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Over 200 ash trees were removed from Mendham Township in 2024 as part of an ongoing effort to control the Emerald Ash Borer infestation.

Vianella Burns, Patch Staff

MENDHAM, NJ — Mendham Township spent 2024 addressing its ash tree problem, removing over 200 trees as part of an ongoing effort to combat the Emerald Ash Borer and Yellow Ash Disease.

At the end of last year, the township allocated $150,000 for the removal of dangerous and infected trees along trails, recreation areas, and preserved open spaces.

This action followed the identification of nearly 300 trees in need of removal, as reported by a contracted forester.

During the 2025 Township of Mendham Reorganization Meeting, Mayor Sarah Neibart proudly announced that Mendham Township had become one of the first municipalities to proactively address its ash tree issue, removing over 250 trees from the township's popular hiking trails and recreation areas.

The removal process, which began in early 2024, prioritized the most hazardous trees, Neibart explained.

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According to the Mendham Township Tree Protection Committee, the emerald ash borer continues to devastate ash trees in the area.

This invasive beetle kills trees by tunneling through the bark, disrupting the vascular system, and preventing nutrients from reaching the leaves.

Beyond being a nuisance, the dead and dying ash trees pose significant safety risks. As these trees deteriorate, they can become dangerous, with limbs potentially falling onto personal property, neighboring properties, sidewalks and roadways.

The Township Committee previously emphasized that all removed trees will be left in their natural habitat to provide protection for wildlife, while minimizing disruption to the ecosystem, and ensuring that trails remain accessible.

This past spring, Mendham Township announced a new partnership with Rich’s Tree Service, offering residents access to state contract pricing for the removal of trees within the right-of-way.

Residents interested in taking part in the program should contact Rich’s Tree Service, mention their residency in Mendham Township, and be directed to Mark Amato. Amato will assess the trees, coordinate scheduling with the removal crews, and handle billing directly with residents.

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Award-Winning Craft Show Returns To Chester This Spring: Find Out When

Patch has teamed up with T-Mobile to celebrate five standout athletes whose achievements have left a lasting impression on our community.

Patch In Town, Patch Staff

Sports have a way of teaching invaluable life lessons — building character, fostering teamwork and strengthening the bonds within a community. In the Mendham-Chester area, these values have shaped some truly remarkable athletes from different eras, whose accomplishments continue to inspire.

Patch has teamed up with T-Mobile to spotlight five standout athletes whose achievements have left a lasting mark on our community. While this list is just a snapshot, there are countless others who have helped shape the rich sports culture in our area.

One of the most accomplished female jockeys in horse racing, Mendham native Rosie Napravnik was the first female jockey to win the Louisiana Derby in 2011 and the Kentucky Oaks in 2012 and 2014. Napravnik also earned the best-ever finish for a female rider in the Kentucky Derby, placing ninth in 2011 aboard Pants On Fire. Despite a career marked by serious injuries, she demonstrated resilience and skill, retiring in 2014 after a Breeders’ Cup victory to focus on her family with her husband, trainer Joe Sharp.

Jack Alexy, a standout swimmer from Mendham, has made waves in collegiate and international swimming. A senior at the University of California, Berkeley, and graduate of Delbarton School, Alexy is a 14-time CSCAA All-American and has earned multiple NCAA and Pac-12 championships, including a national title in the 800 free relay. He represented Team USA at the 2024 Olympics, winning gold in the 4x100 free relay and silver in the medley relay. Known for his record-breaking performances, Alexy set the second-fastest American time in the 100 free at the 2023 World Championships, where he also earned five medals.

A three-time Patriot League Player of the Year, Mendham’s Molly Creamer set records with 2,462 career points and 593 assists, becoming only the second woman in NCAA history to lead her conference in both categories for three consecutive years. Known for her scoring ability, she once scored 44 points in a game against Lafayette, including the team’s final 29 points. Post-graduation, she was drafted in the first round of the WNBA by the New York Liberty and later played professionally in Europe and the NWBL. Creamer’s achievements earned her a place in the Bucknell Hall of Fame and recognition on the Patriot League 25th Anniversary Team.

