Lake Hopatcong Life News

Business plan for Lake Hopatcong on the way

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:59:02 -0500

Mayor Russell Felter and some of his fellow Lake Hopatcong commissioners are hard at work to complete a business plan for managing the lake. A first draft was presented in October 2009, and commissioners and others have been reviewing and critiquing it during the past two months.

Felter said that the plan is meant to give the state direction about the commission's needs and priorities.

A vote on the budget is on the agenda for the Dec. 21 commission meeting. For a budget to pass, eight commissioners must vote in its favor. There are 11 commission seats, one of which is now vacant. There also are seven alternate commissioners.

Business owners assess past season

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:09:33 -0500

On a windy November day, small whitecaps broke on the shore of Lake Hopatcong. The only boats visible were moored at their docks or shrouded in blue shrink-wrap and arranged in rhythmic rows.

Ralph Spinelli, who has owned and managed the popular Windlass Restaurant for the past 46 years, said he had never seen such a bad summer as the summer of 2009.

"The economy wasn't the problem; it was the low water at the beginning of the season and then the bad weather," Spinelli said. "Every week between Wednesday and Sunday it would be wet and chilly, and only Monday and Tuesday would be warm and bright. In four months we had fewer than 10 good days."

Spinelli said he was able to do close to a month's worth of business during the long Labor Day weekend, when the weather was beautiful.

Will Christie "rescue" Lake Hopatcong?

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:19:36 -0500

Morris County was very good to Chris Christie on Nov. 3, awarding him 98,750 votes - 59 percent of those cast. But as he will soon find out, there are pluses and minuses in being a "hometown" governor. The pluses are obvious.

As the first governor from Morris County in more than 100 years, Christie has earned instant celebrity status, and undoubtedly will be invited to every local function imaginable. On the downside is the fact some in Morris will expect "Morris County's Governor" to go the so-called extra mile to help them out.

One such issue already is bobbing to the surface and it involves Lake Hopatcong, the state's largest lake.

Lake Hopatcong won't be charging user fees next year

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:18:09 -0500

The plan to fund weed harvesting on Lake Hopatcong through user fees is dead.

Its strongest proponent, Art Ondish, the Lake Hopatcong Commission chairman and Mount Arlington mayor, withdrew his support after learning from state officials it would be unconstitutional to bypass state coffers and keep all fees collected at the local level.

"That blows my plan out of the water," Ondish said.

It is a victory for many residents and marina owners around the lake, who vociferously opposed user fees, worrying it would overburden households and diminish business.

Jefferson woman rescued after rowboat capsizes on Lake Hopatcong

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:10:49 -0500

Jefferson police rescued a woman from Lake Hopatcong after her boat capsized Sunday night. Terri Abma, 45, was rowing to her home on Raccoon Island when she fell into the lake, according to Jefferson Cpt. Eric Wilsusen. "Someone heard the calls for help and dialed 9-1-1," Wilsusen said.

Freeholders Accept Funds For Roxbury Rail Line Upgrade

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:53:00 -0400

The Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders has formally approved accepting $5.8 million in federal funds to pay for improvements to the Chester Branch Rail Line.

The freeholders also approved the acquisition of the freight rail line from the Roxbury manufacturing company that owns it for $1 in return for upgrading the line.

The four-mile active rail line extends from Wharton through Randolph and terminates in Roxbury, and serves commercials users in Randolph and Roxbury with trains operated by The Morristown & Erie Rail Line.

Upgrading the rail line, according to the freeholders, would improve service to the current industrial users, and would make the freight line more attractive to future users. Funds for the rail repairs come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The county expects to solicit bids for the upgrade this fall.

Lake Hopatcong merchants hoping 2010 better than 2009

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:01:20 -0400

A year ago, Lake Hopatcong boaters and merchants warned that the state's five-year, 60-inch drawdown would put a crimp in this summer's boating -- and the food, diesel and marina revenue that goes along with it. They say now that their fears came true.

"This was the worst season in 42 years," said Bill Orr, owner of the Jefferson House, a boater's hot spot known for an outdoor tiki bar and Sunday brunches.

Business was off 15 to 20 percent from 2008, said Regina Makowski, owner of the Wearhouse Grille in Jefferson. "Of course, this is partially due to our economy," she said, "but the lake problems have not helped," she said.

Morris Park Commission looking to help Lake Hopatcong Commission

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:34:01 -0400

The Morris County Park Commission will tally up the costs of the services it offers the Lake Hopatcong Commission to help that organization determine its own costs for weed control.

Park Commission Executive Director David H Helmer said the park commission supplies facilities, information services and work that has a value to the lake commission that could be translated to dollars and cents to determine its costs, which could help it secure funding.

Lake Hopatcong commission hears from its weed-harvesting expert

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:05:27 -0400

Weed harvesting is costly, complicated and not an operation that can be cobbled together, even with the most noble volunteers.

That was the message delivered to Lake Hopatcong commissioners at a workshop meeting Wednesday night in the Mount Arlington municipal building.

It takes a dedicated, well-trained staff of full-time employees, said Michael Calderio, the commission’s long-time foreman.

The meeting was held as the commissioners mull over the recently completed business plan and explore ways to meet costs, no longer able to rely on a steady stream of state subsidies.

Wakeboarders splash down in Morris

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:40:39 -0400

Ryan Sorensen learned to wakeboard a decade ago on Lake Hopatcong, but perfected his craft while attending college in Orlando, Fla. -- the mecca of the extreme sport. But the lakes of swampy Central Florida held a peril unknown to Jersey waters, in the form of a fearsome reptile.

"You'd be wakeboarding right next to gators,'' said Sorensen, of the Lake Hopatcong section of Jefferson. "But normally, they hear the boat and they'd be scared off.''

Sorensen, galvanized by the following wakeboarding has in warmer climates, began the Garden State Wakeoff, a two-day showcase of the sport that is a fusion of waterskiing, snowboarding and surfing.