks the egg for

the recipe—we do that in a separate bowl so

we can retrieve any bits of shell that may get in.

It’s not the end of the world if you miss a tiny

bit; a little eggshell won’t kill you.

Brittney, his mom (and my daughter-in-law)

recently told me that Julien was very adamant

about wanting to crack the eggs for the

scrambled eggs she was making for breakfast

one morning. When she objected initially, he

Left to right: Julien Simmons chopping walnuts.

Sadie Simmons enjoys playing in the utensil

drawer.

(Photo courtesy of the author.)

said: “Oma always lets me crack the eggs!”

He is aces at mashing the bananas, which he

does with a fork.

Melting the butter is something I do in the

microwave. I let him measure the other wet

ingredients. I put a piece of masking tape on

the glass measuring cup to show how high to go

with the milk and yogurt. Sugar is added next

(dip and sweep).

Just before we’re ready to fill the muffin tins,

we’ll add the chopped walnuts and either

prunes, raisins (which Opa—that’s my husband,

Aaron—likes) or chocolate chips (which Opa

doesn’t like in banana muffins). If it’s going to

be chocolate chips, we leave one muffin plain.

The last step is to sprinkle each muffin with a

teaspoonful of coarse sugar. A spoonful for a

muffin, a spoonful for Julien… I place the tin into

the oven, do the poke test and take the muffins

out of the oven when they are ready.

We can usually get the muffins prepped and

baked off before it is time for his nap. I can

usually get him to go to sleep by telling him he

can have one for a snack when he wakes up.

He wakes up around the time his mom arrives

to bring him home. I’ll make coffee for his mom

and me to go with the fresh muffins. After the

taste test, we pack up the rest of the muffins for

his dad (my son, Francis) and Brittney’s parents

RaRa and PopPop.

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DRY INGREDIENTS

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup sugar

BANANA MUFFINS

WET INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons butter

3 overripe bananas, mashed

¾ cup plain unsweetened yogurt or sour

cream (or ½ cup Greek yogurt thinned with

¼ cup milk)

1 large egg

OPTIONAL ADD-INS

⅓ cup good chocolate chips or ⅓ cup raisins

or chopped prunes

⅓ cup walnut halves

About ½ cup coarse sugar such as turbinado

or Demerara for sprinkling the tops of the

muffins before baking (after what Julien takes

for himself to “taste”)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray each cup with a nonstick spray.

3. Melt the butter in the microwave in a glass measuring cup, covered loosely with a small dish or plastic lid so

it doesn’t splatter. Let cool.

4. Add the flour to another bowl. Whisk in the salt, grated nutmeg and cinnamon.

5. Mash the bananas in another bowl. Leave them a little chunky.

6. Pour the melted butter into a smaller medium-sized bowl. Add the baking powder and baking soda to the

melted butter. It will foam up some. Then, in the same bowl, whisk the sugar, yogurt and egg until smooth.

7. If using, toast the walnuts in the microwave for 2 minutes on a large plate, then chop them when cooled.

8. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, then fold in the bananas, walnuts and chocolate chips (or

raisins or chopped prunes). Batter will be very thick, like a cookie dough. Add in a few tablespoons of milk if

the batter seems too dry.

9. Using a ¼ cup ice cream scoop or two large spoons, divide the batter between paper lined muffin cups. (This

is the only step I haven’t mastered with Julien yet, so sometimes it can get a little messy. Not all of them will

look perfect.)

10. Sprinkle each muffin top with 1 teaspoon turbinado or Demerara sugar.

11. Bake muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and tops spring back when pressed lightly.

12. Let the muffins cool in the tin on a rack.


Naturally Speaking

by CAITLIN DORAN with PATRICK KRUDOP

Hello, From Us to You

When this publication’s editor, Karen

Fucito, first approached my colleague

and me about taking turns to write a column

in Lake Hopatcong News—one with an

environmental focus—we were a bit nervous.

Longtime LHN fans ourselves, we were both

very familiar with Heather Shirley’s “Words of

a Feather” column, and we knew we had big

binoculars to fill.

We’re also fully aware that if writer and friend

Bill Woolley, first choice for this column, should

change his mind and come out of retirement,

per the laws of the writing universe, we must

relinquish control over to him immediately. (For

those feeling on the outside of an inside joke,

Bill is a very talented writer who freelanced

for Lake Hopatcong News a few years back

and was an occasional contributor to the Lake

Hopatcong Foundation blog.)

