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VOL. UNO. 22

LISTINGS

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‘No’to Casinos on the Cape

Maybe, in Wildwood Only

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fell Wil( l wood Ma y° r Guy Muziani’s fellow Jersey Cape mayors feel about his Jersey rape’ bring CaSin ° gamblin 8 to the A Herald telephone poll indicates little support for free-standing casinos in the county. But while most mayors appear opposed to such gaming facilities in their own municipalities; for a few, their opposition is somewhat softened when it comes to-allowing n free standing casino

in Wildwood alone.

At a recent Wildwood gathering state Senator James ( afiero and Assemblyman James Hurley promised their cooperation in introducing a bill before the state legislature that would allow a free-standing gambling casino in Wildwood provided a professional study is first conducted to determine support for such a bill among

other factors.

THE HERALD CONTACTED SEVEN Cape May County resort mayors, including Muzlani, to ask each their reactions to the proposed legislation. (An eighth mayor, Avalon's Ellsworth Armacost, was out of town following a family death, and couldn't be reached.) The Herald asked Mr. Muziani’s fellow mayors two questions; 1) Do you agree with Mayor Muziam that a free-standing casino would be good for Cape May County? and 2) Would you favor a casino in Wildwood? Muziani was asked a single question: Why do you favor • a casino? , THE MOST ADAMANT REACTION was expressed by Ocean City Mayor Chester Wimberg who blamed the Atlantic City gambling boom for escalating real estate prices in Ocean City.

He said he hadn't favored the referendum which brought gambling to Atlantic City and doefti't agree with Muziani that a free-standing Wildwood casino would be

good for Cape May County.

it would be good for Wildwood," he said, commenting he wouldn't object to gambling in the City of Wildwood alone if a statewide referendum is supported by voters BUT MR. WIMBERG BELIEVES it would further escalate real estate prices in Ocean City and bring even

more people into his community.

"Ask me if I want gambling in Ocean City," Wimberg

said. "The answer is No."

Muziani’s counterpart in North Wildwood. Mayor Anthony Catanoso. said the only comment he would permit for publication was: "Mayor Catanoso is not interested

oneway or another."

Muziani's administrative peer in the other Greater Wildwood sister community, Mayor Charles Guhr of Wildwood Crest said he doesn't think his community needs gambling. - ] "WE HAVE NO LIQUOR LICENSES her* - It won t make any difference for us. We’re a family reeort," he said, adding he doesn't favor a casino in Wildwood. In Cape May, Mayor Arthur Blomkves: replied succintly to both questions. He said he disagreed with Muziani that gambling would be good for Cape May County and that he absolutely doesn't favor a Wildwood

casino.

"The referendum was passed by Ihe voters of New Jersey to limit gambling to Atlantic City only and I feel that’s the way it should be,” he said. STONE HARBOR MAYOR JAMES WOOD replied negatively to the two questions. When asked if he would like to make any further comments regarding the gambling legislation, he replied: “Not at the present time (Page 3 Please I

'A BOAT FLU. of happy fishermen and a load of big weakflsh' return from a day'a fishing In Delaware Bay. according to columnist Boyd Tyler. His column Inside this week’s Herald and Lantern also reports on what may be a strte drumflsh record.

Opposition to Pinelands Plan Mounts Health Clinin LOWER TOWNSHIP - individuals comlnu out In ment nlon foe tk. ,v...v-..J. ,a -■•-■■CCU. IA1.

Application Withdrawn

LOWER TOWNSHIP — individuals coming out in Cape May County’s largest opposition to the Byrne municipality has joined the Administration’s proposed growing list of groups and comprehensive manage-

AERIAL SPRAYING of one of the campgrounds in Lower Township completed, the balloon (left) marking the spray zone is lowered Into the early morning mist rising from the meadows and woods. Federally-sponsored spraying with the controversial Sevin was completed there late next week.

ment plan for the Jersey

Pinelands.

Last Friday night, the local governing body authorized the sending of a letter to the governor, legislators and Pinelands Commission objecting to the proposed plan on the grounds it represented a "radical departure from prior land use management practices." THE AUTHORIZING resolution, which included the letter of protest, was similar to enabling authorization being passed by other Jersey Cape municipal governing

bodies.

The complaint included a request for postponing the August 8 deadline for adoption of the Pinelands Management Plan on the grounds affected counties and municipalities haven't had sufficient time to study it. During the hoped-for interim, those units of government closest to the people as well as those on the state level would have time to "engage in a meaningful dialogue on the plan prior to its adoption," according to the letter. IMPLEMENTATION OF the plan as currently en-

visioned by the state would, according to the township’s letter, would result in: •Forfeiture of local zoning and planning power

of the state;

•Loss of valuable ratables and a shrinking of the tax base in Pinelands

communities;

•Increased population, demand for governmental services and housing costs in non-Pinelands com-

munities.

•A crippling impact on the tourism industry in Cape May County, due to the inland communities taking on a year round

character.

•A severe shortage in housing opportunities in the mainland communities within the Pinelands

region.

OFFICIALS AND others will have an opportunity to make their views known on the plan during ajoint meeting of the N.J. Assembly’s Agricultural and Environmental Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee which will sit together during a public hearing starling at 10 a m. Thursday in the State (Page 3 Please)

COLD SPRING — An application for a auarter-million dollar regional health clinic for the Greater Cape May-Lower Township area was withdrawn May 19.by the planning aide who has spent the past yeaf and a half putting the docUment for federal funding together. Lower Township planning aide Joseph Zahora sard afterward he withdrew the application in the midst of the review process to preclude its receiving a "npn-endorsement” from the Southern New Jersey Health Systems Agency Review Comrqittee. Mr Zabora's withdrawal of the booklength application came during the HSA Review Committee meeting that afternoon In BeHmawr It was the second setback in less (hana week THE PREVIOUS WEDNESDAY EVENING, the Cape May County USA Council voted overwhelmingly not to endorse the application, which sought over $210,000 from the Dept, of Health Education and Welfare to establish "an integrated rural health care delivery system" for the residents and visitors of Lower Township, Cape May City, West Cape May and Cape May Point. The application which Mr. Zahora has been working on since mid-1978, was initiated earlier that year by the eight-member Community Health Council which first (Page 3 Please)