Aging is inevitable, and for many, it signals the beginning of a new chapter - one where you cross off bucket list items and live life to the fullest, on your own terms. However, for some women, aging is a horrible prospect, filled with chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to perform in the bedroom. If you're concerned about life in middle age and beyond, we've got great news: there are easy, proven steps that you can take to help stop the negative effect of aging.
Global Life Rejuvenation was founded to give women a new lease on life - one that includes less body fat, fewer mood swings, and more energy as you age. If you're ready to look and feel younger, it's time to consider HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and growth hormone peptides. These therapies for men and women are effective, safe, and customized to fit your goals, so you can keep loving life as you get older.
HRT, and growth hormone peptide therapies bridge the gap between your old life and the more vibrant, happier version of you. With a simple click or call, you can be well on your way to a brighter future. After all, you deserve to be the one in charge of your wellness and health. Now, you have the tools to do so - backed by science and applied by our team of HRT experts with more than 13 years of experience.
As women age, their hormones begin to go through changes that affect their day-to-day lives. For women, hormone deficiency and imbalance usually occur during menopause and can cause chronic fatigue, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other issues. Hormone replacement therapy helps correct hormone imbalances in women, helping them feel more vibrant and virile as they age.
Often, HRT treatments give patients enhanced quality of life that they didn't think was possible - even in their 60's and beyond.
The benefits for women are numerous and are available today through Global Life Rejuvenation.
As women age, their bodies begin to go through significant changes that affect their quality of life. This change is called menopause and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle and reproduction ability. Though there is no specific age when this change occurs, the average age of menopause onset is 51 years old. However, according to doctors, menopause officially starts 12 months after a woman's final period. During the transition to menopause, women's estrogen and other hormones begin to deplete.
As that happens, many women experience severe symptoms. These symptoms include:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be concerning and scary for both women and their spouses. However, if you're getting older and notice some of these symptoms, there is reason to be hopeful. Hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine for women can correct imbalances that happen during menopause. These safe, effective treatments leave you feeling younger, healthier, and more vibrant.
The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:
Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.
Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.
For many women, menopause is a trying time that can be filled with many hormonal hurdles to jump through. A little knowledge can go a long way, whether you're going through menopause now or are approaching "that" age.
Here are some of the most common issues that women experience during menopause:
If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:
Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.
Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.
Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.
The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.
Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Oakland, NJ for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.
Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?
Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Oakland, NJ can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?
The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.
Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.
Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.
Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.
Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.
Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.
Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.
Hormone stability is imperative for a healthy sex drive and for a normal, stress-free life during menopause. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women balance the hormones that your body has altered due to perimenopause or menopause.
HRT for women is a revolutionary step in helping women live their best lives, even as they grow older. However, at Global Life Rejuvenation, we know that no two patients are the same. That's why we specialize in holistic treatments that utilize HRT, combined with healthy nutrition, supplements, and fitness plans that maximize hormone replacement treatments.
If you've been suffering through menopause, is HRT the answer? That's hard to say without an examination by a trusted physician, but one thing's for sure. When a woman balances her hormone levels, she has a much better shot at living a regular life with limited depression, weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes.
Here are just a few additional benefits of HRT and anti-aging treatments for females:
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with anti-aging treatments for women, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen supply, HRT can relieve symptoms from menopause and protect against osteoporosis. But that's just the start.
Global Life Rejuvenation's patients report many more benefits of HRT and anti-aging medicine for women:
If you're ready to feel better, look better, and recapture the vitality of your youth, it's time to contact Global Life Rejuvenation. It all starts with an in-depth consultation, where we will determine if HRT and anti-aging treatments for women are right for you. After all, every patient's body and hormone levels are different. Since all our treatment options are personalized, we do not have a single threshold for treatment. Instead, we look at our patient's hormone levels and analyze them on a case-by-case basis.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we help women rediscover their youth with HRT treatment for women. We like to think of ourselves as an anti-aging concierge service, guiding and connecting our patients to the most qualified HRT physicians available. With customized HRT treatment plan for women, our patients experience fewer menopausal symptoms, less perimenopause & menopause depression, and often enjoy a more youth-like appearance.
Growth hormone peptides are an innovative therapy that boosts the natural human growth hormone production in a person's body. These exciting treatment options help slow down the aging process and give you a chance at restoring your youth.
Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.
Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.
Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.
Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.
One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.
When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:
Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Oakland, NJ, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!