Hey, we’re just happy to be here!

Who are we? We are Caitlin Doran and

Patrick Krudop. Our day jobs are development

director and education and outreach director,

respectively, at the Lake Hopatcong Foundation.

We hail from Roxbury and Rockaway Townships,

and we’ve both had an interest and a passion

for protecting the environment since before

we can remember. We’ve also both been lucky

enough to make it our profession. But only one

of us does a hyper-realistic impression of a

cricket (ask us in person)!

When we sat down to talk through the intention

of this column’s relaunch, we wondered if we

should use the opportunity to update readers—

who might not otherwise be closely following

the work of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation—

on efforts to preserve New Jersey’s largest lake.

Updates on our lake’s health will certainly be

spotlighted here! However, we’re also excited

to talk about broader environmental issues,

facts and phenomena.

Patrick is a proud Kean University grad who

attended both the Union campus and the

nearby Kean Skylands campus in Jefferson. With

degrees in both geo-science and environmental

biology, he loves talking about nearly everything

related to our planet. He wants to talk about

ecology. He needs to talk about ecology.

In his role as LHF’s education and outreach


director, he’s also a bright, burning ball of

enthusiasm for turning environmental concepts

into easy-to-understand, hands-on lessons for

kids and adults. Have you not yet heard about

the caddisfly and its talent for telling us about

the health of a body of water? Prepare to find

out!

For my part, my path to environmental

advocacy was more circuitous.

It began with a passion for sustainability,

volunteering for the environmental club

at Roxbury High School, being the militant

recycler in my household—“Mom, you can’t

recycle cups. I don’t care what the number

says!”

Without a background in science, though, I

never thought I’d be able to make my passion

my job. That is, until one day while working on

the marketing team for downtown Hackensack,

I fell in love with an environmental organization

based right on Main Street: Hackensack

Riverkeeper. I was reposting a job opportunity

for Riverkeeper when I decided to apply for it

myself.

Run events? I can do that. Coordinate

volunteers? I can do that. Clean up rivers? Sign

me up! Able to drive a truck and tow a trailer

of canoes through the narrow streets of Jersey

City? I can…learn.

For sixish years, I planned Earth-friendly events

and cleaned up reservoirs, rivers, streams and

the mighty New Jersey Meadowlands. The

kidney system to an entire watershed, the

Meadowlands is a nursery for many species of

fish and a critical stop in the Atlantic Flyway for

many bird species.

I spent time sending out action alerts, asking

concerned citizens to come out in support

of open space preservation, environmental

restoration and increased public access. And

asking them to come out in opposition to

overdevelopment, massive power plants and

weak New Jersey Department of Environmental

Protection regulations.

My time at Riverkeeper gave me great purpose

and codified my appreciation for environmental

advocacy work. It also introduced me to the

wide network of environmental organizations

that work together (although not without

the occasional disagreement on the issues) to

constantly improve New Jersey’s environment,

moving the needle a little bit, every day.

Patrick and I began working together in 2023.

I had been at the Lake Hopatcong Foundation

for three years, and he was a recent Kean grad,

working with animals at the Turtleback Zoo and

volunteering for our education program part

time, making an excellent impression with staff,

volunteers and program participants alike.

Patrick—as he does with everyone he meets—

found common ground with me instantly,

especially when we partnered to research the

possibility of bringing a Repair Café to our

community. (A Repair Café sees neighbors

and volunteers help one another to fix broken

items, instead of tossing them.) It’s initiatives

like this that give us the opportunity to talk

about more sustainable practices and shine a

light on the true cost of cheap convenience.

Ecology, sustainability and environmental

advocacy: that’s what you can expect to find

in this column. And we’d like to hear from you!

Have a topic in mind for our very first column?

Email us at info@lakehopatcongfoundation.org.

A big thank you again to Karen for this

opportunity, to Heather for blazing the trail,

to Bill for saying “no” and to you, reader, for

following along! Stay tuned for “Naturally

Speaking!”

