Medical Weight Loss in Lake Hiawatha, NJ

PARSIPPANY — On paper, the deal seems like a no-brainer: Replace a dated grocery store on 3 acres of asphalt and replace it with a brand-new food market on a freshly landscaped lot.

Lidl, the European grocery giant currently expanding in the United States, wants to acquire the Foodtown property on North Beverwyck Road. The 30,600-square-foot, family-operated Foodtown, a former Grand Union store, has struggled for decades to compete with increasingly large competition but has a loyal following in the Lake Hiawatha section of the township.

Representatives for Lidl made their public pitch Monday during a four-hour Planning Board meeting. Attorney John Wyciskala, representing Lidl U.S. operations, said his client has a purchase-agreement contract with the owner of the property, Holly Gardens LLC, which leases the building to Foodtown.

Planning Board members mostly approved of the project and a rendering of the property, which showed a new 31,000-square-foot building to be built after the current structure is demolished.

But Roberto Laracca, who operates the store as a family business within the Foodtown cooperative grocery chain, objected to what he felt was the board's indicating the Foodtown closure was a done deal.

"Where did you get information that Foodtown was closing up?" Laracca said. "Last I looked, I have almost three years left on the lease. We had no idea this was going on."

Laracca spoke during the public session after the board heard from several Lidl representatives who explained the company's unique business model: providing mostly private-label goods to keep prices low and eliminating most onsite food packaging and preparation other than a bakery. Foodtown's popular fresh deli would be replaced by meats and cheeses sliced and vacuum-packaged offsite.

"There's a tremendous amount of senior citizens who go to that store only because they have shopped there for so long," area resident Trina Reid said. "They are known there by first names. The owners know what they are looking for, what they want."

Pharmacist and 30-year Parsippany resident Atta Rehman, who owns and operates the Lake Hiawatha Pharmacy inside the store as a Foodtown lessee, said he found out about the proposed Lidl purchase "the same way as everybody else," in a posting on a local news website about 12 days ago.

"People come here because we give them the kind of personal service they can't get elsewhere," Rehman said. "We care about them. We're part of the community. They don't want to go anywhere else."

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"I've been a customer of [Rehman] for over 10 years, and I cannot tell you the kind of stuff that this man does," Reid said. "When COVID hit us so badly, and people were afraid to go out of the house, he took it upon himself, at nighttime, to deliver orders."

Along with the Foodtown and pharmacy, the Lidl deal would displace the attached Bollywood Grill restaurant.

Board attorney Scott Carlson stressed, "This board is not moving the Foodtown out or away," but the owner has a right to sell.

"I don't know the details, but it certainly appears that Foodtown is leaving, which then raises the question: What could be there next?" Carlson said. "It could be high-density housing. It could be a lot of things the property owner seeks to do."

Parsippany Mayor Michael Soriano, who did not attend the meeting, said Tuesday that Laracca needs to take up his lease dispute with the property owner. Holly Gardens is owned by longtime Morris County developer Edward Mosberg.

"I understand and feel for Mr. Laracca," Soriano said. "He's in a difficult position."

Mosberg did not immediately respond to a message.

Soriano sees Foodtown or a similar grocery as an essential element of downtown Lake Hiawatha, where last week he announced $4 million in grants and funds acquired to make improvements to the area.

"The landlord came to the township and tried to float the idea he wasn't making enough money on that land, and wanted to build apartments there," Soriano said. "I thought that was a terrible idea. I know seniors who enjoy the walk to that Foodtown and don't want to go food shopping on Route 46. It's an amenity."

With Lidl already having the property under contract to purchase, pending approvals of variances and other considerations, Carlson indicated that the deal would move forward.

"It was apparent to me that the use is going to change here," Carlson said. "The property is going to change hands. It's getting new ownership."

Laracca objected to the board's indicating his fate was sealed.

"You just going to throw me out?" Laracca said. "How is that done? We don't want to close. You guys make these comments online with everybody listening that this store is closing. That's not true. I could lose all my employees because of what you said. It's crazy."

Three hours into the meeting, the board ended the discussion, carrying over the Lidl application to a meeting on Feb. 8. Pending approvals, Lidl representatives outlined a possible timeline of closing the sale in late spring or early summer, then closing for 12 to 18 months for construction.

The property is assessed at $2,913,800, according to government tax records, costing the owner $87,821.93 annually in taxes.

