As of March 1st, a $2-per-month late fee is now being applied to all dog and cat licenses that have not been renewed. If you have new dogs or cats being licensed for the first time, the $2 late fee will be waved. The fees are:
Altered dogs ...............$ 10.20
Un-altered dogs...........$ 13.20
Altered cats ................$ 10.00
Un-altered cats ...........$ 13.00

It is state law and local law that all pets (cats and dogs) be licensed annually in the Borough of Mendham. Failure to license pets will result in summonses being issued. To license your pet, please visit Karen BeHamy-Orgera in the Bower's Building, 6 West Main St. Please inform our office if you no longer owned your pet, or if it is deceased. We then can remove the pet from our system. Thank you.

Online property tax look-up and payment is now available for Mendham Borough residents. ONLINE TAX LOOK-UP.

If you've misplaced your tax bill, you can use this option to look up the amount and due date of your next payment. Simply:
1. Go to the Mendham Borough website at www.mendhamnj.org
2. Click "Pay Property Taxes".
3. Enter your block and lot number,
4. Confirm your name and address. The upcoming tax quarter amount and due date will be displayed.

ONLINE TAX PAYMENT.
You may pay online via Mastercard or Visa credit and debit cards, or e-check. A 3% convenience fee will be added to the payment. After making a payment, a digital receipt will be displayed, and should be printed as proof of payment. Only full payment of the current tax amount due will be accepted; partial payments and delinquent tax payments cannot be made online.

The State Legislature has combined the Homestead Rebate and NJ SAVER Rebate programs into the FAIR Rebate Program. HOMEOWNERS

FAIR Rebate applications will be mailed to all homeowners in April. Homeowners no longer file for the Homestead Rebate as part of the State income tax return booklet. You are eligible for a 2004 New Jersey FAIR Homeowner Rebate if:
1. Your permanent legal residence is in NJ.
2. You owned and occupied the home on 10/1/04.
3. Your 2004 gross income was $200,000 or less.
4. 2004 property taxes on your residence are paid.

TENANTS
FAIR Tenant Rebate applications, Form TR-1040, are in the State income tax return booklet.

ADVISORY
Benefits available under the Property Tax Reimbursement (Freeze) and the FAIR Homeowner Rebate programs may be affected by Statt budgetary constraints. More information about the FAIR program can be found at the NJ Division of Taxation website, http://www.sta.te. nj. us/treasury/taxation/

The Mendham Building Department wants to remind you that final inspections are required for all work done with a Construction Permit. When final inspections have been completed and approved, a Certificate of Occupancy or a Certificate of Approval will be issued, and the permit is closed. If you have had work done with a Construction Permit, but have not received a certificate, please phone the Building Department, at 543-7152, ext 18. They will be able to tell you the status of your Construction Permit and, if needed, schedule what inspections are needed to issue the appropriate certificate and close your permit. I

The Borough will hold a public "open house" at the Phoenix House to showcase the recently completed restoration of the historic landmark. The over $700.000 of work necessary to preserve the nearly 200-year-old Federal style building was funded mainly by county and state preservation trusts, and group and individual contributions. The borough hall and former popular nineteenth-century roadhouse will be open from 1:30-4:30PM, on Sunday, May 15th, which coincides with the date the Borough was formed ninety-nine years ago.

Exhibits and escorted tours will explain the work performed as well as the history of the roadhouse. its owners, and its famous guests. Members of the Mendham Historic Society will act as docents and serve light refreshments. The Mendham Garden Club will decorate the old inn with Victorian period floral arrangements. Period fashions will be on display along with Phoenix House memorabilia recently found in the library archives.

Current and former municipal officials will be invited to participate. Ceremonies starting at 3:OOPM will include presentations of Certificates of Appreciation to acknowledge and thank the contractors and contributors to the historic preservation project. Artifacts including finials for the antique Gould grandfather clock, which have been promised for donation will be formall} accepted.

The Mendham Borough Environmental Commission invites you to its annual Earth Day Celebration, on Saturday, April 30th. People of all ages are welcome to join in for one or both of the day's events. Be sure to wear old clothes and shoes!

9:OOAM: CLEAN-UP AND PLANTING
A hands-on learning experience involving removal of invasive plants and replacing them with native species. Explore the benefits of planting these trees and shrubs. (Gloves and shovels will be helpful, pruning shears and loppers if available.)

10:OOAM: STREAM EXPLORATION
Join a NJ DEP Division, of Watershed Management Watershed Ambassador to learn about stream ecology, by looking for animals and plants in and around our stream. Both events will start with participants meeting in the parking lot on Mountain Avenue, by the mud hole. For more information, phone 543-4755.

The Mendham Garden Club offers a scholarship each year to a deserving Mendham Borough senior attending West Morris Mendham High School. The candidate must have participated in environmental interests in the school and/or community, and attend a college or vocational school after graduation, and plan to continue community volunteer service and/or course of study related to environmental concerns, landscape architecture, horticulture, agriculture science, or related fields. If you are interested in applying, please contact the WMMHS Guidance Office.

Located at 339 Pleasant Valley Road, the Schiff Nature Preserve is 350 acres of open space open from Dawn to dusk, 365 days a year. Schiff also offers a number of nature programs throughout the year, including the following:

"TOAD-ALLY" AWESOME
Tuesday April 12th 1:00-4:OOPM (ages 6-8) Wednesday April 13th, 1:00-4:OOPM (ages 9-12) Cost: $5 Members, $10 Non-Members
Learn all about the types of toads found in NJ, their amazing life cycle and how to attract them to your yard. Create a "take home toad-house" to encourage toad visitors and reduce backyard pests like slugs. These bumpy creatures can eat up to three times their weight in garden pests each day! Space is limited and pre-registration and prepayment are required.