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Directory

CONSTRUCTION/

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Al Hutchins Excavating

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Prospect Point Construction

157 R 181, LH

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Robertson Excavating

973-398-9476

ENTERTAINMENT/

RECREATION

The AMP Arts

1 West Blackwell St., Dover

973-663-0167

richardsbuilding-dover.com/the-amp

Dover Sportsplex

111 Bassett Highway, Dover

973-620-8216

doversportsplex.com

Lake Hopatcong Adventure Company

37 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd., LH

973-663-1944

lhadventureco.com

Lake Hopatcong Cruises

Miss Lotta (Dinner Boat)


973-663-5000

lhcruises.com

Lake Hopatcong Mini Golf Club


973-663-0451

lhgolfclub.com

Mitchko Mountain Recreation Area

101 Compton-Gobel Rd., Wharton

Roxbury Arts Alliance

72 Eyland Ave., Succasunna

973-945-0284

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HOME SERVICES

Central Comfort

100 Nolan’s Point Rd., LH

973-361-2146

Dixon Energy

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Evening Star

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Jefferson Recycling

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Metro Supply & Service

201 Green Pond Rd., Rockaway

973-627-7626

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The Polite Plumber

973-398-0875

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Window Genie

973-726-6555

windowgenie.com/northwest-nj

LAKE SERVICES

AAA Dock & Marine

27 Prospect Point Rd., LH

973-663-4998

docksmarina@hotmail.com

Batten The Hatches

70 Rt. 181, LH

973-663-1910

facebook.com/bthboatcovers

Lake Management Sciences

Branchville

973-948-0107

lakemgtsciences.com

MARINAS

Flash Watersports & Marina

151 NJ-181, Lake Hopatcong

973-663-7990

flashmarina.com

Lake’s End Marina

91 Mt. Arlington Blvd., Landing

973-398-5707

lakesendmarina.net

NJ Electric Boats

973-216-6449

NJeBoats.com

West Shore Marine

453 River Styx Rd., Hopatcong

973-398-8500

NONPROFITS

Lake Hopatcong Commission

260 Lakeside Blvd.,Landing

973-601-7801

commissioner@lakehopatcongcommission.org

Lake Hopatcong Elks

201 Howard Blvd, MA

973-668-9302

Lake Hopatcong Foundation

125 Landing Rd., Landing

973-663-2500

lakehopatcongfoundation.org

Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum

260 Lakeside Blvd., Landing

973-398-2616

lakehopatconghistory.com

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Fox Architectural Design

546 Rte. 10 W, Ledgewood

973-970-9355

foxarch.com

REAL ESTATE

Kathleen Courter

RE/MAX

131 Landing Rd., Roxbury

973-420-0022 Direct

KathySellsNJHomes.com

Robin Dora

Sotheby’s International

670 Main St., Towaco

973-570-6633

thedoragroup.com

Christopher J. Edwards

RE/MAX

211 Rt. 10E, Succasunna

973-598-1008

MrLakeHopatcong.com

Karen Foley

Sotheby’s International

973-906-5021

karen.foley@sothebysrealty.com

Jim Leffler

RE/MAX

131 Landing Rd., Roxbury

201-919-5414

jimleff.rmx@gmail.com

RESTAURANTS & BARS

Alice’s Restaurant


973-663-9600

alicesrestaurantnj.com

Big Fish Lounge At Alice’s


973-663-9600

alicesrestaurantnj.com

The Windlass Restaurant

45 Nolan’s Point Park Rd., LH

973-663-3190

thewindlass.com

SENIOR CARE

Preferred Care at Home

George & Jill Malanga/Owners

973-512-5131

PreferHome.com/nwjersey

SPECIALTY STORES

All Roads Baked Good & Coffee

694 NJ 15 South, LH

973-885-4391

@allroadsvegan

Alstede Fresh @ Lindeken

54 NJ Rt 15 N, Wharton

908-879-7189

AlstedeFarms.com

Black Bear Fitness

681 NJ-15 S, LH

blackbearfitness.com

Hawk Ridge Farm

283 Espanong Rd, LH

hawkridgefarmnj.com

Hearth & Home

1215 Rt. 46, Ledgewood

973-252-0190

hearthandhome.net

Helrick’s Custom Framing

158 W Clinton St., Dover

973-361-1559

helricks.com

JF Woodproducts

973-590-4319

jfwoodproducts.com

Main Lake Market

234 S. NJ Ave., LH

973-663-0544

mainlakemarket.com

Melanie's Custom Coverings

Lake Hopatcong

973-627-3021

melaniescustomcoverings.com

