HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy in Mendham Borough, NJ

Find out how Gabriella Ager and her brother Eli began "Bringing Stories To Seniors," during the pandemic.

MENDHAM, NJ — Two Mendham teens found a way to connect with senior citizens who have been isolated because of COVID, through a special reading program they developed.

It all began when Gabriella Ager, 16, a junior at West Morris Mendham High School and her brother Eli, 13, an eighth grader at Mountain View Middle School, came up with the idea to connect virtually with senior citizens in the pandemic.

It was how "Bringing Stories to Seniors" came to life, a few of her friends also volunteering to read.

"I'm a chiropractor in Denville and was able to work through the pandemic," their mother Danielle Ager wrote to Patch. "I was amazed how seniors were scared to leave their houses and how they had very little computer and technical skills."

Ager said when her children came to her with the idea, she was very proud of them for thinking of and executing it.

"We saw that visitation was limited and aimed to seek a way for seniors to connect with the community through reading over the telephone," Gabriella Ager wrote on her website about the Bringing Stories To Seniors program.

"We understand that some baby boomers are not technologically savvy and may have a difficult time using smartphones, tablets, or online ordering tools," she continued.

Ager began reading to a senior citizen that she and her brother were both very acquainted with, their grandmother Judith Ager.

"This was a way for us to connect during COVID," Gabriella Ager wrote, with reading a bond she and her grandmother share, "and I began to realize that I could apply this to other seniors who couldn't read themselves or didn't have smartphones."

Since the brother and sister team have started their reading program, they read to seven senior citizens by phone throughout the region, she told Patch.

Some live in their homes and others live in the Fox Hill Condominiums in Rockaway.

"We read short stories," she said.

Three of the seniors they read to have dementia or Alzheimer's and one is in a wheelchair.

"Sometimes," Ager added, "I have to reintroduce myself every week if they don't remember."

"I ask them if they have any requests," Ager explained, with two recent ones Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber another.

Ager said the Chabad she volunteers with reached out to Brightview Nursing Home in Randolph on their behalf; and their mother said another nursing home in Pennsylvania just contacted them with interest in their program.

One of the ways she and her brother also help, Ager said, is with a delivery service, where they drop off books to local seniors from the Mendham Borough Library.

"We are always looking for more volunteers and more seniors who we can provide our services to who want it," she said.

Would you like to volunteer to read to seniors over the phone; or ask that one of the Bringing Stories To Seniors volunteers read to a senior citizen in your life?

Contact [email protected] for more information or visit her website https://bringingstoriestoseniors.godaddysites.com.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: [email protected].

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Mother's Day is May 8. If you plan to treat your mom, grandma or any other special women with a meal out, reservations may fill up quickly.

Mother's Day on Sunday, May 8, is still a couple of weeks away. But if you plan to treat your mother to brunch or dinner out, reservations may fill up quickly in the Mendham, Chester area as the nation approaches the most normal celebration of moms since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Many area restaurants have taken a financial hit during the pandemic and could use the business. Upcoming holidays, such as Mother's and Father's Day, may help some get back on track.

Some Morris County restaurants are really getting into celebrating mom. 1776 by David Burke featuring TopGolf Swing Suite, which is also offering holiday specials, is holding a "Reel Moms of NJ" contest. Show the restaurant why your mom is the best, and you could win lunch or brunch for four and a bottle of Rosé for your table. Here's how to enter:

Several local eateries have reservations available for Mother's Day, according to OpenTable:

Several chain restaurants and other eateries are open for Mother's Day this year, and some are offering specials.

Below are a few options to get you started, featuring everything from casual to fine dining. As always, it's advisable to call ahead to make sure the restaurants around Morristown are participating and to inquire about any COVID-19 restrictions or limitations.

Applebee's is adding a $10 bonus card to the purchase of a $50 gift card for Mother's Day and other special occasions, including graduations and Father's Day.

The Capital Grille is accepting reservations for Mother's Day. The restaurant included a "polite notice" on its reservations page stating that "to better deliver on our promise of a refined atmosphere, proper dress is required." That excludes gym attire, sweatpants, tank tops, hats, clothing with offensive language or images, and exposed undergarments.

Morton's, The Steakhouse is accepting reservations for Mother's Day, and also will bring the meal to Mom in select locations.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse is offering its prix fixe Mother's Day meal, including a starter, entrée, side and dessert, from May 6-8.

Seasons 52 Fresh Grill | Wine Bar is offering Mother's Day brunch from 10 a.m. to noon and is making its dinner menu available all day. It is also offering a Mother's Day Green Box that serves six. Orders must be placed by May 2.

