Hopatcong Region

During the Borough of Hopatcong Council meeting on January 19, 2022, the residents of the borough first learned that a real estate tax reassessment will be taking place in 2022.

The first heads up came from Councilman Richard Schindelar who made the announcement during the council member’s report section. Later in the meeting Borough Administrator Ron Tappan provided more logistic details about the reassessment, with the following tentative timeframe.

• Spring 2022: Letters to the Residents of Hopatcong
• Early Summer 2022: Real Estate reassessment starts
• Fall 2022: Information is evaluated for any changes

During the Mayor’s comment section of the meeting Mayor Michael Francis made it clear that this is a State requirement and not the Borough, he went on the clarify that he perfectly happy with the current assessment and the performance of the tax collector in the borough.

“This is not our idea, but we will comply, and do it professionally, our tax assessor does a fine job, and she will be in charge.” Stated the Mayor.

The following video contains the sections of the January 19, 2022, Council Meeting that dealt with the upcoming 2022 Real Estate Tax Reassessment.

Mayor Michael Francis of the Borough of Hopatcong ended the Reorganization Council Meeting on January 5, 2022, with a special 20-minute recap in which he covered the departmental reports, thanked the Borough, Employees, Volunteers, and Residents for their assistance in 2021, and he provided insight into next steps for the Borough in 2022 (roaring 20’s).

Just in time for Christmas, the winners of the 3^rd annual Hopatcong Home Christmas Decorating Contest have just been selected and will be receiving their cash prizes thanks to the local business sponsors.

According to the selected judges for this year, who toured the homes over the last several days,

“This was an exceptional year for the quality of the decorations”, which made our overall final decision very difficult.”

2021 Winners

Of particular interest, once again were the participants from 6 Huron Ave., which went all out with 100’s of hours spent in the planned and labor of love in the execution of the decorations to gain that…

“just right” effect to stop people in their tracks to say, “WOW.”

NASA briefly interrupted the contest on December 18, with an inquiry about entry “1a Papoose Trail” that when seen from space was affecting the earth’s Cosmo-Knipple bend, causing a deep space fluctuation due to the significant light display. In the official notification, NASA indicated the disturbance is similar to the one during the filming of the movie Christmas Vacation.

As the judges and sponsors gathered on December 20, 2021, to review the winners. Rich Chiarella from sponsor Accurate Pest (creator of the annual contest) commented…

“I feel the real winners once again this year, are the residents of Hopatcong who gained pleasure from driving by the homes that entered the contest not to win, but to really put forward a major effort to brighten everyone’s life, within our community.”

Winners of 2021:

The winners of the Hopatcong Home Christmas Decorating Contest are as follows:

Sponsors for 2021:

Here are the local sponsors for the contest that have contributed the of the significant cash prizes for each category.

• DPS Pump Service. 973-398-2359
• Total Source Power Washing. 973-997-0434
• Robertson Excavating/Septic. 973-398-8476
• Rich Air Mechanical Services/Heating-Air Conditioning. 862-354-8892
• Accurate Pest Control/Wildlife. 973-398-8798
• Able Security Locksmiths. 973-584-3033

Special thanks: To the Administrative team at Accurate Pest for their countless hours in collecting the submissions, pictures and tabulating the judges’ final counts. Job well done!

Editor’s Note: As a news team we are honored to cover this annual event that highlights why Hopatcong is a great family-friendly community town, where great businesses and residents bond together to brighten everyone’s life.

Thanks to all Participants:

View the homes through the following 2021 map and address listing. Enjoy!

Map of Homes 2021:

Pictures from Participants: 316 Brooklyn Mountain Rd.(1) 312 Tulsa Trl. (4)(1) 312 Tulsa Trl. (3)(1) 312 Tulsa Trl. (2)(1) 312 Tulsa Trl. (1)(1) 108 Dupont Ave (2) 108 Dupont Ave (1) 22 Lines Ave (4)(1) 22 Lines Ave (3)(1) 22 Lines Ave (2)(1) 22 Lines Ave (1)(1) 11 Colombia Trail(1) 10 Ford Ave (2) 10 Ford Ave (1) 10 Carteret Rd (3) 10 Carteret Rd (2) 10 Carteret Rd (1) 9 Ford Ave 7 Vale Way (3) 7 Vale Way (2) 7 Vale Way (1) 7 Divito Trl 5 Lookout Trl 4 Heiman Dr(1) 2 Francis Ave 1A Papoose Trl (4) 1A Papoose Trl (3) 1A Papoose Trl (2) 1A Papoose Trl (1)

As we start the final judging night for the Hopatcong’s 2021 Christmas Decorating Contest, the sponsors would like to thank everyone involved that is helping to spread the joy across our community.

The favorite Holiday Benefit Concert is back for its 10^th Year as local talent donate their time and talents to entertain everyone during this festive season.

Yes, Santa Is Coming to Town! And he is bringing Mrs. Claus too! This is an excellent opportunity for those MUST-HAVE photos of the Kids, as they discuss the naughty-&-nice year-end results with Santa.

Join us at the Hopatcong High School for an event you’ll long remember as the highly trained drama students present to you the story of the “The Outsiders. Who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.”

NEWTON (Nov. 30, 2021) New Jersey's state and local projects, funded by the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill, will mean a need for an increase in skilled workers, and Sussex County Community College (SCCC) is prepared to meet the demand.

The event that everyone loved over the last several years, is back on again for the third annual Hopatcong Christmas Decorating Contest thanks to our local creators and sponsors. Today is the last time to enter, so make sure you complete and email your application!

Residents in our Lake Hopatcong region love their pizza, and while we all have our favorites, we need to sometimes sample other local offerings, and this new restaurant entry is completely different from the norm and might be something you want to try and test for yourself.

Today on November 15, 2021, the Borough of Hopatcong recognizes Navigator Harry R. Walker lll for his service to our county. The Proclamation was read and given to the family following the Hopatcong Veterans Day Memorial Service on November 11, 2021.

Today on November 14, 2021, the Borough of Hopatcong recognizes 1st LT. Donald Wiening for his service to our county. The Proclamation was read and given to the family following the Hopatcong Veterans Day Memorial Service on November 11, 2021.