Lake Hopatcong Foundation Will Raise the Roof On Giving Tuesday - December 1, 2015

LAKE HOPATCONG, N.J. - Nov. 17, 2015 - PRLog -- Lake Hopatcong Foundation will raise the roof for this year’s Giving Tuesday (#givingtuesday), a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. The nonprofit organization’s goal for Giving Tuesday is to raise $7,500 from the public to go with a $7,500 matching grant, and they hope to do this by selling 300 roof tiles on their website: http://www.lakehopatcongfoundation.org/giving/giving-tuesday/.

One of the Lake Hopatcong Station’s most distinct features was its green tile roof.  Although these roofs are designed to last 100 years, the original tiles were removed and replaced with “modern” asphalt shingles during the 1950s.  As part of the restoration of the station, the Lake Hopatcong Foundation plans to reinstall the original tile roof. Ludowici Brookville Green glazed tiles will be ordered from the original manufacturer in New Lexington, Ohio.

Interested individuals will be able to purchase tiles at various price points:

$25 for one tile

$50 for two tiles

$100 for a “block” of four tiles

$300 for a “row” of twelve tiles (celebrate the whole family this holiday season!)

$500 be a “roofer” and secure twenty tiles (now you can celebrate family and friends!)

$1,000 and you are a “roof raiser” with forty tiles (celebrate your family, friends and co-workers!)

As well as “other amount,” allowing individuals/businesses to contribute as they see fit.

Lake Hopatcong Foundation will be updating the progress of this campaign on December 1, 2015, on their social media sites (Twitter: @ThisIsYourLake and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LakeHopatcongFoundation/) using the following hashtags: #raisetherooflakehopatcong #givingtuesday

More Information on the Train Station Capital Campaign:

On November 6, 2014, the Foundation purchased the Lake Hopatcong train station.  The Foundation was able to make the purchase and rally funds with the support of local individuals and organizations and a very generous Morris County Grant for $192,500 to go towards the mortgage.  So far the restoration capital campaign has raised $350,000 to date from the community!  The Foundation’s current efforts have been raised to meet a goal of $450,000 which the community will see displayed in front of the train station on a meter stick.  This goal is to meet the mortgage price and historic preservation plans.

"It is great to finally have the scaffolding on the building and work underway.  The support from the community has been amazing to restore this building.  We plan on utilizing the building for events and meetings to the greatest extent possible as the works proceeds," said Martin Kane, Board of Trustees, Chairman and Trustee of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation.

Now that the Foundation has the historic preservation plan prepared by Connolly & Hickey Historical Architects, LLC, the organization can move forward with the restoration plan which will set a new goal of $994,240 to be met to fully restore the building.  This is the high end estimate, what professionals see as the maximum the building would take to be fully restored without any discounts or donations. The foundation is doing everything possible to seek in-kind services, grants, and multiple estimates to make sure this restoration is executed in the most affordable way.

“It’s been a year since we purchased the Lake Hopatcong Train Station, and in that time we’ve been fortunate to have an in-depth preservation plan developed to give us a road map for our next steps in the building’s rehabilitation,” said Jessica K. Murphy, president of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation. “It’s not a quick process, but we know the final product will be something the community can be very proud of.”

Lake Hopatcong Foundation is thankful for the individuals and businesses that have come forward with in kind services and the preservation plan will greatly assist the group in obtaining grants. The station will serve as a new home providing an office for the LHF staff as well as a Cultural and Environmental Center for the Lake Hopatcong community, with classes and lectures being offered on a wide variety of lake-related topics, including local history.  The building will also provide a one-stop source for information about the lake. A wonderful new resource is being created for the community while one of the lake’s most iconic structures will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

The Lake Hopatcong Foundation is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization with the mission of improving Lake Hopatcong for all, now and in the years to come. It was established in 2012. Learn more at www.lakehopatcongfoundation.org.