Before you go:

With voter approval, state aid would fund 37% of costs to improve learning spaces & upgrade buildings, while annual taxes would drop by $97.

Mendham Township – The Board of Education will ask the community to vote January 25 on a $19.9 million bond referendum that would fund vital building repairs and renovations, tech-centered instructional spaces, and safety and security upgrades, among other improvements.

State aid that is only available through a voter-approved bond referendum would cover 37 percent of the cost of the projects. Without this funding source, 100 percent of the expense would fall on local property taxes and the projects would take much longer to complete.

The Mendham Township School District, which consists of an elementary school and a middle school, worked with the community to identify projects focused on safety and security, technology instruction, and overall academic excellence. Community members participated in the district's Strategic Plan as well as a survey on district priorities conducted earlier this year.

The Board unanimously approved a resolution to hold a bond referendum at its Oct. 12 meeting. "The timing is ideal for the district to make much-needed renovations and repairs, and to create innovative learning spaces where students can gain 21st-century skills," said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Sal Constantino. "The combination of state aid and retiring debt positions us to make these important improvements while actually lowering taxes."

You heard right: Taxes would decrease The district worked with advisors to carefully choose projects that would both meet district needs and maximize the amount of aid available from the state. Because of existing debt retired this year and more debt that will retire next year, taxpayers would see a $97 decrease in the debt service tax levy for a home assessed at Mendham Township's average of $905,519.

Projects to benefit every student The proposed improvements center on safety and education, which the district considers its primary responsibilities to students and their families.

Both school buildings and grounds would benefit from:

Mendham Township Elementary School would receive:

Mendham Township Middle School would receive:

Community outreach The district will use various means to educate all voters, including a dedicated website, mendhamtwp.org/vote, social media, information tables at local events, and special bond referendum forums. Residents can also send questions about the bond referendum to [email protected]

Mendham Township school leaders say the referendum is a financially strategic way to ensure the district maintains the high standards that attract residents. Both of the district's schools were named National Blue Ribbon Award winners by the Department of Education, and U.S. News & World Report ranks the schools among the top five in New Jersey.

"The schools are why many people choose to live in Mendham Township," said Board President Gretchen Holquist. "The bond referendum gives us a chance to elevate our buildings to the level of the education that takes place within them."

Mendham, NJ inspired the setting for a novel published by Penguin Random House, authored by a woman who grew up here.

MENDHAM, NJ — She's a Mendham High graduate, a nurse who also became a nurse practitioner, and she's now a novelist whose tale is set in a small New Jersey town with a suspicious resemblance to Mendham.

Karen Winn is a 1996 Mendham High School grad and Dutton/ Penguin Random House will release her debut novel on May 3.

The novel, "Our Little World" is set in the 1980s in a small, idyllic New Jersey town. Winn said it's a coming-of-age story that centers on two sisters whose relationship becomes forever altered when a neighborhood girl disappears at the local lake.

Winn revealed that Mendham has been fictionalized as Hammend, and Sunrise Lake is called Deer Chase Lake. "There are many other nods to Mendham and to my own childhood within the book," she explained.

Winn said the book explores the complicated bond of sisterhood, the corrosive power of envy, and how the traumas of our youths can shape our identities for a lifetime. "Our Little World" delivers that exploration in a looming mystery about two sisters with a relationship equal parts love and envy, whose lives are suddenly and irrevocably changed by the neighborhood girl's disappearance.

In the aftermath, the sisters' little world cracks, both inside the home, as secrets, guilt, and jealousy come between them; and outside of it, as the illusion of stability in their close-knit community is shattered, Winn said.

The novel has received blurbs from authors Elin Hilderbrand, Mary Beth Keane, and Sally Hepworth, and early readers are giving glowing reviews.

Winn said the street she grew up on in the 1980s and '90s is similar to Hickory Lane, with a cul-de-sac, where she and her siblings used to play with the neighborhood kids.

"We belonged to the Mendham Racquetball Club and spent our summers lounging at its pool. It's a place where innocence largely reigns. However, as I've grown older, I've become fascinated with dark undercurrents of life — the notion that everything could change, at a moment's notice. I decided to insert tragedy into childhood I knew and see what happens," Winn said.

Winn explained the starting point for the novel came from an incident that occurred when she was younger and swimming at Sunrise Lake. "My mother couldn't find me, as I loved to swim underwater for long periods of time, so she panicked and alerted the lifeguard."

"When I came up for air, I noticed swimmers were exiting the lake — though I wasn't sure why. I followed them and spotted my frantic mother standing with the lifeguard, who was nervously pointing out other children and asking, 'Is this her?'"