866-793-9933
Tugboats, a New York City icon, were steam-driven in the 17th Century.As the industrial revolution evolved, as many as 700 engine-driven tugs could be seen in the New York Harbor’s waters, moving millions of tons of freight, immigrants coming to America and GI servicemen serving in wars.With the advent of railroads, trucking, and airplanes, fewer tugboats are in use today. Nevertheless, tugboats are still a vital part of the movement of barges and ships filled with oil, grains and other important goods.Peter Festa,...
Tugboats, a New York City icon, were steam-driven in the 17th Century.
As the industrial revolution evolved, as many as 700 engine-driven tugs could be seen in the New York Harbor’s waters, moving millions of tons of freight, immigrants coming to America and GI servicemen serving in wars.
With the advent of railroads, trucking, and airplanes, fewer tugboats are in use today. Nevertheless, tugboats are still a vital part of the movement of barges and ships filled with oil, grains and other important goods.
Peter Festa, 27, dreamed of having a career as a sea mariner. How did he, a lifelong resident of Oakland, find his way to employment in one of the world’s largest and busiest harbors, the New York Harbor?
“I was not seeking adventure, but I was open to it,” he says. “The path I took after high school and my time as apprentice in the maritime industry has definitely given me the best experiences of my life.”
From early on, Festa stayed focused on his goal.
“I went to Oakland schools, then to Don Bosco, where I was on the Crew Team. I graduated in 2013 and had dreams of going to the Naval Academy or the Coast Guard Academy, but I didn’t want to have to wade through the academic part of it.”
Festa studied at Suni Maritime College for 2 ½ years and attended Montclair State University for three semesters.
“Then I heard about the Seafarers’ Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Maryland, a trade school where I could actually study maritime skills and become an apprentice on deep-sea ships,” he explains. “From there, I could join the Seafarers’ International Union.”
Festa enrolled in the apprentice program at Lundeberg.
“Thanks to people in the industry, I was able to find and target a career path that fit me perfectly.”
Festa was assigned by the Lundeberg School to Crowley Ships’ cargo carriers as an on-deck apprentice. The ships carried tons of grain, fuel and military vehicles to ports around the world.
“The first part of my apprenticeship began in Oregon, where I boarded the ship Ocean Glory,” he says. “We sailed from Oregon, across the Pacific to Oman through the Suez Canal. We unloaded our cargo of grain and sailed back to Houston. It was smooth seas mostly and I was thinking about all I was experiencing.”
Before the Ocean Glory returned to Houston, Texas, Festa was informed that the 86-day journey to Oman was short of the required 90 days at sea. He was told he had to ship out again on another trip to meet his requirement.
“After a layover in Houston, we set sail across the Atlantic Ocean, crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal heading for Djibouti, Africa, on the ship USNS Sgt. William R. Button,” he says.
“As we passed through the Suez Canal, I stood security watches as a look-out eight hours a day alongside an armed security team we had on board. I remember seeing the sandy shores of Egypt and thinking that was very cool.”
The ship completed its delivery of grain in the Port of Djibouti and set sail for Japan crossing the Indian Ocean, which was in turmoil.
”Our ship had a rough time crossing the ocean to Japan,” he says. “The ship was rolling and pitching side-to-side and port-to-starboard almost the whole way. Finally, we reached Kobe, Japan and delivered our cargo of grain and military vehicles.”
From Tokyo, Festa flew home to resume his course work at Lundeberg for five weeks until it was time to ship out on his final sea journey heading to the isolated Mariana Islands way out in the Pacific, stopping in Guam and Saipan, islands which both saw furious battles between American and Japanese soldiers during WWII.
“On the long trip home, I realized how much I had learned about myself in the eleven months sailing around the world,” he says. “I saw the differences in cultures and I was amazed at the places I had been to. It was a tremendous experience and it affected me. I realized the value of traveling to other places.”
Coming home to Oakland, having completed his maritime courses and sailing requirements, Festa now actively sought a place to begin his career as a member of the Seafarers’ International Union using all that his apprenticeship and course work had taught him.
“I had sailed on the deep sea, saw a large part of the world, but I felt I had been away on the sea too long and far away from everything I know.”
Festa decided that, for now, working from home is what he wanted to do.
“Since September of 2021, I’ve been working for Centerline Logistics in Bayonne, New Jersey, as a member of the Seafarers’ International Union on Tugboat Andria that services barges and ships that arrive in the New York Harbor. It’s an area from the Kill van Kull and the New York Harbor to the Newark Bay Channel. Ninety percent of the time we move fuel barges from dockside to ship (bunkering) or we move barges to the Statue of Liberty where they are anchored until needed.”