"What you're doing here is replacing a supermarket that has taken care of this town and the seniors specifically," Laracca said. "When COVID hit, we were here for them. We took orders by hand so we could bring them to their homes."

Laracca clarified his position in a Parsippany Facebook group that generated more than 500 comments on the pending sale.

"My family would love to stay in Lake Hiawatha. We do have some time left on the current lease," he wrote. "We have done our best to serve the local residents, especially during this rough time. Over the years our employees and customers have become like family to my family and I. It would be very difficult to say goodbye. It would especially be difficult for our hardworking union employees to lose their jobs."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

PARSIPPANY, NJ - Residents of Lake Hiawatha have started an online petition to request the continuation of the Flood Wall along River Drive.

The online petition says the following:

The residents along River Drive in Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, request the continuation of the Flood Wall along the rest of River Drive.

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The Rockaway River is part of the Passaic River, an extensive system of rivers and tributaries all affect each other whether the water is going into or leading away from the direction of flow.

The Lake Hiawatha Flood Wall, was built In 1986, according to state standards and the Army Corps of Engineers. It was designed to be effective up to and including a 100-year flood. The Flood Wall was designed to protect the residents and properties without anticipating changes in the Flood Risk for Lake Hiawatha. As Lake Hiawatha feels the effect of changing environment, however, events of all kinds will affect more properties within the community. That is why the current Flood Wall needs to be extended along River Drive.

As tax paying residents we have the right to live without fear of losing either our house or our lives.

Due to changes in the flood map and climate changes since the Flood Wall was built, it is now imperative that the Township of Parsippany Troy Hills, does something about the flooding issue along the Rockaway River that affects the residents of River Drive, in Lake Hiawatha, before there is a major catastrophe.

Therefore, we the people of Lake Hiawatha strongly request that the Township of Parsippany Troy Hill, which is part of Morris County, immediately take action to consider building the rest of the Flood Wall, or a Flood Levee along the Rockaway River / River Drive.

By signing this petition to request a Flood Wall, you are agreeing that the Flood Wall is necessary at the present time, to prevent future flooding.

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

Neighbor News

Parsippany team swims nearly 1,000 laps raising funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma Assoc.

Patch Mayor

|Updated Tue, Jul 19, 2016 at 9:14 pm ET

Parsippany, New Jersey---The Lake Hiawatha Swim Team dedicated its entire hour-and-a-half practice session, from 6 pm to 7:30pm on July 14, 2016, to swimming laps in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Association.

Head Coach Bryana Cielo kicked off the event by explaining the illness to the children, and letting them know that their efforts could help local kids treat and beat their disease. The team rose to the challenge and energetically crossed their home pool at the Lake Hiawatha Swim Club 942 times. Assistant Coach, Marisa Otto, kept tally of swimmers’ individual laps.

Participants ranged in age from 5 to 51. Seventeen swimmers contributed to the group effort, including one parent, an assistant coach, and a sibling, who also jumped in for the cause.

Swimmers ranked by laps accomplished were: Alex Otto (122 laps), Darien Chea (90 laps), Enzo Vazquez (80 laps), Brooke Bierals (78 laps), Breyanne Cassimore (70 laps), Connor MacMahon (66 laps), Max Massefski (60 laps), Scott Massefski (60 laps), Ian Vazquez (58 laps), Sophia Massefski (50 laps), William Delaar (46 laps), Jorge Novoa (46 laps), Carina Maroldi (40 laps), Samantha Cassimore (28 laps), Assistant Coach Megan Smith (28 laps), Victoria Massefski (16 laps) and Tori Maroldi (4 laps).

The Lake Hiawatha Swim Team supported its members by having a pizza dinner after the event.

Find out what's happening in Parsippanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Prior to the event, swimmers were urged to seek donations from family or friends based on the number of laps successfully completed or a flat donation. Please consider supporting the Lake Hiawatha Swim Team’s efforts to help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by making a tax deductible donation through this secure website: http://events.lls.org/pages/nj/lakehiawatha. If the team raises $600, they have an ice cream party for their members.