She explained the incident has always stayed with her, and it "seemed like a powerful starting point for a story."

She said it made her ask: "What if I — or someone else — had gone missing that day?"

Winn has had another career as a registered nurse, then a nurse practitioner, and even holds a doctorate in nursing. "These days I no longer see patients; I'm a clinical consultant and find this work very valuable and fulfilling. But I've also always loved writing — so even in the throes of nursing study, I was always stealing time to write. I attended a low-residency Master of Fine Arts program and have taken many, many writing classes over the years. Writing 'Our Little World' has been a labor of love, for sure," she said.

If you'd like to meet the author, Winn is doing a reading at The Bookworm in Bernardsville on June 11 at 3 p.m. View "Our Little World" on the publisher's website here.

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

Students at Mendham Township Elementary learn about gravity and air resistance along with exploring and having fun.

Mendham Township, NEW JERSEY (March 14, 2022) – What is a makerspace lab? According to Mr. Charles Gallo, Mendham Township Elementary School (MTES) Teacher for Technology/Makerspace, a makerspace lab creates a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials. During the first two weeks of March 2022, third- and fourth-grade MTES students, working in teams, have been challenged to design and build an egg drop device that would protect a raw egg from breaking during a 15-foot fall.

The activity included a reiterative process of researching, building, and testing possible solutions before agreeing as a team on the final design. Students could select from a variety of materials available within the workroom, with the same materials being available to all students. Mr. Gallo specified a size limitation for a permissible design, but otherwise, the students were free to use their imagination, team collaboration skills, and current knowledge skills to develop their prototypes.Without directly mentioning the theories of air resistance or gravity these elementary students launched themselves into a test and design mode to develop a perfect egg drop device. Communications and collaboration played a large part in the development and progress of each team's submission. The teams made observations, discussed the advantages and defects of their prototypes, and finally drew conclusions on how best to design an optimum-performing device during the iterative process of testing. The students waited with bated breath as their teacher dropped their final design device, with its uncooked egg cargo, from a height of 15 feet. For every successful drop, there were squeals of delight; for any less than lucky descent, it was still a learning experience with ideas for improvement. Handmade parachutes crafted from shopping plastic bags worked well for increasing surface area and drag, which counteracted the effect of gravity. Light cushioning such as cardboard or felt were preferred over rigid structures such as wood. Scissors were practical, but who knew a single hole paper puncher could be so useful? During an informal debriefing of the results, Mr. Gallo begins to pull all the pieces of the lesson together for the students and introduce theories and their applications while the students are hardly realizing they are absorbing scientific theory.Mr. Gallo likes to create in-class experiences for students that can serve as an extension of their everyday learning experiences. "My goal is that the critical thinking skills applied in the makerspace lab will allow students to use engineering, design, and even programming skills as a means to problem-solving and creative expression inside and outside the classroom, both now and in the future."Advancement in technology, well-equipped laboratories, STEM classroom space, security, and safety are priorities for families sending their children to the Mendham Township School District. Indeed, voters recently approved a $19.9 million bond referendum in support of the Mendham Township School District. The funding from this bond provides the district with the resources to move forward with its plan to update the district's two schools with enhanced safety and security features, critical maintenance, and STEM instructional spaces. Dr. Salvatore Constantino, Superintendent of Schools in Mendham Township, affirmed the district's plans for expansion and improvement saying, "We are blessed to have the most talented group of teachers and staff working to create amazing learning opportunities for our students. Mr. Gallo engages the students in creative problem solving and collaborative, project-based learning that inspires and challenges every student. The future of this program is bright, as we will soon have future-ready space to grow and expand makerspace. Mr. Gallo embodies our mission of inspiring every student, every day."

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More from Mendham-Chester

Also: Chester Unveils Firefighter Memorial On Main Street/ $15K Checks Awarded To 2 Chester Borough Local Businesses.

CHESTER, NJ — Patch reviews last week's top stories around Mendham and Chester.

A West Morris Central High School history and social science teacher will travel to Washington, D.C. in June to attend the prestigious Supreme Court Summer Institute. Victoria Ade is one of 60 teachers chosen for the competitive 2022 Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers, a week-long session in Washington D.C. designed to help instructors teach about the court system in a more accessible manner.

Two Chester Borough owner-operated businesses received a $15,000 grant from the Morris County Small Business Grant Program, as the Morris County Board of County Commissioners continues to assist businesses and nonprofits impacted by the pandemic. Commissioners Stephen Shaw and Thomas Mastrangelo paid visits to Barbara Chupick, the owner of You're Not in Kansas Anymore, an upscale boutique, and Susan Nagel, the owner of Winky's Pet Boutique, both Perry Street businesses in Chester.