Festa’s work schedule is two weeks aboard the tugboat and two weeks off.
“I’m on watch from midnight to 6 a.m., then I sleep until 12 noon. At noon, I have another watch until 6 p.m., then sleep until midnight,” Festa explains. “A ‘watch’ consists of maneuvering the tugboat and making the connection with the barge. I’m also responsible for cleaning and organizing equipment and other steward duty.”
Festa has just the schedule that suits him.
“I’m on duty and live on the tug for two weeks, then I’m off two weeks and come home to Oakland. I like to tell my friends I work only half a year. The pay is very good and so is my schedule.”
His parents are happy and proud Festa has achieved his goals and is enjoying his work as a mariner.
“My parents have supported me all the way,” he notes. “In the future, I will have more options. I might try another type of vessel, like a small, private cruise ship that’s for charter. This job is the best kept secret in the U.S. It pays good, solid money and the lifestyle is great, as long as you have no problem with sailing.
“I have a message for the young people coming out of school: Don’t forget to consider the maritime industry. It’s a great option. Consider a maritime academy or trade school for your education and for your future.”
Terri Casaleggio is a contributing writer for the newsletter.
Hackensack, N.J. - September 7, 2022 - Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco announces that the County of Bergen will open a new small business grant program utilizing federal American Rescue Plan monies. The application portal to apply will go live tomorrow, Wednesday, September 7th at 8 a.m. on www.BergenCountyARP.org.This new program will provide up to $2,500 to small businesses who incurred costs or expenses resulting from business closure,...
Hackensack, N.J. - September 7, 2022 - Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco announces that the County of Bergen will open a new small business grant program utilizing federal American Rescue Plan monies. The application portal to apply will go live tomorrow, Wednesday, September 7th at 8 a.m. on www.BergenCountyARP.org.
This new program will provide up to $2,500 to small businesses who incurred costs or expenses resulting from business closure, partial closure, or business interruption as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Priority will be given to Bergen County businesses that are registered with the State of New Jersey as a Women Business Enterprise, Minority Business Enterprise, Veteran-Owned Small Business, or a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business on a first-come, first-served basis.
“In Bergen County, small business is the heart of both our economy and community,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco. “That’s why my administration remains committed to supporting small business and this new round of funding further builds upon the significant action already taken by the County’s economic development team to brunt the financial impact of the pandemic and further enhance opportunities for overall economic growth in Bergen County.”
“Bergen County is wholly committed to ensuring that our small businesses continue to thrive,” said Commissioner Chairwoman Tracy Silna Zur. “Investing in their success and helping our small business community heal is the best investment Bergen County can make.”
To qualify for the Bergen County ARP Small Business Grant Program businesses must fall under the following criteria:
Priority for the first three weeks of the program will also be given to applicants who did not receive funds from the 2020 Bergen County CARES Small Business Grant Program. If funds remain after the initial three week period, applicants who previously received funds from the program will become eligible.
This new round of small business funding builds upon several efforts already taken by the County of Bergen to brunt the financial impact of the pandemic and spur new economic growth. In 2020, the County rolled out several phases of the Bergen County CARES Small Business Grant Program, ultimately administering $55.6 million dollars to nearly 4,000 Bergen County businesses with 30 employees or less. Then in early 2022, the County launched the Bergen Business Resource Network (BBRN) by forging a unique partnership with Bergen Community College and several local workforce resource agencies. The network offers free consulting to small businesses and provides metrics on how a business compares against their competition within a specific industry, thanks to the acquisition of the data tool “SizeUp.” Finally, early this summer the County launched the Bergen County Economic Resiliency Advisory Committee, a task force that brings together local industry leaders to identify options, alternatives, and recommendations to maintain our County’s position of economic strength and build upon it for sustainable growth.
The Bergen County ARP Small Business Grant Program is funded through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Federal relief fund. For more information, please visit www.BergenCountyARP.org. Administrative questions regarding the grant program can also be sent to [email protected].
OAKLAND, N.J. -- Questions are still being asked about the source of a loud noise that was heard across northern New Jersey.Residents reported hearing ...
OAKLAND, N.J. -- Questions are still being asked about the source of a loud noise that was heard across northern New Jersey.
Residents reported hearing an earth-shaking boom. But what was it?
Michael Mikulich was getting into his car Wednesday afternoon at a strip mall in Oakland when something didn't seem right.
"That's when I heard the boom," he said.
His service dog was by his side.