SONGBIRD SATURDAY Saturday April 16th, 8:00AM Cost: FREE (Families)
Visit the Schiff Nature Preserve for an early morning jaunt around the preserve's woodlands in search of spring migrants. All ages and levels of birders are welcome, but you must provide your own binoculars. Pre-registration is required.

EARTH DAY STARGAZING Friday April 22nd, 7:30PM Cost: FREE (Families)
Maybe you celebrated the Earth during the day, but at night celebrate the stars at Schiff. See an exciting slide show of space objects, demonstrations on simple space concepts, an explanation of basic telescope use, and a few tricks for how to find what you are looking for in the "sky. Then, weather permitting, there will be a group gathering of telescopes in the Great Meadow to see Jupiter, Saturn, the moon, and the billion other objects in the sky. Schiff has two telescopes, but if you have your own telescope you are encouraged to bring it. Pre -registration is required.

ENVIRONMENTAL BOOK CLUB Monday April 25th, 7:OOPM Cost: FREE (Adults only)
The Schiff Nature Preserve sponsors an environmental book group that connects adult readers who are interested in environmental literature. This month the group will meet at the Schiff Nature Center to discuss Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, by Sara B. Stein. Pre-registration is required.

THE EARTH SINGER
Friday April 29th, 7:30PM
Cost: $5 members, $10 non-members (Families)
Visit Schiff for an exciting family evening. Weather permitting, there will be a good-old-fashioned sing along (complete with s'mores) around a campfire. This event will be hosted by special guest environmentalist and singer, Dave Orleans. Space is limited and pre-registration and pre-payment are required.

REGISTRATION
To pre-register for any of these programs, or to learn more about the Schiff Nature Preserve, phone 543-6004 ,or visit schiffnaturepreserve.org

The Mendham Borough and Township Libraries are looking for volunteers to help them offer more programs for their summer reading programs. "Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds" is designed to encourage children to continue reading during their summer vacation, so valuable reading skills won't be lost. We hope to offer a variety of activities for children. If you are interested in helping, please phone either library and ask to speak with Jennifer Leimone.

Registration for the 2005 Summer Camp season at Mendham Cooperative Nursery School begins April 4th, for children from 3-5 years old.

The Mendham Co-op Summer camp will run for six weeks, from June 27th - August 4th. Campers can attend this fun-filled, half-day program for any or all weeks, for three or four days per week. Registration will be on a first-come basis.

Located at 8 Orchard Street, the Mendham Coop Summer Camp is an ideal place for young children to make friends and enjoy a wide variety of age-appropriate outdoor and indoor activities, including water play, organized games, arts and crafts, theme weeks, and more. Children in the program will be closely supervised by a staff of counselors and the camp director to ensure a fun, safe summertime experience.

Registration is also ongoing for preschool classes in the 2005-2006 school year for children age 2y2-5.

To learn more about the Mendham Cooperative Nursery School Summer Camp or the preschool program, phone the school, at 543-6401.

The Mendhams' Senior Citizens club meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, at 11 :OOAM, in the Garabrandt Center. Each month's meeting offers members a chance to visit and enjoy their own bag lunches (beverages and desserts are provided by the club), as they observe informative and informational programs on a wide variety of topics. In addition to the monthly gatherings, the club sponsors a number of day-long and multi-day trips.

Membership in the club is open to Mendham Borough or Township residents over age 55. Annual dues are $12. (Bus transportation for day trips is subsidized by the local governments.)
The next trip(s) planned will be:
THURSDAY, APRIL 28™, RESORTS INTERNATIONAL, ATLANTIC CITY
Invite your non-member friends to join in this fun-filled day. Sign up early to reserve a seat on the bus! The casino will give each person a bonus package (the value was not available at press time). Cost is $23 for members or the general public. The last day for sign-up and payment in Jail is April 25th. The bus will leave from the parking lot behind the King's Market/Chinese Restaurant, at 9:OOAM, and return about 8:30PM.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9™, "CACTUS FLOWER" AT HUNTERDON HILLS PLAYHOUSE
This play is the story of a happy sort of philandering bachelor dentist who enlists his prim and proper nurse to help him in one of his messy affairs. When she discovers how much fun it is to have fun, she turns her playboy boss's world upside down.
Lunch choice is Fried Shrimp & Scallops, Yankee Pot Roast, Catch of the Day, Stuffed Chicken Breast, or Baked Ham w/Fruit Glaze.
Cost is $45/members, $50/non-members. The last day for sign-up and payment in full is May 5th. The bus will leave from the parking lot behind the King's Market/Chinese Restaurant, at 10:OOAM, and return about 5:OOPM.

RESERVATION INFORMATION
All trips are offered on a first-come basis; members are given priority. For more information, or registration, please phone Trip Planner, Anne Schmidt, at 543-4787. M

SIDEWALK SALES
The Mendham Business Association (MBA) is planning its sidewalk sales in conjunction with the Borough's Anniversary Weekend, on Friday, May 13th and Saturday, May 14th. The sales will run from 10:OOAM-4:OOPM each day, and during regular business hours in the shopping center.

GARAGE/YARD SALE
The Association will also sponsor a town-wide garage/yard sale, on the same two days. A listing of the garage sales will be in the Observer Tribune. Grafters are also welcome to participate in the day on the sidewalks in town. For more information and to sign up, phone Social Graces, at 543-2145.

ANNIVERSARY DINNER
The Mendham Business Association will celebrate its Tenth Anniversary on May 16th with a dinner party at the Black Horse Inn. All area businesses are invited to join in the celebration. Anyone interested in joining the Association or attending the Association dinner, can phone Social Graces, at 543-2145 for details. R.S.V.P.s are required no later than April 8th.