A new firefighter memorial statue honoring the bravery and service of Chester's volunteer fire department now adorns Main Street. Following its unveiling at Memorial Park by local firefighters on Saturday, May 28, the bronze statue represents all of the volunteers who have served Chester and the surrounding communities for over 100 years, according to Assistant Chief Daniel Taquinto.

The Township of Mendham is kicking off its fundraising efforts to bring a new shade structure to Ralston Playground. Ralston Playground is well-known in the Township as a treasure that has benefited from the generosity of many people in the community. From the Finlay family's initial playground endeavor in the early 2000s to the 2018 playground rebuilding, "it has always been a community-wide effort," said township officials.

Where do you go for good Italian food? Because of the abundance of great Italian food in the Garden State, you're bound to get a different answer each time. NJ.com's recent report on the 50 best Italian restaurants in New Jersey provided some answers. According to the report, three Morris County restaurants make the top 50.

A 22-year-old man was charged on Wednesday with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the alleged assault of two teenage victims, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said. The Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll announced the filing of additional charges against Nathaniel G. Yanez, of Dover.

Bond funding in the amount of $19.9 million would let the school district use state aid for "critical upgrades."

MENDHAM, NJ — Initial returns in Tuesday's election showed the Mendham Township School District's $19.9 million special election bond proposal leading as mail-in votes continued to be accepted through Monday.

Bond funding in the amount of $19,903,197 would enable the school district to use state aid to save 37 percent on costs for "critical upgrades," including replacing rooftops, finishing paving projects, updating building entrances and improving accessibility.

Some 803 voters said "yes" in the referendum on Tuesday's Election Day and in vote-by-mail ballots; 285 voted "no," according to unofficial results posted on the Morris County Clerk's website.

Some 1,089 ballots, or 19.7 percent of the township's 5,520 registered voters, have been counted so far.

"We knew the citizens of Mendham Township felt strongly that their exceptional schools are of significant value to the community," Superintendent of Schools Salvatore M. Constantino said Wednesday in a statement to Patch. "It is gratifying to see that support reflected in the poll numbers."

Dale Kramer, administrator of the Board of Elections, told Patch on Wednesday that vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Tuesday, as well as provisional ballots, needed to be in by Monday to be counted.

All ballots received so far have been processed, Kramer added.

Final results will be given to the County Clerk's office on Tuesday, she said.

With the state aid covering approximately 37 percent of the costs, township businesses and residents "will get nearly $7.4 million of it back," Constantino said.

According to figures released by both the school district and the township, the new debt amount, which is reported to be lower than expiring debt, was expected to decrease taxes by $97 per household, based on a Mendham Township property assessment of $905,519.

"Residents will benefit from $19.9 million in school improvements while still realizing a school debt tax decrease," Constantino said.

"So much research and community engagement went into the planning for this bond proposal, and we were confident that a bond referendum was the most financially responsible and time-efficient approach to accomplish the district's goals," said Constantino.

Voters learned more about the projects and bond financing through virtual forums, in-person fairs and information on the district's referendum website, he said.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: [email protected]

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Mendham Township's Zoning Board of Adjustment voted in favor 5-2 on Tuesday, that Backer Farm's proposed farm brewery is a permitted use.

MENDHAM, NJ — A local preserved farm that aims to transform its dairy barn into a farm-based, brewery, is a step closer in the process.

Mendham Township's Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 5-2 at its meeting on Tuesday in favor of Backer Farm. Several residents filed an interpretation request through their attorney, asking the zoning board to determine if creating the brewery operation on the property — which currently has produce and livestock — would be a permitted use and within the guidelines of New Jersey's Right to Farm Act.

"Our farm has evolved since our beginning almost a century ago," said Fred Backer of the family-owned farm in a statement released Thursday. "Agriculture is a constantly changing industry. We continue to evolve as the market for our products and services changes over time. Our planned farm-based brewery is just another way we are meeting the demands and addressing the current market trends in agriculture."

The next step for Backer Farm is a public hearing in front of the Morris County Agricultural Development Board, to have its Site Specific Agricultural Management Practice application heard, said Frank Pinto, Backer Farm's project manager and a spokesperson for the project.

Backer Farm has not been scheduled yet for the public hearing with the agricultural development board, Joe Barilla — the planning director of the Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation — told Patch in an email on Thursday.

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Barilla said Backer Farm has not been scheduled for the Agricultural Development Board's public hearing on Friday and information will be posted on the board's website here, once the hearing is scheduled.