"She kind of put her ears back and looked at me, like 'Whoa, what was that?'" he said.
Barbara Beucler, from Franklin Lakes, said her frightened daughter called her.
"She was sitting in a room and she said she heard the lamp shake and she felt the house kind of move a little bit, and she didn't know what was going on," said Beucler.
The loud boom and vibration was heard across northern New Jersey at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Hundreds of residents posted comments on a Volcano Discovery forum.
One said, " ... heard a loud noise that made us literally search the horizon for a mushroom cloud. We thought we were being bombed."
Some residents questioned if the sound came from a quarry in Riverdale just off Route 287 or the one in Mount Hope.
"There's explosions going on all the time," said Brian Mason.
CBS2 has learned there was no activity at the Riverdale quarry.
Other people wondered if the rumbling came from the Picatinny Arsenal, the U.S. Army research base in Rockaway Township.
A spokesperson told us the only activity there was at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when they disposed of munitions.
The U.S. Geological Survey said it wasn't an earthquake, either.
"Temperature inversion, sonic booms, weather conditions. There's always the possibility that it could be something from an old Skunk Works thing, where the military has Black Ops. It could be something they're working on, experimental," said Peter Trabucco, an aviation expert.
Back in 2016, a loud rumbling heard in southern New Jersey turned out to be from a fighter jet on a naval exercise that caused a sonic boom.
Similar loud booms and vibrations were reported in 2021 in southern and central New Jersey. The sources of those sounds are still a mystery.
Christine Sloan is an Emmy Award-winning reporter, who covers New Jersey for CBS 2 New York. Sloan re-joined the station in January 2023. She also worked at CBS 2 New York from 2004 to 2016.
OAKLAND — The future of the Crystal Lake Beach Club is in question following Tuesday's vote by members of the Ramapo Mountain Lakes former summer home community to dissolve their corporation.The vote directs the board to end the decades-long obligation of its 1,645-member homeowners to pay dues underwriting the care and insurance for the 26-acre Crystal Lake and 3.6-acre Mirror Lake created when the homes were built.The club was formed in 1948 when the community was founded and was initially restricted to i...
OAKLAND — The future of the Crystal Lake Beach Club is in question following Tuesday's vote by members of the Ramapo Mountain Lakes former summer home community to dissolve their corporation.
The vote directs the board to end the decades-long obligation of its 1,645-member homeowners to pay dues underwriting the care and insurance for the 26-acre Crystal Lake and 3.6-acre Mirror Lake created when the homes were built.
The club was formed in 1948 when the community was founded and was initially restricted to its member homes. The club was eventually opened to the public, which now constitutes about half its membership.
Board President Joseph Bove said Wednesday that residents were given 30 days to come forward with proposals to preserve the club, as well as its two lakes.
"It's one of the highest voter turnouts we've ever had, roughly 56% of the shareholders in good standing," Bove said.
The summer home community was built in the post-war 1940s on 700 acres of property operated in the 1900s as a dairy farm by Oakland's second mayor, Edward Page. Owners were given shares in the new community, and their obligations to underwrite the common facilities were filed with the county when it was created. But those obligations were never attached to individual deeds and were forgotten over time as the cottages were converted to year-round use.
Residents of the community were shocked when they began to receive dues statements from the Ramapo Mountain Lakes board in 2011 when memberships and volunteer donations no longer covered its annual costs. Many were not aware they were members and threw their notices away.
The board resorted to a lawsuit in 2016, winning a State Superior Court ruling in 2018 that the residents were indeed members and obligated to pay dues. They could have liens placed on their properties if they did not comply.
COURT OKS DUESRamapo Mountain Lakes can charge dues, place liens on homes, judge rules
While dues were graduated depending on proximity to one of the lakes, members who did not use or see the lakes from their homes took exception to the ruling. Estimates of $250,000 to repair the dam regulating Crystal Lake's depth and drainage into the Ramapo River have raised additional questions about future financial obligations.
Mayor Linda Schwager has declined comment.
OWNERS TO VOTEOakland households to vote on future of lake association after long dispute
"RML is a private corporation," Schwager said. "I am not a shareholder so I am not privy to their discussions."
Offers of interest should be emailed to Bove at [email protected]
OAKLAND — A 10-year dispute among 1,645 homeowners about their obligations to a 74-year-old lake association agreement under which their homes were built may finally be decided by vote next month.Ramapo Mountain Lakes board President Joseph Bove confirmed Wednesday that residents were being notified by email that paper ballots will be mailed shortly, and will decide whether the association will continue to collect fees and oversee the maintenance of its common areas.A shareholder meeting tentatively schedul...