About the Lake Hiawatha Swim ClubThe Lake Hiawatha Swim Club is centrally located near downtown Lake Hiawatha. Membership is accepted at any time throughout the season and there are no residency requirements. Members have access to a large swimming pool, a fenced-in playground area with two professional-grade play areas, a tennis court, as well as lockers, changing rooms and showers. Avellino’s Pizza has an onsite location and serves casual food and cold beverages throughout the day. Aqua aerobics taught by an instructor are included in the membership. An onsite family campout is hosted each year. Multiple raft days are held; swimmers can enjoy playing and lounging on their choice of inflatables. Several outdoor concerts are staged throughout the summer to entertain members and guests.

The Lake Hiawatha Swim Team is open to members of the club, and is a competitive group always seeking new swimmers: participants under 8 must be able to swim the length of the pool to be eligible and all children must be 18 years or younger.

By MARK KITCHIN

For the New Jersey Herald

LAKE HIAWATHA — Less than an hour away from Newton and tucked away in the back of his crowded shop, the Golf Doctor settles into a cramped room filled with grinding wheels and electrical sanders.

Stacks of shafts and grips are piled on tables along a wall. It’s the type of workshop you would expect of a craftsman.

And that’s exactly what it is.

Jim Castagna has spent the last 25 years fixing sick clubs and ailing golf games. His expertise lies in selecting or designing the right clubs to fit any individual’s golf swing. He can also retrofit an existing set of clubs to do the job.

He believes strongly that using the wrong clubs for your unique golf swing can make an amazing difference in your game and affect your chances of enjoying the sport.

“It depends on how off your clubs are,’’ Castagna said. “Sometimes it makes a big difference. You can increase the distance or increase the accuracy from a simple thing like the size of the grip down to the flexibility of the shaft. We will check to see that the loft in the driver is correct. If it isn’t, you might not ever get off the tee.’’

Castagna is a rarity in the Morris-Sussex area. He is an Independent Class “A” golf club maker.

Look along the walls at The Golf Doctor’s shop and there are rows and rows of golf heads, shafts and grips lining his shelves. He turns the sum of those parts into a golf club you can do battle with. He also allows for the personal touch and the knowledge that comes with doing the job for the last quarter of a century at the Lake Hiawatha location.

He does some of his best work with recreational golfers and many drop by to see him to have their clubs re-gripped before spending an afternoon on the course.

Castagna was a casual golfer when he bought the building back in 1987 and leased it to another club maker. A native of Newark but a golfer, himself, he became interested in the business and eventually ended up becoming a partner and a club maker, too. His accounting background was a perfect fit when eventually became the sole owner.

“It was a fun business,’’ Castagna said. “It seemed to be just profitable enough to keep going with it.

“It’s been a passion of mine. One of our claims to fame is that we have a bigger choice of grips. The replacement business is a big part of our business.’’

In the early days of golf, the only place a golfer could buy a set of new clubs was to see a club maker. That was when clubs were built for an individual one at a time. Then came the era of mass production and the makers eventually moved aside for major companies to take over. It is estimated that the top five golf equipment manufacturers control 80 percent of a more than 3 billion dollar market.

Many of those companies are publicly traded and nearly all of them need to sell volumes of golf clubs to earn a profit. That means building clubs to standard specifications to be shipped to thousands of retailers. They are mass produced with the same shaft lengths with varying flex levels and standard grips. Many retailers, in order to maximize their profits, do not have sales staffs with qualified support services and a golfer’s decision is often based on price alone.

“The major manufacturers are marketing behemoths,’’ Castagna said. “They come out and they have big bucks. The cost of their marketing is more than the product itself. They freeze the small guy out.’’

However, like a tailor that measures you for a suit, there is something to be said for playing the game fitted with the proper equipment.

There are manufacturers that offer custom fitting services but their quality varies. Invariably their motives can be somewhat suspect and the individuals doing the fitting are often a bit inexperienced.

“With the manufacturers you are going to get your speeds,’’ Castagna said. “You are going to hit the ball into a big movie screen. There’s going to be a wow factor and they are going to say those are for you — whatever the flavor of the day is.’’

A fitting from The Golf Doctor costs about $75 and can take anywhere from 30-90 minutes.

Here’s the process: In the back of the store is an area set up with a tee and golf net. In that area is a device that measures a golfers swing speed and a computer program that measures a variety of aspects of that swing.The Golf Doctor will record a golfers swing speed while hitting every club, as many times as he or she likes because sometimes a golfer’s swing can change dramatically, even between clubs.