It will be the first time that the farm will be able to present its proposal and have its expert testimony heard, Pinto said in a news release on Thursday and phone interview with Patch on Friday.

He said the zoning board's decision means breweries are a permitted use, as long as at least 51 percent of the ingredients to produce the craft beer come from the farm.

He said Backer Farm plans to grow barley, which will be sent to a malthouse for processing after it is dried at the farm, the malthouse then returning the barley to the farm.

Pinto said the plans for the property would not be considered a bar in any way and would not have the ability to serve food, with it seeking a Limited Brewery License. Under the state's rules and a 2019 special ruling, the limited brewery licensees must follow strict guidelines, including limits on events, on the premises and off, according to the special ruling from the state.

Susan Rubright — attorney for the applicants requesting the interpretation request from Brach Eichler LLC — told Patch in an email statement on Friday that her clients filed the request with the Zoning Board of Adjustment to ask if creating a two-story, 78-seat brewery with a tasting room, was a permitted agricultural use in a residential neighborhood. The two dissenting board members had similar questions, she said.

Rubright said her clients had concerns about noise, overflow parking and the possibility of late hours. She said the township has taken a stance against destination farms and that Backer Farms had not notified neighbors of their development plans before submitting an application to the planning board over the summer of 2021.

She said at the current time, her clients have not appealed the decision, but have 45 days to do so after the Zoning Board adopts a memorializing resolution.

"We do not know if we will appeal," she said.

Pinto said neighbors have been invited to the farm to ask questions, COVID-19 additionally sidelining plans for a larger-scale event for neighbors to come to the farm. He said when Backer Farm appeared in front of the planning board on July 1, experts who planned to testify about the farm's application, were not able to do so because of time constraints, with the Zoom meeting file corrupted from the meeting.

Rubright said Backer Farm has not met with a "large group of concerned residents."

"If they did, they would learn that most people did not move to Mendham Township to live near an amusement-like destination farm," Rubright said.

Rubright said that many neighbors do not have an objection to a limited-capacity tasting room, but called the farm's plans something that "has the potential to destroy the very things that most people associate with Mendham — peace, quiet and traditional farming."

She said the July 1 Planning Board meeting had over 100 participants on the call, many expressing health and safety concerns and she expects the same for the upcoming County Agricultural Development Board's meeting, once it is scheduled.

"As members of the Mendham community for nearly 100 years, the Backer family has always cared deeply about the place we call home," Backer said. "We've taken great care in all aspects of the application process for our farm-based brewery project, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Mendham and Morris County to ensure our project reflects our multigenerational commitment to our community and neighbors."

To view Backer Farm's application on the county's website, click here and here for the County Agriculture Development Board meeting agendas and schedule.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: [email protected].

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More from Mendham-Chester

COVID-19 cases have gone up across New Jersey, and Mendham Borough is hosting an informational meeting to discuss what this means.

MENDHAM, NJ — We're still not out of the woods. An increase in COVID-19 cases has been reported across New Jersey in the last month, and Mendham Borough is hosting an informational meeting to discuss what this means.

The event, titled "The Doctor Is In: A COVID-19 Conversation," will take place on May 19 at Bernards Township Library, 32 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge. The meeting will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., and all attendees are required to wear a facial covering.

Dr. John Salaki will keep residents up to date on the most recent and pertinent information about COVID-19. Salaki is the current president of the Board of Health and previously worked as the head of infectious diseases at Morristown Medical Center.

Topics will include:

To register for the meeting, send an email to [email protected] or call 908-204-2520.

The rate of COVID-19 cases in Mendham Borough and Mendham Township has been on the rise in the last month. According to the Morris County Health Department, 43 confirmed positive cases have been reported in Mendham in the last eight days.

Also, the state's average number of daily confirmed cases is up 20 percent from a week ago and 133 percent from a month ago. The transmission rate in Morris County is currently 1.2.

According to the Health Department, Morris County had an average of 129 daily reported cases over the last two weeks. New Jersey had 592 hospitalizations on average over the last two weeks, a 28 percent increase from the previous two weeks.

With the increase in COVID-19 activity, the Health Department is encouraging residents to test early if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Statewide, daily vaccinations averaged 12,200 a day, which is down from 15,000 a day four weeks ago.

Currently, 80.3 percent of all New Jersey residents age 5 and older are fully vaccinated, the Health Department said.

Additional breakdowns of vaccination statistics by location and age group can be found on the NJ COVID Dashboard.

The vaccine is currently being distributed by Atlantic Health and retail pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS.

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