Orange Carpet & Wood Gallery

470 Rt. 10W, Ledgewood

973-584-5300

orange-carpet.com

STORAGE

Woodport Self Storage

17 Rt. 181 & 20 Tierney Rd., LH

973-663-4000


N New Jersey Ave

d

Pros pect Point Rd

Ohio St

ermont St

aine St

Patriot

Rd

Virginia Ave

Prospect Point Rd

Georgia Ave

S Lakeside Ave

C astle Rock R d

as

Nolans Point Rd

5

Sunset Trail

Castle Rock

Bypass

Point

Rd

B

Brady Rd

Brady Blvd

Benedict

McNabb Rd

10

Prospect Point Trails

1

2

4

9

N

Dr

E

Sho re Rd

Winter View Trail

Ho mestead

La keside Ave

Brady Bridge Boardwalk

Rd

N Cherry Rd

7

Tennis Rd. Trail

8

3

Log Rd. Connector

E S hore Rd

6

James Leach

Boardwalk Trail

Brady R d

North Cherry Trail

Cherry Rd. Connector

S Cherry Rd

Espanong Rd

Hawk Ridge Farm Trail

Liffy Island

Espanong Rd

Ellen Briggs

Elementary

School

To Mase Rd.

Marine Ter

Canal

Harbor Dr

Commodore Dr

Espanong Rd

Xing

Hill Hollow Rd

Hey Look!!

LAKE HOPATCONG

NEIGHBORHOOD

TRAILS!

Jefferson Township has trails! And is

building more every year. This map shows

the Lake Hopatcong Neighborhood Trails,

which are located within a mile or two of

Brady Bridge.

If you live in this neighborhood, these trails

are conveniently located. Just walk out

your front door and within no more than a

quarter mile you can be on a trail or a local

low-traffic road, jogging, walking or biking.

New trails are being planned. Stay tuned

for updates as they are added!

For more information, please contact

trailblazer Russ Felter at

Russell.Felter@Outlook.com

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP TRAIL SYSTEM

LEGEND

E dison Rd

Existing Trails

Planned Trails

1 Castle Rock Bypass

2 Winter View

3 Log Road Connector

4 Tennis Road Trail

5 Sunset Trail

6 Hawk Ridge Farm Trail

7 Cherry Road Connector

8 North Cherry Trail

9 Brady Bridge Boardwalk

10 Prospect Point Trails

Rd

Rock Rid g e

ADVERTISEMENT

ng

Mase Rd



Nolan’s Point Park Rd., Lake Hopatcong

livethelakenj.com • 973.663.2490 • Connect with us!

LivetheLakeNJ

Luxury Lakefront Legacy Estate

A Rare Gem on Lake Hopatcong

EXCLUSIVELY PRESENTED BY KATHLEEN COURTER

SCHEDULE YOUR PRIVATE TOUR TODAY

www.kathysellslakehomes.com

House Values

131 Landing Road

Landing, NJ 07850

Kathleen Courter

“the difference between listed & sold”

Discover an extraordinary private retreat set on 2.19 acres of breathtaking

waterfront, offering an impressive 315 feet of shoreline and the rare

distinction of two private islands. This one-of-a-kind property captures the

essence of lakefront luxury, where every detail is designed to elevate the

experience of waterfront living.

A charming footbridge leads to your own island oasis, complete with a

firepit setting ideal for unforgettable evenings under the stars, while the

second island offers a peaceful escape surrounded by nature. Entertain

effortlessly along the water’s edge with a fully appointed outdoor kitchen,

or gather in the stunning stone cabana—your three-season lakeside retreat.

The main residence is a custom sprawling ranch, thoughtfully designed

with vaulted ceilings, refined finishes, and an open-concept layout that

seamlessly connects the gourmet kitchen, dining, and living areas. A striking

wood-burning fireplace anchors the great room, all framed by panoramic

lake views. Step outside to a wraparound deck and screened gazebo,

perfect for relaxed dining with sunrise to sunset moments.

The finished walk-out lower level opens to a slate courtyard patio, where

a covered hot tub creates a private sanctuary. Meandering pathways,

natural gardens, and a gently sloped approach to the water complete this

storybook setting.

A detached two-story barn offers endless potential for additional garage

space, storage, or transformation into an auxiliary dwelling.

This is more than a home—it’s a legacy property and a truly rare offering.

Book your private showing today.

DIRECT 973.420.0022 OFFICE 973.770.7777

2026 SPRING ISSUE

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