OAKLAND — A 10-year dispute among 1,645 homeowners about their obligations to a 74-year-old lake association agreement under which their homes were built may finally be decided by vote next month.
Ramapo Mountain Lakes board President Joseph Bove confirmed Wednesday that residents were being notified by email that paper ballots will be mailed shortly, and will decide whether the association will continue to collect fees and oversee the maintenance of its common areas.
A shareholder meeting tentatively scheduled for Nov. 22 will announce the results.
"Guidelines require mail notification take place 14 days prior to the vote," Bove said. "Depending on the vote, we will have two agendas ready, one to dissolve the association, and one to determine how it will continue."
The bucolic private club spread over 700 acres at the borough's center began as a summer-home retreat in 1948, on land formerly known as Edward Page's dairy farm. Owners were stockholders, but the obligations tied to that membership were only filed with the county. They were not included in individual property deeds and were forgotten over time as homes changed hands and were converted for year-round use.
Members had exclusive access to the club's two lakes — Crystal and Mirror — when the complex opened. Friendships begun on the beach were solidified with year-round socializing at the association's clubhouse restaurant, tennis courts and swimming pool, at the intersection of Hiawatha Boulevard and Mountain Lakes Road in the servant quarters of Page's De Tweelingen estate.
It was only after the clubhouse burned to the ground in the 1980s that residents lost touch with one another and their shared obligations. By 2006, the private club was forced to open Crystal Lake Beach Club membership to the paying public when only 60 of the 1,645 households signed up for season passes.
In 2012, the association found itself in need of further financial support and began sending dues notices to member homes based on their proximity to the lakes. However, it took until 2018 for the courts to rule that the residents were indeed members of the association and required to finance their share of the upkeep.
Those who did not pay their dues were subject to liens on their homes.
Dues have increased over time and now stand at $539.43 per year for the 62 homes surrounding Crystal Lake, $131.89 per year for 21 households around Mirror Lake, and $65.94 per year for the remaining residents.
Todd Horn, who has lived on Manito Avenue, 1.7 miles from Crystal Lake, since 2003, says he wants nothing to do with the association as currently configured.
"Liability is my biggest concern," Horn said. "The dues started at $50 a year, but that's not where it's going to end. There is a 36-inch drain pipe that needs fixing. What if someone drowns in the lake? We have senior residents living here on limited incomes."
An additional cause for concern is the proposed 150-unit townhouse/apartment development a mile uphill from Crystal Lake, north of Indian Hills High School. Runoff from the site will enter Pond Brook, which feeds into Crystal Lake. Developers estimate only a 1% increase in runoff, but residents are skeptical.
"To what degree do the developers want to be good stewards of Oakland?" Adam Elkin of Lakeshore Drive asked at the project's September hearing. "If they are building more, they should help offset the burden."
Cindy Holdefehr of Lakeshore Drive is among those who want the current administration to continue and has organized a Save Our Lakes group that wants to keep the present governing structure.
"It is protection for our lakes financially and ecologically," Holdefehr said. "I think if changes are made to the board structure to reflect our varying interests, we can work this out."
Ramapo Mountain Lakes has posted on its website a multi-step process to dissolve the current board and replace it with an Oakland Waterways and Lakes Conservancy. Instead of one overarching board, separate groups would be formed to manage the beach club, with separate homeowner associations for Crystal and Mirror Lake residents.
Inflation hits Halloween candy:Want a scare? Check out prices in the candy aisle as NJ confronts Halloween inflation
Save Our Lakes attorney Matthew Earle questioned this proposal in a Sept. 12 letter to Ramapo Mountain Lakes attorney Brian Hannon. He suggested that the state Department of Environmental Protection's Safe Dam Act may not allow the current members to dissolve their responsibility for lake upkeep. He also suggested that a transfer of the board's assets would require a two-thirds majority vote.
"Transfer of the lakes to a shell entity with insufficient resources to maintain the dam for the express purpose of avoiding dam liability would in no way excuse Ramapo Mountain Lakes or its constituent owners from responsibility for the dam," Earle stated.
In response, Hannon told Save Our Lakes the board is willing to listen to a proposal to take title of one or both of the lakes, and how it would be funded.
"The board is in the process of vetting at least one other option at this time but if Save Our Lakes wants to submit a proposal the board feels it prudent to consider same to determine the best course of action moving forward," Hannon said.
