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Local Voices

Netcong Community Partnership Elects Trustees & Officers for 2014

The Netcong Community Partnership (NCP) elected its Board of Trustees for 2014 and named officers at the Annual Meeting of Members and the Board of Trustees, held recently at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Netcong. The organization, a public/private partnership with the Borough of Netcong, is dedicated to making the community a great place to live, to work, to visit and to invest.

Netcong property owner Bill Lerman was elected as President, Maria Patamia of Fanucci’s Café and the Hugh Allen Mansion, Vice President, Kathy Robbins, Fulton Bank, Treasurer, and Leigh Ann Von Hagen, Resident Appointee, Secretary. Councilman Robert Hathaway will continue to serve as council liaison and Mayor Joe Nametko and Borough Administrator Ralph Blakeslee serve as board members. Vic Pocorobba, Ronetco Supermarkets returns as a Trustee, along with newly elected Trustees Stephen Fredericks, Executive Director of the Growing Stage Theatre, Dr. Winfred Ginter and Dave Weippert, Ralston Properties.

Among the new trustees, Fredericks started The Growing Stage and has served as its Executive Director for the past 32 years.  A graduate of the Leadership Morris program sponsored by the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, he previously served on the National Panel of Professional Theatre for Young Audiences for the Association of Theatre & Education.  He is a Past Chairman of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and the Immediate Past President of the Hackettstown Foundation for Educational Excellence.  Recognitions include selection into the Executive Leadership Program for Non-Profit Leaders – Arts at Stanford University; the Sara Spencer Award from the American Alliance for Theatre & Education, which recognizes theatre and individual for making significant contributions to the field of theatre for young audiences; and the Exemplary Performance in Nonprofit Management Award from the Community Foundation of New Jersey.

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Leigh Ann Von Hagen, AICP/PP has been a resident of and advocate for Netcong since 1996. For over fifteen years, her work as a licensed planner has focused on developing transportation and land use solutions to improve communities. At the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, Von Hagen researches and implements initiatives to help communities plan for an economically sound future.  “When looking for a home, I wanted to live in a town with a center where I could walk and bike to businesses, church, pick up groceries and where children could walk or bike to school,” she stated. “Netcong provides that and more.” 

Dr. Ginter has maintained his dental practice in Netcong for many years. He and Dave Weippert of Ralston Properties are longtime property and business owners in the borough.

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“We are pleased to welcome our new Trustees for 2014, and thank our returning Trustees for their continued commitment to the organization,” said Mr. Lerman. “As volunteers, they are dedicating their time and effort towards making Netcong a great place to live and work, to visit for great dining, shopping and services, and to open a business and invest in our community.”

NCP Executive Director Gina Thomas pointed to the diversity of the board as one of the organization’s strengths. “Our board members include business and restaurant owners, district property owners, retail and professional service providers, residents and borough representatives, men and women representing Netcong’s many different assets,” added Thomas. “All share a commitment to Netcong, and are contributing to a cooperative approach to doing what’s best for Netcong, the hallmark of the Partnership’s efforts to improve quality of life and business activity in the district.”

For more information about programs, services and events provided by the Netcong Community Partnership, call (973) 347-0252 (X113) or visit GoNetcong.com. You can also follow news from Netcong through social media at the Partnership’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/gonetcong.

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