“I always tell my customers to come with their clubs because I will work with you,’’ Castagna said. “On your woods, on your irons. We will run through the set. I will check your clubs on my digitizing instruments. If the results are close I will tell him. If he wants to change, great. I’ll tell you if your clubs are not good for you because they are too stiff or too soft. We could make them or we can rebuild them.’’

All work is done under warranty, whether it is retrofitting an existing set or designing a brand new set.

Castagna works with all types of golfers. Whether it is a recreational golfer or individuals with low handicaps, executives that play for business reasons, or beginners just starting to learn the game. All that is filtered in when it comes to adapting or developing equipment.

“Sometimes a golfer is getting older and his swing slows down,’’Castagna said. “He needs new shafts but his clubs are good. We can rebuild it for him or we can make him a new set. If there’s a difference in price I will tell you everything.’’

Like any type of golf store, The Golf Doctor also has a wide range of products. It’s the personal touch that makes his service a little different. For example, if there’s a club a customer might want to try, Castagna has no problem taping it up and letting them hit a few practice balls with it if they are serious about buying it.

The Golf Doctor is also good at working with local charities and donating for auctions as a member of the community.

It’s also not uncommon in the spring and the summer to see golfers in the shop talking golf while Castagna is working.

Sharing his experience and wisdom is par for the course.

The Golf Doctor

34 N. Beverwyck Road

Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034

973-263-6553

www.MyGolfDr.com

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

Sports

Team swims over 800 laps to raise funds, and one swimmer breaks individual lap record!

Patch Mayor

|Updated Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 12:40 pm ET

Parsippany, New Jersey---The Lake Hiawatha Swim Team dedicated its July 28, 2017 practice session to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Association and swam laps to “earn” funds for the organization that were pledged by friends and family. In addition to the team, several swimmers brought friends and family members who also swam and raised funds.

Head Coach Andrew Burkly joined the swimmers, and together the group crossed the pool over 800 times. Assistant Coach George Scherger broke the previous team record by swimming a whopping 111 laps! The top children’s swimmer was 12-year-old Vita Infurna, who swam with purpose and determination to achieve 56 laps.

Swimmers ranked by laps accomplished were: Assistant Coach George Scherger (111), Vita Infurna age 12 (56), Carina Maroldi age 9 (54), Alexander Scardigno age 13 (50), Samantha Cassimore age 9 (46), Matthew Pagano-Salvatori age 8 (44), Sofa McBride age 11 (42), Patrick Tkach age 9 (40), Malik Alzubi (11), Breyanne Cassimore age 11 (34), Ian Vazquez age 7 (32), Enzo Vazquez age 10 (32), Francisco Vazquez age 15 (32), Samantha Tkach (28), Angelina Pierro age 10 (28), Tori Maroldi age 6 (26), Head Coach Andrew Burkly (22), Lucas Scardigno age 8 (22), Alexander Rice age 6 (16), Emma Straub age 10 (14), Nicholas Rice age 9 (14) and Joe Pierro (5).

Prior to the event, swimmers were urged to seek donations from family or friends based on the number of laps successfully completed or a flat donation. Please consider supporting the Lake Hiawatha Swim Team’s efforts to help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by making a tax deductible donation through this secure website: http://events.lls.org/pages/nj/LakeHiawathaSwim.

PHOTO CREDIT: Samantha Rice

About the Lake Hiawatha Swim Club: The Lake Hiawatha Swim Club is centrally located near downtown Lake Hiawatha. Membership is accepted at any time throughout the season and there are no residency requirements. Members have access to a large swimming pool, a fenced-in playground area with two professional-grade play areas, a tennis court, as well as lockers, changing rooms and showers. Avellino’s Pizza has an onsite location and serves casual food and cold beverages throughout the day. An onsite family campout is hosted each year. Multiple raft days are held; swimmers can enjoy playing and lounging on their choice of inflatables. Several outdoor concerts are staged throughout the summer to entertain members and guests.

The Lake Hiawatha Swim Team is open to members of the club, and is a competitive group always seeking new swimmers: participants under 8 must be able to swim the length of the pool to be eligible and all children must be 18 years or younger. 2017 sponsors were Avellino’s Pizza, Last Stop Welding and Realtor Bonnie Gessling of Century 21 Christel Realty. The team is currently seeking sponsors for 2018, with opportunities for community events, prominent logo placement and more!