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A former NFL tight end, Matt Flanagan began his football journey in Chester, where he excelled as a multi-sport athlete at West Morris Mendham High School. Flanagan earned all-conference honors as a senior tight end, showcasing his talent with 22 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns. After walking on at Rutgers University and earning a scholarship, he played three seasons with the Scarlet Knights before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh as a graduate student. Flanagan went on to sign with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2018, making his NFL debut later that year.

NFL linebacker Carl Zander played for the Cincinnati Bengals after being selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Over his seven-year career, he appeared in 106 games, recording eight sacks and earning a weighted career AV of 39. Born and raised in Mendham, Zander honed his football skills at West Morris Mendham High School before excelling at the University of Tennessee. He remains a notable figure in his hometown for his contributions to the sport and his enduring connection to the community.

This content is brought to our community in partnership with T-Mobile.

With the election just weeks away, the Mendham Borough School District is hosting an informational forum to answer community questions.

Vianella Burns, Patch Staff

MENDHAM, NJ — Mendham Borough's Board of Education will hold a special meeting next week to discuss the upcoming bond referendum.

Ahead of the Jan. 28 bond referendum, the Mendham Borough School District is inviting residents to an in-person Community Referendum Information Forum this Thursday.

The school district established this community forum to ensure that residents are fully informed about the projects associated with this referendum and have ample opportunity to share questions and feedback.

The in-person information session will begin at 6 p.m. at Mountain View School, located at 100 Dean Road, Mendham. Residents are also encouraged to submit any questions in advance to the district's dedicated referendum email at [email protected].

During the district’s strategic planning process last fall, the Mendham Borough community came together to celebrate the district’s strengths and identify areas for continued growth.

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Teachers, administrators, board members, parents and community members collaborated to define key priorities for the district over the next five years. The goals set during the 2024-2029 strategic planning process have directly influenced the projects proposed in the two-part bond referendum scheduled for Jan. 28.

Question 1: Upgrades to learning environments, infrastructure and security

Question 2: Addition of an auditorium at Mountain View School

If question one passes, homeowners with an average-assessed property can expect a decrease of about $6 per month in their property tax. This is because the new debt suggested in question one is lower than the current school debt, keeping the tax rate nearly the same.

If both questions pass, homeowners with an average-assessed property will see an increase of about $22 per month in their school debt tax. Question two will only take effect if question one is approved.

For example, if both questions are approved, a resident with a home assessed at $500,000 would see a tax increase of $16 per month, while someone with an assessed value of $800,000 would face an increase of $25 per month.

However, it’s important to note that assessed value differs from and is often lower than, market value. To find your home’s assessed value, visit njpropertyrecords.com.

According to the school board, all the proposed projects in question one are eligible for the maximum amount of state aid. However, the district can only receive this funding if voters approve the bond referendum.

Here is a breakdown of the improvements for question one:

MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL

HILLTOP SCHOOL

Here is a breakdown of the improvements for question two:

MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL

The proposed addition would include a state-of-the-art auditorium with over 380 seats, providing a dedicated venue for events such as promotions (currently held offsite at West Morris Regional High School), school assemblies and more. According to the district, the auditorium would also be available for community use.

If voters approve question two, the auditorium is expected to be completed by early 2027.

For more information, click here.

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The Black Horse Pub in Mendham — one of New Jersey’s oldest restaurants — is reopening on Jan. 13 after completing renovations.

The multi-million-dollar restoration began in March 2024 and was done with an eye on retaining the site’s unique history — the Black Horse originally opened in 1742 and, in recent years, has become a beloved local restaurant and bar.

“Our goal from an experience perspective is [that] we want people to feel like it’s the pub,” says Kevin Felice, vice president of 40North Restaurant Group, which owns the Black Horse. “We want them to feel at home because a lot of our guests are returning guests, but we want them to be really wowed by the next generation of the pub and what it’s going to be. This is a generational restaurant; our guests have been coming here for generations, and we want them to come for more generations.”

The Black Horse property includes both the pub and a tavern. Only the pub is reopening in January; 40North will begin work on the tavern restoration in 2025. The pub was stripped to the studs for its renovation, and Felice says the added infrastructure both honors the history of the space and also provides the space and amenities to run a more functional food and beverage operation there.

“The renovation was aimed on getting the infrastructure of the building and kitchen operations to where it needed to be,” Felice says. “And then taking the aesthetics, we think we landed on this really great balance of restoring what was here to pay homage to the history but also bring in some nice modern touches to really make a guest feel like, yes, it’s the pub and you feel like you're at the pub, but you know that it’s 2025.”

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The Black Horse menu will retain many of the elevated American pub grub classics that patrons have come to love, but Executive Chef Dan Zappula says he and his team have also whipped up new creations.

“To keep things familiar, we’ve kept our crowd favorites on the menu,” he says. “Things like pot pie, chicken wings and crab cakes. But we are thrilled to introduce some new elevated dishes, including house-made pastas, bronzini and dry-aged New York strip steak.”

Starters include burrata, wings, an upstyled guacamole, clam dip and more, with entrées like the steak dip sandwich, crab cakes, brine-roasted chicken and roasted mushroom pasta. There will also be a “secret burger” — it’s not on the menu so you have to ask for it — that’s more along the lines of steak and which Felice calls an “indulgent experience.”

The pub will be open for lunch and dinner (with slightly different menus) and brunch on the weekends. The bar will offer an extensive wine-by-the-glass list, beer and eight signature cocktails.

While longtime guests may notice the structural changes at the Black Horse, the hope is that the atmosphere stays convivial and familiar and the food continues to deliver.

“This is Mendham’s restaurant,” Felice says. “It is very much the locals’ place. Obviously because of its age and history, people do come from farther away to it, but it needs to be an approachable restaurant. We can’t sit here and do super fine dining and intricate food; it needs to be homey, delicious food done really well.”

Adds Zappula: “The guests there I don’t think want a crazy different menu, they just want good food and a place they can come and be recognized and have great service, have a great meal, get together and spend some quality time.”

Reservations for dinner open on RESY on Jan. 10, 2025; lunch is walk-in only.

Go: The Black Horse Tavern & Pub. 1 W Main St., Mendham; 973-543-7300, blackhorsenj.com.

Matt Cortina is a food reporter at NorthJersey.com/The Record. Reach him at [email protected]

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Two Morris Co. churches, who previously sued the county, claim exclusion from the Historic Preservation Program is religious discrimination.

Vianella Burns, Patch Staff

MENDHAM, NJ — Two Morris County churches, including Mendham Methodist Church, have won a preliminary injunction against a county policy that bars them from receiving tax dollars for preserving their historic structures.

The ruling, issued earlier this month by U.S. District Court Judge Evelyn Padin, allows the churches to apply for funding from Morris County’s Historic Preservation Trust Fund, though it does not guarantee they will receive it.

“Time and again, the U.S. Supreme Court has declared that all forms of religious discrimination by the government are unconstitutional, including the denial of historic preservation grants to historic churches,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel with First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit supporting the churches in the lawsuit.

The injunction follows a 2023 lawsuit challenging the county’s policy of excluding religious institutions from the grants, which are funded by county property taxes.

The Historic Preservation Trust Fund, established in 2003, had previously allowed churches and other religious organizations to apply for grants.

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However, a 2018 ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court struck down this practice, finding that public funds could not be used to repair or restore churches, citing the state's Religious Aid Clause.

In the court's 2018 opinion, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote that "the plain language of the Religious Aid Clause bars the use of taxpayer funds to repair and restore churches, and that Morris County's program ran afoul of that longstanding provision."

Before the state Supreme Court's ruling, Long Valley's Zion Lutheran Church received $27,760 from the county’s historic preservation fund in 2017. The funds were used to implement a preservation plan, including a comprehensive study of the church’s structure to identify priority areas for restoration within the limited budget.

"We are thrilled that the court recognized that religious institutions cannot be excluded from public funding programs like preservation grants simply because of their religious character or religious activities," Dys added.

Mendham Methodist Church moved to its current location on 10 East Main Street in 1893, according to the lawsuit. The current structure of the church retains notable architectural features such as a prominent bell tower, stained-glass windows, and its original frame.

According to the lawsuit, the church requires extensive repairs, such as a new roof, foundation and bell tower repairs, new paint, and more.

The church is part of the Mendham Historic District, which is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

"These renovations and repairs are, by their nature, for historic preservation purposes, as they would preserve the structural and external integrity of the 130-year-old building, including by protecting it from the elements," the lawsuit stated.

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